Resurrecting Big Bertha... or, 'How I spent $30,000 on a $2,000 trailer...'

[Panama Red]

Hey Gregg! Man, I'm honored! First post after three years and it's on my thread! Awesome!!! That's how my dad raised me, treat people the way you want to be treated... If they end up being a butt, well, we can deal with that too.

Almost everybody on this forum has been awesome, and the vendor I was talking to was very helpful, although they kept cutting me off mid-sentence and finishing it for me, only incorrectly. They ended up being very helpful though. I'll do business with them in the future.

I really wanted to attend Canopener 2014, and meet a lot of the people on here but it is 10 days after I get back from a vacation, and I just don't think I can swing this one.

Good luck in your search for your Airstream. Any particular model/year you're looking for?

-Red

[streaminwild]

Red, Maybe I should update my profile. Last fall I purchased a 1999 30' excella 1000 classic. Last month I aquired a Dodge ram srt quad cab with 5234 miles. I'm planning on full timing it for a couple years then who knows. It would not be possible if it was for this forum. You can feel the passion that people have towards streamin. Always being helpfull or leanding a hand. I look forward to visiting this great family in the near future. Gregg P.S. Employers should never threaten employees with money.

[Panama Red]

Best to you with the full timing. Don't know when or if we'll ever go there. Plan on spending a lot more time on the road when retirement hits in a few more years...
-Red

[Panama Red]

Well, another long day wrapped up. Lots of pictures.

Starting out with a giant "Thank You!!!" To Michelle, Liz, and Andy at Inland RV! They bent over backwards to get my axles to me. Long story behind it, but they REALLY came through for me. Thanks again!

Tell you what, I'll write up the axle install tomorrow, and post up pics with it. Meanwhile, here she is sitting on her own four feet again...

Got a lot of aluminum to go to the scrap yard now...

-red

[dbj216]

Yes, I would be most interested in your axle install trials and tribulations. Tell us more.

Another Sovereign gets a make over. They are very popular trailers. Yours is looking very handsome.

And thanks for the idea on the "reverse drill press" for drilling rivet holes for the belly pan. I have mine nearly completed. I'm using my bottle jack instead, but it will take the strain off my shoulder.

David

[Minno]

Ah she's looking good, Red! It was a very nice feeling to feel ours move under us again when we got the axles in and her feet down after 4 years of "solid" feel. It's a huge milestone to get new axles! And look how much higher she sits now.
We also went to Inland for axles and have been very happy with their help.

Kay

[GAStreamin]

As usual your posts are entertaining and I very much can relate to other's assuming you're ignorant, then add being a woman to that and it is quite fun. I, too, am educated and speak 3 languages, but in the 10 seconds on the phone I am a dumb woman from the south that should have her husband to do everything for her. I couldn't do this project with the wonderful help I have received from my husband, my father, the forum friends, and the excellent help I have received from all my orders from JD Sanders Airstream in Gainesville FL. They treat with respect as well as the local automotive store and Fasteners. Have fun Red! I enjoy your posts.

[Panama Red]

I drive past JD Sanders everyday on the way to and from work. I stop in there so often, they know me by site, and what I'm working on... Just bought a travel latch for the awning from them Friday. Awesome guys, very helpful, and very friendly. Another big help in Gainesville has been Florida Fasteners. Great selection of rivets. Also the hardened 10-32 screws for the awning that you can't find anywhere. I've yet to stump them on a bolt/screw/rivet.

Hey Kay, she does sit up quite a bit higher now! I really should have left her on the stands until I get the stabilizer jacks in (hopefully this afternoon), but I just couldn't stand it once I got the brakes wired. Can't wait to roll her down the highway.

And, as every name in our family has, hers has been changed to The LoveStream, which has been shortened to just "Lovie" now by the wife. Thinking of naming the TV "Thurston Howell III"...

Well, it's time for my Sunday afternoon nap, then it's on to the stabilizers. Axle story coming shortly. I took tons of pictures.

-Red

[Panama Red]

The tale of two axles... (Attention: If you are a grammar nazi, keep it to yourself... I ain't got time for it)

Here we see the axle out of it's native environment, sitting on a makeshift workbench instead of supporting an Airstream as God intended it to...


First thing you'll need to do is get that hub assembly off of there, so, pry off the dust cap, pull the cotter pin holding the castle nut in place, then remove the castle nut...


