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Jeremy J · 09-25-2020, 03:11 PM

It's been a really long time but I am finally back at it.

I had to take a break because I was laid off and it took almost a year to find another job. We sold our house and bought another one at the start of the year. That meant we had to figure out how to move the airstream that wasn't on the frame any longer. I ended up sitting it on 4x4 boards on the frame and strapping it down. We were able to move it to our storage spot and then to our new house about a month ago. We weren't very smart and took the body back off at our storage area to allow us to get the rear of the frame repaired. Then put it back on the frame and drove it home. What an adventure that all was.

I was able to get the new axles on it before we moved so at least that part is all done.

Now that I have it home, my brother in law stayed with us for a few weeks and helped me build some gantrys to make the whole process easier. We were able to lift it off the frame again.

It sure wanted to lean over but the chain hoists and gantrys made is so much easier to manage.

Our new house has less space to work but at least there is a concrete driveway. I am hogging most of it now with the trailer and frame.

My brother in law stripped and cleaned up the frame.

He then painted most of it in POR15.

Now I am working on welding on the new outriggers and a few other spots need repair. I still have 5 more outriggers to finish up tomorrow. Once that is done, I'll start on the subfloor.

Bubba L · 09-25-2020, 04:48 PM

Great job Jeremy. I thought you’d moved outa state. Glad to see you back at it. Good luck and take care.

69Silverback · 09-25-2020, 05:23 PM

Good to see you back and at it. Life sure does get in the way sometimes. Since we also have a '69 Overlander, I've been following your thread here.
Keep up the good work , Jeremy.

Loren

dbj216 · 09-25-2020, 07:44 PM

Good to see you are back at the Airstream project. It's been a rough go for many folks, but many folks will rebuild and do well. You will be one of them I bet.

Rusty outriggers are common in 70s Airstreams. My project list winter required 10 new outriggers. The photo shows some of them. The outrigger plays an important role in the integrity of the whole structure. You are wise to get them strong with your frame rebuild.

David

Jeremy J · 09-28-2020, 10:19 AM

Thanks everyone. I am so happy to be back working on it. It was tough not knowing if/when I would ever be able to get back to it. It was weighing on me pretty heavily.

dbj216, those are pretty bad. I had a few that were pretty rusted but none close those.

I replaced all 4 wheel well outriggers. One was ok but I figured I'd just swap them all out. I replaced 8 other outriggers because they either were bent or rusted out.

I am trying to multitask more this time so I can always have something to do. I decided to try and strip the clear coat so I can start polishing in sections while other stuff is going on but the stripper either isn't working or I don't have any clear coat left.

I bought the Rustoleum Aircraft stripper and it had no reaction when I put it on the skin. No bubbling or anything. It is new "Non-methylene chloride" formula so maybe it isn't as strong. Here is how it looked after sitting over night:

I decided to go grab some of the citra strip and see if it worked at all. Here is the citra strip after sitting over night. It looked like there was some reaction but not much and after rinsing it off, the skin looks the same as before.

Here is how the skin looks afterwards. This is the same as before so maybe this will just polish out. I guess I'll find out.

Jeremy J · 09-28-2020, 02:59 PM

Well I applied some to the other side of the trailer and it looks to be working in some areas. I'm not sure why some spots it doesn't make any difference.

Jeremy J · 09-28-2020, 03:09 PM

Pulled out the front window that had been poorly repaired with plexiglass in the past. They didn't even bother using rivets to reinstall it. Now I have to hope I can find a 69 window but I'll probably just have to use plexiglass in the meantime. Anyone know of any other options?

globaldesign · 09-28-2020, 11:11 PM

Just wanted to say how incredibly inspiring you are. Thank you so much for updating us with your project. Someone as driven like you deserves the full support of this wonderful community. I know your hard work will pay off with memories you will cherish forever. After a year of smaller projects, my daughter and I had our first overnight this weekend.
I won't even start with all my dilemmas, but just know it's worth it in the end. I'll be reminding myself tomorrow when I start sanding and painting the 4 drums that were loaded into my truck today.
Take care,
Lauren

Lance M · 09-29-2020, 06:24 AM

Hi Jeremy,
Cool project! Glad to see you back at it.
On the wing window, it is possible to use a 1970 and later wing window in a '69, but you'll have to so some metal work to fill the square corner area.

Jeremy J · 09-29-2020, 02:16 PM

Thank you Lauren. I really appreciate the kind words. Did you end up selling your Overlander? I love seeing other 69 models since they are so noticeable.

Lance,

I didn't realize that but it seems so obvious now.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep that in mind if I can't source a window in the next year. For now, I'll probably just do lexan to get it on the road and working and revisit it later.