1961 Airstream Restoration

Send Vulkem and Kleckos

2010-06-05T19:47:00.003-04:00

Today I finished the street side belly pan curves and still had some daylight, so I decided to get working on the furnace hole cover. Since I'm not going to be re-installing a furnace, I needed to cover the hole where the furnace vent was. I used the original trim pieces and a piece of .040 aluminum to plug the hole. To this I will mounting the original furnace chimney for an original look. I'm not one who goes for non-functional decoration (you won't find spinner hub caps or under body neon lighting on any of my cars), but I think this is a better option than just riveting a new piece of sheet aluminum over the hole and hoping it's not very noticable.

I would have had this piece all riveted together and the furnace chimney mounted today, but I'm all out of Vulkem, that magic caulk which will seal the cover to the hole and still be pliable and working in another 50 years when the next guy takes my trailer apart. I could use a few more kleckos, too. Mine are all being used right now. Hey, Father's Day is coming up....maybe I should start leaving hints around the house.

Bling Bling

2010-06-04T15:31:00.002-04:00

When I replaced the front crossmember, I was planning to leave it exposed and paint it whatever color I end up using for the tongue. After looking at it for a while, I decided it need to look more finished. I wire brushed and painted it with rust converter, then got down to business.I used .040 aluminum and cut the piece I would use to cover the crossmember. This would then be slid between the exterior skin and the metal support plate.The lower support undeneath the front window was in the way, and since.040 doesn't bend all that easily, I drilled out the rivets holding the support and took it off. Plenty of room now. I'll just rivet it back on when I do the rest of the riveting. An extra 4 rivets is not a problem when I'll be doing a few hundred.

The sheet in place and held with kleckos. It hung down underneath the cross member about 2 and 1/2 or 3 inches. Just enough to bend back up underneath the trailer. A rubber mallet and patience is all it took to get it to bend the way I wanted to.

The finished product. Aluminum looks so much nicer than steel. I don't know if the trailer originally had aluminum there or not. I know that newer Airstreams did, I like the look. The best part is not having to wonder, when everything is all done and I'm camping, if I should have covered it.

Getting Bent

2010-06-02T18:19:00.003-04:00

It feels so good to be getting my trailer closer and closer to being able to take back out on the road. A few weeks ago, I was pretty nervous that I would not have my trailer ready in time for the Birthday Bash at Rob Baker's farm at the end of June. Well, these past few weeks I have been spending lots of time making sure I'll be ready. Today I riveted one piece of belly pan material to the trailer. I say "material" since it's only the curved piece that goes up underneath the trailer. A previous owner had cut the belly pan away, but left about 8 inches of the curved piece. When I'm done, I'll bridge the underneath of the Airstream with a sheet of aluminum so that I have an entire belly pan.

This is a new piece of belly pan material that I made. The original was just too banged up and coroded to use. I think it looks pretty good. I also used rivets from Rivetsinstock.com. These are solid aluminum rivets with plain heads, as opposed to some rivets which have numbers stamped into the head. The heads are just a fraction larger than the originals, but not so much as to be noticeable without it being pointed out.

Trial and Error and Success

2010-05-26T18:07:00.003-04:00

You may have notice that I am bloging pretty regularly lately. You might think that it's because I am making lots of progress and wish to document it here. The true reason is that I am trying to make up for all of the other Airstream restoration blogs that I enjoy reading. I am blogging about actual Airstream restoration here to counter-act all those other blogs that like to document boat rides, farm animals, and auctions. Anyway, on with the blog...

This post is intended to help those who will be doing a shell on floor replacement on the front half of their trailer. One of the problems I encountered last year was that once I drilled out all of the rivets holding the exterior skin to the old j-channel, the door would no longer close. In fact, the only way I could make it close was by pulling on the grab handle on the outside of the trailer, hard, while simultaneously pushing the door towards the back of he trailer, hard. I solved the problem with a piece of string to keep the door semi-closed for the past 8 months or so.

The first thing I did was to install the new j-channel just to the rear of the door. This part of the trailer did not move much when I drilled out the rivets last year since it's only about 3 or 4 feet away from some good solid rivets. I positioned the j-channel, screwed it down, then klecko'd the skin the the j-channel. So far, so good.

A peek inside the trailer to see where we're at.

Next I repeated the process on the side forward of the door. Again, I screwed the j-channel in place, then I pulled on the door frame to get clearance for the door to close, drilled through the j-channel from the outside, and klecko'd everything solid. I stepped out of the trailer, closed the door, and THUNK. The door still was no where close to being able to close. I was a good 3/8 of an inch off. Great. OK. Time to try something different.

All I had to do was unscrew the j-channel from the floor while leaving it klecko'd into place. Then I shut the door from the inside (I had to kind of push and shove and shift the skin to get it to the point where it would close) and, with a little more pushing and shoving and shifting to get things into position, I screwed the j-channel to the floor. I finished putting the rest of the screws into the j-channel to hold it solid, and I opened the door to test the fit.

Success! One fingered door closing sweetness! What was actually a pretty simple process took about 2 frustrating hours. I hope when some of you guys finally get around to making the front end of your trailers as solid as the back end (I'm talking to you, Marcus and Whiskers), you'll remember this post.

Franks Trailer Works Is Awesome

2010-05-24T21:12:00.005-04:00

J-Channel, or as some like to call it, C-Channel, is one of those things that you will need to replace if you're restoring an Airstream. There is no way around it. Sure, some of your sections will be salvagable. Most will simply need to be replaced. I'm at the point in my restoration where I need to do just that. My curved piece was (thankfully) in good shape, but all of my straight sections had deteriorated to the point that there was just no saving them.

I was talking to Frank at Frank's Trailer Works ( http://www.frankstrailerworks.com/ ) about the situation, and he said to send him the dimensions of what I needed. I sent the dimensions on a Thursday, and Monday morning I had a package delivered with a Frank's Trailer Works return address.

Tonight I pulled out some of my old pieces of J-Channel. I wanted to get a few images of what the originals looked like for posterity. Not good.

Now I'm all set to get these things fitted to the trailer and start riveting the exterior skin back into place. Frank, you saved me the headache of buying the tools and materials to make these myself. Thanks a million, my friend.

Laying Down Wood

2010-05-16T21:28:00.003-04:00

This looks so much better than the ground and frame that I've been looking at ever since last summer when I got home from the Baker's Acres Family Camping event at Rob Baker's place and starting tearing into the front half of the trailer. I still have some crawling around in the dirt to do in order to install the rest of the elevator bolts, but psychologically this is a huge step for me.

Nice new waterproof plywood, rustproofed and re-enforced frame members, and a nice solid step hanging down there in the background. It was a good weekend for working on the Airstream.

Steppin' Up

2010-05-15T20:51:00.003-04:00

Well, after taking the kids fishing this morning, then Laurie and I going to watch our daughter's dance recital this afternoon, I was finally able to get out and do some work on the trailer after dinner. I applied the final coats of wood preservative to the sub-floor plywood. It'll be dry tomorrow, and ready to lay down inside the trailer the next time I have a chance to work on it.

The winds finally died down enough for me to be able to get my steps welded in. They are solid as a rock, and work exactly as they should. It's a pleasure to be able to step on them and not feel like they are on the verge of collapse.

