Some progress, but not much.

[Gene]

Pocket doors have certain advantages, but they may add weight. I would think you have to have a strong partition on each side of the door to carry the door weight and have a wall that doesn't flop around. You could hang the door from the ceiling and that may help, but the partition on each side of the door still needs strength. Our trailer's partitions are mostly one piece of fiberboard—about 3/4" thick—with a surface of formica. They are heavy!

I don't much like pocket doors because they are a pain to open and close. I don't like folding doors because they are ugly. How about butterfly doors? I don't know if that's the real name, but they are the doors that fold in the middle and only take up half the space of a regular door when open. They are readily available in many widths and are fairly cheap. They don't take a lot of work to install. The problem with them is that they pretty much have to stay closed because otherwise they are in the way.

Gene

[hampstead38]

I was searching on threads about attaching walls and found my own thread. Actually, Gene, I'm not thinking about a real pocket door. I was thinking about a sheet of 1/4" birch with some thin strips of a colored wood (eastern cedar?) in a lattice pattern to give it a bit of stiffness without adding much weight.

The door would "hide" in the bulkhead between the bathroom and the bedroom. I've left space to do something bulkhead-ish between the bed and the shower area. On the other side is the bulkhead between the bedroom and the galley. It would serve as essentially a "stop" for the door. I know what you're talking about... I think of saloon door. The problem I see that opening the doors closes off some of the galley counter and the bathroom door. Essentially, they would closed all the time. I don't know, maybe it's smarter to do a heavy cloth divider that would sweep back into the wall? The space is pretty narrow, though.

Well, let me do some more research on how to create bulkheads in an Airstream. Maybe that will give me some inspiration.

[hampstead38]

With the bed frame and wheels wells framed in, I'm thinking about next steps in the logical progression of work. The furnace is in so I could run the ducting (easy job). I also could rough in the plumbing. The water heater is in so it would not be terribly hard to run the lines, make the "T's" and just wait on the fixtures. The 12v system is wired into the walls. I could run my 110v to drops. If this was "stick frame" construction, I'd have a better notion about the progression, but the Airstream bulkheads are a bit different. Enclosing the head would seem to make sense. I need to figure out the floor pan for the bench seat shower and the trap. Since we're going with a Nature's Head, there isn't anything terribly complex in the head. I'm also taking a pass on a sink in the head. We'll just have one sink, the one in the galley. We may recycle the old double sink that was in the original Overlander interior. I'm most apprehensive about the galley cabinetry. We could order and install the Dometic refrigerator, just to make sure it's going to fit. It's a bite-the-bullet thing. The LP gas lines are plumbed in for the furnace, frig and cooktop.

As you can imagine, my concern is to avoid framing something up and then smacking my forehead because I closed an area I still need to access.

[hampstead38]

I think Uwe (or someone) had suggested using 3/4" aluminum angle to attach the interior bulkheads (walls) to the interior of the Airstream... essentially replacing the long aluminum extrusion channels.

Here's my interior bulkhead concept. I show a couple of small angle bracket, but imagine more going up the interior bulkhead. I'm not sure about the spacing, but probably one every 12 inches would suffice. I show a 1x2 (or similar) along the bottom. This would attach directly to the subfloor and give the bottom of the panel some stability. I also have a 1x2 running up the edge. The 1/4" birch I have in my shop is a little "floppy." I could run one more 1x2 piece of poplar to make a triangle. That would firm up the middle of the panel without adding much weight.

Any comments are welcome.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

why not just use the aluminum track that goes on the wall originally? Not only does it hold the entire edge of a 1/4" sheet, but it hides as much as 3/8" of a gap. You can gently bend it enough to fit any curve in the trailer perfectly. Sorry I do not see the point of a bunch of angles.

[hampstead38]

I have to say, Frank, the neanderthal avatar is a little unnerving... and that's coming from a guy who's hirsute family could be tangible evidence of the missing link.

I'm not opposed to using the original channel, but I'm also not a huge fan of the odd bronze-pinkish hue. I also thought the shorter pieces of angle aluminum would be a bit more sturdy.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I like the wall channel because it creates a finished line against the wall. Just my two cents. Is yours plastic or aluminum? You know that those channels can be painted right? Lowes has a very wide variety of paint in rattle cans. Real easy to make it any color you want.

