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Sugarfoot · 11-01-2009, 09:52 AM

No front or rear hholding plate? I'm not sure about my '56. Maybe it was a California thing? It's amazing to me the variations in construction seen in many of the 50's trailers that aren't revealed until tear-down. I know standardization didn't take hold at Airstream until sometime in the 60's, but I can't help but wonder what guided assembly on any given day. Since so many survived after 50 years,
I guess it is a non-issue.

It's looking awesome, Steve.

soldiermedic · 11-02-2009, 07:49 AM

I will throw this out while I am still working on panels, belly pan, and windows for hopes I can get something when I am ready.

I am wanting to add a fresh water holding tank in the front area where previously nothing existed. I have found several tanks new on ebay that have a fill fitting, and several fittings for drain and venting. The problem is that all these vent fittings are for 3/8 hose. While I have several options for 3/8 fittings through the standard RV products, they are all ugly, and would ruin the vintage look. This next kit comes with everything I need for the tank above.

I have found a number of stainless deck fills and vents in the marine industry that look great, but require a 5/8 vent instead.

The tank price is extremely economical in my eyes, and worth it vs a custom tank. Should I just suck it up and go with the ugly look?

Steve

Melody Ranch · 11-02-2009, 08:28 AM

No plastic crap. I found a real nice vintage looking fill fitting in stainless, from Boaterbits on EBAY. Keep up the good work.

soldiermedic · 11-02-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

No plastic crap. I found a real nice vintage looking fill fitting in stainless, from Boaterbits on EBAY. Keep up the good work.

What about the tank fittings and vent sizes?

soldiermedic · 11-02-2009, 06:55 PM

Well...I had a nice long posting all drawn out, and then my computer decided to go into shutdown mode, and the draft I saved is NOWHERE to be found. In short, Bob and I were able to use our 4 hour half day to good use, and got the front window reinstalled into the trailer. Rebuilding this window took a very long time, and there are a great number of parts to it even though it may not look like it.

We started by finishing the reassembly of the windw since I had missed a few rivets while I was last working on it months ago. I popped them into place, and slid in the newly rebuilt sash. I didn't have my camera, so sorry for no pics.

Next we dry fit the window into place. These old 50's windows sandwiches in between the top of the front curved panel, and a bracing panel that is inside the front endcap. This was done to assist in shedding water and help with rigidity. The holes lined up perfectly, but we had a couple of holes that would not hold tight with a 5/32 cleco fastener.

Window in place with clecos

After the dry fit, we removed the window and I applied a hefty bead of vulkem on three sides of the window opening where the windo would overlap the skin. The top would be vulkemed later once the window was installed.

Be liberal with sealant, and clean it up later before it is completely cured.

We placed the window back in the opening and seated it against the bead of vulkem. We then clecoed through the holes and proceeded to buck rivet the window into place. Each rivet squeezed a little more vulkem out the sides of the window ensuring me a water tight fit. A few holes that were too wide for a 5/32 solid rivet were replaced with olympic rivets. These worked like a charm. After the riveting, I proceeded to wipe off the excess vulkem with a laquer thinner soaked rag. I shaved the few olympics that we had to install with Bob's shaver tool, and we were done.

Get the mess off now or be sorry later.

We were running out of daylight quickly, and the sun had already gone over the horizon. We were working off the streetlight, and decided that we couldn't get much more done. I decided last minute to install the drip cap over the window to have a complete front window ensemble. I applied a liberal bead of sealant to the back of the drip cap, and used olympics in the installation. The originals were buck rivets, but I wanted the ease of olympics in the little light we had. I shaved the mandrels off, wiped the sealant residue, and called it a night.

Rebuilt window fully riveted and sealed

The Cylon

More work tomorrow with hopes of getting a couple more windows installed and the front panel completely fastened.

Xbob2 · 11-02-2009, 09:19 PM

Interesting ... Facebook friends reply but Forums friends are slackers ...
Bob

soldiermedic · 11-02-2009, 09:24 PM

Maybe we didn't WoW anyone today Bob!

