A New Challenge-1963 Overlander rehab project

[utee94]

I've covered in some detail the refurbishment of my black tank, but it still wasn't going to be useful to me until I picked up a new gate valve. And since my repairs only restored it to original, I'd be looking at replacing it with another Thetford valve, where I'd prefer to use the more modern Valterra gate valves.

And that's where my good buddy Steve comes in. Some may know him from the Forums as theByamCaravanner. He's a mechanical wiz, a really smart guy, and also an all-around GOOD guy. He has been fabricating these adapter plates for a few of his Airstream friends, and I was lucky enough to be the recipient of one of those, today.


Steve is a proud Wisconsinite, so I had to don my Wisconsin football t-shirt for the occasion. Go Badgers! Very soon, I will mount this plate to the bottom of my tank, and then the gate valve will attach to the plate, and I will be back in the... umm... #2 business.

Along with the adapter plate, today UPS delivered something else to my doorstep.


I plugged it in, and waited in anticipation. I watched as my trailer took its first breath in five months.


The lights came on just as they were before I took everything apart. And, perhaps most importantly...


Now I can work in the deliciously chilled air of the Carrier AirV.

Once again, thanks to Steve for taking the time to create and ship the adapter plate. It is a HUGE help.

-Marcus

[Overlander & Sea]

Great progress!!..... but, where's the beer? There's no beer in those pictures. Now that you have A/C, there's no beer!!

[utee94]

A severe oversight, Rick. I am embarrassed and I will work to make sure it does not happen again!

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by utee94

A severe oversight, Rick. I am embarrassed and I will work to make sure it does not happen again!

I thought you were just practicing for when your new child is born. You know, no money for beer...

[sd90mac]

Marcus,

Tell everyone to quit picking on you about the beer. If we were closer, I would buy you a case. Goliath looks wonderfull, and you are doing a great job. I am so happy he has such a good home.

I still think about the nasty asbestos tiles we litteraly used a blade to scrape out of him, and am very glad we did, so your babies do not have to be in contact with them.

I think he looks great and am very proud of the fine additions you are making to him.

Keep up the good work.

Marie

[utee94]

Originally Posted by sd90mac

Marcus,

Tell everyone to quit picking on you about the beer. If we were closer, I would buy you a case. Goliath looks wonderfull, and you are doing a great job. I am so happy he has such a good home.

I still think about the nasty asbestos tiles we litteraly used a blade to scrape out of him, and am very glad we did, so your babies do not have to be in contact with them.

I think he looks great and am very proud of the fine additions you are making to him.

Keep up the good work.

Marie

Thanks so much Marie, I am glad that you like what I've done so far, and I hope you like the changes to come. There are still a few twists to be revealed.

And many thanks to both you and Terry for removing those asbestos tiles. Definitely not something I want my babies to be around.

-Marcus

[utee94]

I had thought that the drain/vent pipes in this '63 Airstream were 1.5", but to be honest during demolition I never bothered to measure them.

In actuality, the ID appears to be something just over 1.25". So, were '63 Airstreams actually using 1.25" ID drain/vent pipes rather than 1.5"

I should probably go back in this very thread and research, perhaps Terry mentioned something about that when he made the mods to drain the galley sink into the black tank. I think I'll do that right now.

I'm replacing much of it, but there are a few places where it ties into the old system, and so I'd just as soon use the same size as original rather than step it up to 1.5" ID if it's not necessary.

I'm open to the Forums' thoughts/suggestions.

Thanks!
-Marcus

[Jim & Susan]

I can tell you with absolute certainty that the "73 used 1.5" Sched 40 ABS. I just came in from messing around with it. Sorry I can't help with the '63. Can you even buy 1.25" these days?

Jim

[overlander63]

It is 1 1/4". There is a '64 Globetrotter in the shop now that has the 1 1/4" pipes.

[utee94]

Thanks guys, it is indeed 1.25".

I figured it had been long enough, so here's an update. I'm scheduled to be camping in a week, so I've got a lot of work to do.

The original vanity suffered from a lot of the same rot problems that took out the floor, so it had to be rebuilt. I tried to salvage some of it, but then I decided to scrap it and build new from scratch. I built the frame from pine 1x2s, and it is just as strong and much lighter than the original.


And then, a magic vanity construction fairy came and completed it for me. No, not really, I was just so busy that I didn't take any more construction photos. But here it is back in the coach for a test fit, mostly finished:


It has two large doors in the front, similar to the original. I'm still deciding on the hardware. There will be a shelf at the bottom, and I'll stack baskets inside for toiletries and such. The bottom will be removable, so I can access the plumbing that will run below it, and that opening will have a full-width bottom-hinged door (that I have yet to build).

