Abby gets some separation H

[TxBxSx]

I'm finding this thread more and more useful as I continue tearing into my sov. Ronco's prices have gone up quite a bit since last year, those tanks are 225 each now....bummer.

I'm getting ready to brace up my frame this week and start doing less deconstruction and more reconstruction.

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by perryg114

Great job. You have been really busting it getting this done. Lance where did you stop the Marmoleum? I noticed the bathroom is the wood floor that you did a while back, which also looks great. It looks like it came off the show room floor.

Perry

Thanks Perry.

The Marmoleum stops at the middle of the trailer between the galley and the bedroom area. Here is a pic of the transition.

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by WineStream

I know I'm quoting an old post, but I'm just reading this thread for the first time and I started from the beginning.

In the time-frame from the quoted post, pictures of the center bedroom area put back together are shown. Pics just previous of that showed only the wall to the bathroom and still without the overhead track for the bathroom pocket door.

I wanted to remove the center ceiling panel in order to do some TV/cable running (the one that runs from the front to the rear above all the lights and A/C; I believe it's referred to as the "dome"). I never did it because I was stumped (even with the factory service manual) to figure out how to remove that overhead track for the bathroom door. Is it possible to do without removing the beds and bedroom walls? If it is, then could you describe how to do it? Where are the "magic" hidden rivets or screws? If it requires complete removal of the bedroom, then I'll just wait until I do a similar tear-it-all-out redo of mine.

Jason,

Sorry for the delay. Still trying to get caught up after being on the road for two weeks. I'll have to take a second look at the sliding door tomorrow. I do remember that I put the twin bed in after the door/hanging slider were installed.

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by bwoodtx

Great work as always Top. Enjoy your summer trip.

Thanks Bruce!
We had an awesome trip.

Originally Posted by TxBxSx

I'm finding this thread more and more useful as I continue tearing into my sov. Ronco's prices have gone up quite a bit since last year, those tanks are 225 each now....bummer.

I'm getting ready to brace up my frame this week and start doing less deconstruction and more reconstruction.

Thanks! Always nice to turn the corner towards completion.

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by Top

Thanks Perry.

The Marmoleum stops at the middle of the trailer between the galley and the bedroom area. Here is a pic of the transition.

Attachment 162892

Well this piece looks really good here. I hope I won't ever need to use something like it!

Steve

[perryg114]

The color is a good match between the two floors. You did good on that transition.

I think if I was going to do a floor off I would be temped to go with mahogany plywood and use lots of brass or stainless screws instead of elevator bolts and call it done. Right now my floor is latex paint but that will change at some point when I get all the other stuff like I want.

[TxBxSx]

Im getting ready to start re-installing my floors and looking at the rear hold down plate. Did you do anything different with the rear area? It just seems like water would want to run up the frame rails and right into the belly area soaking all your insulation and under side of the floor.

I was thinking it would be a good idea to totally separate the bumper compartment from the belly of the trailer and have wrap that comes down from the bump trim in the rear, just like the sides.....Thoughts?

Also, would there be any harm in making a new hold down plate out of 18g aluminum?

[perryg114]

I did exactly that and I think it is going to work fine. I may have to extend the bumper a few inches to make a new compartment a little farther back. The bottom plate has been attached and caulked to keep water out of the belly.





Perry

Originally Posted by TxBxSx

Im getting ready to start re-installing my floors and looking at the rear hold down plate. Did you do anything different with the rear area? It just seems like water would want to run up the frame rails and right into the belly area soaking all your insulation and under side of the floor.

I was thinking it would be a good idea to totally separate the bumper compartment from the belly of the trailer and have wrap that comes down from the bump trim in the rear, just like the sides.....Thoughts?

Also, would there be any harm in making a new hold down plate out of 18g aluminum?

[marzboy]

Originally Posted by perryg114

I did exactly that and I think it is going to work fine. I may have to extend the bumper a few inches to make a new compartment a little farther back. The bottom plate has been attached and caulked to keep water out of the belly.

Perry

I did the same thing to mine

[perryg114]

The ding dong wicked bumper plate is dead.

