Rear floor separation.. Help

[submariner]

Hi Guys,

just got my new 74 Sovereign. overall condition is pretty good besides bad axles and a couple of broken sliding doors on the cabinets. no signs of abuse on the interior, no signs of leaks..
now here my problem : i noticed in the rear bathroom, that the counter had dropped on the left side of the trailer about 2 inches.
i noticed on the outside, the left side bumper had dropped as well.. i did not noticed that, when i picked up the trailer and pulled it home (400mls with bad axles)

i placed a floor jack under the bumper and jacked it back up about two inches, which straightened out the counter inside as well..

Help : is there a somewhat easy way to fix it ?

even looking inside the cabinets or from the rear access lit, there is no evidence of any rot.

thanks for any advice

[wasagachris]

Sorry but there is no way to fix this easily. The rot is hidden under the edge of the shell and the mounting points for the shell to the floor/frame assembly have failed.
This can be fixed with the shell on but all the bathroom must be gutted and the floor replaced. Unfortunately you may also have sever frame damage as well. Proper inspection of this will require removal of the belly pan. Once you determine the extent of the damage you can decide if a shell off restoration is needed. I feel your pain mine did not have any sag or seperation but frame was rusted out and floor was rotten under shell front and back. I am in the middle of a shell off now. Good luck.

[submariner]

does anybody has some pictures on how this section of the frame/ shell is built? i would hate to have to pull the bathroom out

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by submariner

does anybody has some pictures on how this section of the frame/ shell is built? i would hate to have to pull the bathroom out

I would strongly suggest that you purchase Airstream's service manual for a 1974 trailer.

It will answer many of your questions, both now and later.

The first time you use it, such as the question you now have, far more than pays for itself.

Andy

[Dave Park]

If you would like to properly repair this problem, you need to remove the bathroom, and the floor panel under the bathroom.

Be aware, failing to properly address this can result in further, even fatal, damage to your trailer.

Untreated, the separation will widen around the corners. The steel frame will start to carry the bathroom and furniture weight without the shell's support and will start to flex down. Eventually, the frame will either crease or sheer a couple of feet behind the rear axle, and the bumper will start to drag on the ground. At that point, you have added some very extensive repairs to your expenses list.

An ordered removal of the bathroom, removal of the floor and assessment of the condition of the frame and c-channel are essential.

[craftsman]

Just try to find an original. The reprints are of very low quality.

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

I would strongly suggest that you purchase Airstream's service manual for a 1974 trailer.

It will answer many of your questions, both now and later.

The first time you use it, such as the question you now have, far more than pays for itself.

Andy

[submariner]

ok..
just got done removing the rear bananwrap and part of the lower outer side panel.
here is what i found.. i hope it is not as bad as i thought:
- there is some rot just below the water heater.
but the problem seams, that the channel, that connects the floor to the body has failed.

in order to fix this, i guess i will have to continue to take the trailer apart.
i will try to post some pictures and thanks for the advise so far