Today is the day.

[thumbelinadj]

I'm going to do the axle and floor this winter. I just gulp and think what am I thinking that I can do this.


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[Dingo Girl]

Last year.

[Dingo Girl]

My Caravel redo has come to end for this season. The weather has taken a turn for winter. April will be here in a blink right?
The trailer is now moved away from the house and parked under cover til spring.
Anyhow in the time being I will be working on little things that can be done inside where its warm.

[RM66caravel]

Chipping away at ours have a cold or flu now so it is going a little slower. Working on the skins now just gotta button her up and move the hinge a little on the bottom.
Cliff

[dbj216]

I was fortunate enough to rent a heated garage for my Airstreams this winter. I was down there yesterday picking while grinning at silicone around the windows and door on my 66 Trade Wind. Such fun. I do enjoy working on them during the winter and dreaming about our April trip south in the 86. I have a long "to do" list.

At least we can listen to the VAP all winter as well as participate on the Air Forums. It helps pass the time!

David

[thumbelinadj]

You're warm then!! You have been so helpful to me. Thank you!

[Dingo Girl]

Does any one have a source for the screws that hold the door frame to the floor on my 67 ?
The screws that were in mine were rusted away.

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by Dingo Girl

Does any one have a source for the screws that hold the door frame to the floor on my 67 ?
The screws that were in mine were rusted away.

We use 1/4-20 X 1 1/2" long SS counter sunk machine screws & SS hex nuts. You can get them at Fastenal or most hardware stores.
Colin

[Dingo Girl]

Thank you!

[Dingo Girl]

Slowly but surely I am back at it.
This is the licence plate light that I fixed up this winter.
It had a chrome finish at one time. There was a tiny speck of it left.
I decided to paint it to match the Airstream emblems. The inside is now silver, to reflect some light. The lens I made from a Fiji water bottle. The socket is a 194. Made for a Dodge but fit the bill perfectly.
I made a new bracket for it or of. O6 aluminium. Thank you Cliff for the pictures.
The Old rubber was a dry and brittle as could be. That is replaced with a 1/4 thick urethane gasket. There was enough of the old one left to make a pattern from.
It adds a little color back there. :-)
One more weekend of spring time yard work then I will start getting the new floor cut out, sealed, and installed.
It will be a year ago next week the project was started. It went by quick.
I am happy that from here on out I will be working with new or refinished materials rather than the nasty, rusty, rotted stuff that came out of it.
All right then, back to the rake.

[Dingo Girl]

Light

[dbj216]

Hey, you made it through the winter! Welcome to the outdoors again. Your clever light looks sharp, a bit of "bling" on a mostly silver trailer.

I tried polishing my Trade Wind this winter Have about 150 hours in it. I used the Jestco system as Nuvite was out of stock. I really made a mess of my trailer with those polishing buffs. I don't know what went wrong, but I have hazy streaks all over it. Very disappointing after all that boring work. I'm experimenting with a recovery plan now.

Be sure to keep us posted as you make progress on your old trailer.

David

[Dingo Girl]

Yesterday I picked up some sheets of Luan to use as templates for the new subfloor.
I made patterns last year before the floor came out. The floor was so badly rotted at the edges the really wasn't much of it left to use for a pattern.
Any how today I cut the Luan from my patterns. I figured, cut that first before I cut the good stuff.
Glad I did as there was a tiny bit of tweaking to be done.
This week after work I will start cutting the new floor and sealing the edges.
It finally feels like I may just get the floor in after all. Oh happy day!
Thanks to Frank for the tips on making the patterns from Luan strips, it worked great.

[Dingo Girl]

Geez, I posted the same picture twice. This is the Luan strip pattern.

[Dingo Girl]

Luan pattern

[dbj216]

Twice is okay. I like reruns! Keep us posted on the new floor install.

David

[Cogen]

Thanks Dingo Girl!!! Learning a lot from you! Would love to have some of your energy!!!

[Dingo Girl]

As of Friday I can no longer see the frame of my Caravel. I got the new subfloor in. Finally!
Next step is to bolt the rest of it down, just the ends are bolted in now.
It really went well.
I used a friction jack to gingerly push the pieces into place after I got them under the C channel. The jack made easy work of it.
The drill is charging now so I can poke holes in a perfectly new floor and frame.

[Lily&Me]

Looks beautiful!

Congratulations.


Maggie

[dbj216]

Hi dingo gril, what is a friction jack. I never heard of that one.

Your new subfloor is looking very good. Nice job.

David