Honeymoon Airstream!

[WesAndSteph]

Fiance and I just purchased a 1972 Overlander. We are planning on remodeling it and taking it on our honeymoon in September of 2014. Here are a few photos, I will add more as we (hopefully) make progress.

[n2916s]

With 11 months before W- Day, my advice is not to go crazy. Get is sparkling clean. Get everything working. Get it watertight and go camping! If there is something relatively minor that you just HAVE to do something about -- well, go for it but avoid major projects until you have a bunch of nights racked up and you know what you really need to do.

I guess my point is that lots of folks buy their dream trailer and then start a major renovation before they ever get a chance to use the thing. They discover that a major re-do is both a time and money black hole. A surprising number give up. More better you go camping...

Congrats on the upcoming nuptials and on your new "honeymoon suite".

Mike

[ASwifey]

Looks like a great trailer! Sounds like a perfect way to start a marriage ♥

[m.hony]

Looks like a good trailer to start a remodeling project.

[goshawks00]

Better'n a tent!!! Looks like good starting point, keep us all posted!
Barry & Karen

[ventport]

If you are using it on your honeymoon, be sure to have 4 good stabilizers installed on it!

[Airbiscuit]

I was going to point out check the stabilizers for the honeymoon! Then start a rally (or you are close enough to our anniversary date, we will celebrate yours with ours at next years rally) lol! Enjoy, can't wait to see pics as you progress!!

[LeeJ]

Originally Posted by ASwifey

Looks like a great trailer! Sounds like a perfect way to start a marriage ♥

That's the way I started married life. but it was in a 68 Bambi!!!

[WesAndSteph]

Thanks all! We have made a small amount of progress this week so far. All the interior electric and lights now work. Wes thinks he found the problem with tow lights, so that may be resolved tonight. We ripped up the carpet in the bathroom (where we know there is a leak from the window). Surprisingly the wood underneith did not seem in horrible shape. Not sure if we will need to replace it or not. We need to pull the rest of the carpet out to decide for sure, most likely. I do think I'd feel better with a whole new floor to be on the safe side, but I guess we will see.





Any expert thoughts on how the wood looks from my very mediocre photos?

Also, Wes got a chuckle out of the stabilizer advice and assures everyone that he will make it a priority!

[Wayward]

Originally Posted by WesAndSteph

Any expert thoughts on how the wood looks from my very mediocre photos?

Looks like minor water staining. (I am assuming the "border" around the walls is carpet tack strip and not an old patch).

[Hillbilly75]

Originally Posted by WesAndSteph

Surprisingly the wood underneith did not seem in horrible shape. Not sure if we will need to replace it or not. We need to pull the rest of the carpet out to decide for sure, most likely. I do think I'd feel better with a whole new floor to be on the safe side, but I guess we will see. Any expert thoughts on how the wood looks from my very mediocre photos?:

The floor looks really good to me, actually! I have found that any water damage to the floor will be around the edge of the floor, as water leaking almost anywhere above gets trapped between the wall skins and runs directly to the bottom of the walls. I would look around the edges, especially under cabinets and such, for any really bad damage. You should especially check in the trunk, where there might have been plumbing leaks or water under the sink and shower. Even if you find some minor damage under there, do the "jump on the bumper" test described in threads about rear end separation. If you don't see any major weakness there, your floor is in too good condition to think about ripping out all those bathroom fixtures and plumbing to fix before getting some use out of your camper. Good luck and congratulations! We are finding that there are always things we want to fix, but we try and remember that it is an old camper and it doesn't have to be perfect in order to be nice.

[cwf]

Yeah, walking in a trailer can make it rock a bit.. Especially when your bride is smiling at you.

I hear you can use wood block as stringer support under the stabilizers. Just don't apply too much pressure at those points(don't lift AS off the tires)!

Stabilize fore aft direction and yaw direction. Remember, campsites are not level. So, using a jack-screw type jack will allow you to dial in precise stability. Only downsides are bulk unless and having to get under AS to adjust. The standard jack stands are less adjustable, but easier to find and operate.

Blocking the tires fore and aft on both sides also will help keep things more stable.

That floor looks fine. Take a ice pick or similar tool and "probe" foor in the area by walls or where you are are concerned. Are the spots soft? Don't put too much pressure as you are testing not trying to drive it through.

If you find spot of concern let us know and we can make suggestions. I found this in ours




Fixed with "GitRot" from West Marine.

[andreasduess]

Great looking trailer. I actually love the tweed (?) upholstery of the gaucho.