I chased all the elevator bolt holes with a 1/4 inch bit, and it's a good thing I did. All of the paint and rust converter I applied made them just a hair too small. It would have been a pain to have to do that from below. There will be enough crawling around on my back in the dirt in the next few days.

Styeooin

2010-05-15T20:50:00.001-04:00

Getting Floored

2010-05-14T15:21:00.005-04:00

The steps are all painted and ready to we welded in. I use a little 110v mig welder, and it's tough to use outside if the wind is blowing since the shielding gas gets blown away and the weld left is very weak. I was going to get them welded in today, but of course it was too windy. Maybe tomorrow...

I've spent the last few days cleaning up the frame and getting it ready to paint. Flapper wheel on the angle grinder, wire brush on the drill, and a good old fashioned hand weld wire brush took care of any loose rust. What a dirty, nasty job. Then I coated the frame with a Rustoleum brand rust converter. What's nice about this stuff is that you can get it in spray can, which makes getting into all the corners much easier than with a brush. I have used POR-15 in the past, with good results. I decided to use the Rustoleum product, as I used it on an old Land Rover frame years ago and it's still holding up great. Plus, it's about 1/3 the cost of POR-15. Finally, I top coated with flat chassis paint.

Since I couldn't do any welding today, I took my daughter to Lowes and bought some 19/32 plywood for the subfloor. I cut it to size while my girl slept, and she woke up disappointed that she wasn't able to "help" me use the power saws. Maybe next time. By the way, 19/32 is the exact thickness of the plywood that was in the Airstream originally. When I did the back half of the trailer, I was at first concerned that it was too thin. Once the shell, frame, and floor were all riveted back together everything was as solid as a rock. I understand that Airstream used different thicknesses through the years, but 1961 Ambassadors used 19/32. Tonight I'm going to treat the plywood with Thompsons Water Seal to help ward off any future rot.

One Step at a Time

2010-03-09T21:19:00.003-05:00

I stopped by Daryl's place, Pharsalia Metal Fabrication, today to pick up my steps. Daryl is the same guy that I had build my stainless steel black tank last year. I had intended to just have him make me up some new outriggers with the slots that the step slides in, but when I talked to him he told me to bring over all of the parts to the step. He called today to tell me it was done, and when stopped by to pick up my job I was very excited to see that he had assembled everything into one unit that can be welded right to the trailer. Very nice! The studs that ride in the slots were replaced with new, new bolts, new outriggers, and all welded together for $100. A good deal in my book, especially when you take into account that these parts are no longer available anywhere, for any price.

Somewhere on my computer I have the "before" pictures of what I brought over to Daryl's place, but I'll be darned if I can find them. That he could make such nice parts from such poor original patterns astounds me. I have great respect for craftsmen like Daryl.

I still need to clean up the step parts and get it painted before I mount it. The steel tread is also rusted through in a few spots, so I'll be welding a new piece of diamond plate over the old. When it is ready to mount it will look as good as new.

A week at the spa.

2010-02-20T10:21:00.006-05:00

The furniture in the front half of our trailer was in a real bad way. It was functional, but there were some changes that needed to be made to work better for us, plus they had 49 years of wear, tear, dirt, and grime on them. There was never a question in our mind how we would undo all of that shabbiness. We would send them to Frank's Trailer Works in Baltimore for him to work his magic.

If you live under a rock, you may not know that the Mid-Atlantic Region has been slammed with snow this year. While I feel bad for all those "Southerners" (Baltimore is below the Mason-Dixon line), it worked well for us. Frank currently has a big project going on that he is rushing to finish for a client. It's a big project that requires Frank to work outside of his shop, but when the snows came, he was forced inside where he could get cracking on our job.

In the picture above, you are looking at a drawer that we are having installed in place of the furnace that was originally there. We're not big cold weather campers, so the furnace was not needed. Being a family of 6, additional storage was needed. For heat, we'll be installing 2 catalytic heaters in the trailer, one just inside the entrance and one in the bathroom.

Nice deep drawer. Just right for pots and pans, strainers, maybe even a spare Mexican lime squeezer for those time we camp with folks who enjoy a good Mojito.

Ooooh, nice! The wood is a cherry veneer, similar to what we used in the back half. Frank's flourescent lights wash the color out, but he assures me that it is nice and rich. Once he gets done finishing the wood it'll be very classy. We can't wait to get those cabinets home and installed. You can see the work in person at The Airstream Founders Birthday Bash in June. The event is sold out, but you can be placed on a waiting list or bid on the one remaining spot (with procedes going to Roots and Wings food pantry in Chenango County, NY). www.bakersacresofchenango.org/auction

Do your cabinets look this bad? Well, call Frank. He is absolutely amazing when it comes to all things Airstream. Thanks Frank. Now get them finished.

http://www.frankstrailerworks.com/

Critical Measurments

2010-02-04T12:41:00.002-05:00

My cabinets are currently at Franks Trailer Works in Baltimore getting all fixed up and made beautiful. Problem is that my stove is in central New York, and Franks needs a measurement. I'm posting this picture to show the dimension I measured. I love technology!

The measurement, from the outside of the flange on the right to the outside of the flange on the left is 22 and 5/8ths.

Shop Time

2009-11-11T17:29:00.002-05:00

Today I started welding up the frame cross member and support plate. I Klecko'd the support plate to the trailer skin, then positioned the cross member between the main frame rails.

Once everything was in place, I tack welded the cross member to the frame, and then tack welded the support plate to the cross member. That made sure everything was exactly where I wanted it. After that, it was a simple matter of grinding the tack welds off the cross member and bringing the cross member / plate into the shop for welding up solid.

My shop is currently, how you say, a mess. Interior skins are piled here, belly pan wraps are piled there, j-channel strewn about with a liberal sprinkling of interior window frame trim to add to the chaos. Add in your normal household fix-up projects, and you have a real dump. What the heck. I'm building things in there, not getting the space ready for a Better Homes and Gardens photo shoot. A clean shop is a shop that's not being used to it fullest potential.

Look at that stack of dimes. My little 110v MIG does a fine job of melting the metal. I could have welded 5 or 6 one inch welds along the seams and it would have been plenty stong enough, but I was having so much fun I decided to weld the entire seam up. I was talking to my friend Steve a while back about this little project (ByamCaravanner on AirForums), and he made a simple comment. He said something like "Metal does wierd things when you weld it". Well, Steve, you were right. The support plate developed a nice bit of warp from all the heat. Hopefully not enough to bother anything, but I'll find out when I go to mount it on the trailer. If I have to, I'll ditch my work, start over, and chaulk it up to experience. I know I can build this piece better, and better is the enemy of good enough.

Frame Fixin'

2009-11-10T17:46:00.002-05:00

I'm working toward having my trailer campable by next June for the Wally Byam Birthday Bash in Central NY. I decided I better get moving or I'll never make it in time. So, today I got my butt in gear and got to work. This is where I left off after I cut out the rotten frame cross member and support plate.

