345 Interior views you normally don't see (warning graphic pictures)

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by elbundi

These are some pretty hard-core graphic pictures Brad!!
Did you get any shots of the insides as they became outsides?

Hope I'm not scaring too many people

I've taken a lot of pictures, way to many to post here on the forum. Is there an area you're interested in? I might have a picture available.

Brad

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by PeterH-87MH

The engine ID number could give you at least a date of manufacture?
I wish you many happy years at your current home, imagine what a move would be like.
I am glad to have witnessed your massive untertaking first hand, because I wouldn't believe it otherwise...

Peter, there is a metal id tag on the side of the block that has a date stamped in it. I just haven't been able to make it out and I keep forgetting to take my magnifying glass down to the shop. Soon I hope!

Moving really sucks. Back in 2008/2009 when we moved from Arkansas to Kentucky for job transfers the moving company moved our household goods and part of the stuff we had in the garage. It took me another 10 months and more than 24 trips with 24' and 18' trailers to finish moving the garage and all of my shop. I put over 24,000 miles on the truck (and me) during that time period just in moving. Drive to Arkansas Thursday after work, get there at 2 am, start loading Friday morning and then getting up at 4 am Saturday morning and drive back to Kentucky. Two weeks later do a repeat. I don't EVER want to make a move like that again

Brad

[bkahler]

Just thought I should close out this thread with the final moments of the 345's existence.



Stuck the nose of the 345 in the shop to make engine removal easier. I could have removed the engine from the top after removing everything else but I wanted to practice removing the engine from the front which would gain me some experience for when I'm ready to install the Argosy motor.





Removing the propane tank wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. The tank was pretty much empty and was actually lighter than I was expecting. Using the front end loader for this task was probably overkill at this point



Had a near disaster here. When I exchanged acetylene bottles I was given a type that didn't fit my gauge so they sold me an adapter. Apparently I didn't' get the adapter screwed on tight enough as I ended up with a fire right at the shutoff valve. Apparently I caught it just in time before something really bad happened. I found that I really had to crank hard with a large wrench to get the fitting tight enough. The problem occurred between the bottle and the adapter fitting which tells me the adapter was poorly made. I bought some blow back preventer's and continued on with the work.

[PeterH-350LE]

does the door bell still work ?

[bkahler]

The scrap yard where I was hauling the stuff off to required that all of the wood be removed which meant I had to remove the wood flooring. When Airstream fastened the floor to the frame they not only used 1/4" flat head screws they used lots and lots of nails! The only way I could get the wood floor off was to first torch off the heads of the screws and the nails. Ever tried torch cutting steel that is embedded in wood?! Very frustrating.



After torching the heads off I then used the front end loader forks to separate the floor from the frame.






Short little guy!



The debris field

[bkahler]

Last large section getting loaded onto the trailer.



Other than hauling the outer shell sections to the scrap yard this is all that remains.



Dismantling the 345 was a long drawn out process. Without having a backhoe/front end loader handy it would have been a lot more of a hassle. Having the front end loader allowed me to manage the large chassis pieces with relative ease. Even though I spent a lot of weekends and evenings tearing this thing apart it still took a good 6 months or better to get the bulk of it done.

Although most of the "choice" pieces are already gone I still have a variety of odd parts still available. Even though an Airstream motorhome ended up being scrapped out there are a lot of Classic motorhome owners out there that were able to replace a missing part or two.

As for my little 20' Argosy motorhome, it's going to come back to life with some updated components and pieces and parts that I would never have been able to find elsewhere.

Would I do it all again, probably but I certainly wouldn't look forward to doing it

Brad

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

does the door bell still work ?

That's something I forgot to check

[Inland RV Center, In]

Save the tag axle.

There will be a market for a good used one.

That axle will not ever be made again.

There is only one brand new one available, and we have it in our inventory.

Andy

[windfallsp]

Originally Posted by 92landyacht

From the list I'm assuming that the two front captains chairs are sold.

We bought Brad's captain's seats for our 1985 Classic 345. They're now reupholstered and installed. (Look great, Brad!)

We have our original Flexsteel captain's seats with very worn Peach Parfait upholstery, along with pedestals and tracks. Can't guarantee the motors work, and we don't have controllers. We have learned, however, that the controllers used in this vintage were the same as those found in Mercury Cougars (can look up the year for anyone really interested), and were able to pick up a couple on ebay.

If anyone's interested in our old the captain's seats, let me know. Husband wants them to find a good home and I want them outta here. ;-)

("Here" is southern NJ.)

[wxbuoy]

I thought I was looking at mine in one of those pics!

Love the metal building!!

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by windfallsp

We bought Brad's captain's seats for our 1985 Classic 345. They're now reupholstered and installed. (Look great, Brad!)

Glad they worked out for you! Had a great time with Arthur as he picked over the 345 looking for parts he wanted. He sure seemed to be enjoying himself

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by wxbuoy

Love the metal building!!

So do I