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Old 05-17-2020, 07:51 PM   #21
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2005 25' Safari
1968 17' Caravel
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Al- I thought of another idea for you today. why don't you go to a HVAC sheet metal shop and have them cut you a circle of galvanized 18 guage and spot weld it in after you take out the burner and the pilot light items. You'd still have to bead blast it, but that will add some metal and then use a high temp silicone from Home Depot to seal it up. You need the amount of air coming in to be right for the combustion ratio to be maintained, and the pilot light was probably getting blown out by the updraft from the holes. Probably every time you opened the trailer's door.

My Camaro suffers from too much resto-modding. I've had my heads off 5 times and three of those were with the engine out. I'm ready for a 383 fast-burn long block to sit under my '86 vette tuned port set up. Prettiest garage queen in town.
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Old 05-18-2020, 06:43 AM   #22
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Furnace exhaust

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At least in '68 the exhaust pipe is a slip fit with the furnace end fitting inside the flue pipe end. Mine was nicely rusted together, but I think a hone will freshen it up, and then I'll do a little research to see how best to keep it from seizing back up, short of an expensive trip to the plating shop. Maybe some copper paste over galvalume weld over paint???
Doc, Be very careful! The exhaust temps on this heater are very HOT! I would not recommend paint of any sort be used on the venting pipe segments. IMO the best way to handle the joint between the two segments is to use a wet clothe sanding method to clean up the rust on the galvanized segments without paint of any sort applied. If restoration by using a galvanizing paint is acceptable I have not heard of doing it. Usually clean metal to metal contact has always (as far as I have learned from others) been the best method to insure proper fit to reassemble. There was originally a decal on my trailer by the exhaust vent to remind owners that this area was extremely HOT! So you can imagine the heat of the combined ducting metal from the combustion chamber to the exterior of the coach. Ed
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Old 05-18-2020, 06:53 AM   #23
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Bead blasting

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VetteGuy, you must be a coach or other type of motivator. thanks for your kind words. I'll drop by the mobile home parts place and see about a new thermocouple and an expansion bulb. I'll post those part numbers. I'm going to bead blast my base and get some mineral wool gasket material and bench test it next week. Stay tooned. BTW the key to good pics is rotate and crop slightly in a program like Paint before uploading. That way it's really easy to label or circle things with that program. To keep things straight I save them as .png files in a folder, then I know which one to upload. Just keeping the almost Medicare Age brain on track...
Doc, Make sure you do any bead blasting only after you properly remove all remnants of the Asbestos gasket as seen in your pictures. That needs to be wet removed and wet scraped with amended (soapy) water. Then you need a lockdown spray and let that dry before removing the parts from the tent you clean the parts up in. Place all tenting material in a plastic bag and dispose of in you regular trash. You can sand/bead blast it in the same tent as long as parts are dry. Never remove parts until sprayed with a lockdown spray! Ed
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Old 05-18-2020, 12:17 PM   #24
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Al- I got mine back from my friend who bead blasted mine. I had a couple pinholes and am going to torch weld some sheet metal in place over a little copper sheet to keep it from sticking. (Copper will be on the down side, welding from the top side). I'll let you know how it goes. If it goes good, I'll have you ship yours and I'll give it a go. Otherwise talk to Lakemaiden about getting Collin Hyde to ship her unit to you. I may need the snap valve from it. I went to the Mobile Home parts place here in KC and got a new thermocouple, but the expansion bulb is integral to the snap valve. I hope I didn't kink mine too much getting it all uninstalled a year ago. The guy said thank Ralph Nader for these little units being off the market.
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Old 05-19-2020, 06:56 AM   #25
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Oh wow I'm sure that looks interesting. Mine's will probably look like Swiss cheese. I do know of an AC company locally that probably could tell me something like that. I also need a 4in plate for the exhaust so that will probably be the best place for me to go. I'll check it out and let you know what I come up with
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Old 05-19-2020, 07:02 AM   #26
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I ordered some Silver alloy solder that I'm going to use on mine. I'm going to take some good pics so I get the orientation of my fittings right, then trace the holes out on paper and orient to my little scallop on the side of the lip, in case I need to fab up a new one. I think a sheet metal shop is a good place to start for you. Some will be liability conscious though and walk away from taking on a project that they think will cause grief down the road. I've learned, when you take an aircraft part to a machine shop, don't tell them it goes on an airplane if you want them do do work for you.
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Old 05-19-2020, 07:19 AM   #27
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Originally Posted by BIGED52 View Post
Doc, Make sure you do any bead blasting only after you properly remove all remnants of the Asbestos gasket as seen in your pictures. That needs to be wet removed and wet scraped with amended (soapy) water. Then you need a lockdown spray and let that dry before removing the parts from the tent you clean the parts up in. Place all tenting material in a plastic bag and dispose of in you regular trash. You can sand/bead blast it in the same tent as long as parts are dry. Never remove parts until sprayed with a lockdown spray! Ed
Ed-Thanks for that. There isn't enough on the forum about the best practices for asbestos exposure in these trailers. A change of brake shoes shouldn't turn us into the next Steve McQueen. If you know of a good youtube link, please post. I'll do a search as well. Jerry
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Old 05-20-2020, 09:50 AM   #28
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I'll probably just put it back together for now wait for this when I do come around. All I need now is to find a black tank and I'm ready to hit the road.