I went to my local steel retailer, Steel Sales, in Sherburne, NY. They have a "drop room" that they'll let you poke around in. I was lucky and found a piece of 4 inch c-channel and a 24 x 12 inch piece of steel plate. Perfect! $17.00 later I was on my way. First thing I did back at the trailer was to fit a 2x4 piece of wood in where the cross member will sit so I could be sure to get the angles on the main frame rails set. The angle is 22.5 degrees, just in case anybody else is going to be doing this work.

Next, I transfered the angles from the wood onto the c-channel and cut it with the chop saw. This tool is indispensable for any kind of steel work. I cannot imagine making those cuts with a hack saw.

I was going to try to re-use the support plate, because it has so many holes that need to be aligned with the holes that are already in the skin of the trailer. Unfortunately, the plate was just too far gone. Also, I did not realize when I started that the plate actually goes all the way to the bottom of the c-channel and is not just welded along the top. In order to transfer the holes precisely, I tack welded the old plate to the new plate and used the old holes as a guide for drilling my new holes. Once I was done drilling, I carefully ground off the tack welds and I had an exact duplicate of the original plate.
Here is the almost finished piece, all mocked up. The next step will be to Klecko the plate to the skin of the Airstream, tack weld the frame cross member in place, and then once everything is lined up I'll tack weld the plate to the cross member. Then I'll grind the tack welds off the frame so I can bring the entire piece into the shop and weld it up solid. I don't want to weld it solid with it on the trailer, since I'm afraid the heat will hurt the aluminum skin. Once it's all welded solid, I'll do the final installation and welding of the new frame cross member / support plate onto the frame. Oh, I'll also cut the bottom inch of steel off the support plate that sticks down below the c-channel so it looks better. I needed a piece of steel plate that's 24 x 11, but the closest I could find in the drop room was 24 x 12. That's OK. I'll get my cutting wheel out and smile the entire time thinking of the money I save by not having Steel Sales cut me a piece to size.

We Can Rebuild It.

2009-11-08T15:47:00.003-05:00

This section of frame has been weighing on my mind. The weather here has been nasty, and work has been absolutely nuts dealing with the flu outbreak. Today, however, it was a beautiful day and I had some free time on my hands. Time to get at it. I spent some time building a brace to hold the shell off the trailer for when I cut away the support plate. Much to my surprise, the shell actually lifted up about an inch rather than coming down. The support beam I put in place fell once the shell lifted up, barely missing hitting a window. The Airstream gods were watching over me, I guess.

Bad, bad rot. It's amazing what the tin worm can do.Tuesday I'll head to Steel Sales and buy replacement steel and begin fabrication. I have a few other small holes and weak areas to fix on the frame in other spots, too. I should be able to get that all fixed up pretty easily, then I'll POR-15 the frame and be ready to put down new wood for the sub-floor.

Heavy Lifting

2009-10-21T15:33:00.004-04:00

I've got all of the floor pulled out of the front of the trailer and the frame exposed. Now the fun can begin. I have discovered that the front half of the trailer is a little bit more complex than the back half was, and is in pretty poor shape to boot. There is a lot of thin steel on the frame, the front cross member with it's support plate has deteriorated to the point of being scary, and the step out riggers are just about gone. Replacing all of this won't be too complicated, but making sure everything is fixed properly is critical. Unlike in the rear of the trailer, there is no "fudge factor". If I want the door to close and the steps to work, I'm going to have to be very precise.

With the entire front half of the trailer gutted and the back end still complete, the tongue does not have enough weight on it to allow the trailer to be cranked down to level where I need it to be. The trailer would balance on it's axles with the tongue jack off the ground. 250 pounds of barbell weight took care of the floating tongue.

Thin, thin steel. Strange that the plywood just above this section was solid and showed no signs of rot. It will be a process of welding additional steel underneath this crossmember to make it solid once again.

Both step outriggers look like this. I'll be replacing them with new ones, and also buying a new step for the trailer. The step that's on there has rust holes through the tread and the studs that ride in the track are just about worn away. I just hope I can find a step that looks right on a 1961 Airstream and not one that looks like a take off of a new SOB trailer.

That front cross piece? Yeah, it's bad. I'll be cutting it out and fabricating a new piece to go in there. The support plate is welded to the cross piece. The trick is going to be getting everything back in the exact same location after I take it all apart. That's okay, I enjoy a challenge.

Moving Day

2009-08-22T13:05:00.002-04:00

After getting the carpet out, I started pulling all the cabinetry out to get it ready to send to Frank. It's amazing how much easier it was to get this end of the trailer apart than it was to do the back end. Having already experienced it once, I was able to get the screws apart with minimal frustration. I knew which screws would be a bugger, and I knew how to handle them. All of the furniture came out without damage, and will make great platforms for Frank to work his magic on.

The cabinets held up quite well, considering the fact that they are nearly 50 years old. Here's a couple tips for anyone who will be pulling their old furnace out: 1) Make sure there are no active wasp nests living in the exhaust shroud. 2) The furnace exits the trailer through the cut in the skin, and not through the door.

I have 2 spots of floor rot. This one was hiding behind the pantry cabinet in the galley. I will be pulling all of the old subfloor back to the wheel wells, and possibly pulling the piece between the wheel wells. Further investigation with my screwdriver will tell me what I need to do.

All of the cabinetry is out of the trailer and taking up space in my garage. I'll get this flooring replaced, then get the trailer over to Don Stanton's for Zolatone, and in October get the cabinets to Franks Trailer Works for rebuilding. That will give me through the cold of winter to get the cabinets installed, and springtime to get ready to camp.

Let Me Take Care of This...

2009-08-21T08:36:00.002-04:00

When Rob and I picked my Airstream up in Cape Cod in February of 2007, one of the first things I noticed when I walked inside was this piece of plywood up where the Astrodome should be. Funny how over time my eye has stopped noticing it. Well, I was in the trailer doing some work the other day, and a drop of rain landed on me. I looked up and saw the wood, and decided it was time to do something about it.

It doesn't stick out as bad from the outside. Must be something to do woth the fact that it is a good 3 feet above eye level.

I don't have an Astrodome, but I do have a sheet of aluminum. I measured the opening, but the sheet to fit, and drilled it for rivets. I tried to do as much work in the shop as opposed to trying to do the entire job while standing on the roof of my trailer.

It doesn't look as good as when I will have an Astrodome installed, but it looks 100% better than it did.

The Beginning of the Front

2009-08-19T09:15:00.002-04:00

After spending all that time and energy getting the back half of the trailer looking good, I decided it was time to do something about the front. The back half still needs lots of stuff to be finished, but it's mainly detail work, trim, and some veneering that Frank's Trailer Works will be handling. However, the back looks good enough that that front now looks worse than horrible. Last night, after the rain storms blew through and brought the temperature down from about 90 to a more survivable 78, I decided to get to work.Originally, my plan was to get rid of the goucho and build a dinette. After spending a weekend camping with it, we have decided that we are going to stay with the goucho. We'll be eating outside, and the goucho is actually in really good shape. In fact, most of the front end is in really good shape.

I was expecting to see floor rot in the front end corners like I've seen in so many other trailers. I also have a very rusted cross piece on the frame right underneath the front window which led me to believe I would find "issues" up here. This was a pleasant surprise.
Walter of Wabash. Cool.

