The adventure begins.... in more ways than one!

[katzklaw]

didn't get to the stabilizers, but, we did get the other axle almost completely mounted. i say 'almost' because we STILL don't have the other set of shocks! we had ordered them... TWO WEEKS ago... and due to some kind of mix-up, only one arrived in the local store we ordered them to (this is not including the other two mounted on the other axle... those we had in a day)

so now, two weeks later, we still don't have the other pair of shocks. *mutters rude things about the local auto-parts store*

however, all holes have been drilled, surfaces prepped, anything that needed cutting or adjusting was cut or adjusted, all that needs doing is attaching the shocks, and bolting the axles into place, and we're DONE with that aspect of the project. YAY!!!!


another halfway photo. and a good shot of hubby's 'wagon wheel' in place! o yeah, and i also installed a set of 'fog lamps' under the bumper to provide extra lighting if needed for backing up at night. i'm going to wire it to be on a separate switch, so it doesn't automatically come on when i throw it in reverse.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by katzklaw

so now, two weeks later, we still don't have the other pair of shocks. *mutters rude things about the local auto-parts store*

o yeah, and i also installed a set of 'fog lamps' under the bumper to provide extra lighting if needed for backing up at night. i'm going to wire it to be on a separate switch, so it doesn't automatically come on when i throw it in reverse.

You are not the first to mutter rude things about their local auto parts supplier, trust me... I've been known to do more than mutter on occasion.
For the fog lamps, from someone that has dragged the bottom of the bumper a couple of times, is there any way you can mount them on top of the bumper? That extra 4" mounted underneath can cause a problem when going through dips in the road, and when trying to back into a site that is above street level.

[katzklaw]

well... i already mounted 'em on the bright side, they're only about 2 inches tall, not 4 inches. maybe that'll help. i guess i just keep my fingers crossed. they're just 20 dollar cheapies anyway. if i do scrape 'em off, i'll replace with something in a more secure location

and on another note.... SUCCESS! the trailer is now sitting on brand new axles! YAY! next... wiring.

[katzklaw]

well... the trailer has claimed another victim. after a few days spend wiring up all the new lights i purchased and installed, i was stepping out of the trailer yesterday afternoon, and stepped wrong coming down. my ankle twisted beneath me, and i fell straight down on my butt ( i was in the process of trying to back out of the trailer.. i forget exactly why... i think it was because something or someone was in my way infront of me, so i couldn't go in and turn around).

net result: a twisted ankle and a bruised tailbone area.

trailer - 2 / owners - 0

it coulda been much worse, tho. i've twisted my ankle a few times before... i'm already up and around today with just a brace. last couple times i was on crutches for weeks.

on the bright side... work progresses on the trailer, dispite all injuries! RAR! take that!

[pmclemore]

I can't tell you how much I admire you and dearhubby for what you have accomplished.

I think you are gaining on the trailer even though it appears you are temporarily behind. Giving it a false sense of security is pretty tricky.

Pat

[katzklaw]

hey, wow! i finally got a decent camera! no more camera-phone pictures! woohoo!

anyways... here's the trailer as-is currently. (took this photo yesterday)

progressing slowly but surely

[Sugarfoot]

Hi Katz, you'll love it, that digital camera will serve you well.

Looks like things are progressing in inspite of the upper hand the trailer THINKS it has on inflicting injury. Just whack it hard on the tongue next time it tries any funny stuff. You'll show it who's boss!

[katzklaw]

SUCCESS! FINALLY!!!!

we got the stabilizers installed today! horay!

we had taken a short break from the trailer to help my dad prepare his bus-converted-to-an-RV for its first REAL trip.


hubby decided he didn't like the screws that BAL provided with the stabilizers, so he drilled and tapped the holes into the frame and threaded in bolts instead. holds great!

more to come soon! (hopefully)

[katzklaw]

we made another VERY important addition to the trailer yesterday........





AIR stickers! yay!

also, we have decided that, since the entire trailer is totally gutted right now, and we were really looking for livability, and not quite so interested in keeping it totally original, we have been carefully revamping the floorplan layout... keeping in mind the balance front to back and side to side. we're trying to get the bed into the back, like some of the more modern layouts. based on what we've drawn up, we made a slight modification to the trailer that i think will be obvious in the third pic.


please dun kill me fer revamping a classic! *hides*

and on a related note... anyone want a '64 rear tub/sink assembly in relatively good shape?

[overlander63]

Airstream built Overlanders with center baths in the 1950's. The bathroom was kind of claustrophobic, however.

[katzklaw]

well... more alterations have been made to the trailer... and we went to install the water heater yesterday, and found out that someone had STOLEN it. that really put a damper on the day... however, we went to a local RV dealer and picked up a new one to replace it...a $300 water heater for $200... so that was a great deal and a great help for us, depsite the setback.

we got the new water heater installed yesterday, plus the new teardrop lights for the rear... plus some new clearance lights in the rear (i have new teardrop and clearance lights for the front also)

the last two photos are before... and after

[katzklaw]

whoa. i'm finally back.

long story short.... we got all the electrical done, and cleaned off all the interior skin panels, and reinstalled them (boy, that was fun ) and today hubby is outside painting the inside... pictures are in-progress and depicting the color we picked out.

as soon as the interior starts coming together, i'll put pics of that too.

o yeah, we also took a trip last month... in our empty shell of a trailer there's a whole story to that, too, but i'll post that later

[Sugarfoot]

Originally Posted by katzklaw

whoa. i'm finally back. . . .

You've done a lot to that Overlander lately. What a difference from the Overlander you and Hubby brought to the Can Opener. Real progess!

Originally Posted by katzklaw

. . . o yeah, we also took a trip last month... in our empty shell of a trailer there's a whole story to that, too, but i'll post that

I love it, let nothing stand in your way of a good camping opportunity.

