Old Flying Cloud 1953

[cosmotini]

Steve,

Check with the Airstream store. They sell stuff that isn't listed on the website.

Is that black tank shower pan combo for a wet shower? I think it's a good idea.

[soldiermedic]

Dennis,

The combo unit is for a wet bath. The original wet bath in the trailer was much smaller than this pan provides, and I could even expand more on it if i want to. I thought about calling the Airstream store, but I figured that each sconce would be over $100.

Steve

[byamcaravanner]

Steve,

Good score on the wet-bath... you will be happy with that set-up. I'm glad to hear you are still plugging along.

[A-Merry-Can]

yeah! ditto! If the nice weather keeps up, I'll be back at it soon!

JP

[RichHog]

Steve sorry I let you get away without another trip out for Mexican food. Had lunch today at Cucos. Fantastic place.

[dieseleagle]

We got the exact same black-tank shower combo unit. Now I'm suffering from price-envy. On the light fixtures, I'd mention that I bought 4 of the 7 inch stainless LED dome lights from bestconverter. The brand name is Seasense. I'm sad to say that two of the four have already gone "south" with a quadrant of the unit blinking on and off. And they have less than 40 hours on them! So, I'm on the hunt again as well.

[A-Merry-Can]

you may have already seen this place, but Sailor Sam's has some nice stuff in all price ranges. They have nice switches, too! I've got them in the Silver Pickle.

JP

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by dieseleagle

We got the exact same black-tank shower combo unit. Now I'm suffering from price-envy.

Dieseleagle, Would you have any pictures from your installation available for me to look at? Did you use an ABS fitting for the vent, or one of the rubber grommets? Looks like the tank sits below the pan, and a longer fitting would be needed. Any info you have would be great.

Rich, thanks for thinking of me...another trip to TC would have been great.

JP, I have perused Sailor Sams, Swego, West Marine, etc, etc. I wish VTS was making replicas from the 50's for the cone lames, but it isn't in the cards.

Steve

[soldiermedic]

Not a ton of work done today, but it was still a good day. I had help from the new airstreamer that I sold my 63 Tradewind to. He was a huge help with everything. I went to his house when it was sunny and 60 on Saturday, and he joined me here today when it was in the 30s. What a nice trade off huh.

We pulled all of the 110v wiring through the trailer, and 70% of the 12v. Still have a few more lines to pull for the water pump, ceiling lights, and 12v outlets.

We also cut holes for, and installed the trailer umbilical, water fill, and water tank vent. The fill is a stainless steel marine deck fill, and the vent is a fuel line vent. It took some finagling with the lines and fittings not matching up, but we worked it out.

I purchased the umbilical conncetor at etrailer.com last fall after seeing it online. I like how my 75 ambassador has a removable cable to keep it in good shape. After installation, we hooked it up to Brian's truck to test the continuity and signal from the truck.

[dieseleagle]

The water closet pan isn't installed permanently yet. While its in the correct location I just made it functional so we could attend the Florida State rally last weekend. DW had them place the vent connection in the wrong corner but its no big deal as I have just corssed over behind the commode. Obviously, we relocated the the bath to the mid-section so I could install a walk-around queen size bed int he rear.

The shower will drain into the separate gray water tank that is located just below this portion of the deck, just behind the axles. I made a wood box to support the black tank at the correct level. The shower pan is sitting on 2 3/4 inches of styrofoam, but I think I'm going to substitute a piece of plywood for the 3/4 of foam as the pan feel squishy when I stand in it.

BTW, after a series of e-mail exchanges yesterday Randy at Bestconverter is replacing the two light fixtures that have gone bad. He is anxious to do the right thing, but the jury is still out on the fixtures themselves. If a third one goes on the fritz I'll be back looking for an alternative.

