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Old 08-08-2004, 05:59 PM   #1
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Question Original Floor???

HELP!

I have just pulled out the carpet in my 65GT and revealeed the floor, which looks original, BUT...it is in segments?

Is this correct...I have looked at several posts, but I have found no mention of what the original floor SHOULD look like. I have read many posts about replacing the floor in large segments, but does this technique replicate the original floor or?

My floor seems to have 2 large strips up the middle that are screwed down...I have not seen a mention of this??? All around the center section it appears there are seperate peices...one for the rear, one for each side and one for the front...does this sound correct? (see pix)

My floor still has some 9" tiles attached and does not seem to have rot that I can detect (some areas that were once wet/stains, but seem dry and relatively solid?)

Any ideas/thought would be appreciated.

Thanks.
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Old 08-08-2004, 06:36 PM   #2
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Yep. It is in segments that are stapled together at the joints. Mine had sheets laid length wise across the width with bolts through the frame. No screws except around the perimeter between the walls to hold the shell in place during assembly.

Yours looks like it has been patched down the center.

Go to my website and you can see my floor job on a 65 Globetrotter. Link is below in my signature.
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Old 08-08-2004, 07:12 PM   #3
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Angry Hmmmm...

Thanks Bobby.

Yes...it does look as if it was patched down the center now that I look at yours. But with the same flooring??? It looks like someone made some compartments??? I am going to open it up...just wish I was with the trailer right now...I store it away from home.

Thats really weird because it looks like there are no bolts into the frame, now that I see your frame (runs down center) I thought there were two pieces of steel running under the screws, but now I see there is just a center brace on yours??? Makes me wonder what those screws are screwed into??

I will need to dig into this a bit further...any thoughts about the structural integrity? If all else looks normal underneath (fingers crossed) could I bolt these pieces to the frame to lock it together, or does anyone have any other ideas?

Perplexing....
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Old 08-08-2004, 08:00 PM   #4
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Just a guess but maybe there are pieces of plywood under the center splices attaching them to the existing plywood.

This is really odd as the Globetrotters usually rot around the perimeter, not down the center. There is no plumbing under there either. Ihad a really solid floor downt the center. I had to use a circular saw to cut it out. The core of the plywood was like brand new.

The perimeter was 80% gone all the way around due to leak neglect from the roof vents, furnance vent, fresh water filler, water heater leaking, entry door gasket gone, battery compartment door and the water running under it from the hose compartment run-off. All things that could have been easily maintained.
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Old 08-08-2004, 08:00 PM   #5
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Exclamation Also....

If anyone can answer this!

http://www.airforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=13174
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Old 08-08-2004, 08:58 PM   #6
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Red face I agree

Quote:
Originally Posted by BobbyW
Just a guess but maybe there are pieces of plywood under the center splices attaching them to the existing plywood.

This is really odd as the Globetrotters usually rot around the perimeter, not down the center. There is no plumbing under there either. Ihad a really solid floor downt the center. I had to use a circular saw to cut it out. The core of the plywood was like brand new.

The perimeter was 80% gone all the way around due to leak neglect from the roof vents, furnance vent, fresh water filler, water heater leaking, entry door gasket gone, battery compartment door and the water running under it from the hose compartment run-off. All things that could have been easily maintained.
Bobby...I don't have the leak problems you had..there are probably leaks I will have to find, but I am in a fairly dry climate (CA..trailer has been too) so I might be lucky with the rot...just unlucky with the PO who cut up the floor! I can only guess why someone would do that?!?!? I do agree with you...after looking closely there are screws on BOTH sides of the seam..indicates another piece of wood under that they are screwed into. So, I beleive the center is the original wood they cut out and used to re-patch the hole they made, as the adhesive, etc is the same as the other areas and the fit is perfect. So there was no rot/wear to the wood, they just cut an opening and screwed it back together...So weird?

Does anybody have any recomends for how to proceed...I really don't want to re-do the floors becuase of this, as they seem OK around perimeter and OK to walk on as they are. Can I do anything that will reinforce this? What comes to mind is removing the two center pieces...making a grove around the hole, and re-cutting a new sligtly larger peice with a notch that fits together...then use liquid nails along with screws (is that any different than what I've got?) Then screwing into the frame(is this corect?), before leveling for the tile. Also is there anything I can seal the floors with around the body perimiter to make them more resistant to moisture/rot while I have fixtures out?

Any thoughts/oppinions are very appreciated at this point.
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Old 08-08-2004, 09:25 PM   #7
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California? Maybe they built compartments in the floor to haul drugs up from Baja.

If the the current replacement panels are flush, I would not do anything unless you are just curious what is underneath. If you ever drop the belly panel, all will be revealed. Just get some nice laminate flooring and float it over the plywood. It will look great.

Sealing around the edges will be difficult to get a good seal as the sealant would have to flow under the wall 'C' channel and down the outside edges. Others have down this when they did a shell off floor replacement. I just sealed mined with several coats of marine varnish 6 inches around the edges and under the whole bath and fresh water storage tank. I did not do a complete shell off rather a clamshell lift a couple of inches.
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Old 08-08-2004, 09:41 PM   #8
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Exclamation Not far wrong...

The PO said the trailer was stollen from him for a 2 year period before he got it back...(a long and somewhat interesting story) the guy who took it was a druggie, so I would not be surprised! I might open it up just to have a look, so I am not un-knowingly carrying any contraband (I am not entirely joking!).

