Oops, I did it again !!! 1977 Sovereign

[2002sheds]

POR-15 has been started...

[Bubba L]

Better you than me. I still have spots of Por-15 on my hands from 4 years ago. If it sticks to steel as well as your skin, got to be good stuff.

[2002sheds]

Hi Bubba,
I agree . I stupidly did not wear gloves, and now I am wearing POR-15...

[dbj216]

I have POR15 all over my jack stands, splashed there 10 years ago. I stupidly painted the frame under my Trade Wind with a brush on my back. You will have spots like Bubba L for a long time. You could try stupidly sanding the spots off. We vintage Airstream guys do stupid things sometimes. We seem to survive in spite of it.

Colorado David

[2002sheds]

Hi All,
Progress continues... as I shore up the thin floor, I am pulling more of the rotten sections out and the photo shows a second cross member that I welded into the empty space left by the factory. Fortunately, the worst of the rust seems to be past, at least until I get to the rear of the coach.

[2002sheds]

More progress… I have now cleared the subfloor back to the bathroom. As you can see in the pics below, the frame is in very good condition in the whole bedroom area.

First pic is before cleaning, second after sweeping and the vacuum

[dbj216]

Old vintage Airstreams are sure a mess aren't they. It takes a lot of cleaning and a big pile of "stuff" for the landfill. Soon you will need to put it all back together again with new "stuff". That's a lot more fun, and a lot more time consuming.

Colorado David

[2002sheds]

Hi David,
Thanks for the post! I am painfully aware of how quickly teardown goes compared to building back up... :-) It is so easy to get caught in the trap of "Wow, look at all the progress I am making by tearing this out!"

I am making a concerted effort to remove as little as possible while still doing what is necessary, and still I can already tell that the build-back-up phase is gonna be much more lengthy than I want...

The only thing that I can keep telling myself is that I don't need to handle every detail right now. That missing scare light lens can be replaced AFTER these other, more critical items (floor, anyone?)...

Still, I am loving every minute of it. And learning to weld (at least starting to) has been super fun!


California David

[dbj216]

Welding is a very valuable skill. Especially specialized welding like aluminum, boilers, bridges, underwater, aircraft and many others. I need to learn to mig weld thin steel and I'd be all set.

You are right, rebuilding our vintage Airstream projects is very time consuming. We installed new awning fabric in my friend's Sovereign Saturday. It took us about 6 hours. The learning curve was a big part of it since neither one of us had ever done it before. We're going to install a new air conditioner next.

Keep going. One part cleaned up, one part repaired with welding, one part painted, one section of subfloor reinstalled. It all adds up to a finished trailer.

Colorado David

[2002sheds]

Hi David,
Thanks for your post. Your encouragement (along with others) really helps prod the work forward. It's nice to have at least a little "accountability" along with the great advice received here :-)

Learning how to weld has continued to be fantastic. Fortunately, Airstream frames are mainly 1/8" mild steel, which is within the range of most hobby-level or occasional-use welders (skip the really cheap ones, they can't generate the needed amperage). I am learning while using MIG, which is lower spatter and is so easy to learn that it is referred to as "the devil's glue gun" :-) I love it !

I am only making repairs to cross members. If there was/is an issue with the long rails of the frame, I would absolutely have a pro do the work. Fortunately, the repair work has been limited so far...

Last, I went back and calculated the hours so far as best I could. As of 5:30 on August 9th, 2021 I am at 108 hours...!

Thanks,
David


Have a Great One !
David

[dbj216]

I have an Airstream friend here and he pulled the body off of his trailer. Many of the outriggers were rusted toast. He also had some frame cross members that needed repaired like you do.

We have a local welder who lives nearby and he will weld new metal and 14 new outriggers on his frame this week. It will be a 240v MIG welder, and he really knows how to use it. It will take him about 8 hours we figure.

Then he has to put the new subfloor down and put the body back on the frame. Not an easy task. It is a 25' trailer.

Colorado David

[2002sheds]

Wow, that is a big job…! My frame woes are temporarily over, at least until I get to the rear bath…

In the meantime, I am debating whether or not to drop the fresh water tank or not. I am a bit intimidated to do it, but I have thoroughly cleaned the rest of the area below the subfloor, and I am curious about the condition of the tank anyway… any advice on how to do this will be welcomed😃

Thanks,
California David

[dbj216]

Well, I recommend you drop the tank to inspect it and the floor around it. On the 76 Sovereign I worked on, the tank was held up by a foot square metal plate that was bolted to the frame steel. Then there are about 50 bolts that hold the ban up. You have to disconnect the fresh water fill hose, the little vent hose, the pump suction hose, and the wires for the level sensors.

