Need help with Rear Bath falling out.

[Slowride66]

Hello All

I have a 1969 International Sovereign Land Yacht.
{ I still have not found the props(s) for water or air travel}

Anyway I have some bathroom issues {Rear Bath} I was wondering if someone with the knowledge could assist me?

#1 the frame is rotted it measures 5" outside & 1.5" inside & it seems very thin metal {steel} the bumper is loose & I need to fix this I was thinking of scabbing metal & was wondering if I could beef it up to (a) extend it & (b) maybe have enough room to put a endureo dirt bike on the back.


#2 the plywood in the floor is rotted & the toilet is completely free from the tank & the tank is falling down what has been the best way to fix this?

#3 I was thinking about using engineered hard wood to re floor the entire trailer {its a glue down application} leaving the original ply wood substrate.
Does anyone foresee any problems with this? Maybe coating it with poly urethane to seal it.

Well that is the major issues with this I have to get busy on it because my Wife is evicting me & I plan on moving back into my mobile mansion.

My wife used this trailer un known to me to store dog food & then the squirrels & other critters ate it to hell there was about 3 " if stuff throughout the entire unit other than some wire damage it seems OK .
needs a total sterilization after the bath is fixed.



Any help big or small is appreciated

SR66

[soldiermedic]

Ouch,

Lucky for you many people have already done this repair and detailed it here.

Top is finalizing his rear bath repair in this thread.

Abby gets some separation H

Check it out.

Steve

[Lance M]

SR66,
You have a lot of work ahead of you there. The symptoms you describe are common on long rear bath Airstreams of this vintage. It is a design flaw. It is called "Rear end separation" It has taken me five months averaging four 8-10 hour days per week to complete the repairs.
The only way to properly repair this problem is to replace the flooring with new sealed exterior plywood or marine grade plywood.
The frame is not engineered to handle any additional loading.
Good luck!

[Baseman]

Top is right, I am afraid.
I have a simalar issue with mine, currently beefing up / repairing the frame in preparation for a total floor replacement.
Overlaying the rear floor is quicker, but it will not hold up for long at all. The shell sits on top of the floor and bolts to the frame through it, so this is a very important structural connection.

[Slowride66]

OUCH!

Well that was a fast reply time!

I have a Friend who works for a fire truck company they build them out of POLY I was thinking about replacing the floor with the poly if its strong enough it will not rot then.

I need to get this fixed ASAP for my marriage is in worse shape than the bath & I need to move into this thing.

I will go check out the links posted

Thanks

SR66

[Aage]

SR66,

There won't be anything "fast" about getting this unit on the road and safe.

Read again what Top said: "It has taken me five months averaging four 8-10 hour days per week to complete the repairs."

Sell it and buy another one, roadworthy this time.

Then, you can run off to the four corners of the continent tomorrow morning!

[Stefrobrts]

Originally Posted by Slowride66

I have a Friend who works for a fire truck company they build them out of POLY I was thinking about replacing the floor with the poly if its strong enough it will not rot then.

There are some discussions of alternative floor materials as well. They all have their trade offs. When I did my floor I looked into Nyloboard, but decided to go with good old fashioned Marine Plywood. I figure it's stronger than the original stuff, cheaper than the plastics, doesn't require any additional support, and that original floor lasted 40 years. Don't over-complicate things, you'll have your hands full with the repair as it is!

I agree with Aage though, if you want to be camping soon, unload this project to someone with lots of time, tools, and patience, and find yourself one that needs less work!

[marzboy]

I agree with all the above. The frame is made out of 12 ga steel that is bent to make a "C". The longer trailers all suffer from this design flaw. In addition to the rotted sub floor and rotten steel you may also have some damaged outriggers. The solution is not simple or impossible.
Perhaps you could move in with a friend who has a really big driveway.

[Slowride66]

Howdy Folks.

Well I am into the last stages of dismantling .
Its been a bit tough to get on the project so many SNAFU's
Divorce /Separation / moving all my cashola going into gasoline UGH! Good grief.
Any way the metal is not so bad none of the outriggers are rotted I have filled 2 50 gallon trash cans with ..Rats nest {YUK!}

I have decided that I am going to customize the bath room the factory tub is just too small & I am not going to be washing any Barbie Dolls or little Yappy Dogs.

Its going to be a Manley Bathroom A shower & a Chitter & completely water proof I will be getting a 4' x 8' x1" sheet of Poly & sneak it between the floor & frame & then a thinner piece bent or curved toward the drain .

The Metal on the frame rails are only rotted & thinned out {rusted} foot or so .

I cut off the bumper & will stretch it so @ least 2 batteries will fit & rebuild the trunk .

I will most likely reuse the original Chit tank {black water} Although my buddy could build me a custom one no problem .

I will also relocate the dump outlet to the drivers side & re~engineer the water & electric Inlets.

I still have to test the Water heater & there is a few chewed chewed wires 12 V & 110

I will be drawing up the plans soon but its been so damn hot .
Today its 91*f with the heat index @ 111*f.

