1948 Floor Repair or Replacement????

[oldtrucksrul]

I'm trying to make the decision of whether or not to repair or replace my floor. Mine is pretty soft and the previous owner has began the process of pulling out the contents. My model has no lavatory.

I have read many threads and it seems to be a toss up. The reason I'm leaning toward replacing the floor, is I would like to take a good look at the pole/chassis. I guess in order to replace the floor I must remove the shell or is it possible to do it without removing the shell? How is it constructed? What skill level will this require? I would like to put down either laminate wood or Vinyl Tile, should I just let it be soft?

Thanks in advance.

My first real question. be nice

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by oldtrucksrul

I'm trying to make the decision of whether or not to repair or replace my floor. Mine is pretty soft and the previous owner has began the process of pulling out the contents. My model has no lavatory.

I have read many threads and it seems to be a toss up. The reason I'm leaning toward replacing the floor, is I would like to take a good look at the pole/chassis. I guess in order to replace the floor I must remove the shell or is it possible to do it without removing the shell? How is it constructed? What skill level will this require? I would like to put down either laminate wood or Vinyl Tile, should I just let it be soft?

Thanks in advance.

My first real question. be nice

I would replace the floor and if you plan on towing the trailer either reinforce the pipe frame, if possible, or rebuild with a modern ladder frame and put a pipe at the rear to look like a pipe frame. There is information on this somewhere on the web if not here. Fred Coldwell can join in on this, since he is the VAC historian.

Old trucks don't leak, they just mark their territory.

Bill

[oldtrucksrul]

Oh.. One other question. My serial number is 1067. What is the specific model name I've heard Clipper or Trailwind?

Thanks

[48_liner]

I would replace the floor if you can. We removed our shell after bracing it significantly with wood cross members. We drilled out the rivets and lifted it up high enough for the wheel wells to slide under when we pulled the frame out from under it. The alum channel around the outside was terrible. This allowed us to replace it along with the wood. We used a 1" hole drill bit with the center guide bit removed and drilled around the floor bolts. Made it easier as most of the bolts were rusted solid. Our Liner has a ladder frame for some reason which is better than the pipe frame. Removing the floor will help make any repairs you'll need.

As for the name, The Curtiss Wrights used the name Clipper which carried into the Silver Streak line. Airstream used different names depending on the arrangement of the interior. There were six different named versions for the 22 foot model. We couldn't tell what ours was as the interior was pretty much gone.

Good luck with your trailer.

BTW, our's is number 1056

[uwe]

If you're serious about this trailer, then I would recommend nothing less than a shell off repair.
The difference in quality of repair is staggering, because you gain access to so many areas of the frame and floor, and so easy that the end result will be well worth it. Plus, you can make secret improvements without altering the look of the trailer.
The construction of these trailers is actually quite simple, more so than what you might assume. No rocket science, for sure. Even the tooling neede is relatively mild on the budget, providing that you have a decent set of hand tools. Whatever you need for re-assembly can often be rented or borrowed.