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Old 08-26-2012, 07:49 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Wabbiteer View Post
Oh - and about the harshest chemical to broadcast widespread in the trailer should be something like the same antiseptic ingredient they use in Bactine... its sold as a Moss & Algae killer, dilute it well, rinse it well. The more reactive the chemical (chlorine) the more corrosion and daughter elements its produces amongst the metals, wiring and plastic which then linger and may not be too healthful.

darn, I am going to have to scrub it inch by inch.did not think about that. THX so much for pointing that out!

this is gona be fun..lol, finally i can put my hazmat gear to use and freak out the neighboors.been waiting for an excuse to the wife to do this.
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Old 08-26-2012, 07:53 PM   #22
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If that is $800 and he provides all the material kinda sounds like a deal.

The welding should* be the easy part... I'll take ten minutes and write up a quick list from memory here, a lot of hidden costs in time and money covered in that estimate there.

- sourcing the correct materials (alloy/thickness/length/profile) at decent prices and a decent delivery date...
- sourcing the correct equipment, good quality welding machine, saw, grinder & wheels, rod/wire/gas, gloves, helmet, other shield to lay on back and weld above your head, power source, extension cords, magnetic & other clamps, full shield gas bottles on hand or anti-splatter spray, working spool gun or tuned wire-feed system, or correct & dry welding rod if stick welding...
- getting custom bent profiles made on spec
- cutting to fit, align and clamp

....can easily take 95% of the time, effort and cost involved. Then the not-as-easy-as-it-looks but quick part...

- tack weld into place
- double-check all dimensions then weld for strength
- chip slag and brush weld to inspect
- BFH (big fat hammer) test on welds to see if they yield, give or break
- grinding down bad weld spots and reworking them

$800 for a turn-key package, yanno, ready to start continuing the project as soon as the paint dries, kind of sounds like a deal to someone who's been there and done that

yeah hes a real good guy, hit me for 55/hr for labor and mats, i did some work for him, hence why its so cheap , the man has a WAREHOUSE of metal,its amazing. their are scrap yards here where he can find all kinda metal, and when i mean all kinds, its ALL kinds.. i have for instance never seen a gear the size of a person just sitting in a metal hoarders corner...thing was huge..
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Old 08-26-2012, 09:51 PM   #23
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Hello, I'm new..

I'm a closet Airstreamer that's coming out.
my name is Jonathan, I'm a plumber/electrician/and certified MVAC tech, with ASE 1-6.. so allot of the issues on mine have already been fixed, the one thing I'm not is a welder....Yet


I just bought an airstream with the mind of knowing that I'm going to have to repair the frame. The rear end has separated to the point where the frame is broken on the right rear side, (but their is some silver rod that isn't that's inside of the frame??what is that) and what looks like long bolts that went into the wood;(?) are no longer connected.., can someone asses the damage by these photos real quick and tell me what all needs to be done? and please don't say anything about a shell off, because the interior is in amazing condition, and ripping that stuff out to me is out of the question. drilling out sections of the floor i'm fine with.. I have been reading here alot, and it seems that a gentleman by the name of andy seems to be a good authority in these matters..

1.)Can anyone tell if the axles need replacing by these photos? if not how do I tell?

2.)what caused the rear end to separate like this? bad running gear balance or lack their of? Some places even said AS mounted tanks in a bad area in the rear? (I don't trust this as AS have several engineers that test this stuff hardcore..) Do new axles come with running gear Already balanced from inland RV or any other place anyone knows about?? Finding that snap on tool is almost impossible to balance the running gear

3.)Where can I order the pieces I need for this repair? i'm going to take it to a welder I know, and I want to be able to provide the parts to him that are the correct ones. Fabrication to me goes against how these were manufactured, and AS engineers usually know what their doing, so I'm not a big fan of backyard fixes. For the record I'm not knocking anyone who fixes them properly in the backyard, just so long as their done properly.

Money is not an Issue here, this is going to be a gift to my mother, and I want this done right..I know I'm going to be doing allot of cleaning on the AS.


