89 Excella with rotten floors -- what to do?

[Excellante]

Originally Posted by dcasr

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So my memory is getting sketchy——the Helena Ohio people are P & S. not P&J.

Thank you so much for the recommendation. Do you happen to remember how much it cost to have the floor repaired?

And do you know if Airstream dealers or service places ever take trailers in the condition like ours as trade-ins? I am not sure what the lay of the land is as far as places that make a business out of rehabbing and selling Airstreams... any ideas to this end?

Here are some better shots of the floor damage.

[Matth57]

We just finished replacing some of the soft spots of sub-floor in our 1984 34' International.
I did not remove the inner skins as some have recommended and just notched the 5/8" plywood in locations where there were screws. I used a heavy duty construction adhesive in the c-channel to help with fastening the plywood to the channel. I did use a wire brush on the rusted areas of the frame and re-painted with rustoleum. Also, I replaced all of the old wet insulation.
I removed all of the old carpet that was still under the beds and also the carpet that was attached to the walls in the bedroom.
We also used the LVT product and had a professional install this just today from front to back.
The floor seems very sturdy and I am looking forward to going camping as soon as I get all of the furniture re-installed! Please feel free to message me if you have any questions.

[dcasr]

The best thing is to phone P & S in Helena Ohio, send them your photos and ask them for a range of cost . Some forum members are capable of doing this work on their own airstreams, but because the locking of the wood floor into the c channel on the perimeter as well as the bolts to the main frame involves the structural integrity of the unit I opted to pay some money and have experts that do it weekly do mine. Ten years later I’m still happy I did. Units in a state of disassembly don’t bring much in dealership trades if they would take it at all. Private sale a possibility. 32’ is on the long side—you will need an adequate tow vehicle, I.e. more than a mini van.

[OTRA15]

Your second photo suggests -- to these eyes anyway -- that your frame may have structural rust damage, which might require a "shell off" renovation IMO.




Have you read The Love Shack thread, as suggested in Post #17? The author's great photos and sense of humor are invaluable IMO.

Good luck,

Peter

[Bill M.]

Your rotten spots are small and overall you are in very good shape. The job ahead is really not very big. Unless you let it expand more than it really needs to

I have 2 trailers of that vintage with the OSB floors. The damage is usually limited to the areas that stayed wet. the adjacent material is often sound. Actually better than plywood would have held up. I would simply cut out the damaged areas and patch in new plywood. I would elephant ear it into the C channel. I used multiple pieces when I patched so I could work around the edge first slipping the pieces into the c channel and then filled in the interior of the area. I used glue and screws an a 2x4 backer below the joints. Put an engineered floor of some type over the whole thing. Working around the cabinets. If the idea is to use the trailer that will work. Carpet...the best modification we made to our trailer for traveling was to remove the carpet. If you have ever been to New Mexico in the spring for and extended stay you will understand the limitations of carpet.

If you just have to get to a couple of the elevator bolts you could use a hole saw on the interior panel and then patch rather than stripping the interior. If there are several elevator bolts in a row in a damage area and the bolts are really rusty then I might replace them. You can see the bolt shanks in the C channel after you dig the rotten flooring out so you will know. This can all be done from the top if you use a narrow strip of plywood at the edge.

[vintageracer]

Welcome to the world of OLD and ROTTEN Airstream trailers.

Now you know why there are so many old GUTTED Airstream trailers for sale across the USA. They certainly come apart easily it's that puttin em back together part that becomes a real PROBLEM! On top of that you also have the "Sentimental" issue to deal with when deciding what to do with this trailer.

By gutting the trailer you essentially turned the trailer's value into a "What's It Worth? What's it Weigh?" situation. Given that fact (my assertion) you now must make the decision to soldier on and finish this BIG PROJECT or cut your losses and sell the trailer in the present condition.

