What to do? Rotten floor

[cbl3030]

hello everyone! new to the forum and new to camping. we just bought a 69 overlander saturday and trying to get it ready to take to the mountains. we will be leaving it at a camp ground, not towing it for a while. found a rotted section in the floor, been doing alot of reading here on the forum but thought i would ask specifically about my problem. i'm open for any suggestions that you guys have. i have attached some photos for veiwing. as you can see this in front of camper on the right hand side. during our heavy rain saturday night i was able to see water leaking around the upper right hand of the two windows.of course it trickled right down to the rotted spot. thank you

[CaddyGrn]

Hi,

I am no expert... my hubby has the talent on this kind of thing. However, I would take a ice pick or some other sharp object and carefully inspect all under your cabinets, etc. to see where else the floor is rotted. If it is in one area, it may likely be in another. We have a 1963 and my husband did a frame off restoration so he could thoroughly sand blast the frame, beef it up in places, paint it with rust protectant. It was the right thing to do for us as many parts of the floor were just "gone". Several folks who are on the forum will come "inspect" when you are purchasing a Airstream ~ maybe someone will help you out here if the mechanical stuff isn't your thing, or you just don't have much time for it! You could post a question if anyone could lend a hand or offer to take them to dinner or something.?? Other folks have replaced portions of the floor without taking the frame off. I do know, you might want to find an access via the belly pan somewhere to see if your insulation underneath is soaking wet or not... my husband calls the insulation in the belly pan "Airsteam diapers"... if it is wet and stays that way it will cause you problems in the long run.

Don't dispair, this is "typical" of a trailer of your vintage. It is the "weak link" in the Airstream design. But, the good news is it is reparable!

Good luck. I am sure others will respond to your question and offer their more expert advice!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi (traveling in S Tardis)

[ALANSD]

on another topic, since you are from Macon please look at our Forums Rally scheduled for Oct 20 weekend in Hiawasse, GA.
There will be some very experienced Airstreamers ready to share knowledge, food, and fun.

[Jim & Susan]

Take a look at how Stefrobrts did her '68 floor in this thread:
http://www.airforums.com/forum...ive-14679.html

I don't know for sure, but I'll bet your '69 is put together a lot like her '68 (more or less).

I have a '73 in pieces in the back yard if you want to take a short trip up I-75 to see what a real mess looks like! Welcome to the Forum. There are many nice folks here ready to help.

Jim

[cbl3030]

thanks for the input!!! i was thinking of squaring off the section and replace it this way. my dad wants to take off bottom section on the outside and replace it this way.

[Deano69LY]

Bought a 27' 69 overlander last year and had floor issues as well. Just finished replaing the entire rear 1/3 under tha bathroom. For my forward sections that had partial rot I use fiberglass matting and some fiberglass bondo to firm it up. I plan on laying wood pattern linoleum over the plywood. Good luck.

[ZoomZoom]

In with the new. 1978 31' Excella 500 Center Bath

ZoomZoom

[Martha]

Out with the old
In with the new. 1978 31' Excella 500 Center Bath

ZoomZoom

So what you did was cut out the part that was bad and replaced it with a section from interior?
I, too, have about an 8 inch patch under the streetside window in living room of 68 OVerlander that is rotting away....
rest of floor is fine...this one had been in covered storage until 3 yrs ago....
Am replacing window and then patching floor if that seems like it will work.
Pretty sure this is superficial and insulation is not impacted.

[ALANSD]

other than replaceing the whole flooring in that area, there are methods to cut out the smaller area that is rotted, add in a new piece, and make it work.
I had rot in mine but it was minimal with a lot of wood fiber left so I used a product like Rot Doctor to fill it and harden it, then coated with a wood putty and sealed the area.
Fixing the leak that caused the rot should be your first job, many were caused by the same leaks, hopefully someone will chime in here. Mine was aleak behind the beltline trim that was easily fixed. Even my pressure washer does not cause a drip now. Thankfully

[rebel beck]

Yes the beltline is the culprit in many cases months ago we were so new and searched for 2 weeks to find the cause and it was the beltline (now fixed) and no leaks.

[Martha]

Fixing the leak that caused the rot should be your first job, many were caused by the same leaks, hopefully someone will chime in here.


Off topic:
Alan, your not a TAG caver by any chance?

Yes, the obvious leak is due to an acrylic replacement window that looks like it has been installed for 20 yrs.....will check beltline too.
so happy to find glass window from http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/

[ALANSD]

The cave reference in my signature line is because my home studio is in an unused storage room, quiet and dark, everyone called it the "cave"...

[empresley]

CBL,
Don't know what I can offer in the way of flooring but we are just up the road in Forsyth. Might be able to help with something or just offer moral support. If you are also new to towing in general I might be help with the mechanics of towing a large trailer. Call anytime 955.6564.

Congrats. on your finding an AS. If we keep adding Airstream owners to Central GA., surely there is a local rally in our future.

[A-Merry-Can]

Originally Posted by empresley

Congrats. on your finding an AS. If we keep adding Airstream owners to Central GA., surely there is a local rally in our future.

there is! October 20-22. have you signed up yet?

jp