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tin sista · 07-12-2010, 07:33 PM

Way to go!! You deserve the award!! Btw love that hat!!

BarryIowa · 07-13-2010, 08:21 AM

Shari and Rob,
I've been following this wonderful thread for quite some time and it has been so inspirational and motivational. You deserve so much credit for the fine work but also the great documentation. This site is a great way to be involved in the hobby and enjoy what others accomplish and make some friends along the journey.

Cheers!
Barry (in Iowa)

marvin · 07-17-2010, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InsideOut

WooHoo! First day this spring that the weather & our schedules co-operated! Let the polishing begin!!!

Rob worked about 2-1/2 to 3 hours on the roof today...got front & back done from the endcaps to the first vents...

Shari

Oustanding thread Shari! I have a question if I may....what is the oblong shaped vent for on top? I have the same one but don't have a cover for it. Is one for the heater and one for the stove? Thanks a million

InsideOut · 07-17-2010, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin

Oustanding thread Shari! I have a question if I may....what is the oblong shaped vent for on top? I have the same one but don't have a cover for it. Is one for the heater and one for the stove? Thanks a million

Thanks! It is the refrigerator exhaust vent. The stove doesn't have one, it vents through the window and ceiling fan when in use. It doesn't run all day/night (not even a pilot flame) like the fridge, so it doesn't need a vent. The round one towards the back is for the heater.

Shari

InsideOut · 08-10-2010, 12:09 AM

I finally had a chance to take some "after" exterior shots this morning...

InsideOut · 08-10-2010, 12:14 AM

...and here is the completed interior.

InsideOut · 08-10-2010, 12:15 AM

The restoration of Birdy is complete - from here on out it's more just a maintenance project - time to go out & ENJOY!

See you on the road ~

Shari

Blue Pearl · 08-10-2010, 12:56 AM

I agree, time to go out and enjoy. I finally had time to clean all the red dust out of the trailer and now to enjoy. What are we going to do every night after work? Wait, get our life back!! Sheri, it was so nice to meet you and Rob and see your beautiful work. Tell Rob to step away from the polish and enjoy the trailer. I'm hiding the nuvite from Glenn.

nmbosa · 08-12-2010, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InsideOut

I know, the sticker shock kinda hit us too...but, when you compare it to a new 10 gallon fibergalss black tank for Maxwell which would be $450 +/- and it's readily available and mass produced - it's not so bad. These are custom made to specifically fit the curves & frame spacing on our trailer that never had tanks to begin with. All are welded 1/4" thick polyethylene sheets (not fiberglass - which I believe are more prone to pin-holes over time).

Black Tank - Tank "A" is an above floor with a radiused corner - capacity 11 gallons.
Grey Tanks - Tank "B" & Tank "C" are below floor trapazoid shaped grey tanks - the combined capacity is just over 17 gallons.
Fresh Water Tank - 30 gallons and we already have it - it's one of the few things that came with the trailer that we are able to re-use. The two grey tanks fit within the frame and don't hang down below and maximize the capacity available.

Tank "A" = $482.12
Tank "B" = $412.24
Tank "C" = $518.33
Shipping = $87.00 (oversized) from CA

So, once it's broken down...it's not as bad as it first appears.

Shari

P.S. I've attached a .pdf of the tanks & sizes...but they are specifically for our trailer with minimal tolerances, so I doubt anybody would really have a need for them except as a reference or to understand what we are doing.

Shari, I'm getting ready to order my custom black tank (finally) and I really appreciate the detail you listed here. It helped me with drawing up my own tank blueprint. One thing I was wondering about however, was how you mounted the toilet on the black tank. From the .pdf of your design, it shows a top mounted 1.5" vent and a bottom 3" fitting (presumably for the waste valve). Did you cut the fitting for the toilet later after installing the tank?

Finally, do you remember how long it took All-Rite to fabricate and ship your tanks? I've waited way too long to get this done and now I'm just wondering how long my project is going to stall while waiting for the black tank to be built.
Norm

rovercamper · 08-12-2010, 02:33 PM

Wow that is beautiful InsideOut, very nicely done!

mistral blue · 08-12-2010, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InsideOut

The restoration of Birdy is complete

Magnificent!