This picture is being included to increase my degree of Airstream Into-It-Ness. I didn't want anyone to think I just sent my trailer away to Colin's to get this stuff done. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Look at those beautiful old tiles. I would love to have seen this trailer back when it was new. To have seen it before it was filthy, and the Zolatone had been painted over with white latex, and the floor covered with carpet. I wish Airstream would make a model like this new today. Simple, no frills, utilitarian, function ahead of form. I would buy one in a heartbeat. My trailer will be better than new in every way when I'm finished, and built to my tastes with the wood, fabrics, and flooring that we choose. I still think it would be awesome if Airstream offered a "camper" you could buy off the showroom floor rather than rolling luxury apartments.

Bakers Acres of Chenango Family Camping get Together

2009-08-10T13:37:00.003-04:00

This past weekend my family and I took a break from working on the trailer and hauled it 8 miles over the hills to my good buddy Rob Baker's place. We just got our awning last week, so Laurie cleaned out the trailer, we loaded up our camping gear and went camping. No propane, no 12V, no refridgeration, no running water (but we did have a toilet), and we went boondocking in our aluminum tent. Pictured above are the trailers of my friends Steve, Frank, and Rob, with mine in the foreground.
Laurie had a wonderful time. It was our first rally, but we felt as though we were members of a family, the Airstream family. Laurie is hooked on Airstreaming. That's good, since I'm eyeing the purchase of a water heater, fresh water tank, lots of plumbing bits and pieces, paint, upholstery, and lot$ of other things for our silver palace.
Me and my buddy Frank. I met Frank through our mutual friend Rob about a year and a half ago. Seems like I've known him my entire life. Some people you just click with. Thanks for everything Frank
Here she is, awning deployed and set up to camp. Water was supplied by 5 gallon jerry cans, lighting was via kerosene lanterns and candles, and coolers kept our perishables cold. We may have been lacking a few amenities, but I can tell you we were not lacking in the fun.
Go to a rally. I highly recommend going to a WDCU rally if you can. This was our first, and I am so sorry I have missed out on so much from years past (like the rally I heard about at Camp Hatteras where one member was pelted by a number of bras when he made a comment about women's liberation). Thank you Rob and Zoe for this event. My trailer is about to undergo further surgery which will render it immobile for a while, so our next rally may not be until the Bakers Acres event next year. The thought of camping next to my friends on the field will keep me motivated, I am sure.

john kwasnik

2009-07-29T23:49:00.000-04:00

2009-07-11T08:27:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since my last post, and even longer since my last post that had anything to do with my Airstream renovation. I had taken pictures of my wardrobes, vanity, and couter top all "dry fitted". For the past month I have been working on getting everything riveted and screwed into it's final position.

Daryl at Pharsalia Metal Fabricating contructed this wonderful black tank out of stainless steel. It was not cheap, but my original tank had deteriorated beyond the point of repair. I could have had a tank made of plastic or tried to find an original fiberglass tank in better shape than my own, but this tank will outlast our grandchildren and I'll never have to worry about it falling apart.

Ahh, boxes of stuff. New toilet from PPL, valves and flanges from PPL and various Ebay sellers.
The toilet looks good to me, and even better to my family. I still have to plumb my trailer, but it's usable if you have a bucket of water to flush with! It'll be a shame to hide that beautiful black tank with the cover that I have to build, but then again some things should be hidden from view, no matter how nice they are. I'm happy with the toilet. The bowl is china, and it has a vintage look that goes with the trailer. The seat and cover are a cheap flimsy plastic, but I'll have my eyes open for a suitable replacement.
The back half of the trailer is coming together quite nicely. The front half of the trailer, however, is a different story. I'll be ready for the rally at Rob Baker's farm the 2nd weekend in August, though. I hope to have an awning by then, and I have to make a place for my wife, our daughter, and me to sleep. The 3 boys will be outside in a tent for now. Hopefully there will be indoor berths for all 6 of us in time for CBR 2010.

Lovelution

2009-06-09T14:21:00.003-04:00

Lovelution. My spell check program is telling me that I have mis-spelled a word. Evidently my spell-check program has not been married very long. Lovelution is what happens when a man and a woman have been in love for a long time. In the case of my wife and I, close to 20 years. We began dating in 1993, we married in 1995, and we’re still together today. Living in a nice house that seems to get smaller all the time, due mostly to the fact that we’re proud parents of 4 beautiful kids who are in the middle of growing up fast.

This very small synopsis of the life and the love that my wife and I share is woefully incomplete. To say that we have been in love all that time, while correct, does not tell the entire story. It does not tell of the richness that a love attains over time. It does not tell of the deep knowing of your partner. It does not tell of all of the ups and downs that serve to strengthen the fibers that make up the tapestry of our love.

I have been extremely lucky to find a woman like my wife, Laurie. A good, Christian woman, devoted to family, smart, funny, and extremely attractive. Loving this woman is easy, and I count myself extremely lucky because I know that I am often difficult to love. I spend too much time at work, pay too much attention to hobbies, let my temper get the best of me at times. Through it all, Laurie is there for me. Tenderly bringing me back to the center of my life. Encouraging me to express myself, challenging me to be a better person.

Perhaps the most comforting thing about our love is knowing that it is something that I can always count on. God knows that life is completely unpredictable, but the love that my wife gives me is constant. I live my life fully aware of that fact that The Lord has blessed me through my wife.

I love you Laurie. I can’t wait to get this trailer done so we can hit the road together and explore. Side by side, hand in hand, heart in heart. Thank you for being you.

2009-05-27T08:18:00.004-04:00

I was lucky to get some time away from work yesterday. We were closed on Monday, and that usually means that our next day that we are open is a zoo. I went in to work, hung our for a while, and once I saw that everything was under control I headed over to my storage building to get out my vanity and bed frames. I was driving my old Land Rover, and I wish I had taken pictures of it all loaded up with Airstream furniture. The vanity fit in the back as though it had been designed to fit. The bed frames went on the roof rack and I lashed them down. It was nasty getting them up there. If you go back in this blog you will see that the curb side bed had the mother of all mouse nests between the sleeping platform and the top of the drawers. I cleaned it out before I took everything apart, but never really cleaned it good. Well, in order to get the beds on the roof rack, I had to turn them upside down and hold them up over my head. This, of course, made every loose bit of mouse nest and mouse turd that was left over cascade down upon me. It was really nasty, let me tell you. Anyway, I got the bed frames in the garage, waiting for me to look them over and decide if I'm going to tackle rebuilding them, or if I'll do the easy (smart) thing and send them down to Frank in Baltimore. Take a look at what all of his work looks like dry fitted and I think you'll understand why I'd like to have more of this quality work done for my trailer.

I was asked to take a better picture of what my cork floor looks like. It is strips of cork running lenthwise in the trailer. It was a very nice texture; not too rough, but with lots of grain that you can feel underneath your feet. It is finished to give it a nice matte finish, and should hide dirt very well and be easy to clean.

Progress.