If I do open it up is there any benifit to re-insulating the belly or sealing the frame crosmembers with POR-15, etc.? What about screwing into the frame...did you do this? What type of screws are best suited as not to introduce a new source of rust? Also I assume the LPG lines run under the coach to minimize leaks into the living area? Has anyone ever mounted them in the belly or is this a very bad idea...just curious?
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Old 08-09-2004, 07:15 AM   #9
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NEVER place the propane lines inside the belly pan! Propane seeks a low spot, so the lines are always installed outside so any leaking gasses are vented away from the coach. If not vented, a spark could ignite gasses built up in the pan!
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Old 08-09-2004, 08:05 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blrpix
The PO said the trailer was stollen from him for a 2 year period before he got it back...(a long and somewhat interesting story) the guy who took it was a druggie, so I would not be surprised! I might open it up just to have a look, so I am not un-knowingly carrying any contraband (I am not entirely joking!).
I sure wouldn't plan any trips to Mexico until you check it out. You might need a lawyer to help you get it 'clean' and 'checked out' by the authorities.
And don't drive past any airports or border crossings just to see what happens.
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Old 08-09-2004, 08:17 AM   #11
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Exclamation Loud and Clear

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Alston
NEVER place the propane lines inside the belly pan! Propane seeks a low spot, so the lines are always installed outside so any leaking gasses are vented away from the coach. If not vented, a spark could ignite gasses built up in the pan!
Rick
Won't do that...I thought as much, but had to ask!

Thanks.
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Old 08-09-2004, 11:50 AM   #12
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blrpix:

Are you sure the the original wood was used to patch the floor? My guess is that a ceiling vent may have been left open for a long period of time and eventually rotted the center of the floor. Another possibility is that someone repaired or added a fresh water or grey holding tank by butchering your floor. I wouldn't worry too much about the contraband scenario. I can't picture a drug dealer taking the time to add pieces of wood under the seams for backing. You could contact the authorities to bring in a police dog if you are really concerned. As Markdoane has suggested, I would seek the advice of a lawyer first though. But if they do find several hundred Kilos. of cocaine, don't expect to see your trailer again any time soon. If it was me, I would probably lift one of the pieces just to feed my curiousity.

Although the floor of an Airstream is an integral part of its structural integrity, I don't think yours has been weakened enough to warrant a shell-off floor replacement. You could try sinking a few screws into the frame if you detect any movement in the floor when you walk on it. The ones with the drill bits on the end of the screw work well. Make sure they are approx. 1 1/2" for maximum holding power. Otherwise, if the gaps aren't more than 3/16", I would just fill and sand the seams and screw heads if you are using vinyl flooring or rubber backed carpeting. Laminate or hardwood flooring and carpeting with underpadding doesn't require any filling.
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Old 08-09-2004, 12:45 PM   #13
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Thumbs up Good idea...

Hadn't thought of using it to put a grey water tank in...pretty sure there is not one there...do you think I could rig one from the top side through this opening, since I have it?

I am also going to re-plumb everything very soon...any advantage/disadvantage to plumbing under the floor (leaks won't damage floor/would be harder to repair)...other thoughts or uses for this opening while I have her torn appart?

I am definitly going to lift this section just to satisfy my curiosity tomorrow...I need to know if there was a reason for this...your assesment seems fair about the open vents, but all the black backing from the tile is on the wood which makes me think it was original, but I like your conclusiionand...maybe there was a different floor surface after the original, but before the carpet I had that was removed? I will definitly use the screws to the frame...thanks for all the tips...

Wish these things could talk, then they could tell us what the PO's did!

Quote:
Originally Posted by biggerbadbrad
blrpix:

Are you sure the the original wood was used to patch the floor? My guess is that a ceiling vent may have been left open for a long period of time and eventually rotted the center of the floor. Another possibility is that someone repaired or added a fresh water or grey holding tank by butchering your floor. I wouldn't worry too much about the contraband scenario. I can't picture a drug dealer taking the time to add pieces of wood under the seams for backing. You could contact the authorities to bring in a police dog if you are really concerned. As Markdoane has suggested, I would seek the advice of a lawyer first though. But if they do find several hundred Kilos. of cocaine, don't expect to see your trailer again any time soon. If it was me, I would probably lift one of the pieces just to feed my curiousity.

Although the floor of an Airstream is an integral part of its structural integrity, I don't think yours has been weakened enough to warrant a shell-off floor replacement. You could try sinking a few screws into the frame if you detect any movement in the floor when you walk on it. The ones with the drill bits on the end of the screw work well. Make sure they are approx. 1 1/2" for maximum holding power. Otherwise, if the gaps aren't more than 3/16", I would just fill and sand the seams and screw heads if you are using vinyl flooring or rubber backed carpeting. Laminate or hardwood flooring and carpeting with underpadding doesn't require any filling.
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Old 08-09-2004, 02:35 PM   #14
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Interesting questions blrpix. I have good carpentry skills but little or no plumbing ones. All I know is that poop flows downhill! I would also like to know these answers. Anyone?
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Old 08-09-2004, 03:30 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biggerbadbrad
All I know is that poop flows downhill!
So you're a plumber then, not a pipefitter.
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Old 08-12-2004, 04:47 PM   #16
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Red face Al Capones vault...

Well almost as exciting as when Heraldo went in.

So I finally got under the floor panels and there was a whole lot of nothing...just insulation and frame..whcih is good I think, but it leaves me perplexed as to why this was done?

Here are some pix...if anything looks abnormal could someone point it out? The cross members are original correct?

Thanks.
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Old 08-12-2004, 05:11 PM   #17
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My 65 Globetrotter did not have kraft paper backed insulations bats. And the bats were stapled to the floor AND they were between the frame and the plywood floor.
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Old 08-12-2004, 05:47 PM   #18
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Question

Bobby,

Does yours have the crossmembers that run up the middle, between the main frame pieces? This starts after the front section on mine, there no frame support/crossmwmebers under where the gaucho would be.

Matthew
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