We're currently remodelling, gently, a 1984 International. So far, we've got new flooring installed and all the upholstery redone. Next year, paining the dark wood white, install a composting toilet.

[65CV]

Originally Posted by WesAndSteph

...

Any expert thoughts on how the wood looks from my very mediocre photos?

Also, Wes got a chuckle out of the stabilizer advice and assures everyone that he will make it a priority!

No one will be able to evaluate your wood from a photo unless there are holes in it! The key thing to look for is softness or weakness. Your floor is part of the structure of the trailer, so it's critical that it is strong, especially where it joins the shell. Check everywhere with an ice pick for softness.

If you've had moisture, but the wood still looks strong, you may want to consider stopping any dry rot with Cold Penetrating Epoxy Sealer. It's not cheap, but a little goes a long way. It seals so well that bacteria or fungus can't destroy your wood.

You and Wes seem to have a good sense of humor -- and adventure. Enjoy!

[WesAndSteph]

Weather permitting, we will be doing some repairs to minor leaks and ripping out all the insides this weekend. That way we will be able to see how the subfloor is around the walls and whether it will need completely replaced.

We are also trying to decide if we can or want to reuse the same shower and sink. Aside from being dirty they seem really sunbaked and Wes is concerned that they may be too brittle to continue use. If we did use them we would probably repaint/epoxy them. If we dont we would just put in a shower pan, and maybe add a seat/step, along with cabinets/storage. We will see what the undersides look like when we pull it out this weekend.







Also, what is the best way to find someone who wants the interior cabinets? We wont be using them and I see that it is not recomended to throw them away as they may be useful to others... Make a listing on the classifieds? What does one charge for such things?

I am excited to get all the insides out! We may be taking a small trip to Kentucky before its too cold to test her out!

[Hillbilly75]

If you are getting rid of any of the interior, I do have a wish list: we need the kitchen drawers and sliding tambour panels from the kitchen cabinet, and the dining table with hardware. Don't know where you are located. We are in southern WV

[Condoluminum]

If you have leftover parts, it is free to list them with Classifieds here in the Parts section.. Good pictures will help, and use of descriptive labels helps, since the classifieds seems to come up in Google searches near top of results, so even non-Forums users might find them here. I'd say pick a price you'd feel really good about, and then be prepared to lower that as hassle factor drops and good story of would-be taker gets better... Always easier to lower price than raise it, and you might be surprised by someone who just says yes quickly...

[WesAndSteph]

Well, we did get some stuff done this weekend. (Not as much as we'd like, due to a Haloween party resulting in a late start the next day. We were some seriously scary zombies for the party and a portion of the next day as well! )

We were able to remove everything but the fridge, bathroom, and the kitchen counter/overheads.



We are ordering our fantastic fan vents today as well as Tempro 635 to repair some leaks.

The floor looks to be in pretty good shape so far, but we have not gotten the bathroom sink and shower out yet so there could still be surprises.

We are wondering if we can use the cold penetrating epoxy sealer (as recommended by 65CV) for any patches that look iffy and then use a regular sealant for the rest of the subfloor. Not including anynless any spots bad enough to require patching, in which case we will obvously patch. Is it advisable to do that? Will the epoxy sealer work as intended if only used in specific sections?

Thanks for any input! I will be posting more pictures of the floor as soon as everything else is out. Hopefully by the end of this weekend.

[65CV]

Originally Posted by WesAndSteph

...

The floor looks to be in pretty good shape so far, but we have not gotten the bathroom sink and shower out yet so there could still be surprises.

We are wondering if we can use the cold penetrating epoxy sealer (as recommended by 65CV) for any patches that look iffy and then use a regular sealant for the rest of the subfloor. Not including anynless any spots bad enough to require patching, in which case we will obvously patch. Is it advisable to do that? Will the epoxy sealer work as intended if only used in specific sections?

Thanks for any input! I will be posting more pictures of the floor as soon as everything else is out. Hopefully by the end of this weekend.

Steph -

There are multiple recommendations that could work, but more detail of your floor condition will elicit better responses. When you get everything out, try to take good, hi-res pics and check for moisture and rot. Rot can best be checked with an ice pick. Is the floor is wet and soft? Is it all dry, but just water stained? Does an ice pick go through? Most importantly, how strong is the floor right at the point where it goes under the exterior walls?

Once you know your floor's condition and the answer to those questions, you can plan the fix. I have to warn you that it could easily start with finding and fixing leaks.

John

[goshawks00]

BTW be careful with the ice pick, you got tanks below!!