[HiHoAgRV]

I'm not completely sure I understand the concept but my only concern is the part that goes from the floor all the way to the roof. Our trailers roofs kinda squish downward and the walls bulge in and out as we go down a rough road. The wall will need some flexin room so the roof doesn't pound it to pieces.
Of course that's all my humble opinion...

[hampstead38]

There's still a dent in the overhead where exactly same thing happened before. I've given it some thought. First, rear end sag has been fixed and the frame has been refurbished Combined with a new, stiffer floor, there should be less "flex" than before. I'm not going to run the vertical 1x2 flush to the ceiling. I'm also going to leave a little gap between the 1/4" birch panel and the roof. There's only a few places we'll have full height walls. Three on the starboard side (utility closet, forward head wall, aft head wall) and one port, (bedroom wall). Hopefully, the same technique will work for all of them.

[hampstead38]

The Overlander is on the back burner (again) while I push on getting as much done on the '66/'67 Dodge D200 Camper Special.

My lovely wife and I are hauling the D200 to Montana to put into storage. It's a multi-purpose trip. Our youngest daughter wants to visit some colleges. My nearly-88-year-old grandmother would like a visit. Making an overland trip towing the Dodge (on hopefully a car trailer) will allow us put some stuff into storage... like my collection of "shooting irons." Somehow, I really don't want my firearms sitting in a "Pod" somewhere while we're on hiatus. There's also the silver, the china, the photos, etc.

While I've made progress on the Dodge, my wife has informed me that while perfectly acceptable for vintage rallies... she's not really relishing the idea of 49 states in 12 months in a truck without AC. On the positive side, we should have several weeks in Montana next summer with nothing serious to do but fish and turn wrenches on the old beast... that is if the Overlander is ready.

I've decided to listen to the wisdom of Frank and work with the OEM channels. I only have three bulkheads... not a big deal. The priority on return is to finish the electrical, plumbing and HVAC connections. Our big challenges:

1) A handmade "watertight" shower with fiberglass showpan (and p trap)
2) The cabinetry... sigh.
3) Polishing
4) Finding the spare nickels for a refrigerator, cooktop and all of the other "stuff" inside.

A couple of questions. Is aluminum "flexiduct" OK for the furnace? I know it works for driers, but have never seen it in a micro-ap like this.

How much "give" space should I leave for the walls/coach to flex? Do you leave some room for movement in the fastener holes?

Do I need to fabricate a couch/sofa for there to be room for a water tank up front... or are there very comfortable RV sofas with room for 20/30 gallons of water tank underneath?

[Gene]

I think your wife is very smart about what truck to tow with. You could, of course, follow in the Dodge while she tows the Airstream with something more comfortable. I understand the appeal of the Dodge (I was young and hard bodied once), but that's a lot of miles to bounce through.

Furnace ducting—the noise of the furnace is partly caused by the flexible ducts. The air has to pass over all those folds thus disturbing it and making it go "ouch". It also makes the fan work harder to push the air through because of all the friction. It's used in RV's because it saves labor and is light, but if it were me, and I give thanks it isn't, I'd try to use rigid ducts. I say "try" because some places may be too hard to thread through. Because there's less friction, a smaller size duct may work. I'd check with an HVAC guy on this. I have looked for registers for the bedroom that close, but haven't found them. Airstream put cheapo white ones on brown walls.

I see no reason why the aluminum flex duct wouldn't work for heating and the box should say so. I think dryer heat is hotter than furnace heat.

While you are at it, putting diverters in branches would be a good idea, so you can tune the system. In ours, the bathroom sink/toilet room vent is not hot when it's cold outside because it heats the fresh water tank. It would be nice to adjust it for more hot air to both protect the tank and the bath inhabitants.

Gene

[hampstead38]

Well, I'm focusing on getting the Dodge as "put together" as possible. The target departure date is July 23. I have the car trailer. The Titan will do fine as the tow vehicle. The D200 will ride proudly, the bed full of spare parts and "stuff."

The Dodge will go into "semi-storage" in Montana until next summer. When we've moved west, I'll have more time (and more garage space) to do some work. I don't think the D200 will work for the epic road trip, but after things settle down, I think it will do just fine for vintage trailer rallies that aren't too far away from home.

I'm going to use a combination of flexi-duct and rigid, I think. I like the idea of some diverters to balance air flow. I haven't found a great solution, however, for a 4" vent. I've found some "mushroom" type things, but they don't shut off.

[hampstead38]

The Overlander project has been on the back burner due to winter and real life. With spring coming on, it's time to get some work done.