We filled the tank with water and let it set on end for the night looking for puddles on the floor. Then we put a couple of cups of bleach in the water and let that sit all night. We power washed the tank exterior as well as the pan. We fixed and painted the pan and then put everything back.

One thing we didn't do and should of was add more steel support for the plywood floor on top of the tank. We have a spongy spot in the galley from the stove to the sink. It is due to the 1/2" plywood subfloor which was a big mistake on Airstream's part way back then (in my view).

You can do it.

David

[2002sheds]

Hi David,
As always, such great info !!! It is so good to know people that have already done what I am considering -- thanks again!

I completely agree about the freshwater tank, and as soon as I get this coach onto a more suitable surface (one in which I can more easily get underneath the Sovereign) I will be pulling that tank. In the meantime, I have to constantly remind myself that this coach has an immediate role as a potential fire escape pod. In that interest, I have cleaned out as much insulation and nastiness as I can get to from above, and am back to my floor restoration.

I also agree that the 1/2" plywood on these 70's Sovereigns is woefully inadequate. Since I am pulling up 95+% of the subfloor, I have taken it upon myself to reinforce what goes in. This means that every space in the frame gets a square or rectangle of 1/2" plywood underneath the surface layer. It's a labor-intensive job, but it is allowing me to change the least amount possible, since the floor height stays the same. Between the plywood and the 3 (so far) added cross members, the floor is feeling a LOT more solid.

I think I will have enough clearance to reinforce below the floor and above the freshwater tank. Welding has been really exciting to learn -- in terms of both success and "learning opportunities". If I get as far as I hope today, I can start removing the lower bath fixtures tomorrow. The rear bath has the worst floor in the whole coach. A vent was left open for perhaps decades, allowing year after year of rain to come in. One of the smaller reinforcement rails that runs the length of the coach actually rusted in half. Where I live, rust is not usually seen to this degree. Exciting times ahead!

And speaking of times. I am adding 6.5 hours from Tuesday and another 6 hours from yesterday to the total, which brings the total number of hours to 120.5 hours and counting :-)

Thanks,
California David

[dbj216]

We spent all day welding repairs on my friend's Airstream frame. It wasn't too bad, except for the outriggers. We replaced 14 of the buggers. We used a 240 volt MIG wire fed welder. The man doing the work was very good. Now my friend has a solid foundation to build up his Airstream. He did remove the body from the frame. Not easy, but he did it by himself.

It also had a 1/2" plywood floor. What a joke. He has purchased 3/4" plywood and has milled off a 1/4" around the perimeter of the floor so it will slip into the c channel. It certainly will regain the strength Airstream should have had in the first place in my view.

He is planning on reusing the original fresh water tank located between the axles. It didn't leak and it has been cleaned. Should be okay.

My experience it takes over 1000 hours of work to renovate an old Airstream. You are over 10% of the way home.

David

[2002sheds]

Hi CODB, All,
Another day, another 6.5 hours, bringing my total to 127 hours... I am hoping that the 1,000 hours is an estimate, but at the rate I am progressing, I can see how it could be realistic :-)
More welding, pics to follow. Today is a dig day because a 9 foot long by 30 inches wide swath of subfloor will go in -- right down the center...! My hope is to get enough of the surrounding floor attached
(two layers of 1/2" subfloor, one above the frame, one below) so I am able to begin the removal of the rear bath. Fingers crossed !


CADB

[2002sheds]

Hi All,
Today's pics... Another 6 hours, so my total is up to 133 hours...

Tomorrow I will start on the rear bath :-)

[2002sheds]

For those of you that are playing along at home,
I am trying to quickly get this ‘78 Sovereign on decent enough shape to serve as a fire escape pod (hopefully unnecessary).

I am replacing a rotted subfloor throughout, and am now ready to dismantle the rear bath.

For those of you that have tackled this before, what is the minimum I can remove and still get at the floor? Bathtub, area below the sink, toilet and cabinet next to it? Or does the sink have to come out? Anything higher?

Thanks,
David

[dbj216]

Did you say "minimum"? I don't about your trailer, but many of these seventies Airstreams have floor rot along the perimeter of the rear bath floor. Maybe the minimum you have to remove is, well, all of it. The subfloor provides a strong connection between body and frame. What's removing a few more rivets amongst friends? Besides, it's icky dirty back there.

Colorado David

[2002sheds]

Hi CODB,
Sorry, I should clarify. I realize that the entire section of floor needs to be replaced. I am just asking if the sink needs to come out as well, or if there is a vertical stopping point that gets everything off the floor without removing every single thing in there

Thanks,
CADB