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Old 12-12-2010, 07:06 PM   #1
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1974 31' Excella 500
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'74 Excella Rebuild - The new chassis

Click this link to download a 1975 Airstream Service Manual and Users Manual. The file is a zipped pdf and is about 36MB.

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
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Old 12-12-2010, 09:29 PM   #2
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Daniel,

Thanks for the '75 Service Manual. In there I can now see the water tank you were discussing elsewhere. That's a much more simple arrangement than the fresh water tank in my '74.

And hey, that is one cool site, the Megupload place: gonna use that for a lot of things.

I have a '74 Service Manual around here, but I never scanned the entire thing, only a few pages as I needed them. In any event, I don't recall any mention of the Excella model at all, but if there's anything you want me to look for, just let me know.

Is your TT a mid-bath, or rear? I don't recall if you have posted any photos yet.
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Old 12-13-2010, 04:48 AM   #3
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I bought that already in pdf format from ebay. The guy sent it to me and it was password protected. It didn't take too long before I had the password protection removed. I read somewhere on here that the 74 was actually in the 75 service manual.. I don't know. I figured it would be close enough.

I don't have any pics of the inside because it was totally gutted when I got it. It is a center bath twin model.

Thanks!
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Old 12-13-2010, 09:12 AM   #4
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I find there's lots of overlap in the manuals. I have an original '77 SM as well as the '74 (which I bought from a dealer as a photocopy) and there are tons of pages that are simply the same. Due I suppose, to the fact that although AS changed model years every year to help sales, it's not like they changed the overall trailer every year.

In both the SMs there are some pages that are just identical. The one that talks about changing tires and jacking for example. That never changed IMHO, so why make a different file for it?

So, are you working out a plan of how you want to proceed? I did see some pictures in one of the other threads where you showed the "starboard rear" of the interior. By the way, usually people refer to the two sides of an AS as either streetside or curbside. Although lots of them are called "Land Yachts" the boating terminology didn't make it over, I guess.

Do you have it near where you live, in a covered location? Or, like us Northerners, will you be waiting till spring to get to work on it? Ours is in a small trailer park about an hour and a half from here, on a pretty little lake. We also keep a boat there, so when we aren't travelling, it's like a cottage (camp?) with lots of good friends. Which is nice, but makes it a bit of a challenge to do anything to it, since without water or power, or if a panel is disassembled, life becomes a bit less fun.

Looking forward to more pictures, even if they are of it in the "Before" condition, inside and out. You gotta have something to compare it to later so you can look back and put your thumbs in your suspenders, right?
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Old 12-13-2010, 05:22 PM   #5
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Thanks for the info on the manuals. I'm sure at certain times they make more significant changes to the trailers, it's just hard to know when and what.

Actually the tt is sitting here in the back yard. No shelter. Heck 2 weeks ago I was out working on it in shirt sleeves and now this big cold spell is coming down from.. guess where.. Canada.. and it is cold and very windy.

The guys are fabricating the trailer and I hope to have it this weekend. I figure a week to get the floor on and then another week to get the shell back on, since the only real daylight that I have is on weekends. Once the shell is back on I'll be one happy camper, so to speak. I figure I can do a lot of inside work just run lights and have a heater out there.

I haven't given a whole lot of thought towards an end result, except that I'll probably go for more of a minimal interior.

I have a rivet gun, rivets, vulcum, floor channel and I don't know what else on the way. Really just want to get this shell back down. Then the wiring, vents, plumbing, and all of that.. getting to the point of finishing the interior will be a while..
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Old 12-13-2010, 06:52 PM   #6
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Not a huge difference between 1974 and 1977-78 that I am aware of. The single biggest difference was the addition of gray water tanks with the 1975 model year. IIRC they were optional in 1974. I have 1975 and a 1976 manual and they are all but identical.

I have my 1975 completely gutted at the moment (still) if you need pictures or moral support just ask. I hope to get back on mine when it warms a bit. I have spent way too much time on the road the past 4 years working, now it is time to slow down a bit and hopefully get some things done.

Aaron
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Old 12-13-2010, 06:57 PM   #7
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Sprung Leak.. has to be Spring Lake, right?
I have a 10 acre lot that i spend a lot of weekends at up off of 501 a few miles down from Camp MacKall.
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Old 12-13-2010, 06:58 PM   #8
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Not a huge difference between 1974 and 1977-78 that I am aware of. The single biggest difference was the addition of gray water tanks with the 1975 model year. IIRC they were optional in 1974. I have 1975 and a 1976 manual and they are all but identical.