I still have leaking issue during heavy rains. After yesterday's 2 to 3 inches of rain, I have water coming in the rear hatch, the side (battery) hatch, the vent for the fridge. I also get water in the channels for two of the front (side) windows.

On the positive side, everything overhead is tight. I also saw this problem last fall and installed three coats of Durabak over the plywood where leaks have occurred. I have another gallon of Durabak waiting for the weather to warm up for some additional coverage near all of the wall and under every window.

I think I would get less leaking if I installed small drip rails over the hatches to direct water around them. I'm also tempted to install floor drains, particularly since I need a condensation drain under the fridge anyway. I'm puzzled about the windows, but I'll take a closer look when things warm up. I just hate that water is getting into the coach.

[Gene]

All projects take longer than anticipated. If we told ourselves the truth, we'd stay in bed all day.

Hope you beat the water.

Gene

[hampstead38]

What is it they say, Gene? All Airstreams leak? We'll keep pecking away at the problem, but with the Durabak (wicked good stuff), I worry less about rot now. The next stage is to great some drain openings, at least for my condensation line from the fridge. I'll post a picture of stove/oven... it is nifty.

[NicheVintage]

Originally Posted by hampstead38

The Overlander project has been on the back burner due to winter and real life. With spring coming on, it's time to get some work done.

I still have leaking issue during heavy rains. After yesterday's 2 to 3 inches of rain, I have water coming in the rear hatch, the side (battery) hatch, the vent for the fridge. I also get water in the channels for two of the front (side) windows.

On the positive side, everything overhead is tight. I also saw this problem last fall and installed three coats of Durabak over the plywood where leaks have occurred. I have another gallon of Durabak waiting for the weather to warm up for some additional coverage near all of the wall and under every window.

I think I would get less leaking if I installed small drip rails over the hatches to direct water around them. I'm also tempted to install floor drains, particularly since I need a condensation drain under the fridge anyway. I'm puzzled about the windows, but I'll take a closer look when things warm up. I just hate that water is getting into the coach.

Check for small gaps on the top exterior of your windows near the drip edge. That might be the source.

[Gene]

Ken,

Not only do all Airstreams leak, everything leaks eventually. With your nearly impervious sealer on the floor, I guess leaks aren't as big a deal.

I worry about the leaks I don't know about more than the ones I do know about.

Gene

[Frank's Trailer Works]

picture....

[SilverHoot]

Originally Posted by hampstead38

The Overlander project has been on the back burner due to winter and real life. With spring coming on, it's time to get some work done.

I still have leaking issue during heavy rains. After yesterday's 2 to 3 inches of rain, I have water coming in the rear hatch, the side (battery) hatch, the vent for the fridge. I also get water in the channels for two of the front (side) windows.

On the positive side, everything overhead is tight. I also saw this problem last fall and installed three coats of Durabak over the plywood where leaks have occurred. I have another gallon of Durabak waiting for the weather to warm up for some additional coverage near all of the wall and under every window.

I think I would get less leaking if I installed small drip rails over the hatches to direct water around them. I'm also tempted to install floor drains, particularly since I need a condensation drain under the fridge anyway. I'm puzzled about the windows, but I'll take a closer look when things warm up. I just hate that water is getting into the coach.

I had leaks in all the spots that you describe. The rear hatch leak was coming in the little door that was originally for the power cord to pass through, I've a temporary fix in place for that which is aluminum tape. I think that I am going to keep the little door for the TV cable to run inside the rear hatch for hookup even though I have gone to a Marinco type power inlet. When not in use will try using a piece of foam slightly larger than the notch for the cable , hoping that will seal the area. The battery hatch area was leaking at the joint under the beltline where the rear corner and side skin meet. Fixed that leak by sealing the joint in the beltline with Parbond. The vent for the fridge only leaks a couple of drops and this is condensation on the underside of the vent cover that accumulates and drips on to the floor. It is so minimal and the fact that when the interior skins and fridge vent are in it won't hit the floor any longer. That coupled with, I don't think I can do anything about it, other than a completely different fridge vent. The leaks in the channels of the front windows I remedied by using a clear silicone caulk (yes I used silicone) at the top of the window channel/hinge area where the glass and the channel meet at each edge. I sealed all my floor also, though not as robustly as you and have also thought of just adding drains. Like Gene I would worry about the leaks I won't see once "The Hoot" is back together.

[hampstead38]

This is the marine cooktop oven. I think it's an upgrade over the Magic Chef (Sorry, Frank).