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by dieseleagle

The water closet pan isn't installed permanently yet. While its in the correct location I just made it functional so we could attend the Florida State rally last weekend. DW had them place the vent connection in the wrong corner but its no big deal as I have just corssed over behind the commode. Obviously, we relocated the the bath to the mid-section so I could install a walk-around queen size bed int he rear.

The install looks pretty good. What are you going to use on the wood box to prevent it from rotting? Spar Varathane? The thing I want to see the most on this is the vent installation for the tank. It installs on the other side, so it isn't visable. What kind of fitting did you use, and how difficult was it to install?

Steve

[NorCal Bambi]

soldiermedic, This is a great black tank and shower pan combo. What a great find. I been working on ideas for the setup in my 55 Flying cloud. I want a side bath as well. Your placement is just like my plan. I think I will be building my own fiberglass unit however this unit has some good design ideas. Thanks for your find and placing such good pictures on your site.
Don

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

Hello All,

It's been awhile since anything new has been done on the flying cloud, but that is about to change. Tomorrow I will be pulling new 110v wiring, and installing a 12v system that will replace all the 110v lighting. I will be installing a 4045 progressive dynamics converter after the walls are back in, and huge thanks to Melody Ranch who walked me through all of the diagrams and his installation.

Originally the trailer had a fluorescent light at the front of the end cap, a light between the front and center vent, two wall sconces in the rear of the trailer, and a bathroom light. The ceiling light and front fluorescent light were removed prior to my purchase, and the old sconces were brittle and removed.

I plan to use a light similar to this one found at West marine.

Vintage Trailer Supply used to sell lights like this, but they lost their supplier. I have found several sources for these lights at marine outlets. I am at a bit of a loss on what to do for the fluorescent light that was originally in the front end cap, and the two wall mounted laps. Vintage Trailer Supply no longer sells the wall sconces they once sold either, and while I have found a replacement...I don't like the look.

I really like the look of the Pan America's lighting sconces. Basically a bulb with decorative aluminum mesh for the diffuser. The mesh is easy to get at Home Depot or my local metal supply, but fabricating the light base with no brake would be difficult.


With the original shower stall being cramped, I had planned to go with only a toilet in the trailer. We almost always use the shower houses when we camp anyhow. I was searching for a black tank on ebay, and came across this item from Pelland Enterprises. The item was return unused by a customer. Tank and shower pan combo that already has the closet flange installed, and has the drain in the tank bottom. For $80, I couldn't pass it up (It retails on their site for $384). I guess I will need it to get here before figuring out how to vent the black tank, and how to install the gate valve.

If anyone has suggestions on the lighting, I would like to hear about it. I have looked all over for nice looking sconces or wall lamps, but have not found anything I like.

Steve

[dieseleagle]

Sorry, I didn't understand the question. In the corner you can't see is a factory installed 2 inch OD slip fitting. I intend to glue in a reducer to 1 1/4 threaded and then come off of that with a 90 to cross behind the commode and then up to the vent hole in the ceiling. I'll try to take a picture tonight.

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

soldiermedic, This is a great black tank and shower pan combo. What a great find. I been working on ideas for the setup in my 55 Flying cloud. I want a side bath as well. Your placement is just like my plan. I think I will be building my own fiberglass unit however this unit has some good design ideas. Thanks for your find and placing such good pictures on your site.
Don

Thanks Don, I don't even have a plan on where to use it, or what I will do with it. The price was far too good to pass on. If I don't end up using it, I am sure someone on here will be interested in it. I hope like crazy to make it work though.

Originally Posted by dieseleagle

Sorry, I didn't understand the question. In the corner you can't see is a factory installed 2 inch OD slip fitting. I intend to glue in a reducer to 1 1/4 threaded and then come off of that with a 90 to cross behind the commode and then up to the vent hole in the ceiling. I'll try to take a picture tonight.