I finished the countertop, too. It's made from Formica brand laminate, Atomic Turf pattern. The sink is an Ikea serving bowl that is recessed into the countertop. The substrate is 1/2" plywood and the edge trim is original, one of the few pieces I was able to salvage.


Next, I had to do something about the black tank. I've been debating how to treat it, I considered painting it, covering it with laminate or flooring, but recently I was reading back through Uwe's thread on the Airforums, and I remembered that he covered his with wood. I loved the look, but wasn't sure how to apply the technique to my own tank, since mine has the curved fiberglass outer shell, while Uwe's was flat on the top and side.

I started by cleaning it up.


Then I patched over the old furnace vent hole with some scrap aluminum.


I had some bendy birch from other projects, so decided to test it to see if it could make a tight enough radius to follow the curve at the front of the tank. It did, so I proceeded to laminate it onto the tank exterior, on the top I used a special high-strength but flexible epoxy designed for the marine industry to bond wood, metal, and fiberglass (supposedly you can even apply it underwater, I sure hope I never test this out in my Airstream!), and on the curved section I drilled, clecoed, and riveted in place. While the epoxy cured, I gathered up the heaviest things I had lying around nearby to hold the wooden cover in place against the fiberglass tank.


And here's what it looked like after its first coat of spar urethane, and with the ends painted to match their surroundings once installed.


Four more coats of spar urethane to help ensure the cover is resistant to being "soiled" and then I test-fit with the vanity in place.



And finally, with the Throne in place:


There's still some trimming and fitting to do, but it's almost there.

With those carpentry projects mostly done, I started a bit of the freshwater plumbing. I'm using PEX tubing with a combination of Jayco and Flair-It fittings.



And, then it was time to call it a day.

[3Ms75Argosy]

One week! Ok, I better REALLY get to the post office. Sorry, did I ever mention I have a Post Office phobia! Sorry Marcus, I'll make it right, Monday for sure!

Love laminate! It looks really classy - along with that sink! Did you know I have the same type of sink in my Argosy? Just, your cabinet looks finished and mine... doesn't...

Keep it up!
Marc

[utee94]

No worries Marc, I appreciate the help.

It was actually an Argosy that inspired me on the sink-- Sergei's "contemporized" Argosy specifically. I think it might even be the exact same bowl.

-Marcus

[flyfshr]

Man that really looks fantastic. One week to go and you'll at least have the bathroom ready. Next is the sleeping compartment, then galley? You're going to have a busy week. Keep those pix coming.

Brad
FF

[utee94]

Originally Posted by flyfshr

Man that really looks fantastic. One week to go and you'll at least have the bathroom ready. Next is the sleeping compartment, then galley? You're going to have a busy week. Keep those pix coming.

Brad
FF

Thanks Brad, I really am pleased with the vanity and black tank shroud.

For next weekend, I must complete the freshwater and drain plumbing for the whole trailer (the majority is located in the back half, the galley sink plumbing is all intact and just fine). Then I'll need to complete the wardrobes including stabilizing some delaminating plywood at the bases, beefing up the frame support a little bit, and re-veneering the carcasses and doors.

Then it's on to the bedroom, but for aesthetic reasons I intend to build new beds and re-veneer the overheads, so I don't think that will be complete by next weekend. Instead, I will just reinstall the old beds which are still perfectly functional, and go without the overhead lockers for this trip.

Over the week or two following the camping trip, I will complete the new beds, and reveneer the overheads, install them all, and then call it "done" for this camping season.

The galley and front lounge will be redone NEXT winter, and I will be replacing the subfloor and inspecting the frame for damage at that time as well. It's in much better shape than the rear, though there are a couple of small rotten spots under the front window.

So, that is the PLAN anyway. We'll see if I actually end up decommissioning her at the end of next camping season to finish the front-half frame-up restoration. I'll have a brand new baby boy as of September 3rd or so, so my long-suffering wife might need me around a little more often on the weekends. If so, then it will be winter 2011 when I redo the front half.

Man, the timeline in Airstream Renovation Land sure does stretch out doesn't it???? I remember reading through Uwe's and Carlos' and Jordan's and Jim's and Sergei's and many other threads, thinking "WOW these folks sure are taking a long time on these renovations!"

Now I know why! But, it's a lot of fun, and I really do learn something new every single day I do this.

Thanks for following!

-Marcus

[pbearsailor]

Looking really good Marcus. Nice to see beer back in the pics too, and a very good Pacific Northwest choice too.

cheers,
steve

[BarryIowa]

Great looking bath Marcus! Really enjoying your progress and updates.

My axles came in so that is next for me.

[truckasaurus]

Very neat, I love the radius on the veneer, it goes great with the rivets.

[3Ms75Argosy]

Light cover is on it's way!
Marc

[utee94]

Thanks Marc!

-Marcus

[danalee]

What a great job-look so nice.