2009-05-24T08:49:00.004-04:00

Updates have been few and far between lately on this blog, and if you have been waiting to see what's new with my trailer, I apologise. Work has been progressing, however. Most of it has been done without me personally touching a tool, though. Last update I showed my new paint job done by Don Stanton, and Frank Yensen of Frank's Trailer Works has been doing some amazing woodworking for me. Let me take a minute to talk about Frank's Trailer Works. Frank Yensen holds a Master Degree in Fine Arts, and is a true old world craftsman in absolutely everything he does. I met Frank through our mutual friend Rob Baker, and my life has been blessed because of it. Frank is one of the most genuine people you could ever hope to meet. If you ask him a question, he will give you his opinion and will not care if it is not what you want to hear. This is something I appreciate immensly, especially when it comes to doing business with someone. There were times in the planning of my cabinets and flooring when I had made up my mind about what species of wood I wanted, or the shade of paint I wanted to use on the walls. For the most part, frank thought my ideas were good ones, but on a few occasions he let me know that my choices just would not work. He was gentlmanly about it, and did not make me feel like an idiot about it, but he was certain to make sure I knew his opinion of my choices. Being that I am a pharmacist, not an artist, I always deferred to his opinion. Without exception I am glad I followed his advise. It is a wonderful feeling to work with someone as technically capable at the physical aspects of building, and all the more when that person has an eye for beauty and asthetics. I am very happy to have Frank's Trailer Works working with me on the rebuild of my Airstream, and the pictures speak for themselves.

After getting the floor prepped, I started placed the tub and black tank and then started clicking the flooring together.

Then I tried to get the wardrobes through the bulkhead in the galley. No go. These trailers were built from the back forward, and when I took the old wardrobes out they were in pieces. Out came the screwdrivers and off came the wall next to the sink. Looks nice and roomy.

Wardrobes placed where they will sit. I will have flooring underneath the entire wardrobe. When Frank built these, he asked me the the thickness of the flooring planks I would be using, and then he shortened them by that amount. 11mm in this case. They fit perfectly.

Below shows the beautiful wood we used, and the contrast between the cherry wood and cork floor. I absolutely love it!

Spring Colors

2009-03-12T09:28:00.003-04:00

I picked up my Airstream from Don Stanton in North Norwich yesterday. After a horrible attempt at painting the interior myself, I gave up and decided to have a pro do the job. It's nice to have my girl back home.

The pictures don't do the job any justice. Don also painted Rob Baker's trailer, so I had him copy the color that he used. The base is Desert Camo beige. Great color for a Marine's trailer.

Don did a remarkable job. Great price, fast work, excellent results. If you need any painting done, Don is the man. Now that the paint is done, I can lay the floor, install the cabinets, do the plumbing, then camp. It'll be a while, but things are finally rolling again after a long winter break.

Sugar Snow

2009-02-18T08:31:00.002-05:00

After a long, cold winter my Airstream is ready to see some attention. She's been parked behind the shop, a long way away from the driveway. I parked her there last fall with the plan of painting the interior and working on her all Winter. Well, we've had a really cold and snowy one here in central New York. Oh, and that painting I was doing in my last blog post? It was a disaster. The paint did not stick as it should have. It was a combination of the wrong paint, poor preparation, cold temperatures, and pesky leaks that allow water to run down the interior walls when it rains or the snow on top melts. My plan for the past month has been to get the trailer out from behind the shop and get it over to Don Stanton's place in North Norwich so he can paint the Zolotone for me. He's a pro painter, and does amazing work. The picture above shows what I was looking at as far as getting back to the trailer. This is after 2 weeks of nice warm weather melting much of the snow. Intimidating, to say the least.
Problem number 2 was getting my truck positioned in front of the trailer so I could hook on and try to back it out. I have to drive through a swamp to get there, too. I can hear you asking "Why the hell do you park there?". Easy answer: when I park there I can walk right out the back door of my shop and right into the trailer. Very convenient to wotk on, not so much when you have to move it in the winter.

That pile of snow I showed in picture number 1? It's at the edge of the driveway, and to get back up onto the driveway after hooking on I'd have to climb this little hill, on a side slope, with trees just off to the right. Trees that looked like they were willing to do a little panel re-arranging on any Airstream that gets too close.

Ahh. This picture says it all. I was able to get her back out and ready to be towed over to Don's with no trouble whatsoever. I never even spun a tire out in the yard. I have a 1996 Dodge that did the job for me, and I'll forever be a Dodge man from now on. Work can get going on my silver beauty and I'll be with my friends in D.C. in a month and a half for the WDCU Cherry Blossom Rally. Thank God it's out.

Spraying Paint

2008-11-19T08:14:00.002-05:00

Old Man Winter is blowing in here in Central NY. I love winter. I get a nice break from working on projects around the property, the kids go sledding then come in and have hot chocolate around the fireplace, I can fall asleep on the couch on a Sunday afternoon and not feel guilty, and I get to enjoy ice fishing with my friends and family. One thing that really sucks about this winter, however, is that I am in the middle of an Airstream restoration and it is just too damn cold to get much done in the trailer. The last thing I need to do out there is to paint the interior. Then I can concentrate my efforts on refurbishing and rebuilding the cabinetry, which I can do in my nice warm shop. I have made one mistake so far in the painting process. Since I had to prime some of the aluminum that I stripped bare, it was left primer grey and I tried to just paint right over it using the final finish. I should have shot it with an almond color base coat first. I'm using too much of the Mulitispec paint to cover the grey. The areas of the trailer that were an off white color are painting very easily, and it looks good without having to use 4 coats. Live and learn.

This is the compressor that I am using. It's a high volume / low pressure set up. It works great for most paints, and is working fine for what I'm doing.Here's one wall just about finished. Once the walls and ceiling are covered, I'll go back and work on getting the nooks and crannies around the windows painted.

This is what the finish looks like. That's one coat over the off-white paint that was on the interior. I think it looks great. Much like Zolatone, but not exactly. There are blue and dark red flecks in the almond colored base. I'm going to put a clear coat on the paint when it's done to hopefully add some durability and make it easier to clean.

2008-11-19T08:12:00.001-05:00

November 15th, 2028

2008-11-15T19:57:00.003-05:00

Today was the opening day of deer season in Southern NY. I look forward to this day all year as it is a day when I can go sit in the woods, watch the sun come up, enjoy nature, and if I'm lucky, put some venison in the freezer. This year my middle son, Jacob, wanted to come along. Actually, all 3 boys wanted to come but it was Jake's turn to spend some "special time" with Dad, so off we went. I was a little bit hesitant at first, because if you've spent any time at all with a 10 year old, you'll know that they don't generally have much of an attention span. I thought I'd be constantly telling Jake to sit still, be quiet, only 15 more minutes and we'll leave, etc. I was completely wrong. We sat in the rain for almost 3 hours, waiting for a deer that we wanted to shoot. Eventually, I was the one who suggested we go back to the house to dry off and try to warm up. Jacob would have remained sitting in the rain all day if I'd let him. After a cup of coffee and a snack, we decided to head back out to the tree stand and see if we'd have any better luck. The rain had let up a bit, but I was not feeling very good about our chances. Well, we got to the stand, climbed up, and before I even had a chance to sit down, Jacob was whispering "Dad, Dad, there's a buck!". I turned around to see a deer, not 30 yards away, looking straight at us. I unslung my rifle, took aim, and shot. The deer took a few steps, and then fell dead. My kids know where a hamburger comes from, and understand that hunting is one of the ways we feed our family. They know that a gun is a tool that can be used to good and bad. They know that when something is shot, chances are good that it will die very soon. All of these thoughts were going through my mind in the moments after I watched the deer fall. "Good learning experience". "Respect wildlife even as we kill it". "The Lord provides". All of this fled my mind when my boy turned to me and gave me a hug that I will remember until the day I die. It's about all of those thoughts that I was having, but today was also about so much more.

