1984 Airstream 345 owner (Newbie) need advice!

[audiv8q]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Against my will, my Girlfriend dragged me away this week for a vacation...
It sucks... I have to wake up to THIS all week...
[images deleted]

Oh, dear, Keyair - I feel so sorry for you... Being forced to look at that every day, with nothing to do but relax and enjoy life...
Must be horrible! How could she do that to you??? She must really not like you very much.
Or maybe she felt like an "Airstream widow"?

"Oh, crap - there is a strange man in my bed... Who are you???? Oh... right - I've seen you tinker around in the garage - do you live here?"

[Keyair]

Originally Posted by audiv8q

Oh, dear, Keyair - I feel so sorry for you... Being forced to look at that every day, with nothing to do but relax and enjoy life...
Must be horrible! How could she do that to you??? She must really not like you very much.
Or maybe she felt like an "Airstream widow"?

"Oh, crap - there is a strange man in my bed... Who are you???? Oh... right - I've seen you tinker around in the garage - do you live here?"

LOL, we laughed at that too!
She is my biggest Cheerleader, and she cant wait to get the Airstream trip-ready.

We are home again now, but wanted to share the Sunset on the final day...

[audiv8q]

Yeahyeah....
I have one of those women too...
I, as you probably know, lost out on the opportunity to own that 345, and have been gutting and re-building my 1979 Dodge Sportsman Class-C Mobile Traveler - sometimes working 36-hour shifts, because I just got into a groove - we have to have it DONE and road-ready by 6/24 when we leave for national gathering, never to return to WA - and she has been a real trooper about it.
Of course it has helped that I also bought her a Teepee, so that once we're stationary, we're not confined to a 14' living area, or 21' overall with the cab.
18' Teepee: $536
17, 24' lodgepoles: $310
Shipping of 17, 24' lodgepoles: $200
Making my wife happy: Priceless!

[Keyair]

Well, sounds like you are a happy man!
me too...
Here is my GF enjoying my two projects...

[Keyair]

If anyone has the time or inclination to give me a measurement from the lower mounting flange of the STOCK intake manifold to the top of the filter case...
Mine looks like 14"..

[345bill]

Originally Posted by Keyair

If anyone has the time or inclination to give me a measurement from the lower mounting flange of the STOCK intake manifold to the top of the filter case...
Mine looks like 14"..

Keyair- On my 1989, 454, Q-Jet, stock intake & air cleaner it measures 12 1/2".

[Keyair]

Thats awesome Bill, thanks...
Sadly, thats what I calculated based on some creative math measuring from the intake base to a stick bridging the chassis doghouse flange and then measuring the actual doghouse recess...
I was hoping I had made a mistake...

I could always cut a hole in the doghouse and have the Banks filter sticking thru.... It would look cool!

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by Keyair

I could always cut a hole in the doghouse and have the Banks filter sticking thru.... It would look cool!

That would work, as long as you don't have a girlfriend, or a dog.

[Keyair]

Ummm...
Oooops...
And Oooops!
Well at least if there is a hole is the "Dog House", I would not need to open it to be put in it!

[AirRowan]

You could use a 5 gallon bucket and carpet it
since the dog house is made of abs anyway and if there is a fire you would die

[Keyair]

Well, it would be a whole new meaning to the idea of an Airstream Funeral Coach...

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Well, it would be a whole new meaning to the idea of an Airstream Funeral Coach...

We saw one of those 24 footers in California, their vanity plate said, "LST RIDE".

[Keyair]

I need to VENT!
Sigh...
It just never ends...
I have plans and am motivated, but I just can't seem to clear the list of stuff that needs doing...
I started out this year well, with a Honda Engine replacement, and then a Subaru motor rebuild, but since then its been really stupid.

I have been getting some practice in with my Welder... I built 2 X Overhead storage racks...



My GF's Range Rover seems to get me at least once a week, last week it was 3 days, and still I cannot seem to cure the Air suspension leaking down... Now the heater core or pipes are dripping inside...

Last week in prep for a fathers day Party, I laid 400sqft of turf for her too...
Now the Dogs are just ripping it up bit by bit.. They are fenced out, but can jump over..

My Mercedes Diesel is punishing for handing it to 2 teenage boys who seemed to take great delight in extracting every ounce of its 70hp... and now its a shimmering clanking mess... I need to replace the brakes, as the low pad light is glowing at me... and the Parking brake is toast after my GF's son drove it with it ON for 200 miles... "Oh, I wondered why the red light was on.. and it seems slower than normal."
I have replaced the radiator, waterpump and alternator, 2 tires, and 2 window motors since I got it back.
Can't complain really... I paid $600 for it, and still does 35mpg everywhere, but I need to do the brakes and Belt tensioner that is rattling.

I have a really nice 1990 Mercedes 190E, with 88k miles, that I am trying to prep for my Daughters use... i have replaced all the fluids, brakes, shocks, and much more... But It failed smog, and I am trying too get it dailed in... I think next week it will be ready... waiting for parts...

