What is this??

[tpfleg]

Hi all,
We have owned our 1978 28' Ambassador for 3 months now, and we have most of it figured out, thanks to all of you!
HOWEVER, there is a square drop down in the belly pan underneath the front living room. I don't want to make my poor, PATIENT hubby open this up to see what is in it, so I'm hoping some of you might know.
It is not the fresh water tank, or grey/black tanks.
It has no openings. There is nothing above it in the camper, but the living room floor. It is not mentioned in the owner's manual, and we don't have a repair manual.
Approximate measurements are 17" x 34" x 3-3/4".
Help!
Terry

[OTRA15]

Welcome to the forum! There may be an owner's manual available online. I will R&D when I get back home later. Are all four vertical faces the same, showing only aluminum (galv. steel?), with no fasteners other than rivets and the dark bolts holding the box up?

Any chance there was a propane floor heater added at some point, which was later removed when the floor was re-done? Any way of contacting previous owners?

Peter

[OTRA15]

I believe this spec. sheet covers your 1978 28' Ambassador. Check at the bottom of the middle column, where your model is mentioned under the space heater text. Do you have a separate space heater near an exterior wall? (which would probably not be the one I guessed about under the floor).

https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...89bb08ceff.pdf

If you want to look for other manuals, go to the AS company site:

https://www.airstream.com/

and click on Service, then either Document Archive or Manuals in the drop down menu.

I did not look very hard, so there may be a more detailed manual available.

Good luck!

Peter

PS -- Any chance a previous owner installed a floor safe there? Stranger things have happened IMO!

[xrvr]

Is it accessible from above? Or just from underneath? If above it might be a safe as was mentioned, or from below a smuggling hole.

[OTRA15]

I wondered about smuggling too but thought it was too visible. Curious to hear her answer about the other three vertical faces being just the same, or not?

PS -- Bingo! ??? Right inside the entry door, was there a removable grate inside the door for scraping one's feet off, and the metal box caught the droppings?

A grate idea!

[Sphere Guy]

Curious me, I would unscrew 3 sides and see what is inside. At the least.

[slowmover]

Finally! Someone found DB Coopers stash!!


1990 35' Silver Streak
2004 555 Cummins

[Wolfe]

Beer tank ?

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by tpfleg

I don't want to make my poor, PATIENT hubby open this up to see what is in it, so I'm hoping some of you might know.

Ah, come on Terry...don't keep us guessing - just grab a screw driver, crawl on under there and unscrew the screws & let us know what you find! There only appears to be 16 of them...I know you can do it, no need to wait on the hubby for this one.

Shari

[Al Boondy]

Considering that it's attached to the belly pan I'm guessing that someone built a better mouse trap.

[tpfleg]

Oh my gosh!!! You all are hilarious!! What a great laugh with my morning tea!
I, too, thought of a secret stash of cash!
Unfortunately, Dear Hubby put in new flooring, so I WILL have to go at this from underneath.
No, there was no electric heater that I could find.
Peter, thank you for info on how to get more info! I am a librarian and do research for a living, but this one has stymied me!
Alright, I'll let you guys know what I find out!

Terry

[batman]

Curiouser and curiouser.

[Lumatic]

Flux Capacitor

[mimiandrews]

I still find it amazing that a flux capacitor comes in so many different shapes. ;-)

[xrvr]

Cash stash! No, not cash, something else.

[Shiny16]

Originally Posted by Lumatic

Flux Capacitor

I believe they were only available on the limited edition stainless steel model.

[tpfleg]

Flux capacitor!! Love it!

Okay, I interrupted my morning reading to go out and take off some screws (thanks, Shari, for the boost of confidence!)

Some of the screw are rusted, and I have put WD-40 on them, hoping they loosen up. However, I was able to get the screws off one of the long sides, and pull the top away from the belly pan about an inch. I inserted my cell phone, and took photos. The bottom of the pan is empty, but there is something hung in there. It looks like it's cast iron and has a white stamp on it.
I'm wondering if it's some sort of plate to anchor the chair that would have been sort of above it in the living room? However, now that I know there MAY have been a safe, and if it IS a safe, you all know where it IS--so I may have to throw all of you into my flux capacitator--or flash you with my MIB issued neuralyzer!

I may have to wait until DH gets home so he can finish my job. Whatever I break, he's going to have to fix, so I'd rather not break it! Ha ha!

Thanks for the great ideas, and the laughs!
Terry

[OTRA15]

Was there a recliner there maybe? When you husband did the floors, he would have seen the holes for the through-bolts? The enclosure seems much larger than needed for the metal base and some bolts IMO. Can you remove the entire thing and get us some new photos?

Thanks for the continuing mystery!

[tpfleg]

Okay, I got 10 of the 16 screws out, but the other six are rusted and/or stripped (Yes, I used WD-40). I was not able to take the cover off, but was able to push up the belly pan and pull down the edge of the mystery box to make a 1" opening where I was able to take a few pics.
DH is home now, and he will take it apart next week. In the meantime, what do you all think?
The 'black box' is probably 12" x 30"?
It looks like some sort of tank to me.
The stamped number appears to be 288 720?
Terry

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . you're killin me. . . Cb