Perry

[Chuck]

So Top, (and Perry),
How did you wind up finishing off the bumper compartment? never did see any detail pics of the finished product.

Looking at perry's pic above, it seems so "sensible". I'm wondering why they weren't put together this way in the first place...then comparing to my still-original aft x-member, it sticks out past the back edge of the shell by a good 1/4"...and where the shell meets the main frame rail, it is nearly at the front edge of the x-member. (1 1/2").
I supposed there could be differences in the way the rear framing was put together over the years, and based on the tank arrangement and such. I'm wondering if you actually moved that xmember forward.
Another detail that I just noticed is that my hold-down plate is only touching the inner 1/4" of the forward edge of this xmember, and only 1 of the bolts that go through the u-channel and through plate and the floor actually pass through the x-member (one bolt managed to just barely go through it, the next put a half-hole in the edge, and all the rest miss the x-member completely.) Wondering if that is a defect, sloppy workmanship, or if the whole shell is sitting too far forward on the frame by an inch? (maybe "all of the above" ).

Anyway, I'm still wondering how you squared off this radiused area to make something to attach the bumper compartment flip-top.

[perryg114]

I am still working on mine. The pigtail and stinky slinky are kept in the side compartments for now. This is prime camping season, so we are camping quite a bit.

Perry

[Lance M]

Hi Chuck,
I left a gap between the rear of the trailer shell and a stainless steel angle that I attached to the main frame rails. I then riveted the trunk lid hinge to this angle. Here is a pic.


As far as your other questions about the bolts not going through the hold down plate, I'd say all of the above. I see lots of things that make me go Hmmmm.
Now you have a chance to make it the way it should have been.

[Chuck]

yeah, that gap in your pic is pretty much the exact profile of where the rear x-member protrudes on mine. Did yours not stick out there, originally?
Of course, it was covered by the "anti-flashing" that was pinched between the floor and the frame ( which seems to me to be the cause of all of these problems.) I wonder if you could scribe a piece of sheet metal to match the curve and cover the gap; as long as it doesn't extend forward under the floor, it wouldn't be "anti-flashing"

(fwiw, the top of the main rail in that area that was covered by the anti-flashing still got wet and stayed wet; lots of heavy pitting in that area, on both sides.)

The bolts did all go through the hold-down plate; they just didn't catch the x-member. I thought they were supposed to hit the x-member, squeezing everything together along the entire width, but maybe not.

[perryg114]

The cross member on my trailer was too far forward and the bolts that went through the C-channel were right on the edge. Airstream does some strange things. In hind sight, I should have moved the cross member back an inch but I ended up putting in a stiffiner for the C-channel.

Perry

[Beauchacho]

Lance, it was good to meet you today! Thank you for all of your advice. I see I have my work cut out for me. Thanks again!
Beau

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by Chuck

yeah, that gap in your pic is pretty much the exact profile of where the rear x-member protrudes on mine. Did yours not stick out there, originally?

There wasn't much left of it to tell really.
It looked like this-

http://cdn.airforums.com/forums/atta...4&d=1289348981

http://cdn.airforums.com/forums/atta...0&d=1295823781

I would, and did, make sure that the bolts go through the U channel, sub-floor and the rear cross member. Mine wasn't actually a cross member, but an inverted steel C channel.

[Chuck]

heh, well, at least the bolts were going through (what was left of) it.

Amazing that mine is actually pretty solid, especially the top part. The bottom edge...not so much. It could probably be salvaged if it wasn't for some of the other areas where there is actually some perforation.

[perryg114]

My 81 has a solid c-channel across there and the channel was facing towards the rear not forward. It would make it harder to skin the rear area like I did if that beam were sticking out. So maybe it was a good thing they screwed up and had the beam too far forward on mine.

Perry

[RugerMarklll]

Originally Posted by Top

Here are some pics of the skin under the rear hatch and the .06" stainless hold down plate from inside.
Attachment 127603Attachment 127604
Attachment 127605Attachment 127606

Is you hold down plate 36" in length and i assume that it rivets between the shell and Chanel is it centered mine was so far gone that i am having trouble trying to figure it out any help would be appreciated .