My 1974 Alfa decided it didnt like the seals in its clutch Slave Cylinder and it puked its fluid everywhere and left me stranded... I fixed that only to spot that the Oil pressure sensor was leaking.. I went to tighten it and it snapped clean off, leaving me to remove the intake and starter to get the "EZout" in there.. Then it would not crank above a slow wuuuh-wuuuh-wuuuuuuh.. and would not start... I spent 2 days diagnosing it... and assumed it was the starter, as it was the only thing I had removed.. Or so I thought... Turned out it was the Positive Battery terminal, that had snapped off, and was not allowing current thru..


So I get it off the ramp, and felt like I would get to some Airstream stuff..

Then my son arrives...
Dad, can you do my Headgasket on my Honda...
Oh, and weld up my seat frame, and exhaust too...

I have family coming out to visit from the UK, and I normally lend them my 1987 Suburban, but last year the TH400 transmission died, and whilst I have a spare, and a rebuild kit... I am struggling to find the time to get that done before they arrive...
So they will get my Jeep Grand Cherokee to drive I thought.... But it decided it didnt like its Intake Plenum Gasket... and spat it out, so I have been working on that all this week...




But I just cant do anythging half way...

I decided to upgrade to The Hughes Aluminum Plate so it wont happen again..
I did some port smoothing, blended the FI bosses, and ported the Throttle body and Intake runners..
Painted it, and made it look pretty too..



All ready to go back in..




Oh, but as I was finishing up I found the A/C compressor clutch is toast...

Great...

I am studying for my Health and Life Insurance Licence too... in my spare time!

So, there you all go...
I am frustrated at my lack of progress with the M/H, but I didnt want anyone to think I am being lazy...

[pwhittle]

I know how you feel.

I ended up with a 1994 Roadmaster Wagon as my daily driver till my son wrote off the side of it.

I traded it straight up for a 1986 XJS coupe with the V-12. It took me the first weekend to just switch out the plugs and wires. Then it seemed that I was spending every weekend working on it just so I could drive it to work the following week.

After a couple of months, it starts overheating and blowing coolant out the exhaust. Head gasket.

A friend kindly lends me an old Miata with a roof that leaks every time it rains while I contemplate what to do. Of course it is winter.

My local South African mechanic recommends a product called Steel Seal. It appears to be snake oil but has a money back guarantee if it doesn't fix it. Of course for a 12 cylinder I need 3 bottles at $45 each to treat it.

Christmas morning I get up and decide to try it out. You treat it by adding the Steel Seal it to the coolant. I started the Jag and it is billowing steam out the exhaust. I added the Steel Seal and let it idle. After a short while, the steam stops, but I let it idle the full hour as recommended.

Once it is done, I put the radiator cap back on and take it for a test drive. No coolant loss, and no overheating!

By New Years Eve I had traded it in on an off-lease 2007 BMW 525i CPO with 0.9% financing with bumper to bumper warranty and all scheduled maintenance included through the end of 2012.

This 525i is the most practical car I have owned. It gets 20MPG around town and over 30 MPG on a trip. I never have to lift the hood to do anything other than fill the windscreen washer fluid.

Sometimes money saved is not money saved, especially on old cars.

Paul

[pwhittle]

Oh, I like your overhead racks! Might have to make a trip to the Metal Supermarket this weekend and break out the welder.

Paul

[pwhittle]

Oh. I like your overhead racks! Looks like a trip to Metal Supermarket in in my plans for the weekend!

Paul

[Keyair]

Thanks for the support... I was tired and frustrated last night!
What made me worse is that I have a spare A/C compressor in my garage, but cannot find it! It is was one of those times when you see it floating around and remember saying to yourself... I better put that somewhere safe, so I can find it when I need it....

The Racks are made of 1" square tube, and I bought 10 x 10' sticks and that cost about $80. I used only 8 of them and each rack is 8'x4' with legs at about 18". The garage door clears the rack by less than 1". Most problems I had was finding beam to bolt into... Would you believe I did one side to what I found, only to build #2 identical... but the roof spars are not the same on the other side of the garage!

I loved the RM Wagon we had in the household. What a great car that was!
Here is a pic of it the week before we junked it... hauling my Kwicklift ramp!


Jag V12's.... Mmmmm... until they go wrong... I was at the Junkyard and there was an XKS V12 in there... I was really tempted to pull the motor out to turn into a wine rack!
All my cars bar the Mercedes 190E, I have owned since before the Airstream came into my life, and few of them I am trying to pull into shape to sell, so that I can be more focused.
Since I got the Airstream, I just seem to have had a glut of other stuff to do, and always higher priority stuff!

[pwhittle]

Did you check on the overhead racks for the A/C compressor?

I had lost a spare/smaller supercharger pulley for about 3 years. It eventually showed up in my sock drawer!

Check your sock drawer too!

Paul

[Keyair]

LOL... well I found it this morning... it was in the Trunk of the Jeep!
Now I cant find the Jeep keys...

[Keyair]

LOL...
Well I found the Jeep keys... under something I moved looking for the AC compressor... I decided to just strip the clutch off it rather than vac all the 134a out and so...
Jeep now up and running!