'65 GT 20' my winter project

[flygrrl]

Dena, you are doing an AWESOME job, my heroine! Grrls rock.
Leonie

[tevake]

^^. I'll second that, great progress. The floor coating looks good!
The idea of having smaller access panels in strategic areas of the pan sure makes good sense.

Don't know about the extra flat bar over the seams. Are the edges of your old panels torn up badly? Are you thinking of bedding them to provide extra sealing at the seams? Thinking of using them just at the edges of the access panels?
I'm just not sure what is meant to be gained with them?

Are the overlaps of the panels oriented so the seams open towards the back of the trailer?
Pardon all the questions, motorhomes don't have underfloor pans, So I am trying to getting up to speed on this part of the trailer. Is the goal to make the the pan skin water tight? Are there drains?

You have a good pace going, and your logistic planner seems on top of getting parts and material and having them on hand :-)

Hope you have time before your coming out party ( out of the shop that is)to go over the roof to assure no leaks once back out in the weather.

Carry on, you and your team are going to make it and some.

Oh, Any chance of having someone doing sanding and finish work on the cabinetry while it is sitting out? Will it be back inside the trailer once you are out of the shop?

So many considerations, as if you don't all ready have enough to think about.
Don't let me distract you.

Cheers Richard

[thumbelinadj]

Old panels are toast.

[thumbelinadj]

I made a bad mistake that I hope we figured out. .

Attached the floor and forgot about under mount. Size wise it's not an issue. Stupid of me

With that said mounted the wheel wells above. Ugh. I'm feeling sick about it.

[tevake]

Hey Dena, mistakes happen.
I often feel well equipped to do a project once it's finished, that's the challenge of doing things for the first time.
Is the problem that the wheel well should be mounted from the bottom side?
If so, why not pull them off and remount them correctly.
5200 is slow to dry especially if not in contact with air. They may still come off
W O. Too much difficulties (some mess for sure) Maybe some heat on the flange could help separate them from the floor.

Or you can get into the wheel well and glass the exposed ply edge lapping onto the metal of the wheel well.

They make mistakes at the factory too.

Just solve the problem and move forward.
You have good momentum going, don't let this bog you down.

Cheers Richard

[thumbelinadj]

The belly pan work has stolen my soul. None of the workers from the last stage will be able to get to this next level. I am looking for all new workers to help me finish. Have found a few good prospects.

I am so mad about the wheel wells. It's my fault I just missed the step. I can't tear all that work up again and mount them below.

Dejected Dena today

[rmkrum]

Believe me, I have torn out many a 'first try' at stuff. Plumbing, electrical, woodworking, stain and varnish, you name it, I've screwed it up at least once. That's how you learn stuff. I've been doing stuff for over 55 years now, and I still learn new things. Don't beat yourself up. Sometimes the second try comes out even better.

Rich, putting his wise old man hat on...😄


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[Del Gurney]

I'm only one step ahead of you and just around the corner ya know.
Just call if you need advice.

So. I almost did what you did with the wheel wells b'cuz the "exact replacements" were not so we both did the logical thing. Get custom.

However, it looks like shifting your floor around at this stage may be difficult. Sooo
Leave the floor in. Get alum. L bar and cap off the wood with it and bed the dickens out of it with 5200 then mount the wheel wells on top of the L bar.....then you are back to where you aught to be with an added 5/8 high wheel well. No big deal/

I like what you've done to seal your door sill. I'm doing the same thing at the moment. In our case you have 3 SST machine bolts running down through the sill, through the plywood and through the steel chassis support. Bad combination in an area that gets wet.

I'm looking very closely at this and see some design flaws. I'm going to slide a very thin sheet of plastic/rubber at the two interfaces and slather the SST screws in Tefgel (marine store). I am also going to get rid of the step and cover it just like the rest of the belly wrap. By the time I'm done I'll be riding higher and the step won't be a correct height....I'll need a 2 step-er.

Keep the faith.'
Del

[thumbelinadj]

Del I adore you! Would love help. Just don't want to impact your schedule too. I am regrouping with a new crew as well. Interviewing tomorrow night. They have tests to take now with test metal. Thanks all. I'll get the heck over myself. Dena

[dbj216]

Hi tumbelina, You are just experiencing the "highs and lows" of any big project. We have all experienced it. It takes a little time and then the solution to the problem will come.

I agree with Del. I should think you can fabricate a "skirt" that attaches to the inner wheel wells and provides moisture and debris protection. Maybe it is "L" shaped and is riveted to the frame and outriggers. Maybe it is stainless steel or some other strong but thin material. Then you can "undercoat" the whole wheel well and be good to go.

