leaks

[maria]

Hello, I've never posted a question here before and am not particularly mechanical but....here goes:

I have a '61 Tradewind and am in the process of deconstructing parts of it to get a clear picture of how much trouble it has. I discovered a 27 gallon water tank at the front behind a wood panal and under it quite a bit of wet, warped and rotting floor. It may be that removing the tank will solve this porblem but there also is warped flooring under the bathroom sink at the end. If I were to remove the metal curved "moldings" on the outside that are at either end is there a sealer that may help my problem?

Also, I cranked up the furnace and, while it lit, it put out an awful smell. Any info about these old furnaces? I plan on removing the "chimney" if I am able and am hoping that it just needs cleaning.

The interior cabinets are wood. Any have knowledge about the best way to strip them? I tried a natural citrus based stripper which did not work too well.

[StingrayL82]

Hi Maria,

Let me first off say welcome to our family! Your leak in the front may be caused by the tank, but it could also be a window leak....either way, if your floor is rotted, sealing it from the outside won't solve the problem; you need to replace the wood first.

When it comes to refinishing wood, I have never had to do an Airstream interior, but I have refinished plenty of wood furniture, and I have never had a problem, using Formby's products; here is their site: http://www.formbys.com/products/

If you are environmentally conscious, there is a product called Eco-Strip, which uses heat. You may either buy it or rent it. Here is the site:
http://www.eco-strip.com/

Hope that helps some.

Frederic

[Jim & Susan]

Maria, there are lots of threads on leaks on the forum. I started one here several months ago, but it didn't draw much attention, probably because it's been done before. http://www.airforums.com/forum...ain-16332.html Do a search on it and you will get a bunch of hits.

I can't help with the furnace, but do LOTS of reading here. Any older furnace can be a REAL problem.

On the wood....I'm not an historian of '60's model campers, but from what I understand, some of them have wonderful exotic woods. I know many of the pictures I've seen here show beautiful woods that have been restored.

If you're a "rookie" (not meant as a slam here), do lots of reading. Most of the situations you'll run up against have already been dealt with by the other members.

Good Luck!!

Jim

[maria]

Thanks for your responses. I will look into the formby's product. I'm really hoping that is the leak is sealed the wood will just dry out. The cabinets look like some kind of very nice wood with varying amounts of varnish.
This should be a great winter project!

[balrgn]

[quote=maria]
Also, I cranked up the furnace and, while it lit, it put out an awful smell. Any info about these old furnaces? I plan on removing the "chimney" if I am able and am hoping that it just needs cleaning.

quote]

The furnace, smell may be dust, or mouse droppings burning off, or may be leaking fittings? Do you have a detector pluged in? When we first got ours, we had an odd smell with the furnace running, after a few minutes the C02 detector alarmed. I fount that several of the propane fittings had cracked and were leaking. I found this by "snoop" checking the line. (water and dish detergent mixed leaks make bubbles) The cracked fittings really did not look bad with a visual inspection..... Good luck with your project and as always Pictures!

[StingrayL82]

Maria,

Even if you manage to stop the leak, and the wood dries out, if the wood is rotted then it is structurally unsound. There are products, such as Git Rot, which will repair rot in some cases by impregnating the wood with epoxy, thus hardening the area....I did this with my Sunline, but the repair area was small. A good test is to take an object, like a coat hanger, and stick it in the wood....don't use your finger, unless you like splinters. If the hanger goes through, replace the wood. Oherwise you might find yourself with a trailer falling to pieces, literally.

Frederic