Converting a '58 Overlander to recording studio

[NYDave]

After years of lurking, I am ready to post here. First, thanks to all who have shared their work. This is an amazing resource.

Now, my project. I am converting a '58 Overlander into a recording studio (it will be used mainly for podcasting) and will have it hoisted into the second floor of a new community center in New York City. I'll have to get it onto a flatbed truck to move it from its current home in the Adirondacks to the city. I don't intend to make it road-worthy or liveable. It was towed some 20 miles from where I bought it to where it is now (by my shack) but I wouldn't trust it on the thruway.

I've ripped out the kitchen and beds - the bathroom and gaucho were gone when I got it. No need for water, gas, or plumbing. Just that great shape. Hooray!

But I am planning to do something I have not seen in the forums so far - I will have the interior stripped of paint by a soda blaster. Yes, compressed air and baking soda. I found a guy in upstate New York (the Blastboss) who actually owns an Airstream and is happy to use me as a guinea pig. For a price, but he dragged his gear here a few weeks ago and did a test for free. It comes out with a nice mottled metal look, similar to brushed aluminum. I like the idea that it will be all metal (some sound treatment will end up covering parts of it) but not mirror finish, where every fingerprint would show. And I am glad I won't be doing chemical stripping.

So my first couple of questions (there will be many more!) - has anyone else tried this to get a metal interior rather than the usual painted look? Is there a downside I should be aware of (besides mounds of powder everywhere when it's done)?

Thanks, and I'm happy to participate in this forum. I'll post some photos as I get to it.

[NYDave]

Here's a photo in its current location. Yes, we had to winch it into place with the front against part of the house. And it will be fun getting it out, but it will be a lot lighter.

[flyfshr]

Sounds like a fun and doable project. Welcome to the forums. I sure hope you're saving anything original to the Overlander that you're taking out. Folks are always on the hunt for vintage original items. By chance, did it have a Glen-Aire furnace by the door?

Brad
FF

[NYDave]

Thanks for the encouragement flyfshr - I've set aside some of the original parts for a friend with an Airstream and as partial trade with the guy who is doing the blasting. And I am saving parts for templates to use for new partitions.

There was no furnace by the door, just a monster of a propane refrigerator, that sprung an ammonia leak as I was removing it. That's gone. There was a small heater under the kitchen counter on the other side, but I had no use for it and that's gone now also.

The main work I plan to do is a shell-on floor replacement, rewiring, and some window repair. The PO had hidden the floor problems very well. I don't need it road worthy, as I said, but it should be clean and stable since I am bringing it into a new building.

[Melody Ranch]

Ahhhh...another Airstream on a roof top. Been there. Done that.

[jm2]

Originally Posted by Dacks

Now, my project. I am converting a '58 Overlander into a recording studio (it will be used mainly for podcasting) and will have it hoisted into the second floor of a new community center in New York City. I'll have to get it onto a flatbed truck to move it from its current home in the Adirondacks to the city. I don't intend to make it road-worthy or liveable. It was towed some 20 miles from where I bought it to where it is now (by my shack) but I wouldn't trust it on the thruway.

we had a 1976 Sovereign that the PO had gutted, and then fitted out and used as a recording studio. lots of black foam eggcrate insulation lining the walls!

congratulations on being smart enough to "not" try to tow it!

can't help but ask, have your rooftop plans been approved by the city?? they're rather fussy about such details....

if you need any logistical help, we're only 15 minutes from the GWB. when are you planning the move for?

best,

[NJtoNC]

So my first couple of questions (there will be many more!) - has anyone else tried this to get a metal interior rather than the usual painted look? Is there a downside I should be aware of (besides mounds of powder everywhere when it's done)?

i wanted to do this as well, however, it was cost prohibitive for us. would have been something like $750 to have a guy do it.

[NYDave]

Melody Ranch - you really have put an AS on a roof? Or you're joking?

Melody Ranch, jm2 - Just to be clear, it's not going on a rooftop. It's going onto the second floor of a 12 story building which is being built from the ground up, all concrete and steel. Community center on the first three floors, mixed income housing above. I have to time it so it goes in before all the facade windows go on. And yes, all the plans are approved, including the Airstream. For accessibility reasons, we have to build a ramp up to the front door. The other curved aluminum structure in the building - a 30 ft planetarium.

The plan now is to bring the AS down this fall and finish work on it in a warehouse in Astoria, then truck it over to Manhattan when the builders are ready for it. I'm figuring on polishing it before it goes into the nice new clean building.

NJtoNC - Yeah, it'll cost me for the stripping, but it's worth it to me to not do chemical stripping. Plus, there's a budget however small for the renovation since I'm doing most of the work myself and with some teenagers as a jobs program. They'll get good at drilling out interior rivets.

And thanks, jm2, for the offer of help. I'll give you a shout when it's happening so you can at least come watch the spectacle. Main concern is finding a flatbed operator to drive it down from upstate.

[Melody Ranch]

This sounds like a great project. Mine was a lot different.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f411...ery-60245.html

[jm2]

Originally Posted by Dacks

Now, my project. I am converting a '58 Overlander into a recording studio (it will be used mainly for podcasting) and will have it hoisted into the second floor of a new community center in New York City.

aha! my misread; you did say "into", not "on to".....

having no specific idea where you're currently 'parked', and what your budget is like, you might seek out someone like Colin Hyde for the polishing. Colin is in Plattsburgh, NY.