Their's much controversy on how to fix "rear end separation", So much in fact I cant discern fact from fiction about it anymore. Whats overkill, whats not..etc. I have seen many shell off's, where people gutted it fixed it up, and never put the furniture back in,and sold it for 2k or less.. I do not want to end up like one of those people.


pictures are on page 10,11

Airstream
I have built a lot of equipment trailers since 1975. Having seen just a couple of pictures of the rust, and knowing how thin AS frames are, I would build a new frame. It clearly needs a frame off restoration. That frame would take more work, (by far) to fix than just buying new steel and building a new frame. It would take about $1500 in steel plus consumables, and labor, to build a new frame. I figure that it would take about 80 hours to build if a person had the jig, and the right equipment.
If it were me I would build it out of 6" structural channed with 3" structural channel cross members (and outriggers) 1-1/2" down from the top of the 6" frame rails. I would then use 2" x 2" x 1/8" angle iron, overlapping the 3" channel by 1/2" to make the frame flush on the top of the 6" rails. This will add about 100# but it makes a trailer that is extremely strong and easy to attach the shell to. It also makes it easy if the trailer is ever ruined, you can pull the shell off, sell everything extra, grind off the angle iron and put 2x10s (or 12s) as a deck on the trailer and have a valuable equipment trailer. When I build trailers, I MIG weld most verticals (except couplers), and I weld all horizontals, and axles with stick (7018). I do that because stick welds penetrate deep and are very sturdy. MIG welds are good, but they are harder to weld. I know everyone is going to laugh at that statement, but try to pass an X-Ray test with MIG. It can be done, but it is so easy to cold lap that it isn't funny.
Good luck with your rebuild.
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Old 08-26-2012, 10:05 PM   #24
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I have built a lot of equipment trailers since 1975. Having seen just a couple of pictures of the rust, and knowing how thin AS frames are, I would build a new frame. It clearly needs a frame off restoration. That frame would take more work, (by far) to fix than just buying new steel and building a new frame. It would take about $1500 in steel plus consumables, and labor, to build a new frame. I figure that it would take about 80 hours to build if a person had the jig, and the right equipment.
If it were me I would build it out of 6" structural channed with 3" structural channel cross members (and outriggers) 1-1/2" down from the top of the 6" frame rails. I would then use 2" x 2" x 1/8" angle iron, overlapping the 3" channel by 1/2" to make the frame flush on the top of the 6" rails. This will add about 100# but it makes a trailer that is extremely strong and easy to attach the shell to. It also makes it easy if the trailer is ever ruined, you can pull the shell off, sell everything extra, grind off the angle iron and put 2x10s (or 12s) as a deck on the trailer and have a valuable equipment trailer. When I build trailers, I MIG weld most verticals (except couplers), and I weld all horizontals, and axles with stick (7018). I do that because stick welds penetrate deep and are very sturdy. MIG welds are good, but they are harder to weld. I know everyone is going to laugh at that statement, but try to pass an X-Ray test with MIG. It can be done, but it is so easy to cold lap that it isn't funny.
Good luck with your rebuild.
That's why pipeline welders use stick!!
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Old 08-27-2012, 04:17 AM   #25
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If i do a shell of, and assuming all the furniture is ok, do i have to destroy the furniture or can i salvage it?
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Old 08-27-2012, 01:38 PM   #26
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Shell on is possible, but it might be harder in the long run. I have replaced the back section about 3 feet and the frame from the Front door forward. It's possible but has higher risk, and my guess is that the finished project would be better if you have the time and money to do a shell off. I don't have the time, so I have been fixing things little by little as I go. If you do the repairs shell on, don't make the same mistake I did, and set the old girl on fire! All ways have a spotter, and a water hose at hand. All that old wood, cloth, rat nests, burn real fast.. Smoke damages so much...

Get yourself a Hobart wire (mig) welder, watch some vids on YouTube, if you can soder copper pipes, then you can weld. It might not be pretty when you are done, but as long as you have good penetration it will hold.

Just a heads up, after you have pulled out the bathroom, closets, and part and the middle section, gutting the whole inside my not seem like such a daunting task. Keep all of the closet doors, walls, Etc. They have on odd curve, and if you need to make new ones you can use them later as a template.

