Floor Replacement '63 Bambi

[NorCal Bambi]

We still have the original compressor for the water pressure. It quit on our last trip. Darol Ingalls had given us a couple of old compressors form trailer he had restored. I use one of the 12V motors from one and our pump is back in order. THANKS TO DAROL. It even runs quieter than before. We've put over 30,000 on our trailer sence rebuild, so that's not bad. That is the original trailer compressor. Some cleanup and we are ready for the first of the season rally. Hurray!!!
Don

[NorCal Bambi]

I'm putting the sheet foam under the 55 Flying cloud like what I did here to our Bambi. However I'm not flipping the Cloud. I'm using a spray clue to attach the foam and then shaping. This seems to be working well so far. I'm also using penetrating epoxy on all end grain of the floor on the Cloud and I've use a Vulcum like adhesive to glue as well as bolt the floor to the frame. Both frames showed rust on the top of the frame from water standing between the frame and the wood of the floor. By gluing the floor on the frame as well as bolts might help solve this problem. Any comments on this from the rest of your Airstream restorers out there?
Don

[NorCal Bambi]

Just though I'd send along a picture of our 63 Bambi watching the rebirth of the 55 Flying Cloud.
Don

[VIKING]

Don and Caddygrn, This thread is full of great info and I hope to see you on the road sometime to thank you in person.
I'm going to do the same thing on my floor insulation as you are with sheet foam. Are you going to go the full 4", or leave space between the foam and the bellyskin? I was thinking of leaving a 1" space below the foam because I could tell that water had sat in the bellyskin before.

I don't think I would glue the flooring to the frame. The materials are going to expand and contract at very different rates.
I was thinking the same thing just a couple of days ago, about using adhesive on the frame/floor joints. It was a suprise to see you thinking about it today!
I think that the original rust on top of the frames (I have it too) was due to the insulation trapped in the joint, getting wet and staying wet for a long time. Without the insulation wicking water in there it shouldn't be a problem.

Nice picture.
Rich

[NorCal Bambi]

Rich, great to hear from you and your project. Do you have a thread I could look at?
The adhesive I used to glue the floor down will have a picture on the bottom of this post. It's flexable rubber product, so I don't think the expansion factor should be a problem. Your point about the insulation wicking water is a good one. I had forgot about that. The foam I'm using is a combination of two layers of 1.50" and one layer of 1". Because that's what's available up here. I'm also using a spray glue to hold in in place on the flying Cloud. I'm not flipping this floor and frame over to work on. The other reason I'm using the foam is to completely fill the space. On both trailers when I was doing the disassembly were filled with wasp and bumble bee nests. I'd like to eliminate that in these trailers.
Don

Originally Posted by VIKING

Don and Caddygrn, This thread is full of great info and I hope to see you on the road sometime to thank you in person.
I'm going to do the same thing on my floor insulation as you are with sheet foam. Are you going to go the full 4", or leave space between the foam and the bellyskin? I was thinking of leaving a 1" space below the foam because I could tell that water had sat in the bellyskin before.

I don't think I would glue the flooring to the frame. The materials are going to expand and contract at very different rates.
I was thinking the same thing just a couple of days ago, about using adhesive on the frame/floor joints. It was a suprise to see you thinking about it today!
I think that the original rust on top of the frames (I have it too) was due to the insulation trapped in the joint, getting wet and staying wet for a long time. Without the insulation wicking water in there it shouldn't be a problem.

Nice picture.
Rich

[VIKING]

Hi Don,
I don't have a thread going for my work but I have a seldom-used blog which I will be updating again this weekend.
Do you know if the foam you are using is waterproof? That is my only concern with it, really.
The polyurethane should be flexible enough to avoid any issues with the floor. I was thinking the other day, that the floor and frame would be much more rigid if they were sheeted more solidly on both the top and bottom rather than having the bellyskin just be there for hiding the frame.