Soldiering on will be a long and expensive process. Expect it to cost twice as much as what you expect to spend and take 3 times as long as you expect the project to take. You should probably DOUBLE the cost number again to get the real cost and TRIPLE your time number to again get the real time needed to finish the project.

Hey I'm not trying to be the big downer guy here however I am suggesting you look at what you currently have and ask yourself these questions:

What it will take to get the trailer finished?

What you will you have when finished?

Are you looking at all of this with a clear mind and real understanding of what it will take to get there from where you stand now?

Is all the money and time worth it?

At that point it might be easier making the right choice for YOU to proceed forward with whatever path you choose to take.

[Georgia68]

I have an 87 Excella and I am in the process of replacing leaking waterline fittings. I would recommend replacing water lines and fitting while you have them exposed if applicable. The original lines are polybutylene which is not made any longer and the fittings tend to become brittle from what I have read so far in the internet.

[Muskie]

I haven't had time to read all the posts, so forgive me ...
I did my 59' Tradewind floor. I did the front and the back, and left the good spots in the middle. I found if you are going to do a floor job in the front and/ or back, why not think about doing it right, and taking the opportunity to make it a new space for your family. That is what I did, removed and junked the whole inside [left valuable hardware..] Took the lower skins off, re-wired it and insulted that lower area, fixed the floor, hired a welder to fix dodgy frame bits, put on a new tongue, and re-inforced the frame by putting fresh tubes in it and bolting it down. The C channel was also addressed, and then I put down 3/8 ply sub-floor, [on top of 3/4 inch replaced ply], and then pine floor [light weight] on top. Then designed the inside to suit my needs [recording studio/ family etc].
Buy tools, listen to the Vintage Airstream podcast and get a pencil sharpener/ graph paper. It is actually quite rewarding!

Here is a short video [studio tour]
https://www.thejawshop.com

[Steve Bryant]

Excellante,
I've read through your thread a couple of times as this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart as I've restored a lot of rot and frame damage on my own trailer (see separate thread if interested). It appears that although you've been given a really nice gift by your grandparents, this probably isn't the time and place in your life to undertake such a project. I restored my trailer as a retirement project and it took three years of extensive part-time work plus about $15,000 to $20,000 invested into parts and materials. Questions to ask of yourself and your family:

Do I want to spend this kind of time and money on this trailer?
Does an RV fit into my life and that of my family at this time?
If I had not receive this trailer as a gift would this be something that I would choose to do at this point in my life?

There are more questions that you could/should ask of yourself and others involved in the decision making process, but you need to try to be as objective as you can.

All my best,

Steve

[sclontz]

Capital City Customs in Raleigh works on Airstreams and could repair your bad spots for you professionally.

[Al and Missy]

Look at the vertical components of the furniture you remove. We left a ceiling vent fan partially open and it rained in. The BR carpet had been replaced with vinyl tile. But under the beds was still carpet, actually foam pad, carpet and clear plastic cover in some places. The rain hit the tile floor, ran under the beds and nightstand and soaked the pad and carpet. The plastic cover prohibited the water from evaporating. I cut out the plastic cover and vacuumed everything several times with a good shop vac but could never get it dry. In a couple of months one of the vertical panels of a bed, standing on the wet carpet, had rotted all the way to the top.

I had to pull all the furniture to get the wet carpet out. Luckily I had no floor rot but I did have to rebuild the head of that bed. Don't leave any carpet you don't have to.

Al

[Ladyfish]

Food for thought - current story - your mileage may differ

We purchased our 1988 Excella 29 in January 2018 and towed it home in a raging ice/snow storm. It is our memories of how well the old girl tows that keep us moving forward. When we got home we plugged her in and everything lit up...she was alive! Forward to spring 2018...and remember we are retired...

We had the same rotten edges in the back and front floor. We removed the lower skins, cut out the bad spots, cleaned and painted any rusty spots (below) re-insulated and are ready to replace the new sub-floor and the skins. The interior was scrubbed (top to bottom) and ALL the old carpet removed. Yech! It was mauve! We bought new vinyl plank to install; but it is still in the boxes.

