Rental space for gantry / shell off

[JoleneAS]

Hey guys! I have been reluctant to go the gantry route for a shell off restoration, but the more I read about the pains of replacing subfloor with the shell on, the more the gantry idea becomes palatable. The problem is that while I have a 3 car width driveway, it's not level enough to safely set up the gantry. I don't have any friends with properties I could temporarily set up shop in either.

How have people gone about renting space for something like this? My Airstream is a 27' and the longest storage units I've seen are 30'. Are there recommended search terms to Google something like this? Has anyone rented storage / warehouse space for this kind of thing?

[Dingo Girl]

I personally would not want to rent a space.
If I had I'd be into them for 5 years rent now.
If you think you can do the work pretty quickly rent one.
These projects can take on a life of their own.
I did mine shell on. Not easy. But trailer is very close to done now. 5 years later.
Good luck & post pictures of which ever way you decide to go.

[JoleneAS]

Thank you for the reply, and you're not kidding on the duration of time things take. My driveway is reasonable enough to do most of the work. With my current resources, I've completely gutted it, gotten most of the skins off, banana wraps and am working on the belly pans. But I'm at a point now where I either need to decide to shell off and pull the frame home to replace the subfloor and any possible outriggers vs just keeping it in my driveway, welding any outriggers in place (if needed) and replacing the subfloor in smaller pieces.

I envisioned the shell off process consuming only a month or two max, but that's probably underestimating. Maybe I'll just leave the shell on. Thanks!

[Belegedhel]

The amount of time you spend with the shell off is going to be dependent upon how much work you commit to and how much time you have to pour into it.

When I did my shell off, I probably spent about 6 months with the shell off. I had significant welding repairs to do on the main frame, for which I towed the frame to a welding shop, where it stayed for about a week. I still had a lot of welding repairs that I did myself to the outriggers, plus I needle-gunned the entire frame, and then POR-15'd it. In addition to installing the new subfloor, I insulated the underside of the the subfloor, installed my new grey tanks, and made a completely new belly pan, which I also installed with the frame upside down prior to putting the shell back on. I also installed a new axle.

Now, the only thing that had to be done witht eh shell off was the welding work, the frame painting, and the actual floor replacement. Had I limited the work to just those things, and stayed focused, it probably could have been done in a month. That being said, all of those other things I did were made MUCH easier because I could do them with the frame turned upside down. Installing a brand new belly pan lying on my back with cuttings falling in my face would have been really painful.

Any chance you could take down some fencing and pull the trailer into your backyard (temporarily)? A warehouse/commercial garage space would be nice, but you might take out a Craigslist want-ad advertising your desire to rent a space equal to twice the footprint of your trailer (so the shell and sit there with the frame suspended next to it).

good luck!

[JoleneAS]

I like the idea of doing a Craigslist wanted ad. I think I'll give that a shot. My back yard is also not level or accommodating with fence removal unfortunately. :/

Thank you for the recommendations, and also I've been enjoying your posts for your own Airstream over the last several months. Thanks for everything!

Edit: Quick question: Can an Airstream be safely towed with all exterior skins removed? I've read that the interior skins serve as a form of support for the shell. I wouldn't be towing it very far if I were to rent some space on Craigslist. Thanks!

[Belegedhel]

I assume you meant "can an Airstream be safely towed with all the interior skins removed?"

There have been several threads debating this topic, and there is always the opinion that the interior skins are an integral part of the structure, and that you risk certain calamity by towing without them. Perhaps they offer some contribution, but judging by the fact that they are held in place by a single pop rivet every 5 inches or so, compared to a bucked rivet every 3/4" on the exterior, I would conclude that the strength they contribute is minimal.

I can tell you from my personal experience that I have towed my trailer hundreds of miles without the interior skins without negative effect. I will concede that the interior skins (and probably the bulkheads and cabinetry, and everything else that attaches to the shell) give it a little more rigidity/stability, so without interior skins and furnishings, the shell tends to be a bit more flexy/mobile. This results in your main door latch being even less reliable than usual, and your door may be more likely to pop open on the road. This can be amended by using a home made wooden "doohickey" which goes under the grab handle and across the edge fo the door to ensure it stays closed. Thread concerning the doohickey is below:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f453...sed-19369.html

I would absolutely not recommend towing the trailer if you have already released the elevator bolts or drilled out the bucked rivets that hold the shell to the C-channels.

You might also look at businesses that are experiencing their low season right now, and might have space on their premises for your trailer. One that comes to mind is camp grounds, if you could find one near town, that would allow you to work there.

good luck!

[DavidsonOverlander]

Originally Posted by JoleneAS

Hey guys! I have been reluctant to go the gantry route for a shell off restoration, but the more I read about the pains of replacing subfloor with the shell on, the more the gantry idea becomes palatable. The problem is that while I have a 3 car width driveway, it's not level enough to safely set up the gantry. I don't have any friends with properties I could temporarily set up shop in either.

How have people gone about renting space for something like this? My Airstream is a 27' and the longest storage units I've seen are 30'. Are there recommended search terms to Google something like this? Has anyone rented storage / warehouse space for this kind of thing?

I know there are advantages to having the shell off, but I replaced the floor and did frame repairs with the shell on and didn't find it to be a problem. If I were in your situation I would leave the shell on rather than having to pay to store it in another location.
At the point where the photo below was taken we hadn't removed all of the interior skins, but eventually we did. We replaced the entire floor and replaced or repaired about 3/4 of the outriggers, also a crossmember or two at the rear. We then painted the frame with POR 15.