I've got errands this morning. I'll check back with you later today.

Rich

[NorCal Bambi]

Rich, I looked at your blog and will check it out again. Yes the polyurethane is waterproof. Here is the thread with the work on the Flying Cloud.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...wax-25692.html
Don

Originally Posted by VIKING

Hi Don,
I don't have a thread going for my work but I have a seldom-used blog which I will be updating again this weekend.
Do you know if the foam you are using is waterproof? That is my only concern with it, really.
The polyurethane should be flexible enough to avoid any issues with the floor. I was thinking the other day, that the floor and frame would be much more rigid if they were sheeted more solidly on both the top and bottom rather than having the bellyskin just be there for hiding the frame.

I've got errands this morning. I'll check back with you later today.

Rich

[utee94]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

Just though I'd send along a picture of our 63 Bambi watching the rebirth of the 55 Flying Cloud.
Don

Do you think the Bambi ever gets jealous at all the attention?

[NorCal Bambi]

utee94, When the neighbors are not around I go stand inside the Bambi and talk to her. I'm told they like a man who is willing to talk. Also I been known to go over and rub her sides every once in a while.
Don

[sbreide471]

i have a 69 airstream overlander do you know if you have to lift the body off to replace the flooring

[NorCal Bambi]

sbreide471, Do I need to lift the body? This is a good question. I would say it depends on several things. The first question you need to ask yourself is, do I have the space and storage needed to do a shell off restoration? This means a place big enough for the shell and the frame to sit alone. And is there storage area for all the parts and sheets of aluminum that need to be removed in order to remove the shell.
Next what is your purpose. Do you just want to make repairs so you can use the trailer. Or do you want to do a full restoration? Once these questions have been answered the next question is Shell On or Shell Off.
If you have just one or two areas of the floor that are damaged a Shell On might be the answer to your question. If most of your floor is damaged then a Shell Off will be the answer. If you research this forum you can find threads that look at and describe both approaches. How about time to do the work. I'm retired and when I did the Bambi I devoted my full time to doing the restoration. It took me 8 months. and about 7,000$ to do the shell off. A Shell On should take less time and cost less as well. I guess another question is what is your skill level? And how much do you want to spend. First spend time on the Forum and ask several people for their opinions and viewpoints. This forum was a great help to my projects. And on those days when a project is getting you down. Sharing with others here is a great help. When you make your decision start your own thread about you project. The input and help from others is just great.
Don

Take a look here: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...tes-40981.html

[NorCal Bambi]

Well it's been 5 years since we restored the Bambi. And here is my thoughts after that time. It is definitely worth restoring an excellent product like an Airstream trailer. I've had many vehicles in the past that after 5 years were in great need of repair. Some were even falling apart by that time. Bambi is solid and dependable and will be for many years to come. When it comes to restorations, starting with a good product is the first step.
Don

[C Johnson]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

Well it's been 5 years since we restored the Bambi. And here is my thoughts after that time. It is definitely worth restoring an excellent product like an Airstream trailer. I've had many vehicles in the past that after 5 years were in great need of repair. Some were even falling apart by that time. Bambi is solid and dependable and will be for many years to come. When it comes to restorations, starting with a good product is the first step.
Don

I completely agree with this statement. I have zero problems with my resto on my Caravel. After 10 k + miles still going strong. All original equipment I might add. :-) (aside from the intellipower and water pump)

[NorCal Bambi]

Chris your Caravel is a great machine. We've sat inside several times and its a great home away from home.
Don

Originally Posted by C Johnson

I completely agree with this statement. I have zero problems with my resto on my Caravel. After 10 k + miles still going strong. All original equipment I might add. :-) (aside from the intellipower and water pump)

[jdpearson]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

We recently purchased a 1963 Bambi. All is in good condition except the floor... the Bambi is nearly gutted and we will soon be ready to replace floor. Any and all advice by someone who has done this before would be very welcome! Also interested in knowing the best way to "lift" the body off. Can it be suspended while working on flooring? What did you do that worked for you? Thanks for any and all help!