I titled this blog post November 15th, 2028. My son will be 30 years old then. Most likely he will be busy with a career, a family, a life of his own. I will be 59 years old, and I may be wishing for just one more hunt with my kids. Just one more time to be together when it's just us. Well, today I got that wish, even if it's 20 years before I make it.

I be Preppin'

2008-11-11T18:09:00.003-05:00

My last step before I paint the interior of my trailer is to clean up, prime, and mount the curtain rods. the straight pieces attach above the side windows above the beds, and the curved piece goes above the rear window in the bathroom. I'll get them mounted tonight, and hopefully have pictures of a painted interior on Thursday.

Masking.

2008-11-10T08:15:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I last posted an update, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working. I've got all of the interior skin in, and I primed the aluminum that I had stripped. Originally, I was going to strip all of the paint in the back, but honestly I found it to be too much work. Stripping the paint off a panel that was on a bench in my shop was a bear, and I did not even want to get into trying to strip the paint off the ceiling panels that were still attached to the trailer. Screw that. So I'm going to paint. I found a paint I like, I've got the bare aluminum primed with an etching primer, and the old paint sanded. I also re-installed the window trim prices. If you take these off, make sure you mark where they came off to make re-installation easier.

I had curtains like this in college.

I really like Frank's map-covered wall treatment. The effect looses something when you do it with the Sunday paper.

Days Go By...

2008-10-19T11:24:00.003-04:00

Days go by and not much gets done. Life has a way of interfering with my plans. Plans that involve working on my projects, fishing with my kids, working in my drug store, spending time with my family, and generally living my life according to the little post-it notes that fill my pockets and tell me what I will be doing next. I was able to get my interior skins put back in, and my next step will be to paint the interior. I could have Rob's Uncle Don do it in Brand Name Zolatone, or I could spend an hour or so on Airforums, researching what others have used to do it themselves. Then it's down to flooring. I've decided to go with a nice, organic looking cork. I just need to shop for the best price, try to find it locally, or at least semi-locally, so I can save on shipping. Unless the local price with tax but no shipping is more than the internet price without tax, but with shipping. Which it usually is. Then it's on to restoring / rebuilding the interior furniture. I think I finally know what kinds of wood I'll go with. I just need to go through the whole pricing exercise with the wood, too. I can't forget tanks, water heater, plumbing, and all that goes along with that. Once that's in, I'll pay a visit to Rob's beautiful trailer with my tape measure and try to get a handle on copying his bunk set up. And I hope to get all this done this winter and have things ready to roll come next spring. Gotta be at the Cherry Blossom.
A good race car driver has what is called "driver's confidence". It is the other-worldly self confidence that allows a driver to hustle into a corner at speeds that make his eyes wide, his fingernails carve depressions into the steering wheel, and his sphincter put creases in the driver seat upholstery. But he has the confidence in his own abilities to do the job, so he keeps his foot planted on the right pedal and delays removing it until the last possible instant. Most times he makes it through, and his confidence grows. I believe I am beginning to develope "restorer's confidence". I have done things that I never thought I would be able to, and my confidence has grown. I know that I will have a beautiful trailer when this is done. I know that I will be at CBR next spring with more than an aluminum tent. My eyes may be wide and my knuckles pure white, but I know I'll make it.

A Post for Ailish

2008-10-14T08:54:00.005-04:00

The daughter of a friend of mine is coming down with a case of aluminitis. It sounds like she has it pretty bad, too. Her name is Ailish, and she is a perfect candidate for the WDCU and the vintage Airtream scene: 3 kids, a husband, and a sense of adventure. Another bonus is that her father is very handy. Rebuilding one of these old trailers would be a piece of cake for him. And what a wonderful gift it would be for his grandchildren! Just think, an opportunity to give something that will be handed down from generation to generation, with each succeding owner marveling at your mechanical abilities and love for family.
These pictures of of my friend Rob's trailer. It is a 1958 Sovereign of the Road, and a perfect example of how beautiful a vintage Airstream can be. You already know what they look like on the outside. This is what the inside can look like.

Simply beautiful. I think your dad has a spot out behind his garage that would be a perfect place to store an Airstream while it gets rebuilt. In fact, I know he does.

I Feel Like I'm In a Movie

2008-10-11T12:21:00.001-04:00

Let There Be (a) Light...

2008-10-11T11:26:00.002-04:00

At the WDCU Installation Rally, I spent a lot of time looking at other people's trailers. I wanted to get a feel for what others had done, and try to use some of their ideas and features in my own trailer. One thing that I saw in a number of vintage Airstreams that I thought was really nice was the Humphrey Gas Lamp. It puts off lots of light, and also about 2000 btu's of heat which I definately could have used at the rally. When I got home, I did a quick search on eBay, and found this one listed, but without a picture of it included in the listing. The description sounded good, and the seller's feedback was good, so I took a leap of faith and put in a bid. I ended up being the only bidder, so for $11.00 I got the exact light I was hoping for: Avacodo green with the small globe. It does need a new mantle, but you can pick those up for about $3.00 online. Sometimes, you get lucky.
Sorry for the poor picture quality, and the sideways orientation of the top one. Something must be up with my camera and picture software. I hate computers....

Call Me "Patches"

2008-10-09T17:55:00.004-04:00

I went down to Lowes today to pick up some more Reflectix. Seems like whenever I buy something, I never buy enough. Frustrating. Then I over compensate and buy way too much. Oh well, at least now I'll have enough Reflectix for when I do the front of the trailer.
Left side panels in place. The forward panel was a piece of cake, and it lulled me into thinking the rest would be easy. Yeah, right. The curved panel was a pain right in the butt. When I rebuilt the frame, I must have raised the back end a fraction of an inch. Not much, but enough to make it impossible to reinstall the curved panel without it getting bound up on the floor. So, I drilled out the few rivets that I had installed, took the panel into the shop, got out the power shears, and proceeded to cut off way more than I should have. Enough to leave a half-inch gap between the panel and the floor. Ugh. Back into the shop I went, got out the shears again, and I cut out a 1 and 1/2 inch trim strip to cover the gap and give me a way to rivet to the c-channel. You can see it in the above picture.
Here's the patch I used to splice the long panel back together. If I didn't cut it when I was taking things apart, I wouldn't have been able to get back to the wheel wells without taking the front of the trailer apart. It is one l-o-n-g sheet of aluminum.
Here's a close up of the patch I used to cover my screw up when trimming the curved panel. I could have left it with the 1/2 inch gap showing, seeing as how this section will be hidden behind the vanity, shower, and closet, but I want to make things right for my trailer.

Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop

2008-10-08T17:54:00.004-04:00

I put one of the interior panels back on this afternoon. I used almost a full box of 100 rivets, and got quite sick of squeezing that damn pop rivet tool. Installation was easy, since the holes all lined right up.

River litter. I'll bet those little suckers would love to pop one of my tires.
When I took the panels out, I cut the long one underneath the windows because I was only doing half the trailer. I'm going to rivet a nice aluminum strip to cover this seam and make it all look good. I was going to do it today, but the boys came running into the garage at 5:10pm, yelling that they had to be at their football practice field for team pictures. The pictures were scheduled for 5:00pm, by the way. Oh well, the photographer was running late so they got their pictures taken. I guess I'll just have to spend some quality shop time tonight to make that trim strip.

I Killed Another Tool.

2008-10-08T08:18:00.004-04:00

I killed my drill. I'm sad about this loss. Not only was it a great tool that lasted me through the construction of 2 decks, countless other projects, and the de-construction of my Airstream, but it was also a very special tool to me. My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas 2 years ago, and it was the best gift I have gotten in all of my adult life. A DeWalt 18v cordless drill, for God's sake. It's one of those tools a non-professional tool guy like me drools over at Lowes, but just cannot justify the price. When you have a corded drill that works just fine, spending a couple hundred for the cordless version just seems wasteful. But my mother-in-law somehow knew that I would appreciate it. And I did. Very much. Thank you Joyce. I love you.
So the first thing I did Tuesday was to go to Lowes and get another cordless drill. If you have never used a quality drill, do yourself a favor and go get one. It needs to have a brake to slow it down when you release the trigger. Very important when you're driving lots of screws, say for a deck. Trust me on this. And if you think a corded drill is all you need, well, it is. But cordless is just so nice. I also bought some Reflectix insulation for the trailer, a couple hundred pop rivets, a new pop rivet tool, and a bunch of drill bits. It's time to put the inner skins back on.
I put these two guys next to each other for a while, trying to sync up the mojo a little bit.
Reflectix partially installed. One small roll is exactly enough to do back to the curved sections on both sides. It cuts easily, installs easily, and you don't have to wear a mask and gloves to work with it like you do with fiberglass. It is expensive, though. I'll have about $80 of it in the back of my trailer.

"Hey, pull my finger..."

2008-10-04T12:56:00.002-04:00

I am having a wonderful time this weekend at the WDCU Installation Rally in North Norwich, NY. The rally site is only about 5 miles from my house which is a blessing, and a curse. See, I was supposed to have Saturday off, but ended up having to work. That means leaving the rally, and all of my new friends. I will be back there after work for Rob's installation as club president.

Digitally Remastered

2008-09-24T18:34:00.002-04:00

My computer is back up and running after about a week. My hard drive killed itself somehow, but my computer guy was able to install a new hard drive and almost all of my files and programs are present and accounted for. What a pain in the rear end it is, though. It wasn't that long ago that computers weren't even a small part of my life. It's amazing how "important" these boxes have become.
I moved the trailer from out behind the shop, and It's currently undergoing a good cleaning in preparation for Rob's installation rally next week. It's amazing how dirty it was inside. Even though we're just using it as an aluminum tent at this point, I wanted it to look nice and inviting. I think it's looking great.

Picture-Free Post

2008-09-21T08:59:00.003-04:00

I don't have a real blog entry today, due to the fact that my hard drive decided to destroy itself. I am left working on my laptop, model year 2000. Hopefully I'll have my main system back up soon. Thanks to Frank, who lost his pictures a few months ago and encouraged me to back things up. I bought Carbonite, so all my data is saved. Thanks again Frank!

Banana Time

2008-09-15T08:23:00.003-04:00

We got the banana wraps on this weekend. I will be replacing them with some nicer aluminum, but at least the trailer can again be towed, and I learned a ton about how to put this part together. I'm thinking about buying a rivet shaver when I take the wraps back off, though. When I drilled the rivets out the first time, some of the holes were deformed. They're ok now, but I don't want to drill again and deform them more. This is Josh, or Klecko Joe, fighting the mosquitos and 99% humidity we had Saturday night. It started pouring rain right after this picture was taken. Klecko Joe went inside to watch TV. I stayed out and kept working in the rain.
The only piece I could not salvage from the original wraps was the one over the rear cross member. If you saw what the original rear cross member looked like, it's not really a surprise. I had a piece of belly pan material left over from some work I did on my 86, and it with some trimming it fit just right.
Of course, the piece I saved was actually 2 pieces put together, so It's got a big ol' line across it. Another reason that I'll be replacing these with new material in the future.
Rivets all bucked and screwed to the underside. Now I have a bone to pick with everybody that has done this in the past and recorded it in their blog: Why didn't you tell me that the belt-line trim piece is attached by these same rivets? OK, it's my fault, I known. I should have realized when I was filling all those holes with rivets that I would be needing some of them to stay empty until I riveted the trim back on. I'll be chiseling rivets (unless I get that rivet shaver) so I can install the trim. Two steps forward, one step back.
This is Jacob, my middle son. Josh has been my primary helper so far, but I think I burned him out yesterday. Literally. It was 88 degrees yesterday, and we were in full sun. Jake was more than willing to step in and help out. He manned the bucking bar, and helped me get the skins all attached. Good work, Jake! I couldn't have done it without you!

One for Frank

2008-09-14T10:17:00.002-04:00

I was playing around with Blogger last week, and tried something new; Google Ads. I didn't like the way they looked, so I took them down. My buddy Frank reminded me that they really detract from my blog. Really, though, I think it's Frank's hippy, anti-commercial bias that is behind his dislike of Google Ads. Too bad. The picture in this post was going to be the next Ad in the Google Ad rotation.

Full Day

2008-09-11T18:08:00.003-04:00

Today, I was able to get almost a full day in on the trailer. I left work at 10:00am, worked until 1:00 when I had to go see a house with my mother-in-law, then got back at it until dinner at around 5:00. Since my helpers were all in school, I used Gorilla Tape to hold the c-channel bolts from underneath. It worked great, and with a pneumatic ratchet I was able to tighten them right down from above. I used a plop of Vulkem underneath each screw and washer to help prevent corrosion.
My banana wraps are in fair shape. By that I mean they are not in very good shape, but they are re-useable. I decided to give them a shot and see what it looks like. Those clekos holding the panel in place are the best invention in the history of mankind.
Once school let out I recruited this little bucker to give me a hand. We got on a roll, and after a few rivets it was like we'd been doing it for years. Bucking rivets is much easier than I had anticipated. Thanks a million to Frank Yensan for lending me the rivet gun and rivets. Frank is the unofficial ambassador for vintage Airstream restorations. His advise, support, and now use of tools has made this project much easier than it would have been otherwise. Frank, I am sure I am speaking for many other restorers when I say that you are the man.
Curb side all riveted back together. The banana wrap looks, eh, decent. I'm not going to be putting the interior skins back on right away, so I'll see how I feel about the wraps after I get back from Rob Baker's installation rally. I might end up drilling these rivets back out to install new wraps, but at least these will get me on the road.

Midget For Rent

2008-09-10T18:16:00.002-04:00

Midget for rent. Good for getting into those hard to reach areas. Will work for cookies. My youngest son, Josh, helping me tighten the c-channel bolts.