Now, wasn't that simple? Next, grab the edges of the brake drum and gently pull it towards you...set it over to the side, being careful not to lose the D washer that is probably stuck in the grease on the outside bearing. If it worries you too much, pull the D washer first. Put all this out of the way, someplace that you won't get any dirt in it... Your spindle should now look like this


Next, you will see the nuts holding the brake plate (not sure what the proper name is for it, but it holds the brakes so... meh...) take those five nuts off and remove the brake plate. Something to note at this point, REMEMBER WHICH SIDE YOU TOOK THIS OFF OF!!! They are directional, and specific to one side of the axle! Luckily, there is a sticker on mine that says which side they go on.
Now let's look at that naked spindle...


... Continued next post...

[Panama Red]

You're going to want a little protection on that spindle, because there's fixin' to be a lot of grindin' and weldin' going on around here, and wouldn't it be a shame to get all that nasty filth all over your shiny new spindle? So, I took one of the plastic bags the new shocks came in and slipped it over the spindle... Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, keep your Trojan Man jokes to yourself...


Now, the shock bracket controversy begins! Just where do I mount this thing? Inside edge of pivot arm? Outside edge? Well, I can't remember if it was Top or Colin that told me to measure from the frame mounting bracket to the shock mount bracket on my old axles, and set up the new ones to those dimensions... BRILLIANT!!! Why not go with what's already worked for forty years, huh? So, here I am taking the old measurement...


Came out right at 3 1/4 inches... So, on the new axle I measure out that distance, and clean off some paint, because my MIG welder just LOVES clean metal...


Then I tack weld the bracket in place and re-check. My motto has always been, "measure once, cut twice", but I reversed it for this job... Wanted to get it right.


Then I weld it all the way down both sides...


You may be saying, "Red, it seems that you are working on two different ends of the axle!", and you'd be right. I took pictures of both ends, and am using the best picture from either end... Hope it doesn't get too confusing for you.

Now, do everything you have done on the other end of the axle, and it will be ready to go in the frame... But, your frame isn't ready for the axle...

Stay tuned.

[Panama Red]

Ahhh, that pesky frame! It isn't cut out to fit this new axle now, is it? So here's what I did... Hoping this is correct, because it wasn't addressed very clearly that I could find, but it made sense...

Andy, of Inland RV, told me to line up the rear mounting hole, and that would keep my axles lined up. So, going off of that, you need to remove some metal from the front of the axle notch (need a 3 inch notch) and from the top of the notch to get the brackets to rest against the frame. That was the part I wasn't sure about, removing the metal from the top of the notch, but it was the only way to get the axle brackets to seat up against the frame, and that seemed desirable to me, so I did it... Looked like this when I was done...


Ok, I'm not the neatest person when it comes to using an angle grinder lying on my side... I tried!

Now I supported the axle on each end with a rolling floor jack, well, a motorcycle jack on one end... And rolled it up under the trailer, then jacked it up into place.


You'll notice I attached my shocks to the axles before I set it in place... Was just easier that way. Should have mentioned it earlier...

It's hard to tell in the picture, but I jacked it up by the mounting brackets. I didn't want to put any stress on the axle tube, and I SERIOUSLY grunted that thing up in there so it would be jam up against the frame when I bolted it on. Again, that was what seemed logical to me. May be wrong, but it seems right... Anybody that knows different is welcome to respond to this thread.


Got the holes lined up, inserted rear bolt and tightened the stew out of it. Then you'll notice the front hole... If you bought a Dexter axle, for some reason they can't cut the front hole to line up. Seems like it would be pretty freaking simple to do, but what do I know. It wasn't that big of a deal anyways... Get a step bit (I'm pretty sure this was Colin's idea), and SLOWLY drill the hole out to fit your bolt. I day slowly, because a half inch drill will twist your arm off when that bit catches...

This is a step bit...


And this is the mismatched hole...


Here's where I fail you... I didn't get a picture of the hole after I drilled it. You'll find you remove more metal from the frame than the axle bracket as you drill. I guess the frame must be a softer metal, but it did that on all four holes I had to drill.

Next I used some large washers to span the mismatched gap, and tightened the CRAP out of these bolts, which is a lot tighter than tightening the stew out of them... It's very technical.


And reassembly begins... Go ahead and finish installing the shocks...

...continued.

[Panama Red]

Mount the brake plate and tighten the lock nuts...

