I've got a 1977 31' rear bath. I've been gutting the bathroom so i can remove the old rotted wood and replace it. i've been able to get everything out one way or another but the damn tub is killing me. how do i unhook the drain?? The tub and the "rear shell" overlap by quite a bit so i just can't pull it out. since the support is under the tub i can't drop the tub to compensate for the overlap. any one else had these problems????
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Brian Travnicek
31' Sovereign Land Yacht
Pulled by a 2001 Silver Dodge
2500 Truck with Cummins Diesel Power and a 4.10 rear end.
I feel your pain, and I really mean it! I'm in the middle of a bathroom floor job myself (only owned the thing for a month) and am slowly making progress.
You must remove all of the trim around the tub if you haven't yet done so. That means pulling out (carefully, unless you plan to replace it at $1.+/ft I think) the plastic trim from the channel exposing the rivets. After you remove the metal trim piece, you'll find more rivets holding the tub in.
As for the drain, there is an access pan under the banana wrap beneath the coach (I almost said trailer). Mine is a round bowl mounted upside down to the underside of the floor with 3 screws. Go outside, crawl underneath, pull back the wrap and insulation and you'll be able to remove that cover. That will give you access to the p-trap and you can just unscrew it. I pulled the tub out by twisting/turning it once the trap was separated.
I just spent almost two hours today with a wire wheel brush removing excess rust from the rear frame (no sagging or major damage, thankfully), sealed it with a rust inhibitor, and will paint it silver tomorrow. My replacement piece is cut and I can't wait to get it back in. (I'm sure that will be an adventure).
I'm taking pictures so hopefully, it'll be of help to someone.
Ron I look forward to your photos. This job may be in my rear bath future too.
While out do you plan to have the fixtures re-surfaced?
You mention only the Banana Wrap, did you not also remove the flat belly (center section) or just roll it back? I dread that most of all I think. Gotta do what ya gotta do though. I keep expecting an avalanche of rat dung, brown recluses, and various cadavars, not to mention the man-made "pink poison ivy" to fall on my face, in my mouth, and down my shirt, pants, and socks. Let's not even think about PO dung.
Kevin Allen has posted that maybe the rear baths are the most plentiful models of travel trailers out there, so the more info on such overhauls the better for many for years to come I'd guess.
If it is not too late please take some pix of the area under the tub (from above) showing the layout of the drainage pipes and the shape/design of the support boxes under the tub. Also the uni-volt please i.e. is it screwed down in back where it can't be removed from the closet alone?
I know there was no grey tank in 72, so your drain plumbing will be very different than mine, but I'll glean from whatever you sew.
WRM (which reminds me) I saw your sig and did a google on # 112. Glad I did. Probably not what the go along to get alongers or the politically correct want to hear.
I'm pretty new to this but I've determined that there are two types of vintage rear bath models...those whose bathroom floors have been replaced and those whose floors need replacing.
That being said, I wish I'd paid at least $500 less for my Overlander. (The material costs probably won't exceed $100 but oh, the labor!)
Yes, you have to remove the belly wrap also. I just removed enough rivets to allow it to be rolled back (forward) to the next piece of plywood. On mine, the banana wrap is riveted to the side belly wrap (skin outside the main frame) and the side belly wrap, and the side belly wrap is riveted to the main frame. The center belly wrap has a short end piece that acts as a floor for the storage area between the bumper and the shell.
Didn't see any spiders or carcasses, but plenty of mice droppings. Probably should wear a mask. (or keep your mouth closed)
I haven't viewed all of my pics yet but I do think I probably have one of the plumbing and tub support once the tub had been removed.
Yes, I had to remove the univolt but it wasn't difficult. (The main pain is removing all the walls. And you've got to do it or you'll never get everything else out.) The univolt was attached to a small base made out of plywood and sits above the battery box. (The battery box was another story. I'm still not sure how I'm going to get it all back together, but the floor is cut out around it.)
As for refinishing the fixtures, absolutely. After looking at some posts on bathroom remodeling, I was really impressed with the 2-part epoxy results that other owners have received. (All my bathroom stuff sits in a pile where my gaucho should be...so sad looking right now!) Once I get things back together, we'll tackle that part of it.
Glad you liked my signature verse. With 6 children, we obviously march to a slightly different beat. Hope it doesn't offend anyone as it certainly isn't meant to.
Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions.
Ron,
Let us know when the pictures are posted...I'm going to have to do mine too. Most of my rot is contained to the extreme rear, mainly the storage compartment, but I think I want to go ahead and replace it out to the first full joint on the plywood. Plus to add insult to injury I have minor wood rot at the front end too, only where the frame bolts go thru, still puzzling thru how I am going to fix that one. Already done the Vista Views
Aaron
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....so many Airstreams....so little time...