Hello, I'm doing the same thing except my Bambi is a 1962. The floor is so badly rotted out in mine, that I can't even make a template. Does anyone have or know where to get a template for the floor?

Thanks,
J.Pearson

[VIKING]

If you can make a template that fits to the inside of the walls, you will have something pretty accurate to go from. Of course you would need to enlarge the template to get the full-size floor template. It goes under the walls in my Safari 1-1/2" so I enlarged my template by exactly that much. It fit better than the original did. You must make your templates before you seperate the shell from the frame or you will lose the shape. I made a template for each corner and measured between the corner templates for the over-all size of the floor template, rather than trying to make a full-size one piece template.

Don, how's the project coming along?

Rich the Viking

[jdpearson]

Part of my problem is that the corners of my floor are so unequal, because whoever owned it last tried to fix where the floor was completely gone with spray foam and some of the panels had been replaced.

[VIKING]

Hey, welcome to the forum!
I just noticed how many posts you have here. It's good to have you aboard. Don(Norcalbambi) has better experience with your type Airstream than I do, but I'll relate what I know from my experiences.

In '64 they had formed corner U-channel pieces that were not very flexible. I don't know if that's the case with the earlier ones. If so, you could remove the interior paneling and make your template right against the piece of U-channel, then add 1-1/2" to it. If the floor is repaired with spray foam that will all have to be removed anyway, so I would just go for it. Cut it off flush with the floor, or just dig it out so you can make your templates.
If you can post pics of your exact situation it would be helpful. Otherwise it's just my best guess as to what you are dealing with.

If you want to see some pics of my situation, click on my blog link. It hasn't been updated lately but shows some of what you are going to be getting into.

Rich the Viking

[NorCal Bambi]

Howdy, sorry I haven't answered earlier. I've been away on a trip to Asia. My floor was in bad shape also. How far away are you from Northern California? I might be able to help you with some pattern ideas. Can you post some pictures of you floor and inside of the trailer? I just notices you are quite a ways away. The one thing i've noticed on working on these trailers is that they are custom made products. That means that each one is a little different form the other. So what ever pattern you make or get there is going to be some difference in the shape. My old floor was good enough that I was able to make a pattern. However when I first brought the shell back in contact with the new floor they did not match. I was lucky enough that the new floor was a little larger that I needed. So I was able to make some changes and refit the shell. Using the "U" channel for pattern is a good idea but they can get bent and be slightly out of shape as well. Be prepared for a match and refit process. I currently redoing a floor for a 55 Flying Cloud. I've spent a lot more time checking shapes and making patterns however I'm sure I'll have to make some changes once the shell comes in contact with the new floor. If the floor is too small in some places, shims could be used to make up the difference in size. The shims should be use to make only small changes. Again these are custom creations and always require fit and refit. I'm sure there are some re-builders who are better craftsmen that I am. Maybe they can make it fit the first time. My skill and craftsmenship seems to require some cheat factor.
Don

Originally Posted by jdpearson

Part of my problem is that the corners of my floor are so unequal, because whoever owned it last tried to fix where the floor was completely gone with spray foam and some of the panels had been replaced.

[NorCal Bambi]

Well we had a tire lose most of its tread when we were almost home. There was a strip of tread apx. 2 to 3" inches wide and about 2' long that didn't come loose from the tire. It managed to wipe around until I got stopped and off of the highway. It did damage to the belly pan. Here is the thing I found of interest. When I did the restoration I put hard insulation foam under the floor and between the belly pan for insulation. It greatly reduced the damage to the trailer when the tire came apart. I would suggest that everyone consider the foam during restoration. For this reason as well. That rubber whip that was slapping around should have done much greater damage. I an including some pictures of the damage so you can make your own judgment
Don.