1971 Sovereign bottom line

[sascher]

I have an old AS under the trees. I have always wanted to redo it. It is in bad shape, but mostly there and appliances work more or less. It will take axles and tires. I have a fair sized farm shop and can repair or fix many things. After reading many stories, I feel I have learned a great deal about the AS. My one question is, how much will the supplies cost to do a frame off refurb., plywood, paint, upholstery, rivets, pex, tambour, etc? I believe I have a handle on appliances, axles, tires. Yes, I can weld, sew, paint, rivet and repair appliances (and do surgery also). Just a guess is all I ask or in asking, does that mean just leave it under the trees? Thanks!

[arktos55343]

You should not be surprised if you spend in excess of $10,000 to totally rehab your AS. Maybe somewhat less if you are going to re-use a lot of the original materials and appliances.

[sascher]

Thank you. I read about the people spending $20,000+, I get nervous. The trailer has minimal damage to aluminum or steel, no rear sag, mostly the floor, and rodent damage lots -- and stink from mildew and rodents. I figure axles, tires, floor, insulation, wiring, plumbing, glue, sealant, and fasteners, paint, upholstery, and tambour and the cost just doesn't all that high ($20,000+).

[arktos55343]

Easy to get to $20,000, if you are not careful. I have a '72 25ft Tradewind. Complete shell-off rehab, some frame repair/painting, new marine ply floor, all new electrical and all LED inside and out, axels, wheels and tires, new a/c, Fantastic Fans, converter, AGM batteries, on-demand water heater, power jack, cork floor, custom cabinetry....and the list goes on.... I haven't hit 20 yet. LOL. Hopefully I am done buying/acquiring....just need to finish putting it together.

Good luck with your project!

[sascher]

After a few hours of cleaning rodent remains etc., I checked the floor. The rear bathroom floor is rotten but the frame appears solid with surface rust. I have not dropped the belly pan, except under the bathroom, but using a video probe, I checked in spots under the floor and saw no huge rust problems. The only significant plywood damage, using an ice pick, was at the door and 3 other spots around the perimeter(maybe 2 inches in diameter each) that were soft. The floor has a slight give to it when I walk down the middle, but I weigh 350 pounds. Should it have a slight give between the frame members? If this is all normal, is there any reason to remove it from the frame? I was thinking of pulling it into a field, dropping the belly pan and then pulling it away. That way I would not have all the nasty fiberglass debris and rodent material to clean up in my shop.