Renovation of gutted 1965 Caravel

[65CV]

Scribe, cut, repeat.
Scribe, cut, repeat.
Scribe, cut, repeat.
Scribe, cut, repeat.
...... I wish my table saw wasn't in the basement. At least the battery on the small circular saw is holding up -- it saves an incredible amount of time.

The food closet is finally in, after far too many trips downstairs. There are 5 shelves cut and coated in tung oil (one is in place for the picture). The door is assembled, glued and clamped. Hopefully it will all go together tomorrow.

I wonder if I have taken enough time off to finish this in the next 2 weeks. The time commitment to redo an Airstream continues to amaze met.

With a lot of lumber milled for assembly, I hope it moves more quickly!

John

[goransons]

John you really do some inspiring work there. I hope we can produce something a fraction as nice.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

John, looking real good. A scribing hint if you want... when doing the tall ones or any against a curve you need to hold the scribed horizontal at all times. The amount you are taking off is only equal on the straight. Not sure if that made sense.

[65CV]

Frank-

The galley and rear wall were two pieces, so I was able to fudge the middle. Since I don't have the original parts, the next one makes me nervous.

I'm doing the full height wall, right behind the gaucho next. How do you make a full length scribe?

BTW- your previous comment made perfect sense. What drives me nuts is when you're scribing a 3 dimensional object -- the only way I can do it without ruining it is slowly -- a little off each side at a time.

Any hints are more than appreciated.

John

[Frank's Trailer Works]

if you start at the floor the distance will be greatest. The scribes are parallel to the floor. Keep the scribe horizontal and just go up the wall. By the time you get to the top it will be almost nothing. Confidence is key to keep the line smooth. Do keep in mind the wall track gives you almost 3/8" of hidden edge.

[modarch]

Compound curves, baby!! Gotta love them! I had to make several masonite templates before I got the perfect fit, and then took it to the table saw/ jig saw. I like how you are extending the wardrobe up to the ceiling. Not sure if that was standard in '65, but it wasn't in '67 and I am glad I did it (extra storage behind doors). I made the curb side shelves and the street side remained hanging storage.

Looken good! I'll be stalking your thread during the holidays!

-modarch

[65CV]

Modarch and Frank -

I think I'll try to gain confidence -- per Frank -- using Modarch's idea of low-cost lumber. I have some leftover luan plywood from a previous project and might do just that.

Thanks,

John

[65CV]

Originally Posted by goransons

John you really do some inspiring work there. I hope we can produce something a fraction as nice.

Scott -

Your thread is an amazing story and an inspiration.

Our trailer's history is pretty hard to come by. It was discovered in mid-Florida by the previous owner and I don't have the details.

This is the only connection to a previous owner, part of a fix for better airflow in the refer. We pulled the old counter out of a scrap pile next to the trailer, looking for a pattern. Cool to discover this.

Keep up the great work,

John

[65CV]

Scott-

Here's the picture of the previous owner's message mentioned in my previous reply.

John

[goransons]

Thanks John, but to be honest I just fell into this project (with some help mind you). Ironically back when it was for sale on ebay my wife and I talked about it, had the conversation about not having a second airstream, and no money for it anyway... Then 1 year later, through a lot of weird events that we were just in the right place at the right time and there she sits. I've really been trying to take my time on the work, and hope in the end it looks as good as much of what we see here including your work.

Our 69 tradewind we managed to contact the original owner after a little research, but didn't find anything really inspiring on that one, just that they'd used it for a few years and traded it in on a floor plan they liked better.

Great script there though, did the "fix" help at all? Are you going to work the piece back into the trailer somehow?

Keep posting pics of that great cabinet work, it really looks amazing. I hope to be finally to that stage this summer if all goes right. Has to be one of my favorite parts of the restoration.

[Shacksman]

Originally Posted by 65CV

Frank-

The galley and rear wall were two pieces, so I was able to fudge the middle. Since I don't have the original parts, the next one makes me nervous.

I'm doing the full height wall, right behind the gaucho next. How do you make a full length scribe?

BTW- your previous comment made perfect sense. What drives me nuts is when you're scribing a 3 dimensional object -- the only way I can do it without ruining it is slowly -- a little off each side at a time.

Any hints are more than appreciated.