Thanks Al[/QUOTE]

If you are looking for the original black/gray tank that mounts under the toilet check with Inland RV in Corona, Ca. They used my tank as a model to make new ones several years ago.


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Old 05-21-2020, 09:02 PM   #29
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Thanks for the info I'll give him a call in the morning do you know if it was the same size as the original or the extra capacity size that they sell at vintage trailer supply?
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Old 05-21-2020, 10:27 PM   #30
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Thanks for the info I'll give him a call in the morning do you know if it was the same size as the original or the extra capacity size that they sell at vintage trailer supply?
It is the same size as the original, about a three gallon capacity. I used it for a few years and then installed black and and gray tanks that fit in the chassis and hold a lot more. Uwe at Area 63 Productions found them for me.

Bigger is definitely better.

The original tank can be removed through an access panel in the closet. I am not familiar with the ones at Vintage Trailer Supply, but they do sell good stuff.
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Old 05-25-2020, 04:26 PM   #31
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Al- I was working on my many things with my restoration this weekend. I had to do a little cleaning in my parts depot area of the basement, and I had some HVAC duct parts. One of them was an end cap and I went up to the garage to check the diameter against the base of the Hydro Flame and viola--a perfect size fit. Just take yours to a sheet metal shop and have them transpose your thermocouple/pilot light plate onto it and then do the same with the central burner, and for good measure have them spot weld a little extra sheet metal under the structure parts for stiffness. I think it should work great.
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Old 05-27-2020, 11:57 AM   #32
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Back together and working

I built a little test bench for my Hydro-Flame over the weekend and got some silver solder in the mail yesterday. I got some ABC spray to encapsulate the asbestos on the chamber. Then, I used a MAPP torch and the fluxed rod to solder in a few small pieces of steel (chips of razor blade) to cover the holes. I'm uploading a pic of that. I looked through my boxes of rattle can paint and found an aluminum dust that is 99.5% pure aluminum and rated for 1500 degrees F. The soldering went pretty good, although the metal is prone to warping, but it is very soft and easy to do a little tap tap tap with a hammer. I cleaned up the enclosure and mounted it in my test apparatus. I cleaned up the light surface rust on the top with a phosphoric acid conversion and a scotchbrite pad and then rinsed and painted with the aluminum dust paint. I put it all together with a new thermocouple and it fired right up, cycled with temps and the pilot light stayed lit. I check a bunch of temps with an IR scanner to see how safe the unit would be. Checked out fine and will re-light several more times and then refinish the outside case with a copper enamel rattle can and buff the trim. I'll let the re-light bake the enamel. Same plans for the range in the near future.
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Old 05-31-2020, 12:54 AM   #33
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Doc.. absolutely magnificent. On this lower pan..did you replace the pilot and the thermocouple? Where did you find these. My issue is going to be more than likely the pilot light. Mine is clogged...I think. The paint you used, did it melt into the finish for a brilliant color and smooth finish with the heater on just as the original?

I'd love to re do my color.

Awesome stuff you did. Just magnificent...
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Old 06-01-2020, 07:02 PM   #34
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Al- the paint is something I had sitting around since about 2000 that I probably used on either my T-34 project or '64 Vette. It leaves a powdery feel, but not bad and it doesn't burn through or corrode. Looks about like Cadmium plating.
I replaced the thermocouple only, but I've seen replacement pilot light thermocouple holders online that are similar to ours.

I thought about your deal, and I'd get some 18ga stainless and have a machine shop cut you a circle on a CNC Mill and then put the steel circle that's the thickness of the lip and the sheet of stainless in a vice and then heat with a MAPP torch till red hot and beat the flange around the circle with a ball peen hammer, moving it in the vice as you go. I think you could make a better than original base that way, and it wouldn't rust. If mine doesn't work out with the silver solder, that's my plan.
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