Good luck, keep reading, you can get it done!
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Old 08-27-2012, 01:39 PM   #27
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About the furniture, save everything that you can, for as long as you can. Much of it you should be able to save.
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Old 09-29-2012, 04:28 PM   #28
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So, at the advice of several people, I took some welding classes ( still am) and it has indeed come in great use, I have had to replace the 3 inch c- channel skids on the 5 inch c channel frame. That(5 inch c channel) also was rusted to just half a foot behind the rear most cross member, the outriggers were gone, but I was fortunate enough to have a template for the frame on the street side of the airstream. So I replaced that with all new steel as well. I had to prefabricate the small top crossmember water holding support frame on the back that held the tanks up, and fabricate the pans for the tanks as well as the hinge support frames. I used the bed frames rail idea I saw from another member here on the forums and some more decently sized hinges, painted in por 15 silver, and am in the process of reattaching.

My question was, o. The front of my airstream, I noticed instead of the open c channel design on the curbside, it had a plate with circles about 4 inch in diameter that continued running down the frame to where the hitch bars meet.. Is this an original design, or did someone improve on the frame support sometime before I owned it?
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Old 09-29-2012, 04:55 PM   #29
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Is that on the inside or outside of the a farm?
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Old 09-29-2012, 07:00 PM   #30
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It's the main 5 inch frame that runs the entire side of the frame
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Old 09-29-2012, 07:22 PM   #31
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That boxed in area with the lightening hole is factory. IT's solid back to the first crossmember where the A frame ties into the main frame and first cross member aft of there the lightening hole start.
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Old 09-29-2012, 07:43 PM   #32
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Is their any place I can get frame material exactly like this? I'm keeping it original as much as possible to keep it at vintage quality, my 34 footer I bought, yeah I may need to rebuild the frame on that but this one for the moment I want to be as vintage as possible.
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Old 09-30-2012, 06:22 PM   #33
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You might want to call the factory in Ohio to see if the have the name of folks who made it. Also you might be able to take a pic down to a local welding/fab shop and see if they have any ideas or if they can make something that looks close.
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Old 10-01-2012, 05:54 AM   #34
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I used 2x5x.120 rect tube its avaiiiable at any steel supplier. Used it for main rails,cross members and made my out riggers out of same material. Welds up easy and easy to cut square. Cut the out rigger shape with a jig saw and a bimetal blade.
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Old 10-07-2012, 01:04 PM   #35
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Update to my frame repair.

So the airstreams metal was literally flaking...and seeing shell offs usually equal out to project abandonment, I just jacked up portions of the as, took out the furniture for x part, got the floor wood out, and started surgery on the frame...

It's not as easy as working with a bare frame, but I was still able to weld sections back in, por 15 it and replace flooring. I also took this time to install new flooring on the top side. My mother likes stone tile, so I went a little out of vintage for it... How's it looking so far?











I included a picture of the pieace of the old frame for refrence to the new donor frame pieaces. I used POR 15 silver, not topcoat por 15 silver.. however on the hitch I clearcoated it to help protect against the UV sensitivity of the sun and mixed SOME flex additive when I put this on. Oh, I recremend getting a campbell haus detail gun and running the preassure into the gun to 30 pounds with an airwater filter attached.. Thats how i applied the por 15, and did half the trailer and didnt even use a 4th of the quart I ordered. This stuff feels so smooth and strong, and just to test it out, I hit it with a BFG hammer and it didnt chip... love this stuff..



this floor is rubber, very strong stuff, had found it on sale for a whole roll of 8w x 12l.. just enough after the extra pieaces were cut out to fill the entire air stream all the way to the bathroom, I added a more brown sandstone color in their.
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Old 10-07-2012, 07:57 PM   #36
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It is looking good. You are right about it being harder to work on a frame with the shell still on.
Keep up the good work.
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Old 10-08-2012, 09:53 AM   #37
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Look great so far where are the holding tanks, or where will they be?
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Old 10-08-2012, 12:12 PM   #38
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Look great so far where are the holding tanks, or where will they be?
The big silver beam and pan is the main water tank, the rear grey and black water tanks are In the back, I have to replace the plywood floor because of floor rot on the rear panel floor, nothing for the elevator bolts to connect to. So I'm going to use the same thickness board that's been marine treated.
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Old 10-08-2012, 07:28 PM   #39
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Yea that's what I used and then topped it with fiberglass resin. Water proof and really tough..
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Old 10-08-2012, 08:26 PM   #40
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Yea that's what I used and then topped it with fiberglass resin. Water proof and really tough..
How long has it lasted so far? Any sign of weakness?
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