I have my 1975 completely gutted at the moment (still) if you need pictures or moral support just ask. I hope to get back on mine when it warms a bit. I have spent way too much time on the road the past 4 years working, now it is time to slow down a bit and hopefully get some things done.

Aaron
Aaron FYI my 73 Excella came with a grey tank. I guess they were the test run.
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Old 12-13-2010, 09:24 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielB View Post
I haven't given a whole lot of thought towards an end result, except that I'll probably go for more of a minimal interior.

I have a rivet gun, rivets, vulcum, floor channel and I don't know what else on the way. Really just want to get this shell back down. Then the wiring, vents, plumbing, and all of that.. getting to the point of finishing the interior will be a while..
Yes, getting the "lid" back on it will let you get some breathing room. And, getting the basic systems installed and running is another huge job. Lots of time to get clear on what exactly you want to put back into it.

Looking forward to seeing your "invention" evolve.
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Old 12-14-2010, 03:12 AM   #10
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Quote:
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Sprung Leak.. has to be Spring Lake, right?
I have a 10 acre lot that i spend a lot of weekends at up off of 501 a few miles down from Camp MacKall.
Yup...I live in the pattern for Pope. They use my big red barn roof for the outer turn marker.

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Old 12-14-2010, 09:08 AM   #11
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Does anyone have the 1971 Overlander Service Manual?
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Old 12-14-2010, 10:35 AM   #12
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Does anyone have the 1971 Overlander Service Manual?
Airstream sells the 72 service manual. It will be close. They some times are on E-BAY also.
https://store.airstream.com/product_...products_id=96
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Old 12-14-2010, 05:19 PM   #13
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Pretty jazzed today. Hopefully the new chassis will be ready this weekend. and I got my first package of goodies today... my beginner sample pack

100 5/32 olympic rivets (no washers)
Heavy duty riveter
100 2" elevator bolts
Roll of 3/4" Butyl Putty tape
2 things of Tempro 635 Polyurethane

What I am faced with now are chassis and floor issues.
My Airstream was gutted when I got it. No gas lines, for water I have the drain pipes for the kitchen and bathroom to the gray tank, and the wiring that is inside the walls.
No furnace vent pipes.

I'm trying to find out what goes where so when I get the chassis back I can get it put back together in the right order.

I can't tell from looking at the service manual what goes where, like does any of this stuff run along the top of the floor or is it all underneath and comes up through the floor in certain places. I don't recall any holes in the floor (replacement floor) for anything but the battery box, incoming bundle of wires from the 30 amp plug (came up through the floor aft of the roadside wheel wells. And, the that was really the only piece of floor aft of the wheel wells that was still there. I had no floor, really, between the wheel wells and the last piece of plywood at the back.

Also, any help on the order of putting things back together would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking:
1) Measure, cut and attach floor to chassis Cut known holes for bathroom and wiring in floor.
--- Epoxy edges of flooring and paint with some kind of water protectant. Haven't decided what to use for flooring yet..
--- original pink insulation was flattened between floor and chassis metal. Since I won't be replacing that pink stuff I was thinking a radiant barrier between the bottom of the floor and anything else between the chassis metal and subfloor?
2) Attach channels to subfloor
3) Drop shell back on.

Anything else that I should do while I have the shell off?
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Old 12-14-2010, 05:52 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by DanielB View Post
Pretty jazzed today. Hopefully the new chassis will be ready this weekend. and I got my first package of goodies today... my beginner sample pack

100 5/32 olympic rivets (no washers)
Heavy duty riveter
100 2" elevator bolts
Roll of 3/4" Butyl Putty tape
2 things of Tempro 635 Polyurethane

What I am faced with now are chassis and floor issues.
My Airstream was gutted when I got it. No gas lines, for water I have the drain pipes for the kitchen and bathroom to the gray tank, and the wiring that is inside the walls.
No furnace vent pipes.

I'm trying to find out what goes where so when I get the chassis back I can get it put back together in the right order.

I can't tell from looking at the service manual what goes where, like does any of this stuff run along the top of the floor or is it all underneath and comes up through the floor in certain places. I don't recall any holes in the floor (replacement floor) for anything but the battery box, incoming bundle of wires from the 30 amp plug (came up through the floor aft of the roadside wheel wells. And, the that was really the only piece of floor aft of the wheel wells that was still there. I had no floor, really, between the wheel wells and the last piece of plywood at the back.