I also want to say that I remember recently reading (a post here in the forums??) about someone else doing polishing in the western 'dacks, maybe the Fort Drum area?

we have some contacts in the towing / flatbedding business down here who might be interested in participating. though, I'm thinking that you probably want someone in the vehicle transportation business as opposed to the towing business.

I'm sure that "the boys" from the VAP could probably help with some info. they might also be interested in discussing your project on a VAP podcast.


best,

[Overlander & Sea]

Originally Posted by Dacks

Thanks for the encouragement flyfshr - I've set aside some of the original parts for a friend with an Airstream and as partial trade with the guy who is doing the blasting. And I am saving parts for templates to use for new partitions.

There was no furnace by the door, just a monster of a propane refrigerator, that sprung an ammonia leak as I was removing it. That's gone.

The parts on the underside of the refrigerator may be worth saving, such as, the safety valve, the burner, thermostat, etc. Also, the interior refrigerator shelves may still be good. These are hard to come by parts for many forums members.

I'm always looking for a safety valve.

Good luck with your project.

[kingstonight]

I assume when you say recording studio you mean audio recording? If so, pay close attention to sound isolation (STC) of the walls. Metal walls are not the optimum material to use with sound. I suggest you use a rubberized paint, a insulated fabric wall, or even carpet on the walls to deaden the sound and reduce any extraneous sounds that may occur.

On the other hand, having a metal shell can help reduce RF interference from local transmitters especially in such an environment as NYC. Yet keep in mind if you want to use a wireless wifi network connection, you will also limit the range from the metal skin.

I also suggest you put the equipment rack next to an exterior hatch so you can more easily hook up the equipment from the rear. Otherwise the racks should be on casters or use some means to get to the back of the recording equipment.

Speaker placement will be challenging with all the curves. If you want to reproduce accurate sound, you will need to "sweep" and equalize your room acoustics. I imagine the trailer would have a very interesting acoustic signature.

Let us know how your project turns out. Sounds fun, and maybe you'll have fun sounds!

[NYDave]

Thanks for the helpful suggestions, kingstonight. I worked as a television editor for 20 years, a musician before that, so I am aware of most of the issues. I also intend to enlist the help of some acoustics experts in our community (we have a well-known recording artist who I hope will help me get some free advice).

But the very practical ideas you offered are some I had not considered - locating the equipment rack near an external hatch is a great one. I'm also looking at ways to to allow for retrofitting some cables while keeping things organized - maybe a baseboard cable trough of aluminum to fit in.

I have read somewhere that the curves on the interior actually help prevent some of the reflections that recording studios deal with through angled glass and walls. I expect I'll learn a lot by the time I've finished the project.

[NYDave]

Just an update - The soda blaster is here, working on the interior. Looks like a snowstorm in August. I like the interior surface that it is leaving, and it is actually good for cleanup that it is being done in an interior space - the trailer itself. Drifts of soda are filling the stripped trailer but that will be easily swept, shoveled then vacuumed. Surrounding greenery outside is coated and will no doubt brown or die. I'll hose down everything when it's done. Expected to take 5-8 hours at a flat $1500 fee, which seemed high but I see similar rates on this forum. I'll post photos later.

[NYDave]

Here's an update of what the soda blasted interior looks like. Not to everyone's taste but I think it suits our purpose - a clean, industrial look.

[NYDave]

A year later, ready to move forward. There was no point in advancing until I had a better idea of when the construction on the new building would get to the point where it was ready to hoist the Airstream into place. Also, I needed a place to work on the trailer.

Other than tearing out most of the floor (and discovering the problems with the frame) I haven't done anything except line up the next steps - a bay in a warehouse about 2 hours from where the trailer now sits, which has a welder in the next bay. I'll take the trailer there in August, get ready to lift the shell, and get the welder started on a new frame and base. Since the trailer will never hit the road again, we'll take it on a flatbed from there to New York City, where we will finish the interior renovation.

Meanwhile. I have found a couple of interesting projects that have helped my plan for this trailer:

WSU Spokane: Academics

Check out the photos on their flickr and Facebook accounts. The interior is an odd design exercise but the documentation of lifting the shell is the best I have seen. Good bracing technique.

And the Rockhopper recording studio:

Rockhopper Studios - Wall | Facebook


I'll try to keep updating this thread as I get farther.

[cruiser54]

Hello Dacks
To observe as nicely, your progress here on the forum, grin. You know my Cruiser....
Greeting from Switzerland
Werner

[NYDave]

Oh, and Kingstonight had some advice about interiors for sound recording. If you look at the Rockhopper site, you'll see photos that show a perforated metal interior. Turns out that the right perf metal is essentially transparent to audio, and you can put an air space and deadening materials behind it for audio deadening. Could be a good choice for a durable and suitable interior to the trailer.

[NYDave]

Hi Cruiser54! I'm waiting for more posts on your blog. What's new?

[NYDave]

I managed to transport the '58 Overlander from my cabin in the Adirondacks to a warehouse in Hudson NY, next to a welder who will repair the existing frame and build a base for its installation in the community center in New York.

I'll post some phots here to catch up.

First the transportation - with a very special truck.