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Happycampers · 02-06-2007, 08:24 AM

We make our winters here but the funniest thing is Hubby is from West Virginia... Pinegrove in Wetzel county...

SwampBillies · 02-06-2007, 08:27 AM

No Way!! It amazes me how many people we run into from back home. You wouldn't think there were that many people running around from such a small state. But then of course alot of us left! I am from Sutton in Braxton County and Lewis is from War Ridge outside of Beckley. Small world! Tell your hubby we said Hey!

SwampBillies · 02-06-2007, 03:51 PM

Well I bought some stuff called Motsenbockers Lift Off Silicone Latex Caulk and Foam Sealant Remover. And it works! It doesn't dissolve the silicone but it loosens it grip so you can scrape it off. It works much better than anything else I have tried. I need a new manicure now, but the silicone is coming off! Question: There is a thick gray stuff under some of the silicone. It looks to be the original sealant, but it is awfully thick and ugly in places also. Is this something I should try to remove or just caulk over it? It is only on the tops of the windows and door.

Jim & Susan · 02-06-2007, 06:31 PM

That gray stuff is most likely Vulkem that was originally applied at the factory. There are many threads here on removing and recaulking with Vulkem (or other sealants). I'm recaulking with a combination of Vulkem and Sikaflex (for the most part). And yes, you should recaulk those areas (and many others) after you get them cleaned out.

Thanks for the tips on the silicon.

Jim

silver 67 · 02-06-2007, 07:25 PM

We feel your pain.... our Moby was basically in the same shape. We just now got the bathroom back together (except for the upper cabinet). It has been too cold to finish the painting. We also had to replace the entire floor and all the plumbing (it came apart in our hands when being removed).

Our previous owners only knew how to fix things with either duct tape or silicone, so I know what you are going through. We live in the country and I didn't want to go back and forth into town, so I just kept trying things to clean off the silicone. Finally found that charcoal lighter fluid changes the chemical makeup of the silicone and sort of "freezes" it, and it just pops off.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Enjoy the journey....

BIGED52 · 02-06-2007, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWAMPBILLIES

Well I bought some stuff called Motsenbockers Lift Off Silicone Latex Caulk and Foam Sealant Remover. And it works! It doesn't dissolve the silicone but it loosens it grip so you can scrape it off. It works much better than anything else I have tried. I need a new manicure now, but the silicone is coming off! Question: There is a thick gray stuff under some of the silicone. It looks to be the original sealant, but it is awfully thick and ugly in places also. Is this something I should try to remove or just caulk over it? It is only on the tops of the windows and door.

Where did you find it? It looks to work better than the elbow grease and mineral spirits I have been using! You really should clean off all the old sealant and re-caulk with Sikaflex221. That is the only thing the factory now uses on new trailers as it skins over quicker than Vulkem and stays flexible longer from what I have read. Ed

SwampBillies · 02-09-2007, 07:56 AM

Ed
I bought the silicone remover at lowes. Here is a picture of the package. It was less than $4.00

Sorry to took so long to get back to you. I had taken SequiaCoast's advise and started working on something cosmetic for awhile. Here are some pictures of the new curtains and the beginnings of recovering the couch. It is not done yet. But he was right, I feel much better! This weekend is going to be back to working on windows while Hubby works on getting the bathroom back together.

sequoiacoast · 02-09-2007, 08:34 AM

It's looking great! I love the cowboy curtains!

SwampBillies · 02-09-2007, 08:39 AM

Thank You! You can't really tell in this picture but the fabric on the couch is like a stamped saddle leather. I am trying to figure out where and how I can hang a set of longhorns!

pbrown1963 · 02-15-2007, 02:40 PM

Wow!!! Mine was in similar shape when I got it. Shame on me for not taking pics. You are doing all the right things by major surgery rather than bandages. I look forward to seeing the finished project and sharing pics of my AS journey.

Your courage inspires the rest of us who are in the middle (more or less) to continue improving our rigs!!

SwampBillies · 02-15-2007, 04:07 PM

Today Lewis brought home the box that goes around the black tank. He had the HVAC guy from his work fabricate it out of 18 gauge sheet metal. He now just has to add the holes in the appropriate places. The old one was pretty much gone, but he should be able to get a general idea and then retro fit it. The guy took the extra metal and made an additional pan to fit under it. He said he is not sure if he will use it, or just hang onto it to see if he needs the metal somewhere else. But it feels good to know we have a nice new sturdy pan for the black tank now.

