We don't have the keys, but the battery compartment and access door is on the opposite side. We have the interior completely apart (inner panels off) and there has never been any structure behind this other than either a cabinet/ice box? (we think originally) or a fridge. In the attached pic you can see what it looked like inside before the panels came off. Notice the air intake on the floor and above is the fridge vent (not shown, sorry).
These little doors are no more than 8x10 inches.
BTW, hope to make it down there next year ... my hometown oh so long ago.
At first we thought maybe it was so someone could stock up the icebox from outside without having the key to the door (milkman/bread man), but that's always seemed too far-fetched.
Okay, now that I see it, the lower opening could be correct for the access to the backside of the refer in a1963 Sovereign. PM Fred Caldwell to explain the top opening. He is the world's foremost authority on Vintage Airstreams of that period.
Are you sure the upper vent (Not shown) is for the refer? Is it an oblong rectangular hole or a round hole? Some of these came with a panel ray heater.
Also check and find out when Airstream evolved from Ice Box to Refer. Not sure what came standard in 1963
__________________ Ken L
2019 Flying Cloud 27FB
2020 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab 6.2L Max Tow
1964 17' Bambi II
1961 24' Tradewind
Strasburg
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 922
They are fridge access doors. My '64 Bambi has the same small doors, stacked a few feet apart, to access the rear of the fridge. The screened hole in the floor is for vent air intake and you should have a chimney though the roof to vent the hot air out the top.
__________________
"The difference between vintage and retro is that vintage is honestly old and cool. Retro tries to be but isn't."
I was trying to figure this out too as we bought a gutted 1963Sovereign. Do have a photo of the vent in the floor? Our floor was replaced. Do modern RV fridges need this floor vent to run properly? Our fridge vent currently has a plastic painted over dome, so we have to get a new vent and vent cover for that. But I'm wondering if we will have to put a vent in the floor too or if modern RV fridges don't require that..
__________________
Scott & Katie
Katherine 27 (Rohan), Christian 25 (Katee), Johannah 23 (Josh), Nicholas 18, Genevieve 16, Matthew 13, Andrew 11, Bonus baby Lillian 5, and Delia the Wonder Dog
1964 17' Bambi II
1961 24' Tradewind
Strasburg
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 922
Quote:
Originally Posted by wagvan
I was trying to figure this out too as we bought a gutted 1963Sovereign. Do have a photo of the vent in the floor? Our floor was replaced. Do modern RV fridges need this floor vent to run properly? Our fridge vent currently has a plastic painted over dome, so we have to get a new vent and vent cover for that. But I'm wondering if we will have to put a vent in the floor too or if modern RV fridges don't require that..
We have the vent in the floor and through the roof on our '64 Bambi II. Our '61 TradeWind only vented from the inside, which is totally silly, but normal then. It had a small scoop behind the fridge which took the warm air out through some small holes in the inner skin and out through a small vent on the roof. We will likely put in a larger floor vent and a larger roof vent for the '61. (pictured are those one the '64)
The idea is to make sure plenty of cool, fresh air can get in behind the fridge to take the warm air out so the absorption cooling can take place. This does not need to be through floor and ceiling vents, but can also be through lower and upper vented doors or panels on the side of the Airstream. I have seen it done both ways many times over.
__________________
"The difference between vintage and retro is that vintage is honestly old and cool. Retro tries to be but isn't."
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