[katzklaw]

well.... the story behind the impromptu camping trip...

the idea to start off on the trip had several factors... one, my parents have been driving us nuts since we got down here, and it finally boiled over. two, we hadn't seen hubby's mother in many months now, when we were used to a at-least-twice-a-month schedule. three, we were starting to get tired of paying 90 bucks a month to store a bunch of junk in NJ that we couldn't use... soooooo..... we said "screwit!" threw a piece of foam in the back to use as a mattress and took off.



now... this was with a totally empty shell.. no inner shell, even. all we had was insulation...that sure was fun when we hit CT in April. remember how odd and chilly the weather was this past April? oh yeah. and my stupid self was up in CT freezing my backside off in a "absolutely nothing works glorified metal tent on wheels" trailer. we stayed for the weekend with her... and it rained.... the whole.... weekend. that sucked. altho on the bright side, it DID show us all the minor leaks around the windows and seams that we'd missed we even had a short run-in with the local animal control . we brought our dog... (didn't want to leave her alone for the several weeks we estimated the entire trip would take) but the mom-in-law lives in an appartment. we got permission from the management to park the trailer over on the far side of the parking lot for the weekend, and we got permission to have our dog on the premissis as long as she stayed in the car, and wasn't brought into the building. ok... sounds good. we slept with her in the trailer (with a little buddy heater and 4 blankets) and during the day she stayed in the cab of the truck... big bag-o-food sitting on the floor and a bowl with water propped up in the seat... and we'd come out about every two hours or so and start up the truck and run the heater. she didn't like being alone, and barked herself horse over it, but she was ok. well, the people in the complex see her out there and call animal control. we go out for our regular check on her, and there's two cop cars and the dog-catchers van all clustered around our truck. hubby walks over and says "what's going on?" and the cop says "We're taking your dog." WHAT?!?!?! "why???" and that quickly turned into a session of "look how bad a dog owner you are... see? see? see?" and my hubby shooting down every single point systematically (she doesn't have food or water. food is in the bag, water is in the bowl on the seat. i've been out here 45 minutes. well, yeah, you must have got here right after the LAST time i checked on her. well, uhh.... the door was locked. no duh, i don't want someone stealing or otherwise screwing around with my dog. you aren't allowed to have dogs in the appartment complex! i know. thats why i got permission first... thats why she's out in the TRUCK and not with ME inside (growl) ) ... and them finally saying, "oops, well, i guess she really is ok, you're going to be gone by Monday, right? ok. have a nice day."

so... we took off Monday morning... following the tail of the storm... so we were STILL getting rained on every single day, and drove to our old stomping grounds in NJ. we ended up driving thru High Point State Park on rt 23 on the 16th of April... and guess what. it was SNOWING. just in the park (and in a few other areas of very high elevation) so of COURSE we had to stop and get a pic.



from there, on to Succasunna NJ, where we stopped and, i'm sorry to say, we loaded the poor airstream up like some common utility trailer... packed to the gills with all the junk we'd had in storage. off we went again.. finally headed back south to sunny FL... making nearly 2 mpg less than we did unloaded



i had remembered my parents driving down from VA to FL to visit THIER parents when i was a kid, and something that really stuck out in my mind about the trip was South of the Border just over the state line in SC, so we HAD to stop there. it was still a little early in the season for tourists, but we had fun walking around and looking at the place. i got a bumper sticker. need one of those! that was where i got the funny pic i used in the April photo contest.... we were coming back to the truck stop where we'd parked, came around the corner of the building, and saw that. i HAD to take a photo of that! (South of the Border pics at the bottom)

the rest of the trip was mostly uneventful... we slept in truck stops the whole way... the only RV park we stopped in was our last stop before getting back home... Evergreen AL. they were nice and cut our cost down to $5 because we didn't need to hook up to ANYTHING. (thats the very last pic below)

since that point, we unloaded all the crap, held two yard sales, did the wiring, installed tanks, reinstalled the inner shell, and painted. next... we start work on teh good stuff!


see why i didn't wanna say all that earlier? thats quite a story!

[katzklaw]

and progress continues. today we got the ceiling lights all installed, and all the 110 outlets also installed. i got some really nice cover-plates for the outlets and switches in the front where they'll be seen... put some plain indistructible ones in the back where only we'll see 'em.

we're particularly proud of the lights... they're house lights modified to have their own switch, with a 12v light bulb mounted in them.

[sequoiacoast]

Wow!! Awesome lights and switch covers!!

[3Ms75Argosy]

I like your touches inside! I'm now up to date with the posts in your thread. What did you guys decide to do with the bathroom? What kind of cabinets are you going to use?

Looks fab!
Marc

[katzklaw]

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

I like your touches inside! I'm now up to date with the posts in your thread. What did you guys decide to do with the bathroom? What kind of cabinets are you going to use?

Looks fab!
Marc

thank you. the bathroom? that was going to be, roughly, centered over the road-side wheel-well. closet and storage space will be opposite the bathroom... so it can be, if we want it to be, kind of off the bedroom area. cabinets will be custom-made by my hubby using lightweight thin plywood for the walls and something that looks halfway decent for the doors.


more progress.... lookie! these are what we replaced the 'reading lamps' with. one on each side, with the 'spray' going in opposite directions, so they're symmetrical, and a tiny toggle switch on the underside.

[SilverCabin]

Those lights are neat, but are they sturdy enough for travel? Hope to see you guys at next year's Can-Opener, so we can see all the changes. Your project hadn't begun yet at this year's rally, so the before and after will be remarkable.

[katzklaw]

Well Hubby says.. if they aren't sturdy enough for road travel the way they are now, then by the time he's done with them.... "They will be!"...

i guess that's something we'll find out when we hit the road with them