Steve

Xbob2 · 11-02-2009, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

Maybe we didn't WoW anyone today Bob!

Steve

Guess not ... same ole, same ole!
B

goransons · 11-02-2009, 09:57 PM

Looks good! How many hours you figure you have into that front window from removal, rebuild and reinstall? Looks like a ton of work.

RichHog · 11-02-2009, 10:50 PM

So Steve I can't believe your not gonna pull her down here to Texas for the Vintage Rally next Feb.?????

CrzyCorpsman · 11-03-2009, 04:04 AM

Looking great Steve. I told you that you would pass me up during your restore

I'll be hitting mine hot and heavy when I get back to Mississippi in Feb.

soldiermedic · 11-03-2009, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goransons

Looks good! How many hours you figure you have into that front window from removal, rebuild and reinstall? Looks like a ton of work.

Scott,

As I was telling Bob all day yesterday....be thankful you don't have these windows. Now keep in mind that this is my first time working on hehr windows, or an Airstream in general. This also doesn't include trips to the specialty stores for glass or sealant needed for certain parts of the rebuild.

Here is the approximate breakdown.

I had two hours in the removal time. That was for drilling out the drip cap and window frame, and cutting through the silicone that was everywhere. I would have had a person helping if I had the chance to do it again.

I had approximately 14 hours to break it down, clean the parts, re screen, new gaskets, new fasteners, get new glass, paint hardware, etc. While these windows look cool, they certainly are a pain to redo. To give you an idea, the stationary glass pane in the front window has 25 components to it alone.

Installation that encompasses everything we did yesterday was about 4 hours, and that was two of us for bucking rivets.

So there you have it. approximately 20 hours, or 24 man hours when you include Bob's time.

Steve

soldiermedic · 11-03-2009, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichHog

So Steve I can't believe your not gonna pull her down here to Texas for the Vintage Rally next Feb.?????

Rich,

If only my trailer would be ready by that point. I don't think there is any way I have this thing camp able by then. I will be attending if I can sell enough tests like I did last year though.

Steve

3Ms75Argosy · 11-03-2009, 11:12 AM

Steve, why don't you go with the cheap tank, but get an adapter to take the 5/8" fill down to a 3/8" for the tank?
Marc

Melody Ranch · 11-03-2009, 01:31 PM

I am first on the list for leak test at the Texas Vintage Rally. Lets get many more folks signed up for the check.

RichHog · 11-03-2009, 10:20 PM

Hey Steve nothing like a deadline to git er done. You do have that other beautiful unit. If not let me know if yo need passage from the airport to Conroe KOA

BarryIowa · 11-04-2009, 06:27 AM

Great work! My windows are a few years newer (1955) and a few less parts but still have many of the same issues as yours and I know this is very time consuming. Keep up the first class job!

soldiermedic · 11-04-2009, 06:44 AM

There were no standards of assembly back in 53 I have discovered, and I have had to rescreen a few times because I assembled the window the same as another only to realize that it wouldn't work after cutting a hole in the screen.

My biggest issue right now is that I do not have the aluminum grommets that hold the screen against the back channel. All of mine broke in removal, and nobody sells them. It's a piece of aluminum with a straight slit punched through it for the operator arm. If anyone has extras, has an idea ot bypass this, or can make some...let me know. Here is a picture.

Bob and I got two more windows and caps installed yesterday, and would have had a thrid if the aforementioned issue with the non standardized layouts have occurred.

Steve

3Ms75Argosy · 11-04-2009, 08:41 AM

Can you make a new one out of some scrap alumanum skin that you might have lying around? They might be thinner, but I'm sure that may work. OR, make the oval with slit out of plastic, and rivet some aluminum tabs onto the ends to bend into the holes of the skin?

soldiermedic · 11-04-2009, 12:20 PM

Hey Marc,

The old ones seemed to be scrap alclad. I do have a bunch of this left over, and can use it. The hard part is the rectangular hole for the operator. I wouldn't bother bending the tabs in like the original, but would add a pop rivet into the hole to attach the grommet to the back channel. I figured they were made on a machine punch back in the day.

Steve