'70 Caravanner restoration

[rugjenkins]

Jeremy your endcaps look amazing! I have the metal trim pieces that go around my windows. I will make trim pieces for the vista view windows, the plastic pieces were junk. Keep on keeping on. Your build looks great [emoji106]

[chrisetmike]

Your project is going to look amazing when you are done.

[Jeremy9107]

Rugjenkins. Couldn't agree more. Those plastic frame pieces were warped, faded and would have looked out of place. Wish I would have thought of using aluminum for the trim. The wood was difficult and let many gaps. Trying to figure out best way to fill those in.

Christmike. Thanks. Sometimes that is all that is needed to motivate to move forward.

[Jeremy9107]

Used Aluminuminum's range hood idea to some extent to create ours. At second glance, see that he had a diagonal design and in retrospect this would have been much easier that what we did to create that spherical shape.

Buit forms out of ply that conformed to the curves of the walls and then created a mold that was as wide as the space the hood would go in. Each form progressively protrudes out more and the center is 1" further out than the sides. If were doing this over again, would have made the center protrude 2" further than the sides.



Then used strips of aluminum about 5" wide and 14" long (found that wider pieces were more difficult to work with). Secured them with screws and bent them over the back part of the mold, then worked the aluminum down the front and screwed it into the forms to hold shape. Worked from the outside in and when pieces overlapped, buck riveted them together.





Had to work it in the space, but it eventually went in. It is secured in place with pop rivets along the bent pieces of the back of the hood. That 2" strip along the front is pop riveted to the cabinet on each side and it basically keeps the shape.



The rivets are spaced 1.5" apart and 5/8" from the edges. If had to redo, would put them closer to the edges. Will also likely put more rivets in so the spacing is 3/4" apart.

[dbj216]

Great job! That range hood looks so cool. Visitors will be blown away with your wood end caps and aluminum riveted range hood. It's fun to build such nifty accents for the interior of your trailer.

David

[Jeremy9107]

Thanks David. It's nice to have unique things to bring attention. Have already thought of ways to improve on it, and probably will be redoing it before it's all said and done.

[Jeremy9107]

Have never bent or flared propane lines, so now have another "skill" to claim.

Used 3/8" OD type L copper for interior lines. Was surprised at how easy it was to work with and how forgiveable the bends were (if made a mistake could bend back slightly). Used a coat hanger to map out the needed bends. Borrowed bending tool for the 90 degree bends which worked well as soon as figured out where to line the tube up in the tool to get the correct length to the bend. Basically had to start the bend 1/2" back from the desired length. And flaring was not to difficult either. Had read on these forums to use double flares. So made the first line with double flares only to find that it would not tighten very well. Not sure if that was bad advice or bad double flaring technique, but decided to go with single flare and that worked out much better.





Tried to have the shortest runs and least possible connections on the interior. Have 4 propane appliances, refrigerator/stove on curb side and hot water heater/heater on street side. Decided against 4 different holes in the belly and went with just one access hole on each side that tee'd off on the inside to each of the 2 appliances. Getting those bent pieces in place is somewhat of a puzzle mind bender.

[Jeremy9107]

Another idea borrowed from Aluminuminum was the Cozy Cabin heater. Believe they are mainly used on boats. Seem to be quite efficient at heating small spaces with limited propane. Plus they double as a small cook top.

http://dickinsonmarine.com/product/cozycabinheater/

We had never used our Suburban forced air heater during the 5 years of camping prior. A prior owner had mounted a catalytic heater by the door and that was excellent at heating up the trailer. Neither of them made the cut for the renovation though. Was glad to lose the weight of 67# vs just 5# for the Cozy Cabin heater.





There are limitations on where it can be placed so that it is properly vented and in a good spot for heating. Decided to place where Aluminuminum placed his as thought mid trailer in kitchen was good for both of its uses.

Had to cut another hole in the celing which is always nerve racking. Used a 1" hole saw and filed the edges until it was big enough for the 1" stainless steel vent pipe. Borrowed a conduit pipe bender from Home Depot to make the bends which was not an exact science and not easy as not much force could be exerted on a 3' section of pipe. Started with an estimated angle short of what it needed to be, then bent it a little bit at a time until it was just right, matching it up on the wall between each little bend. The pipe cover has a unique look. It sits on a thick gasket that we put Sikaflex on and riveted in place.