Fyrzowt · 02-15-2007, 04:13 PM

I can't tell what type of metal you're using, it looks galvanized. If so, you need to keep it isolated from aluminum or you will get galvanic reaction causing corrosion.
That may not be a problem, depending on where your tank is located. I just wanted to throw that out there before it gets mounted.

Sounds like you're making good progress, keep it up - looks good.
Dave

SwampBillies · 02-15-2007, 04:19 PM

It was galvanized that came off of the trailer. On our trailer the black tank is mounted in the rear. The tank had a piece of angle iron that ran across the frame and supported the box holding it to the underside of the tank. It doesnt really come into contact with any of the aluminum. But I appreciate the heads up. He said he will double check after he has it in place and make sure nothing is touching anything it shouldn't be.

safari57 · 02-15-2007, 04:31 PM

It does look good. It looks like it should be sitting in a campground right now, awning out, a couple of lawnchairs under a couple of very relaxed people, and a few coolies at hand.

More pics would be good.

Barry

Fyrzowt · 02-15-2007, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWAMPBILLIES

It was galvanized that came off of the trailer. On our trailer the black tank is mounted in the rear. The tank had a piece of angle iron that ran across the frame and supported the box holding it to the underside of the tank. It doesnt really come into contact with any of the aluminum. But I appreciate the heads up. He said he will double check after he has it in place and make sure nothing is touching anything it shouldn't be.

You may be in good shape then.
In NO way was I trying to throw a monkey wrench in things! I would just hate to see problems develop later.
Dave

SwampBillies · 02-15-2007, 08:04 PM

Oh the awning!! That is an issue. We unrolled it to find that it is going to need to be replaced. It is a carefree awning and it is tearing at the top. I am sure we won't have it done before Florida State which I am dissappointed about. But.......Another project for another day.

safari57 · 02-15-2007, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWAMPBILLIES

Oh the awning!! That is an issue. We unrolled it to find that it is going to need to be replaced. It is a carefree awning and it is tearing at the top. I am sure we won't have it done before Florida State which I am dissappointed about. But.......Another project for another day.

The important thing is that you get it clean enough that you are comfortable sleeping and using it, and that you fix the things that would get in the way of your using it. Then the rest can come as you have the time and the inclination. It sounds like you are moving along quickly. For those of us who have been down the same path we can simpathize with you, but we also know the wonders of enjoying it once it's done. Life is very good.

Barry

SwampBillies · 02-15-2007, 08:23 PM

Barry
That is what is SO COOL about this forum. You can talk to people that actually do understand your excitement, and sympathize with your frustrations. Several of my friends just think I am crazy. And when I get a spare minute and find myself running out to do a quick project in the airstream, I wonder if they are right!

SwampBillies · 03-04-2007, 06:34 PM

Well after the Florida State Rally it was time to get back to work! The item at the top of our list was the water sitting in the wing windows. I have researched the forum and read that the easiest way to fix this is to remove the inside glass using a spring loaded punch. I actually went out a bought it before the rally but, we were scared! So today was the day. Lewis placed the punch in the corner of the glass and on the 3rd try the inside glass shattered! Yea!! Here he is removing the inside glass in pieces. Oh by the way, I had read conflicting reports of whether this inside piece is tempered. Ours was.

Once he got most of the glass out we were surprised to find the original caulk was still soft. Pulling it out brought most of the edge pieces.

Now all we have to do is clean up the single pane, right? Wrong. Our water level was over half way up the glass in both of these windows. When we removed the inside piece and cleaned it out, we were left with this white residue that reminded me of what happens to the glass part of the coffee pot.

We have tried everything to remove this white residue. I tried The Works, Vinegar, scrubbing, even buffing with rubbing compound. Nothing. I am hoping someone has some suggestions.

Other that the white residue the windows look great. I am so dissappointed after all the work of breaking the inside glass we still do not have clear wing windows.

NataliePK · 03-06-2007, 12:24 AM

We knew we couldn't gut our trailer because then it would never get done, so it's a little at a time. My husband is doing most of the work because he's retired and has the time, but it is slow going.

We've had a our trailer just a few weeks. He's focusing on the kitchen; this is what a lot of the wood looks like - okay I'm still new at this posting stuff....at any rate, ISN'T THIS PRETTY?

Still, not as overwhelming as having to weld a frame or fix a tank...