Or, you and your workers might devise a better plan. But I'm sure these is a way to get this area reworked.

No problem...

David

[KCN]

Dena,

Once I got the shell back on I took my trailer to LineX and had bed-liner sprayed inside my wheel wells. Super-sealed that way.

Kathy

[tevake]

I'm feeling like Dena could use a little levity right about now.

Pete Carroll, former head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, is reported to be very near to signing on as a special consultant to The Pope in Vatican City. The Pope looks to recruit Carroll to be a spokesman for the Catholic Church because he is the first man in history that made 100 million people jump up and yell "Jesus Christ!" at the same time.

Hang in there glampergirl!

Cheers Richard

[Panama Red]

Can I dive in here for two quick comments? Ok, thanks!



First, this thread makes me "trip" every time I'm scrolling down the thread list, because I read it as '65 GTO EVERY! STINKING! TIME! And, I think, "Cool, a goat..." and then realize it's this thread again, which while awesome in it's own right, is not about old muscle cars...



Secondly, awesome freaking work!!! I wish I'd have fiberglassed the floor sections I replaced. But, if that wheel well gets to you, and you just can't live with it anymore, I will gladly store the camper for you after the rebuild is finished, and even take her out for a spin on occasion, just because I'm just so darned nice like that. She'll be in climate controlled goodness... think about it...



-Red, voting rivets for bellypan...

[thumbelinadj]

All of you are great. Thanks so much. Here is where I am at. Large head rivets all over except at grey water tank. Will coat the wheel well with the rhino like coating. The exposed wood from floor I have the flat bar and more 3m 5200 to coat with.

The belly pan is a bitch. So many hours with very little progress. I used 5052 so you know that doesn't bend well. We couldn't get the grip from clecos so we used screws to shape and hammer the edge of the rear belly pan. There is one inch flat bar covering this section in the photo.

Good news I have a complete work crew turnover. Retired navy AP coming in to finish belly pan and work towards dropping shell back down. Target Saturday shell on.

Banana wraps going to a hot rod shop today. Windows polished and glazing outsourced this week.

March 2 everything comes to a screeching halt as I start a new job. Lots of travel. Will be back to only weekends.

Taking a half day off.

Thanks to all the great support. I don't feel alone. It's just part of the process isn't it?

[Aerowood]

I too missed the correct location on the rt wheel well. I had to break the floor sealant all loose in order to reposition the well. It ate up a great deal of time to position properly but the outcome was worth the time

[HiHoAgRV]

One caution on the new wheel well location, being 5/8 higher will probably make the shell rivet holes miss the wheel well flange. Check it out before you get completely to the 'oh crap' point. It is possible to rivet some aluminum to the wheel well, let it hang down an inch or so. Then drill new holes into it that line up with the old ones in the shell.

[Cochese]

What color is the frame? I really like it!

[thumbelinadj]

Silver POR-15

[thumbelinadj]

Third hire has arrived. He seems to be much more competent working with the aluminum. Wants to undo the corner. I paid six hours to a guy already for this below. It is still held on with the screws. Not completed.


[ATTACH]232987[/ATTACH]

[KCN]

I could show you pictures of my several attempts at the corners, as could most of us who have done this vintage. They. Are. A. Pain. And they were for Airstream as well, or they wouldn't have kept modifying that belly/corner design!! If you re-do the one in the picture that's dimpled, the fewer cuts the better - it's counter-intuitive, but the material wrinkles less with fewer cuts than what you used - been there. I ended up with a big dimple in front on one side. Doesn't leak, but it's not perfect. No time to fix that one, had to be gone, but it will bug me forever. Each cut weakens the integrity of the metal and creates potential for a dimple. The curve of the new one likely won't match your original ones exactly because you are using 5052 vs their 2024 and the old metal is floppy by now and behaves differently. It also looks like you used screws to attach the wrap to the channel - the heads are going to interfere with the shell dropping down and create big gaps (leaks).

It's horribly, horribly discouraging to have to re-do things, but it's part of the process, it really is. I screwed up worse than you and I had to tear my entire belly pan off, and insulation, and plumbing, to re-gain access to the frame through those damn wheel wells to do the welding I should have done earlier. There were lots of tears. I was demoralized. It sucked bad. And I was working under the trailer. Super, super fun. Hours? I re-did MONTHS of work. Solid now though.

I stopped by a street in town yesterday where two guys are tearing into a 1971 out on the corner, circular saws in hand, and I had to just shake my head - they cheerfully agree they don't have a clue what they are doing. But onward they go.

Kathy