1978 Travelux President 31'

[jonplayers]

I started back at work this week. And I did not get as much done as I had hoped. I painted the hitch and bumper. I used spray paint cans instead of POR 15. I am in the midst of repairing the frame sag (I hope). Maybe this weekend... And then I am off to Stewart for a week.

[DavidsonOverlander]

Originally Posted by jonplayers

I did not get as much done as I had hoped.

Someone should put that on a t-shirt with a picture of an Airstream under renovation.

Thanks for sharing your progress!

[utee94]

Super cool trailer, thanks for keeping us updated on your progress. Slow and steady wins the race.

-Marcus

[jonplayers]

Originally Posted by DavidsonOverlander

Someone should put that on a t-shirt with a picture of an Airstream under renovation.

Thanks for sharing your progress!

That would make a good t shirt. I bet if I searched the forums with that phrase I would get like hundred threads. Lol

Jon

[jonplayers]

Originally Posted by utee94

Super cool trailer, thanks for keeping us updated on your progress. Slow and steady wins the race.

-Marcus

I am starting to realize that "slow and steady" is the only way. Half the fun is getting there.

Thanks

Jon

[NJtoNC]

just read the thread. awesome work so far. Saw all those holes in the roof, no wonder it leaked! you look like you know what you're doing there....so consider this encouragement and keep it up!

[jonplayers]

Originally Posted by NJtoNC

just read the thread. awesome work so far. Saw all those holes in the roof, no wonder it leaked! you look like you know what you're doing there....so consider this encouragement and keep it up!

Thanks very much. I wouldn't say I know what I am doing...but this forum is so informative I would not have a clue without it.

[jonplayers]

Well I think I got the rear sag beat! It was one of those issues that I did not realize that I had.... and then when I found out I was stressed about it and had no clue how to fix it. My first thought was welding plates to the frame or something.

I came across an old thread a while back ( saggy bottom was the thread tittle ). And Andy from Inland gave a perfect description on how to fix this. He said...

Remember the basic the frame does not hold up the shell .... the shell holds up the frame

And something in my brain clicked,..

Anyways I am glad that it has worked so far. I plan on following Andy`s advice and getting the running gear properly balanced so that this does not happen again.

[jonplayers]

My $35 bag of rivits.

[KathyP]

Hello everyone,
I am the owner of the trailer in the pics posted by Jon.

[KathyP]

Hey Jon,
So cool to see another trailer like mine.

[jonplayers]

Originally Posted by KathyP

Hello everyone,
I am the owner of the trailer in the pics posted by Jon.

It is great to see another one. I would love to see as many pics as you wanted to post.

If you havn't posted pics yet.... it is real easy with a smart phone. I had a hard time with a regular camera.( the pics were always HUGE!)

Anyways thanks for posting.

[jonplayers]

All I got time for these days is a quick visit to the trailer for a beverage.

I talked to and old neighbor of mine (who happens to be an RV tech) today. I have been meaning to have him over to check out the appliances. He told me to just plug the fridge in... If it gets cold your ok...the only problem there is no cord.

I think I have read the schematic correctly and will try it out tonight. Wish me luck.

I have been thinking about putting a dickenson fireplace in. They look awesome. I heard they work great too.

Back to reality I am still not done with the framing. Maybe this weekend.

[jonplayers]

Of course there is a little more involved that just plugging in a 35 year old fridge and having it work. In the very least the 110 heater rod is toast. I have been reading as much as I can about it.

The modal is a Dometic RM 100. It seems to be in great shape, so hopefully I can get it working.

It is 3 way so I guess I will try the 12 volt next.

[jonplayers]

The weather has turned back to winter so instead of doing firewood and farm duties I am gonna work on the trailer!

That Fridge has been giving me grief. The 110 heat coil is toast. The 12 volt works but is hard on the battery I did get the freezer cold...so I am not giving up yet. The seals are not in the best shape either. The fuse holder is now broke on the 12 volt wire

Anyways I am supposed to meet my old neighbor (the RV Tech) today.
He has got a used heat coil for me to try before spending money on a new one.

Last night I pulled out the corner c channel. They were flimsy! I have had no luck getting the new c channel bent...so I just made a series of cuts on the chop saw...it seems to work best if i leave about a 1/4 inch of meat.
I think I posted a pic of this before. But I will post another today.

[jonplayers]

I painted the four corners of the floor today. I had space heaters going and it got fairly warm. I had a lot of running around to do today so not much else got done.

My old neighbor came by though. He brought an assorment of fridge heaters but none fit. They were all to thick. He is gonna see if he can find one though. He also did an ohm test????? and confirmed that the heater was toast. He is optimistic that the fridge will run.

I got the old regulator and with a few of his fittings handy we got a test hose rigged up. I of course could not wait to see what if any of the old appliances worked.

The stove and oven work like brand new. The hot water tank also fired up. I seem to remember the PO saying it had a crack or somthing. The tank is aluminum and seems fine. I was gonna try the furnace but my rigged up hose has an elbow that would not allow. Next time.

I also bought a airconditioner seal, 80 ft of buytal tape, and a gallon of roof coating. I am gonna try and get the fridge going on propane tommorow. I really hope it works cause a new fridge is not in the budget!

[jonplayers]

It's ALIVE!!! The fridge works! I am quite pleased.

Gas system is working great fridge part is now nice and cold.

I think I may have goofed when I first "burped" it .
Or it may have not been able to get hot enough with the12volt. Either way it is alive!

[jonplayers]

The furnace works! It took me a while to track down the right fitting in order to get my hose rigged up. Then it took a while to figure out the furnace....
the fan would work and then it wouldn't. I thought that i had wrecked my batterys trying to run the fridge. It seemed to need an extra boost from the charger to get going. I figured it out soon enough though when I gave the fan blade a little nudge and it would take off. It was sticking.

The gas end of things appears to be functioning perfectly. It cycles on and off with the fan and only when the fan actually spins. The igniter was sticking a bit...a little shot of penetrating oil it works fine.

The fan is a little more involved. I had to look at the furnace a few times just to figure out how to take it apart ( I am not mechanically inclined).
Anyways I pulled the motor after fighting it for about an hour. I don't think it has bearings just bushings. It would probably work fine after some steel wool on the shaft. However, the brushes are very worn and in need of replacing. I could get a new motor but I think I will be able to repair this one. The brushes are serviceable. If I can find replacements.

[jonplayers]

I talked to the guy I bought her from today. When I bought the trailer he could not find the keys/manuals etc... Well I probably should not have waited so long...he said that he droped the stuff off about 2-3 months ago at my house...!!??!! Surly, I would have remembed.

He began to describe my partners address...and then I clued in he got the address from my business card (we use my partners address for the mail).

I started getting a sinking feeling...I am a bit of a hoarder...my partner is not...

I am pretty sure it got chucked. I called him...he was not sure what the hell I was talking about...then he clued in..."oh ya I was asking my dad...he told me to keep it someone might want it"...ya ME!!!

Anyways he said he would look for it...I am not hopeful.

[jonplayers]

So the silver box of goodies the PO dropped off at my friends house. Is in the landfill : (
Ah well.

The weather has been nice so I have been on farm duty. I have been sneaking out to the shop for an hour here and there.

I have ordered new brushes for the Coleman furnace. I cleaned it up and painted a few parts.

I have also cleaned up the stove. Steel wool works wonders.

I think I will finish cleaning up all the appliances and put them away in storage.