Also, any help on the order of putting things back together would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking:
1) Measure, cut and attach floor to chassis Cut known holes for bathroom and wiring in floor.
--- Epoxy edges of flooring and paint with some kind of water protectant. Haven't decided what to use for flooring yet..
--- original pink insulation was flattened between floor and chassis metal. Since I won't be replacing that pink stuff I was thinking a radiant barrier between the bottom of the floor and anything else between the chassis metal and subfloor?
2) Attach channels to subfloor
3) Drop shell back on.

Anything else that I should do while I have the shell off?
Hi Daniel Well lets see if I can sum it up.
The water line runs inside the trailer on the roadside from the back towards the front. Just before the fridge right at the rear edge of the fresh water tank there is a hole in the floor. The water lione then drops down into the area of the fresh water tank and crosses over to the curbside and connects with the lines from the fresh water tank to supply water to the coach.
There are several holes in the floor for propane lines to enter and supply the various appliances. There are holes in the floor for the stink (vent) pipes from the black & grey tank and one more vent pipe in the bulkhead wall between kitchen and shower. all these vent pipes go up through the roof of the shell. There is a cutout in the floor under the shower pan to allow the p trap of the shower to go below the floor. There is another hole for the gray water tank to attach to the drain pipeing. There is of course another hole for the toilet flange which connects the toilet to the black tank. There are three holes in the floor for the furnace ducting to supply hot air to all three tanks(fresh,grey,black). There is a cutout for the fridge to draw fresh air up through the belly pan.
Your plan to put things back together sounds good. I would install all the water tanks(fresh,grey,black) before the floor goes on.It just makes everything easier while you have access above and below. The same goes for installing the waste drain system and the fresh water tank supply drain and fill connections.
Do you plan to insulate the belly at all. You could also install the belly pan first and do the insulation before the floor goes on. It would require a little thought and planning. Then the side wraps could attach under the side walls of the shell. That way any water running down the shell would go over the side wraps and not under it as it now does. The 60`s trailers were built this way. I don`t understand why they changed their construction methods.
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Old 12-14-2010, 06:26 PM   #15
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Thanks Chris..
So the furnace ducting is all above deck?

That sounds good. Tanks, water pipes, drain pipes, vent pipes, gas pipes, belly pan, insulation, then floor.
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Old 12-14-2010, 06:32 PM   #16
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Yes Daniel the furnace ducting is all above the floor. Like I said there are three points where smaller 2 inch round ducts feed off the main square duct to supply hot air into the water tanks. Two of them are side by side under the kitchen counter. 1 supplies to the fresh water tank and the 2nd travels along in the belly to attach to the side of the grey tank galvanized box. The third one is in the bathroom ans supplies directly into the black tank area. I forgot to mention that there is also a hole in the floor under the kicthen counter. It is used to exhaust the bathroom vent fan.
Did your trailer have the power and water hose reels like mine.
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Old 12-14-2010, 06:46 PM   #17
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Dude.. mine has nothing.. lol Im going to have to put in everything. Power and water hose reels? In the back? All that i have is the 30 amp power line inside the rear bumper.

I was wondering about the bathroom venting. I didn't see a hole in the ceiling for that. I assumed that there wasn't any..
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Old 12-14-2010, 06:58 PM   #18
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O.K. I have retractable reels for both the power cord and the water hose. They operate like the power cord on some vacuums. You just roll out as much as you need and lock it in place. When leaving just pull on the cord or hose slightly and they roll back up. These reels are located road side under the bed. They sit on a wooden platform which is attached to a pair of outriggers partially in the belly and partially above the floor.
The bathroom fan inlet is mounted in the face of the sink cabinet and has a flexible duct which travels under the shower up to the kitchen area where the fan is located and then ducted through the floor and belly to the exterior.
Here is a link to these type of reels.
http://www.tdiproducts.com/products/rvindex.htm
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Old 12-14-2010, 07:17 PM   #19
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Bookmarked. No fighting hoses.. awesome..
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Old 12-14-2010, 08:37 PM   #20
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Nowadays, the factory lays a full roll of reflectix bubble foil down on the frame before laying down the wood - this seems like a really smart idea, but I still prefer the idea of the floor directly contacting the frame.
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