I can only see where the block of wood is holding up the 90 degree elbow for the vent pipe. I cannot see where or how that plumbing enters the tank. I am not sure how these fittings all work since my trailer didn't have a tank to begin with, so the 2 inch fitting goes through a hole in both the top of the pan where the toilet sits, and the tank? Since you glue the fitting in on the top of the pan, what seals it against the cut hole in the black tank?

Steve

[dieseleagle]

The factory has glued the PVC fitting on the outer white shell to the black (ABS?) plastic of the tank. So, glueing a standard fitting into the factory slip fitting makes the connection to the black tank.


I know I have seen tank fittings that consist of a rubber gasket on each side of a hole, presumably cut with a standard hole saw, and then compressed together with a screwed together collar to make a watertight connection. Before the commode goes on you have pretty good access to the inside of the tank by reaching inside. Hopefully the tank wasn't a used return. LOL I'll try to put on my thinking cap and remember where I've seen these connectors.

[dieseleagle]

Occasionally we get lucky. The manufacturer of the unit is Ameri-Kart. Go to their website, launch the catalog and then click on "fittings". You may be able to find a human being at Ameri-Kart to talk with. If not, I'd suggest going back to Pelland. If she is still there DW worked with a Diana Calman. I'll send a PM with her direct phone number.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by dieseleagle

Occasionally we get lucky. The manufacturer of the unit is Ameri-Kart. Go to their website, launch the catalog and then click on "fittings". You may be able to find a human being at Ameri-Kart to talk with. If not, I'd suggest going back to Pelland. If she is still there DW worked with a Diana Calman. I'll send a PM with her direct phone number.

I cannot get the on-line Ameri-kart catalog to work properly. I can get the index page pdf to download, but all of the links to individual sections do not work:
Recreational Vehicle (RV) Trim, Tanks, Covers & Live Wells from Ameri-Kart

For each page I get "Could not open the file . . ." error messages. Is anyone else having that problem?

[soldiermedic]

ALCON,

Please be on the lookout for a red or amber Beehive marker lamp like the ones pictured below. While performing diagnostics on my running lights, I slipped on a small patch of ice and dropped one of my glass lenses. I was told these lenses are near impossible to find by Steve at Vintage Trailer Supply. At one point he was considering recasting some of them, but the process was too expensive to consider.

Since there are already holes in the trailer for this light that would not be covered up by teardrop running lights, I really prefer to use these original fixtures.




The reason I was doing this in the first place was because not all my marker lights were coming on when I used a battery charger to test the circuit. It is ran the exact same way as the original with a single leg covering both street side fixtures, the tail lights, and the curbside rear light. The curbside front is a short separate leg. The curbside front has no issues lighting up, but when I power the other circuit, the trouble light on the charger lights up. I have continuity through the lines, but no voltage. I was grounding to the fresh C channel. Perhaps there is not enough amperage passing through the lines from the battery charger, but I am not an electrical genius.

[Xbob2]

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

ALCON,

Please be on the lookout for a red or amber Beehive marker lamp like the ones pictured below. While performing diagnostics on my running lights, I slipped on a small patch of ice and dropped one of my glass lenses. I was told these lenses are near impossible to find by Steve at Vintage Trailer Supply. At one point he was considering recasting some of them, but the process was too expensive to consider.

Since there are already holes in the trailer for this light that would not be covered up by teardrop running lights, I really prefer to use these original fixtures.




The reason I was doing this in the first place was because not all my marker lights were coming on when I used a battery charger to test the circuit. It is ran the exact same way as the original with a single leg covering both street side fixtures, the tail lights, and the curbside rear light. The curbside front is a short separate leg. The curbside front has no issues lighting up, but when I power the other circuit, the trouble light on the charger lights up. I have continuity through the lines, but no voltage. I was grounding to the fresh C channel. Perhaps there is not enough amperage passing through the lines from the battery charger, but I am not an electrical genius.

What is the base diameter? The height?
Bob

[dieseleagle]

Suggestion: Go to ebay, motors, vintage trailer, page 1 & page 3