Fashioned a heat shield from left over Aluminum. Bascially traced out a design, then bent the outside edges at 45 degrees. Thinking will put some decorative buck rivets on this at some point.





Definitely draws the attention when entering the trailer. Kinda like the rolling bend of the vent stack, seems very Airstreamesque. Hoping it will heat efficiently in the front and back. And the wife will appreciate being able to put a tea pot on it for her tea (and my hot apple cider).

[ALUMINUMINUM]

Hi There,


Looking good,

“It's as easy as 1, 1, 2, 3” (5, 8, 13, 21, 34…) Always my first consideration when designing stuff. The ratio of phi, 1:1.618. I even have a “golden mean” aka Fibonacci divider.

From the pictures, it doesn't appear that the rangehood needs to be re-done, but you're more aware of what pleases you. I thought that it would have compound curve at back and more curve in front. Perhaps mimicking the five panel exterior end-cap. It sounds intimidating, but might actually be easier. You're already skilled at segmented domes. If I didn't have an English Wheel, I'd planish 5052 .032 with a claw hammer over a bowling ball. At the Detroit Autorama Show, I watched a guy make a baby-moon hubcap with a dead-blow hammer over a tree stump.

The little exhaust fan is pretty wimpy. I think it's a vestige from earlier years and will spin on 17VAC or 12VDC.

The Cozy Cabin's deck cap is designed to be closed during high seas. Double-nut, nylock or deform threads so it cannot vibrate closed. It'll heat the room, it just isn't a blast of forced air that many folks are used to. It takes some time, so anticipating a cold night is in order. It's so damned cute tho, and the little cook-top is functional. I made a ceramic trivet that fits within the top rails to reduce the direct heat {450F}of the cast iron cook-top. It was difficult to find a teapot that fit so I made the Whale-Tail Teapot from porcelain to fit the Cozy's cook-top.

Single flares are common for copper propane appliance lines. Doubles are for high pressure like steel automotive brakelines. Interior propane “T” might not be code.

No camping weather here. The endless project details continue, spent the Winter finding a twenty dollar part (1968 antenna rotor) to use up $500 worth of time rebuilding. “easily entertained” is one of my virtues.

Rethinking these Old Betties is a rewarding puzzle, eh? The “Airstream Asylum” was mentioned recently, and it made me think that it's really not a bad idea… I would imagine it to be centrally located, Kansas perhaps, and operate similarly to the Airstream Academy, which I attended and deeply miss.

[Hittenstiehl]

Alum that teapot is gorgeous.

[dbj216]

Very cool heater. If that makes any sense. Same with the teapot. We need to reestablish the Airstream Asylum for sure.

David

[Jeremy9107]

David I would join an Airstream asylum. Do you have to be certifiably insane to join?

Aluminuminum. Great advice and another good look at your teapot. If I show my wife, she will want one, so am going to keep that out of her sight.

[Jeremy9107]

Was able to complete the slide out shelf for the cooler after several attempts at getting measurements correct and square/level/plumb in order. used Coosa again (it has 1001 uses). the drawer slides are heavy duty, believe they are rated for 250#. not sure how much a full cooler weighs? had to find extra long rivets to mount the drawer slides because the sides of the "ice box" are 1.25" thick when accounting for the 1" insulation and the 1/8" Luan ply. it seems pretty sturdy. will serve as overflow for the fridge.

[Jeremy9107]

when we purchased our Airstream, the front half of the trailer was missing its guts. so no gauchos. thanks to Airforums and Craigslist, was able to purchase 2 gauchos which made good use over 5 years. assembled them in the "L" shape that I believe the Caravanner was known for.



have gone through many designs, both on paper and in the brain, and could not really come up with something concrete, so just decided to start building and wing it a bit. have lots of room to work with up there.


decided to repurpose alot of the old gauchos considering how light and sturdy the aluminum frame is.


