1984 Airstream 345 owner (Newbie) need advice!

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by Magnet18

Are there any issues with snowload on the panels if stored outside in the winter? I would worry about all the weight being on concentrated points at the mounts

We have not had any heavy snow winters since I installed mine.
What I did was to try and be sure as many of the mounts lined up with horizontal or vertical ribs on the MH. I think I only have two or three mount brackets that give me worries.

[Keyair]

Awesome job, and thanks for posting the pics. That will help me decide which way to go.

The new diverter valve arrived and I’m happy with my decision so far.
Here are some pics of the original valve and pipes. Basically it was a single pipe into a T and on to the 2 exhaust manifolds.


And here is the old and new for comparison.
Planning to just have 2 pipes from the valve.

[Keyair]

Completely bummed.
The NOS valve is NF.
Applying vacuum to the diaphragm moves the plunger a little and then it returns to normal. It does not hold a vacuum so the thing is useless. Cannot find another this side of a lot of $.

Upside is the reman pump arrived.

[Vycan]

Magnet, have not had heavy snow yet to know, but you bring up a good question since I will be going to Colorado next year for work.

[Keyair]

Nothing to lose so pulled apart the old valve.... i think I can make it functional again.
The clamp holding the diaphragm in place had broken off the top of the valve. Looks like it was held together by peining over the nubs, and they had snapped off.
Also notice the tiny flapper valve in the center made from a piece of rubber.

[WayneG]

I guess those rivets? were what was rattling around in there?
If this smog issue gets too frustrating and expensive, it may be time to look into registering it out of state?

[Keyair]

It was the whole round disc with the holes in it that was loose inside the chamber!
Looking close at it with a magnifier, I think the nubs were weak from the factory... There was barely any material above the thickness of the clamping disc.
The crimped edge was a bear to get off! Took me the best part of an hour to unfold the flange with a big screwdriver, hammer, and chisel!

The diaphragm looks usable, and is still soft and intact. The tiny flapper valve closes off the center vent hole in the valve when vacuum is applied, and yet, when vacuum is reduced, it releases the vacuum and equalizes pressure between the 2 chambers. I BET that little valve is whats wrong with the NOS unit I got, but of course I cant fix that with disassembly!

I think the head of the valve has enough "meat" on it to get a ST screw or bolt in it, but they will have to be small...

I have spent a TON of time weighing my options for Smog and registration, and my choices have always come back to doing it right, and for now, staying original. I have a complete TBI setup, with everything I need, but my issue is that the storage place I am now at will not allow ANY mechanical work to be done on site. A person was recently ejected for doing an oil change...
They explained, their site is on an old landfill, and the city has very strict environmental rules about water runoff, and contaminates. I understand that. I recently got a note from them stating my grey/black tank drain was dripping, and they noticed a drip from my engine, so I needed to attend to it. It was the grey tank, and I just tightened the cap, and I put a drip pan under the engine and trans, but that is how it is there.
Doing the TBI conversion would involve draining and dropping the gas tank, and probably pulling the radiator out to access the drive belt system, and I simply cannot do this in "Stealth mode" there. Changing a tire is OK... so getting under the wheel arch for 10 mins, to put the new smog pump on, is doable... anything that involves fluids gets your lease terminated.
I am paying half what I paid for the previous spot locally, and whilst all of the above is a pain, plus a 50 min drive to get there, the numbers speak. I am saving the equivalent of buying 8+ new tires every year!
So, the game plan stays on target... get this old girl smog ready, and driveable and do all the cool stuff at another location later.

[streamquest]

Steve,

So you're parked on top of who knows how many hundreds of tons of god only knows what, and they're worried about a few drops of something???
I don't know how you can stand it. Only in California!!!

[Magnet18]

Originally Posted by Vycan

Magnet, have not had heavy snow yet to know, but you bring up a good question since I will be going to Colorado next year for work.

Solar on airstreams is common, I'm sure I'm not the first person to wonder, I just haven't looked into it at all

2' of snow on those brackets struck me as a worry, maybe tilting them would help, or maybe it's not a problem if most of them are on ribs

[Vycan]

Magnet, It might not look it, but they are tilted a few degrees to contour with the roof. Expect it to still accumulate.

Keyair, I use the same approach... well it's already broken... let's see how the darn thing works...

[WayneG]

I have had more than a foot of fluffy snow on the panels without a problem. I worry about heavy wet snow.
If there are serious concerns at your location, you could always loosen one end of the panel and insert some open cell foam sheets, of a suitable thickness, to add temporary support.

[Keyair]

I'm a little crazy today.... well, MORE crazy shall we say.
This is part of the long game....

If all goes to plan, I am making a road trip tomorrow and will return with a very heavy lump of cast iron in the back of the truck....
The price is right, so I gotta at least go look...