SilverHoot · 08-12-2010, 03:39 PM

Birdie is beautiful. WOW! That is some amazing work you did! We've got a long, long way to go! Thanks for sharing.

InsideOut · 08-12-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmbosa

Shari, I'm getting ready to order my custom black tank (finally) and I really appreciate the detail you listed here. It helped me with drawing up my own tank blueprint. One thing I was wondering about however, was how you mounted the toilet on the black tank. From the .pdf of your design, it shows a top mounted 1.5" vent and a bottom 3" fitting (presumably for the waste valve). Did you cut the fitting for the toilet later after installing the tank?

Yes, once we got the tank, we test fit it in the trailer then marked where we wanted the toilet flange mounted. We found a local place that cut & spun the fitting right where we wanted it. I took the tank to them and they spun the fitting in while I waited for $15-20 bucks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmbosa

Finally, do you remember how long it took All-Rite to fabricate and ship your tanks? I've waited way too long to get this done and now I'm just wondering how long my project is going to stall while waiting for the black tank to be built.
Norm

As I recall, it only took about 10 days or two weeks to get the tank...it didn't drag out too long. Good luck, I'm hope you are as pleased with yours as we are with ours...

Shari

1956Safari · 08-14-2010, 09:46 AM

Outstanding!
J

toastie · 08-15-2010, 04:42 AM

What a GREAT job, very nicely done! When are you going to start
number 3?.................toastie

InsideOut · 08-15-2010, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toastie

What a GREAT job, very nicely done! '

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by toastie

When are you going to start number 3?.................toastie

Uh...no room + no money = no plans ~

Shari

whitelight · 08-15-2010, 08:36 AM

Birdy is blessed that she had such wonderful adoptive parents who gave her better than "new-life."
Many happy journeys and adventures for you all!

Antique Pedaler · 08-28-2010, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Well, my big plan for the weekend is to POR-15 the tongue & bumper...oh joy!

Shari

Shari, Just stripped the tongue and bumper on Bambi II and am looking at POR-15. Looks like the silver color just comes in a can. Did you brush it on? Or use a sprayer?

CanoeStream · 08-28-2010, 10:53 AM

I've just brushed it on. It self-levels pretty well.

Doesn't POR-15 recommend a UV blocking coat over the top? Shari will be more current on this...

InsideOut · 08-30-2010, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antique Pedaler

Shari, Just stripped the tongue and bumper on Bambi II and am looking at POR-15. Looks like the silver color just comes in a can. Did you brush it on? Or use a sprayer?

Hi Jay & Cherie! So the work has begun, huh?! FUN!!!

We cleaned our metal with the POR-15 cleaner then brushed on the POR-15 in Silver. On our GlobeTrotter, we used the Silver colored product with the Stirling Silver topcoat. We did brush it on...as Bob mentioned, it is self leveling - the key being in our dry climate is that you just brush it on and don't brush over it much. I LOVED the look and application results of the silver base coat, but unfortunately it yellows (turns an ugly greenish gold) in the sunlight. So we applied the Sterling Silver topcoat as directed. It looked okay but didn't seem as durable as the base coat. Over time, the top coat has dinged off the base coat - it does not adhere well at all, not good IMO. The base coat is fine, it's just the topcoat that doesn't stick well.

Fast forward 7 years...

On our Safari, we decided to take a different approach. We again cleaned the metal with the Metal Prep, but this time we used black POR-15, brushing it on. It went on very well, just like the silver - maybe even better. We then used KRYLON color: Chrome spray paint as the topcoat. It is what you recently saw on ours. We had decided to do this based on a friend's recommendation as to what they did on theirs. So far, we are very pleased with the results. It has only been less than a year, but so far, so good. None of the flaking that we have seen on the GT and the finish is very shiny. Because it was sprayed, we didn't have to fret over brush strokes and the metal flake "pattern" of the Stirling POR-15 top coat. Only time will tell whether it stays adhered to the POR-15 basecoat or begins to flake off at every ding like the Stirling Silver...

Shari