never did like those tambour doors though. they had a mind of their own and never wanted to lift up. so scrapping them and will build a solid face ove the original frame with access to the storage from above. there will be lots more storage as decided to raise the gaucho from 12" to 16". the metal boxes that held the plastic storage bins are going away too. will likely just use a variety of baskets and such to hold stuff under there.


when all is said and done, the couch will be in a "U" shape going from street to curb. there will be gaucho style pull out beds on the street side and front. if all are pulled out, it will make one giant sleeping surface that my kids will enjoy sprawling out on. lots of storage underneath it all. and if all goes as planned, the curb side will have a TV that pulls up from behind and a table that pulls out from under...

the street side couch will by 74" long and 26" deep. when pulled out as a bed it will be 41" deep. the front side couch will span the width of the trailer and will be slightly deeper at 29". when the bed is pulled out it will be 44". the curb side couch will be the smallest sitting area at 22" deep. all made from Coosa and Alumininum except for the front face which will be cherry.






tedious task as did not draw out and kind of figured it out as we went.

[Jeremy9107]

somewhere along the way, the bottom curtain rail became bent which makes opening the curtains a bit difficult. how can that curve be restored?

[ALUMINUMINUM]

It's going to depend on the alloy used. It might bend back cold. If not, you could try to anneal it with some heat and massage it back into shape.


Those Gaucho extrusions look like reasonable material to work with. I wonder if 1970 was the first year for them. My 1968 had hardwood frames and slides.



I'm all for making the Airstream Asylum a reality.

[dbj216]

My son's 69 Globetrotter had wood bench frames and a wood slide for the gaucho in the back. So maybe 70 was the first year of aluminum framing. My Overlander has it and I agree with Jeremy, it is light and strong.

I like the L shaped living room and I think that is how the Caravaner was made. I call it a Trade Wind without a bedroom. It was designed for good space for entertaining everyone on the caravan.

You fabricated a fancy slide out for your extra ice box. Nice. It must be satisfying to see your Caravaner all coming together.

I have done some mild reforming of the curtain guide extrusions. I bet Airstream didn't use the most expensive aluminum in the book for curtain guides. I would try to bend it back cold ever so gently. Just a wee bit at a time. If it breaks, it breaks. It isn't much good as it is. I have taken a screwdriver to open the track a bit where it might be pinched so all plastic hangers can slide through without getting hung up. I think you can do it with some time spent.

David

[66Overlander]

1970 was the first year Airstream used aluminum framing for cabinets, which they claimed were lighter and syrongervthan the previous wood, as well as being inspired by the airplane industry. 1970 was also the first year for tambour "roll up" doors in a few locations. 1971 saw tambour doors spread to more locations in the trailer.

[ALUMINUMINUM]

Thanks Joe,


Always appreciate your input.


It's difficult to figure what was a Beatrice cost cut, what came from Marketing Dept, and what was actually an engineering innovation. I've read that the Beatrice papers were signed by late 1967. The “New Modern Body” was already designed, and slated for production. Perhaps the extrusion era was a pre-Beatrice concept, yet to be employed.

I often wonder what the factory morale was at that time? My 1968 exterior shell, windows, frame, is excellent, built with pride workmanship, but the interior fitment, while well designed, is very poorly crafted. The 34th Ohio built, Double, 68GT's build date is Oct 1967. Inside it had all the signs of “I don't care” attitude. I know it's a long way around the shop from shell building to interior fitment. Seems the required skill levels diminish as it approaches finished status?

I won't junk up Jeremy's thread with further speculation, but could it be faster and cheaper to assemble with extrusions and less reliance on attempted woodcraft? It makes good sense to use extrusions.

[dbj216]

I also thank you Joe. Now we know. I find the workmanship in my 75 Overlander to be quite good, and I find the "lightweight materials" to be satisfactorily acceptable for the most part, especially all the different shapes of extrusions. I think the tambour doors were unique at the time and I'm keeping mine for now. I fixed them so they don't stick.

Some of the plastic materials weren't so hot, like my battery box, the molded interior end caps, the face of the control center, and the thin plastic veneers used in the extrusions in the galley and the like. These materials turned brittle with age and cracked up.

So Jeremy's living room will look period correct and be very functional. You just gotta pull them out for the sleeping surface and throw a sleeping bag on top, Nite, nite.

David