The bathroom was thoroughly scrubbed, the overhead abs cabinets painted, and the abs shower stall stains removed with an Oxi-clean poltice. We have to install the vinyl flooring and then we will be ready for the new toilet, Corian countertop and sink. The original cabinet was in remarkably good condition and just needed a good scrub and some re-finishing. The bathroom window was scrubbed, the interior frame removed, painted and received new "fuzzy". It is ready to be re-installed. Then winter came...

So, in March 2019 we started anew...
The old girl is currently sitting on blocks in the driveway Hubby is grinding away at the rust and inspecting everything below the belt-line to make sure it is solid and safe. We are waiting for the local mobile welder to come and weld all the broken or rusted pieces that need replaced. We have the parts. The underbelly is off and I have been scrubbing, repairing and painting anything that needs TLC such as the banana skins, underbelly, miscellaneous exterior box interiors, etc. I am getting very proficient with a wire brush, plastic weld, tape (dis-similar metals) and a rattle can!

A mother feral cat moved into the closet and gave birth to 4 beautiful calico kittens about 3 weeks ago. So, we stayed out of the trailer interior and fed Momma cat so the kittens would live. They were all retrieved safely this past weekend and moved to the local Feral Cat rescue. Momma and kittens were in excellent condition and Momma Cat was commended for her selection of a safe kitten environment. We need to finish the undercarriage so we can close up all holes and the underbelly!

I should note that the bed frame, the front corner cabinet, the dining table, etc. are all taking up space in the garage. The sofa is sitting in the living room after being re-upholstered. The kitchen base cabinet was refinished and re-configured by a local cabinetmaker. It is ready to re-install with a new corian countertop, sink and cooktop after we install the vinyl flooring. The new microwave still sits in its box.

We have not tested the air conditioner or the refrigerator yet; but we do know that the hot water tank and propane furnace are shot and will need replacement. The entire propane line needs replaced. None of this gets done until the "under the belt-line" repairs are completed and the flooring is finished.

So, over the next couple weeks we expect the welder to finish. Ken will finish the brakes, hubs, springs, wiring, etc. New tires will be mounted on the old rims (maybe, unless we get new rims and then do we get 16" rims?) I will be working alternately on the windows and skins until I have gone all the way around the AS.

Our goal is to have this AS road worthy and ready to go before the end of July. We are not sure we will make it! We have lots of work to do...and we have not addressed the exterior skin...yet!

Don't feel guilty if you choose to sell your heirloom. We bought one...someone else is looking for one. Take a look the Airstream Forum Ads and Ebay. You may be surprised.

Good luck with whatever you decide...

[Excellante]

Hello, friends! I hope you are all enjoying the summertime. I bet you didn't think you'd see us again! We sure had a lot to think about after all of your very thoughtful and helpful responses. Thank you!

We were sure we were going to post her on eBay or Craigslist when my dear semi-retired and very handy father-in-law offered to help us. We towed her to a shady spot in his driveway about a month ago, and, now, with expert help and a very willing grandma to babysit, we are thinking we will be camping by Labor Day weekend!

We are going to start installing the new vinyl plank floors tomorrow, so I just wanted to pop back on here with an update. I'll post pictures and the process later – just wanted to share our joy and thank you all again for such thorough and thoughtful feedback to our first query!

[Excellante]

Originally Posted by sclontz

Capital City Customs in Raleigh works on Airstreams and could repair your bad spots for you professionally.

Oh my goodness, I love their work! Have you or do you know anyone who has used them? We contacted them to see if they could ballpark what the job might be (they couldn't unless we towed it over), but we figured they were probably out of our price range (as pretty much anything is). I still want to go and tour their workshop!

[kidjedi]

Huzzah! So glad to hear you found good (and free!) help and you'll be camping soon. Congrats and good luck on your adventures!