ATTENTION: Get the right freaking plate!!! They're side specific, remember? I put mine back on the axle they were on originally, and did one axle at a time to avoid confusion...


Then the brake drum, D washer, and castle nut, with cotter pin to lock it in place. I'm not going into detail here on hub/bearing assembly. If you don't know what you're doing, don't be afraid to ask!


Then tap the dust cover back on... And slip the Centramatic balancer on, if you bought 'em.


You'll want to wire up your brakes at this point... You'll be needing them shortly!

Then mount your wheels, and sit that sucker back down on the pavement!!!


From start to finish, with the old axles already removed, this job took me roughly eight hours. A couple trips to the hardware store and lunch included...

A giant shout out to Andy, Michelle and Liz at Inland RV! Huge thanks to Colin and Top for their advice, and hugs and kisses all around for all the support from this forum. Y'all are an awesome bunch and I can't wait to meet some of y'all on the road some day... A few of the others, a wave will do...

-Red

[dbj216]

Panama Red,

Santa has new axles on his sleigh and I hope to see them Christmas morning. Your postings are a big help to me. I agree and I will jack the axles mounting brackets tight against the frame. I was told the two bolts hold the axle up, but do not carry the weight of the trailer, only the weight of the axle when you become airborne. That's why the slotted holes are okay.

I would like to remove more metal from the axle bracket instead of the Airstream axle plate. The enlarged hole you had to drill looked hard to do. I figured on using a hole saw or the end cutting rotobroach. I had not seen a step drill like yours before.

Thanks again for all your effort to make this thread informative and fun. Southern Hospitality!

David

[Panama Red]

David, glad you're enjoying the thread! Hope it helps out somehow. Regarding the slotted axle bolt holes, I'm seriously hoping I never get airborne to test the bolts out....

With the axles out of the way, I've had time to jump on the shower and vanity a little bit. Vanity came out pretty nice, but I've got to figure out a decent trim for the shower tub. The crap that was in there is ugly and doesn't fit very well...
Wasn't exactly the granite pattern I was looking for, but it will work. I really wanted something with a hint of blue in it. Oh well, maybe the next time I redo this trailer...
-Red

[dbj216]

I hope you don't get airborne either.

Now I see you moved inside to the bath area. Nice looking sink, faucet, counter top. Did you build that? I have a new vanity to make for my old Airstream. But I have a rear window to work under (its a rear bath layout). The counter top in my Trade Wind, from the factory, is a low 28" How high is your vanity counter top from the floor. 28" is for kindergarten sized folks. I'd have to brush my teeth on my knees!

David

[Panama Red]

I kind of built it. It's the original cabinet, with a piece of counter top that I bought from Lowe's. I was going to just buy a piece of laminate and skin the plywood counter top I had made, but I could buy a four foot piece of counter top for the same price as the piece of laminate. It was way too deep from front to back, so I cut the back splash off, cut the counter to the depth I needed, and glued the back splash back on. Clean joint. You would never notice if you're not looking for it. not sure what the counter height is. Will measure this afternoon when I get home.

The sink is a 12 inch mixing bowl I bought from a local restaurant supply store. I punched a inch and a quarter hole through the bottom and installed a drain, and saved myself a couple hundred bucks... I originally was trying to order a stainless sink, but they were just so darned expensive.

-Red

[Minno]

Wow, Red! I had Chris take a look at your axle install because I didn't recall ours being that involved. And it wasn't. Ours came bolt on ready and the only thing we had to do differently was raise the trailer up on it's supports another 3 inches to get the 12 inch brakes under it. Then we slid the axles under, jacked them into place and bolted them on. No cutting frame, drilling, etc. We bought what Andy recommended and sent us..... Wonder if there's that much of a difference between '72s and '74s?

Kay

[Panama Red]

I'm not sure about the differences. I know they wouldn't fit any other way, and this was what Andy said I'd have to do to get them in, except for the notching of the top of the axle slot. I came up with that on my own, and hope it was correct. Apparently Dexter isn't drilling their mounts to match up to Airstream's holes... They went in pretty nicely though. Getting her ready to roll as we speak... A day late and a dollar short.

-Red

[Panama Red]

New tow vehicle! This thing is PERFECT!!!

[Panama Red]

They see me rollin',
They hatin'...

Finally got her hooked up and rolling. Loading up and heading out!!! Next pictures will be The LoveStream at the beach...

-Red