John

Read this thread. It has good ideas for making curves, that may help.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...pes-29321.html

[65CV]

Drawers are all made for the kitchen using birch-faced plywood. The drawer fronts will be mahogany. I hope to avoid a full solid piece, but need to find the right latch first. Hopefully, we can use the lighter frame-and-panel construction.

If you were looking for the best new latch for a drawer, what would you use? I'm thinking about a SouthCo push-to-close latch, but it's a little big in diameter. I had smaller one of these on a boat and it worked beautifully. It's like a small pull knob, that has minimal resistance to open. When traveling, just push it in and it is a positive lock -- keeping the door closed on the road.

Shelves in the close are birch-faced also. We managed to get more storage than expected. If you look carefully, you'll see the propane line roughed in and capped to the right side of the cabinet. We plan to install an Olympic heater on a hinge, inspired by Zep's thread.

[65CV]

After all the headaches of compound curves, it was a joy to put on the door as a finishing touch. I think we'll use an old latch from the gaucho doors to keep it closed. We need to make use of some of the leftover parts.

The cabinet is stained but not coated in tung oil, so it's a little dull.

[65CV]

With two weeks of vacation to go, there is still a lot to do! Hanging closet, full sized gaucho and a dinette. I hope to get the majority of the woodwork done in that timeframe.

[65CV]

I am definitely getting the hang of the curves, thanks to practice and some good tips from Frank and ModArch. This came together in an afternoon. Still needs some trim and I need to decide where to reinforce behind the panel. I think I'll mount 2 reading lamps and a Blue Sea breaker on the panel. We'll also have the clothes rod and probably a lower shelf.

The temps were in the mid 50's today in Connecticut, so the cabinet on the left has a fresh coat of tung oil. In fact, all the finished galley parts were coated today.

[Bowmans]

Very nice work 65CV! I wish I had a source of heat in my shop and camper to work in this weather. We are doing a similar process with our cabinets in regards to tongue and groove construction with a floating panel paneling insert. To get the cuts, I am using a dado on the table saw and sled for the tongue cuts and a mounted router and 1/4" straight bit for the groove cuts. It seems to be working well. We are using pine, looking for a "rustic" feel.

I am thankful we had the interior curved walls to use for templates for the most part but I hear you on the scribe, cut, check over and over. Eventually I got smart and put saw horses and jigsaw in the camper. I didn't do that early enough though and wore a dirt path from camper door to shop HAHAHA.

Again, great work!!

[65CV]

Tadd-

With the good weather, I was able to set up in the driveway and be quite a bit more efficient. The other day, I didn't shovel the foot or so of snow off of the Bilco door, so the path was a little longer.

I clicked on your blog link -- good work. You must have 3 times the amount of woodwork with a '31 footer!

Your trailer definitely deserves a better name!

John

[Bowmans]

John,
Yeah, it is definitely a big project. I am loving every minute of it though. I am envious of your good weather in Connecticut oddly enough. Our AS name is growing on me though even though it was in jest. I do admire AS design and lines very much. Once it is done, I am sure it will get a different name that suits it... Maybe "Ms. Moneypit" HAHAHA

[65CV]

I was asked in more than one PM for more info on the heater mount. Here's a link to Zeppelium's thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f427...ion-46720.html

I'm waiting for the flexible gas hose from Camping world. Couldn't source it locally.

[65CV]

We're starting on the side gaucho next and would love some real-world feedback.

Right now, we're planning to make a 52" wide double, using cushions of 27", 12.5" and 12.5". We're leaning heavily towards hinging all the cushions so we don't fall through the seams.

As usual on this forum and elsewhere, there are many good ideas that are well documented.

We're trying to cherry-pick the best ideas from these threads:

Vintage Airstream drawing :
http://www.vintageairstream.com/Images/sofa1.gif

Arlen and Shirley Manning's site:
The Project - Goucho Detail

Stan Z's bifold cushion pictures (currently the last post):
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f145...cho-30092.html

ModArch's great Caravel resto pics (look around #200)
Picasa Web Albums - Brandon - 1967 Airstrea...

David Winnick's '68 caravel restoration:
http://www.vintagetrailering.com/pho...0storage-L.jpg

Any real world advice is welcome!