On other fronts, I have had no luck getting this diverter valve to work so far!
I did get some new rubber sheet to replace the missing radiator shrouds tho!

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by Keyair

I'm a little crazy today.... well, MORE crazy shall we say.
This is part of the long game....

If all goes to plan, I am making a road trip tomorrow and will return with a very heavy lump of cast iron in the back of the truck....
The price is right, so I gotta at least go look...

Let me guess........502 Cadillac V8? No wait, I got it! Rolls Royce 27L Merlin V-12? Rolls Royce 35L Griffin V-12? Duramax turbo diesel! Cummins? Detroit diesel? 300hp 7.8L Isuzu turbo diesel?

Cheers
Tony

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by Keyair

On other fronts, I have had no luck getting this diverter valve to work so far!
I did get some new rubber sheet to replace the missing radiator shrouds tho!

The radiator shrouds are plastic, I bet you could get something out of a junk yard for any P30 van.

If you are talking about the exhaust diverter valve, check it to be sure it moves freely by hand. I forget all the plumbing but part of its vacuum circuit involves a thermal valve up near the radiator thermostat

[Keyair]

Close Tony, but I can’t repeat it here cos it’s a “C” word.... with 12 valves.... [emoji3]
It’s a rebuildable core, and the $ is right. Hopefully it goes smoothly.

Wayne,
It’s the rubber sheet above the radiator. Mine was long gone.
The valve moves fine, but I cannot get it to hold a vacuum.
Working on it.

[Keyair]

So what I am going to see is a pre '1994 6BT Cummins 12v VE-PumpTurbo diesel motor with 190k miles. It has a bad piston on #1 cylinder, and some scoring on the bore.
It partially stripped down so I can see whats up with it. The seller says that the machine shop said that bore could be sleeved back to stock, and my info says that a common fix.
The plan to move forward with the stock motor and smog, still stands, but this is a fun back burner project I can prep for when I decide to do the swap.

My logic is that even if I end up boring all 6, new pistons, and bottom end rebuild, I'm still ahead of the game...

VE pump motors are less desirable than P-Pump, as they are less tuneable. Stock power is 160HP @ 2500rpm, and 400ftlb torque at 1500rpm.
Some mild mods on the VE pump, and little else, yields 210hp and 500ftlb without loss of mpg or reliability I am reading.

Lets see how it looks tomorrow!

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by Keyair

So what I am going to see is a pre '1994 6BT Cummins 12v VE-PumpTurbo diesel motor with 190k miles. It has a bad piston on #1 cylinder, and some scoring on the bore.
It partially stripped down so I can see whats up with it. The seller says that the machine shop said that bore could be sleeved back to stock, and my info says that a common fix.
The plan to move forward with the stock motor and smog, still stands, but this is a fun back burner project I can prep for when I decide to do the swap.

My logic is that even if I end up boring all 6, new pistons, and bottom end rebuild, I'm still ahead of the game...

VE pump motors are less desirable than P-Pump, as they are less tuneable. Stock power is 160HP @ 2500rpm, and 400ftlb torque at 1500rpm.
Some mild mods on the VE pump, and little else, yields 210hp and 500ftlb without loss of mpg or reliability I am reading.

Lets see how it looks tomorrow!

I would be careful of that old iron. The odometer in my 92 pick-up died about 4 years ago and it read 235,000 miles back then. It's still clanking along just fine. If you put it together right it will probably outlive you.

[Isuzusweet]

Richard, the crazy Brit next door just swore by the old 12V Cummins trucks; at one time he had three of them. The big difference between them and the Isuzu is noise; the old 12V's are noisy as hell, where the Isuzu's are built with closer tolerances and are a lot quieter. Even Richard was impressed at the smoothness of my Isuzu over his Cummins.

At 1000 lbs plus, these motors are a chunk of iron, that's for sure. Steel toed boots are required just in case.

Cheers
Tony

[WayneG]

Sounds like a lot of work and money to save a few MPG and boasting rights.
A good old 454 is good enough for me, I may add some bells and whistles to modernize the driving experience.
For my old ears, nothing beats the sound of a WOT on a 454, it would be great if it was in my old 67 El Camino and not hauling around my seven ton beast

[Keyair]

As my 454 has plenty of life in it yet, this is a longer term project, if it even ends up in the MH!

I just got home from the desert, and I snagged it.
The Range Rover and it’s air-suspension was superb. I folded the seats down, dropped the suspension to the bump stops, and reversed into the cherry picker. Got everything secured and strapped down, punched the button and up she went to normal ride height. The dry weight cummins quote is 1100lb.... and I’m not gonna argue with under .50c/lb! [emoji3]
I put 10psi extra in the tires and drove her home... 145miles round trip! Averaged 17.5mpg.