WBCCI #2449 AIR #2495
Why are we in this basket...and where are we going
Ron for clarification I assume that the walls you speak of removing are the bulkheads/partitions including their attached accordian or pocket doors and the wardrobes/closets (known in AS parlance as "furniture" and maybe the bed base/storage units and any nightstands etc. known in AS parlance as "furniture" also.
I was hoping the only ABS plastic monstrosity that would not fit down the asile might be the tub itself. But I really thought it would. Are you saying it won't go out the bathroom door?
When I speak of walls I generally mean the interior skin of the shell. Not having served in the Merchant Marine I may be way off base.
Also are you saying your trailer has a 5 piece side to side belly pan? as the figure below (the "[" brackets reresent the "c"-channel-frame).
And counting the Banana Wraps "(" as part of the belly pan pkg.
( _ [ ____ ] _ )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My 74 manual shows a cross section (they call a constant section) on which the Bananas are 22 3/8 inches (some of that turns up to mate with side skin) and the center belly sheet is
61 1/2 inches. Just a 3 piece belly counting the Bananas.
An interesting variation. A 5 piece seems like it would be very tough to configure to re-hang. Would need a good supply of clekos.
Having served 6 years in the Navy, I can't believe I've been so sloppy in my terminology! The correct term for the "wall" I was referring to is "partition", that is a non-load bearing, non-watertight separation. A bulkhead, by definition, is a load-bearing, structural watertight separation.
You really can't remove the tub and all the other stuff without removing the partitions (with the pocket door). That's what stinks so much about this repair. You have to remove so much just to "clear the deck".
The tub is fastened with a couple of screws to the inner bathroom partition. (The outer partition is the one you see in your bedroom, the sliding door fits between the two.) There is a 1 1/2" vent that runs up the void (or is it a cofferdam, I can't remember which is more appropriate). You can't get to the screws without removing the bedroom (outer) partition.
You will also have to remove/peel back the interior "skin" of the sidewalls (bulkheads) in the bathroom once all the fixtures are out of the way. Get your 1/8" drill bit ready.
I'm going to go through the pictures tonight and see if I can get them posted.
I'll be happy to e-mail them to anyone who's interested. (in case I have problems posting them)
Originally posted by Morning Dew ...I've been able to get everything out one way or another but the damn tub is killing me. how do i unhook the drain??
PizzaChop already addressed peeling the belly skin back to gain access to the P-trap cover. I attacked P-trap access the same way only to find that my P-trap was a solid fitting with no joints to unscrew. Regrouping, I studied the drain fitting on the sink, and determined it was the same one used on the tub. The metal drain fitting screws into the ABS flange. I took a one-inch galvanized pipe and ground four nubs on one end to accomodate the the course strainer part of the drain fitting. Using this tool, I was then able to unscrew the metal fitting and remove the tub. I can take a picture of the tool if anyone is interested, but I think the home improvement stores sell a "perfeshionally-made" one.
So Tom are you saying there might be no reason to remove the belly skin (in your case) ? That the drain assembly (with male threded tail below tub) screws into a female (top) of P-trap?
It is removed from above, inside the trailer?
Is the P-trap "braced well enough that it doesn't need to be held when unscrewing the metal drain piece?
I'll bet it would need underneath assistance on the re-install for sure.
I needed the tub out to replace the bathroom floor, so the belly skin had already been dropped.
If, in the future, I should ever want to remove the tub again (which I hope will never occur ) there is nothing to be gained from dropping the belly skin on MY Overlander.
The P-trap is not braced, but I did not have to put a pipe wrench on the special tool I made to get the drain fitting loose. I can't see having any problems with reassembly.
we have a rear bath and all of it is one peice,the shower and all is together .I wont to know how to get it out. thanks for all the info. I can get carolyn western
Easy..hire my kids..seriously I'll ask them how they did it without harming a piece. they did it last week, month? ahh time flys. Check my photos. I think I have some shots of them removing the bath. silver suz
I am in the process of putting my rear bath back together after a floor replacement. It wasn't pretty and I had to remove the walls to completely remove the tub (there are screws holding it to the partition).
In order to remove the components, you must first remove all of the concealment molding, taking great care not to damage it if you plan to use it again. (We plan to use linoleum strips, which will match our new floor, rather than go back with the original, damaged, yellow stuff).
I think the order is is pretty much start high and work your way down. (Vanity, tub/toilet ledges, tub surround, lower cabinet, and last but certainly not least, the tub.)
I'm about to put it all together and I'll try to document it with photos as I did with the floor replacement. (See members photos..pizzachop)
I'm also attaching a picture of me applying the 2-part epoxy to the bathroom components, which turned out really well. (Tough As Tile- purchased at Lowe's for about $25)
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Let's not even think about PO dung. 
Probably not what the go along to get alongers or the politically correct want to hear.
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