Here are some pictures of my Progress or digression {LOL!}

Oh Yea Can Someone tell me Why & is it necessary for the Grey Water Pipe to go & loop around the back of the toilet?
Just seems very weird.
Also can Y'all post links to replacement parts sites? stuff like the Black water tank Valve & stuff like that?

Thanks you all for your help.

SR66

[marzboy]

You can extend the trunk but do not add more weight on it. The longer trailers suffer from the too much weight in the rear design flaw.

[Slowride66]

HI.
I see the frame is quite thin.

I might be able to add a bicycle rack but my dreams of being able to put a Enduro style dirt bike is not there.

IMHO the battery should have been in the trunk.
And I wonder why they did not use aluminum for the floor.
Seems like the achilles heel is the plywood flooring especially in a "WET AREA"

I am ready to go remove the tub & sink the valves are stuck .

I have had to let my sub~conscious work on this stuff for a while but now the Ideas have "POPPED" & its time for action.

Well I am off to sweat my Nutz off.

More pixs to come.

SR66

[Slowride66]

More tear out pictures.


SR66

[Slowride66]

Almost ready for some Construction.



SR66

[marzboy]

Keep going the demo is a bitch but once you are thru it, it gets much eaiser.

[Slowride66]

I agree ,Althou I worked dismantling for 15 years & demo can be fun as long as I don't have to put it back together.

This is new as far as a Air Stream but with mu automotive & construction experience it will be a little slow @ 1st but I am down to nothing but water heater & then the floor .

HA HA HA I peeled the bottom skin back today & found the nest of bull ants & squirted them with poison What a mess I looks as if squirrels or rats had a freaking blast in between the floor & the lower skin.

QUESTION

I noticed today there is a ,or what seems to be a electric heating element in the back of the water heater.

Looks like it was never hooked up .So the big Q is can this be employed ? Also can someone link me to a parts site I am sure there has to be a lot of specialty items now for these campers

I would like to find some dual function 12 V /120 V exterior lights maybe even with a motion sensor?

I would like to put a generator in the passenger side exterior compartment {the only compartment} Enuf to power a Roof mounted A/C & everything else.

More Pixs to come tomorrow.

SR66

[Slowride66]

OMG!
I can't believe its been over a month since I last posted.

Well SNAFU {Situation Normal All Forked Up}

Any how I ripped the rest of the floor out today along with some drain pipe & then I took the water hose & some cleaner to the inside now I feel better about going inside without needing a Tyvek hazardous waste jump suit.

The frame is not as bad as I would have thought next is to get some metal & replace what needs to be replaced.

SR66

[Silverwanabe]

Hello,

Welcome to the world of Airstream.

One thing I have learned regarding Airstream is:
Do not try to think why they built them that way.

All it will do is give you a headache.

Why the plumbing and electrical looks the way it does or why is the frame too thin. The older units are certainly not easy to work on.

Some of this Airstream engineering does lead one to wonder who designed these units.

But, Airstream is one of the few vintage brands that is worth restoring to an usable condition.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Silverwanabe

Hello,

Welcome to the world of Airstream.

One thing I have learned regarding Airstream is:
Do not try to think why they built them that way.

All it will do is give you a headache.

Why the plumbing and electrical looks the way it does or why is the frame too thin. The older units are certainly not easy to work on.

Some of this Airstream engineering does lead one to wonder who designed these units.

But, Airstream is one of the few vintage brands that is worth restoring to an usable condition.

Why was an Airstream built that way?

Unfortunately, we all to many times look at a 30, 40 or 50 year old Airstream, and ask that question.

Current and basice technology was used. But, we usually fail to reason, that the method was ancient, along with the time.

Certainly, cars and trucks, today, are a far cry from yesteryear, and so is Airstream.

Homes built today, far exceed those build many years ago. Most of us, appreciate that. That's why we remodel.

Then, unless we were the original owner, modifications were made by the owners of those trailers, and all too many times, substandard.

But, the idea is the same, from years ago, until now. Owning an Airstream, is somewhat a higher step in society, so, many climb those steps, but expect quality and performance of a "today's" product, which folks, as they say in Brooklyn, "ain't gonna happen".

So the bottom line is, buy what you can afford, have the abilities to overhaul and/or rebuild, go camping or traveling with your Airstream, with friends and family, and enjoy life, to the fullest, at least until the rest of our highways, fall apart.

Mahalo.

Andy

[Slowride66]

LOL! Too funny!

I left Brooklyn & moved into this very Air Stream in the mid 90's

Also being a Auto body Auto repair & a junk Yard dawg all my life fixing a turd into a gem is a way of life .
My newest vehicle is a 1988 No computer's IMHO vehicles hit their pinnacle in the late 80's as far as simplicity & reliability.

I cant help but think what was up with the bath tub was that for Zsa Zsa Gabor to was her toy poodle in? Any Way its out & a real mans man show will be put in place.

More to come!

SR66

[overlander63]

At least now is your big chance to put a grey tank of some kind in there.