Tradewind And The Wind

[dbj216]

Your trailer is looking great. May I ask what kind of cabinet door latches you selected?

David

[goransons]

Thank you!

Amazingly nobody had broken or screwed up any of the original door hardware. All of them had yellowed varnish from someone who couldn't use a screwdriver to remove hinges and handles before they refinished, so every piece of hardware was stripped, then polished. The drawers from factory are notched to drop slightly when fully closed so they have to be lifted then opened. We have that on our other and love it. The big doors use the 50's era overlap style large knob latch. The roof lockers, small cabinet doors etc use the double roller style cabinet latch just like factory.

Finished the last 5 drawers today, but watched the super bowl instead of installing them. Also did some projects getting our 65 Streamline ready for sale since we have the Wally 55 trailer now. Once that sells I can order the new fridge.

Next project is to prep the new black tank, get that set and the hole through the floor cut, and get the platform cut, installed and tiled then I can finish trimming out the bathroom.

[dbj216]

Our 86 has those "lift to open" drawer catches and they work well. We've had a couple of instances where they came open, but no harm done.

I installed the "roller style" catches on the closet doors of our 86. I used two of them on each door; one above the door pull, and one below it. The magnetic catches I tried were not strong enough. The plastic ones that it came with from the factory had worn and hardened.

Come to think of it, my 66 Trade Wind has no drawers at all. It has cabinet doors with plastic molded bins. For example, under the twin beds and under the gaucho. Plastics were just coming on line back then for Airstream. I guess that saves all the trouble of making drawer boxes and aligning slides. My son's 69 Globetrotter is the same way.

Your Trade Wind was built when Airstream was really trying to emulate a "land yacht". Premium interiors all the way.

Thanks for the info on cabinet door latches.

David

[goransons]

Ice storm last night cancelled school. Cabinet doors are on the rest except the spice rack. Range is back in, new plywood tops for the couches are cut and in place. Paint this weekend and my wife can start curtains and cushions. Soon as the tax return is in I can order the refrigerator. Water heater and range hood holes go in as soon as the snow melts more then can put in the plumbing and toilet.

[groovzilla]

scott,

great meeting you and your wife yesterday! also glad you are able to use the furnace i removed from my 1959 flying cloud.

posting a photo i dug up of the furnace mounted in the trailer prior to my removal a few years ago.

regards,
william

[dbj216]

I'm installing a new fridge in my son's 69 Globetrotter this week. The old one was a floor vent instead of a side door vent, and I'm going to try that and see if I get good air flow over the cooling coils. I will use a thermostat controlled 12v fan as per the Domenic instructions to help air flow some. If it doesn't work, then I will modify the side exterior door (the old pilot light door) and vent from the side like most campers do.

Your trailer continues to look great.

David

[goransons]

Thanks William! Great to meet you as well, what a beautiful home and neighborhood you have as well! What type of refrigerator was that in there? Did you end up using it? The picture helps a lot! Arrived home just a few hours ago and unloaded it, hope to tinker with it tomorrow, do a little cleaning and see if I can get it to fire up!

We have floor vents for our refrigerator in the 63 and have never had an issue. I'm sure it will be fine!

[groovzilla]

scott - that refrigerator stayed in the trailer when i sold it - i only removed the furnace because i wasn't going to include it in my restoration of the interior.

the fridge was a dometic and i think i still may have the original owners manual which i found in the trailer - i'll have to look

[groovzilla]

i mentioned the trailer belonged to an elderly gentleman who used it as a man cave for 30 years. he parked it in a purchased campground space.

he was a united airline pilot and was starting to lose his vision so he needed to sell the trailer.

i found all sorts of items in the 1959 22' flying cloud when i started to clean it. here are some photos of some of the ancient items buried in the drawers.

[dbj216]

groovzilla: Very interesting introduction to your Flying Cloud. Another old Airstream starts a new phase in it's life. This one looks in excellent "as found" condition. The "artifacts" found in the trailer are keepsakes.

David

[groovzilla]

that '59 Flying Cloud was a nice trailer - had the usual rot in floors by the door and rear bath - went to a good home.

[goransons]

Back at it. Waiting on the new refrigerator to arrive but did get the front area painted and trimmed out. I need to build a front shelf I wasn't aware was missing.

Borrowing the cushions as patterns from a friend's trailer. Purple isn't the plan. Sorry if you like it. Ain't happening. Lol

Range hood was reinstalled today. Tomorrow I'm installing the water heater. It's getting a 10 gallon Suburban with electric start and the optional electric element. I hope to run pex later this week and get all my water lines in. Then I can start with waste lines and black tank.

By the end of the month I'm hoping to have all major systems up and running and be on finish interior details but we shall see how forgiving my work schedule and the weather is.

[groovzilla]

scott - could you please email me the photos of the original hot water heater cover customization where you used the original furnace cover on new hot water heater using a hinge

thx! my direct email is: cerialephotography@yahoo.com

[dbj216]

Hi goransans: I waited quite a while for my new fridge to arrive. I was getting concerned. I also had a "dark side of the moon" wait for my black tank. The supplier did not reply to my inquiries. It finally showed up.

My wife is making cushions for the rear "gaucho" of the Globetrotter. It is not the best interior layout Airstream ever came up with. The new "Sport" single axle trailer has a mid bath and a full "queen" sized bed sleeping side to side in the rear. Impossible to make, but a good excuse not to make it.

I got the fridge installed and it works great. I got the black tank and new toilet installed, but not yet tested. I still have to re-plumb the gray water line to the dump valve.

My project pales compared to yours. But I found it interesting we are both talking fridges and cushions. By the way, purple ain't bad. Think Prince.

David

[goransons]

It arrived today! I hope to get it into place after work tomorrow. Prince is dead I'm afraid and this is now a rebuild for resale since I've got the 55 Wally Byam trailer to get going. I hope to have at least a finished shell done before the 2018 International in Salem which is just a few hours south of us.

[dbj216]

What's a 55 Wally Byam trailer? Don't tell me you have one of his personal trailers?

I guess many of us renovate these old Airstreams telling the wife that we can likely get our "investment" back if we have to sell. I think this may be true on shorter models rather than the Sovereign's of the world. So since your Trade Wind is getting jilted by a 55 beauty, I hope it finds a good home at a good price.

David

[goransons]

Here's the other thread...

Yep that's what it is.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f492...er-162191.html

[dbj216]

Wow! Thanks for the link. I somehow missed this thread. Now you have caused me to stay up late reading it. I'll be tired and crabby tomorrow.

David

[goransons]

Refrigerator is almost in. Well at least the front is. Need to shellac the trim out so it blends in but waiting on the stain to dry tonight. Then need to finish the vent and shelves in the upper cabinet tomorrow then hope to finally hook up the inverter and turn on the 12 volt.

[dbj216]

Your trailer has a lot of beautifully finished wood cabinetry in it. It will be fun to power it up for the first time. I hope it all works, but there always seems to be some problem to solve after the first test.

I did get our new Dometic 2510 "standard" refrigerator installed in our old Globetrotter. It works perfectly on gas or 115v. I put a countertop over the top of it and I'm building a "pantry" cupboard next to it where the old furnace used to be. We are using a free standing Olympic Wave heater in this trailer. Good enough. I have to install a floating floor covering and then pull it out of the shop. Should be ready for summer adventures. It does not have beautifully finished wood cabinetry. It has warped, split, stained, 45 year old plywood veneer as it came from the factory in 69. Good enough.

David