Hey, I have made progress!

2008-09-09T18:22:00.002-04:00

Before. I was looking through my pictures when I came across this beauty. Goes to show, even if you only have a little time to work on a project, you can still make progress. I'm calling this my "15 Minute Airstream"; I only get about 15 minutes at a time to work on it, but those minutes add up to hours.
Much, but certainly not all, of the the dirty work is getting closer to completion. Stripping the paint down to bare aluminum will probably be the dirtiest, most tedious work of the entire project. It's bad enough doing it on a bench in my shop, so stripping the ceiling should be a real treat. One panel at a time, one panel a day, and it will be done and definately worth the effort.

Screwing It Down

2008-09-09T18:05:00.002-04:00

Today I was able to get the c-channel screwed down all the way around. It's in place now, ready to be bolted through the floor. Then I can get started bucking rivets. My kids are already fighting over who gets to man the bucking bar. I'm going to try to re-use my banana wraps. They should be fine, but I can always send an order to Airpartsinc.com for some new aluminum if I need to.
I wish I'd used a better quality plywood when I did the floor. There are a few voids, but the wood was literally bathed in Olympic waterproofing when I was prepping the floor for installation, so it should be OK. I also plan to skim the entire subfloor with leveler before I cover it up with whatever flooring I decide to go with.

Learning About Strippers

2008-09-08T08:20:00.003-04:00

I'm starting the think about how I'm going to do my interior. I really like the look of polished aluminum against nice, rich wood. As it's getting darker so much earlier these days, I'm finding myself running out of daylight to work on the trailer outside. I decided to spend some time inside the shop trying to get paint off the interior skins that I had removed. This is what it looked like. Original Zolatone covered with a thick coating of latex. Pretty nasty looking.
Here's my "kit". I got the Aircraft stripper at the local autoparts store, used a sponge covered in a plastic mesh, a pair of my wife's old bluejeans, and a spatula for a scraper. The mineral spirits is used as a final wash to get the dissolved paint off after scraping and scrubbing.
Step one is to put a generous coating of the stripper on the panel and cover it with plastic to keep it from evaporating. I leave it like this for about an hour. Then I remove the plastic and scrape as much of the paint off as I can. Areas that got a light coat of the stripper are tough to remove. Areas where it's gobbed on slough right off easily, so don't skimp on the stripper. Once it's all scraped, I apply another light coat of stripper, wait about 15 minutes, and scrub with the jeans and mesh covered sponge to get the rest of the paint off. I finish by wiping the panel down with mineral spirits to remove all the stripper / paint / muck.
Finished piece ready to install and get polished. There is some oxidation on the panel, but that should come right off with polishing.

Dad's New Toy

2008-09-07T10:40:00.003-04:00

My Dad stopped by work this morning after church to show me his new car. Nissan GT-R. What a machine. 0-60 in 3.4 seconds. I drove it around the block. If I ever drive it again I'm afraid I may end up in jail.
Nice car Dad. You deserve it.

A Good Day to Work

2008-09-05T20:57:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful day I had today. 85 degrees, kids in school, daughter and wife taking a nap, and me with my Airstream. I backed the Land Rover up to the trailer so I could listen to Opie and Anthony on XM while I worked, and I was able to get a good bit done.
I was lucky and my rear piece of c-channel was in good shape when I took it out, so I was able to get it lined up with the original rivet holes and clecko it into place. I've got a few more bolts to put in around the perimeter of the floor that will go through the c-channel, and this allows me to make sure I will have everything in the right position when I bolt it all back together. I'll be using most of the c-channel that Frank Yensan made for me, as most of the rest of the original channel is pretty much gone. Once the c-channel is all installed and bolted down, I'll be placing an order to Airparts for some sheet aluminum and begin riveting the structure all back together. I should be on the road by Rob Baker's installation rally in October.
The rubberized coating stayed pretty flexable, so I went ahead and installed the L-brackets. The more I work on my trailer, the more I enjoy it. It's thrilling getting things back together, and I'm in a zone right now, thinking about how I will do this and how I will do that. It's an absolute joy for me to be outside or in my shop, working with my hands and building something that my family and I will be able to enjoy in the, hopefully, not too distant future.

Making a Part

2008-09-05T08:26:00.005-04:00

This little bugger ties the floors to the frame along the edge of the Airstream. It provides a little bit more "meat" than the aluminum c-channel alone. There are two of them in the rear portion of the trailer, but I lost one somewhere when I was taking everything apart so I had to make another one. Sound familiar Frank?
Of course, nothing is ever simple. I had a piece of angle iron laying around the shop, but it was about 1/2 inch too long and 1/2 inch too tall. As I was too cheap and lazy to go to the hardware store for the size I needed, I decided to cut what I had down to the proper size. First, I cut it to match the length of the original. Then I cut 1/2 inch off each flat with my angle grinder with a cutting wheel. No sparks got into my eyes, but I did get a nice hot spark in my ear. Not in the canal, thankfully. I need to be more fastidious in my use of protection. Eyes, ears, face, and feet. Keep 'em covered.
OK, cut down to the correct size. I next had to mark where I would drill. Sure would be easier if I had a set of transfer punches. It's next on my list, right after a new welder.
Once the holes were marked I drilled. Sure would be easier with a set of drills that weren't dull as a butter knife. New drills are next on my list. Right after, well, you know.
Since I don't have any of the sticky mastic stuff that Airstream used to keep the steel away from aluminum to prevent electrolytic corrosion, I sprayed the parts with rubberized autobody undercoating. It should work great if it keeps it's elasticity once it dries. If it dries hard, I'll have to go to an autobody supply house and find some of that sticky gray stuff.

Godspeed, Powermig Astro Power

2008-09-02T08:33:00.002-04:00

This is my welding machine. It's just a little 110vac mig welder. Made in Italy with the fantastic name "Powermig Astro Power". I got it back in college when I was still racing cars. I had never welded before, but I had a racecar that wouldn't pass technical inspection without having something welded, and I couldn't find a welder. I decided then and there to learn how to weld. I bought this little guy in 1991, and learned. Well, I think I killed it this past weekend while working on my frame. I had been welding for about 30 minutes straight when it suddenly started making some horrible noises, like plastic gears that had stripped and were running past each other. Just terrible. The wire would still feed, but I could not strike an arc. No spark, no heat, no melting metal. Sad. I'm going to see if I can figure it out, but I fear it may be time to look for a new little welding machine.
Here's the last thing we were working on together. I had cut the frame to level it, then I welded it back together. I decided to weld a steel plate across the cut, just to add more strength since I've had to do so much cutting and welding on this area. The weld on the right was done first, and it looked pretty ugly, so I turned the wire feed speed up a hair and layed that pretty weld on the left. What a shame. I was finally starting to get the hang of welding with my little red buddy.

Off Topic Time

2008-08-29T16:12:00.003-04:00

My trailer work has slowed down this week. Two of my kids are playing Pop Warner football this fall, and they have practice every night for nearly 3 weeks. Two hours a night. I love watching them, even if it is cutting into my Airstream work. The quarterback is my middle son, and the runningback, #52, is my youngest son. I've told them they better not get hurt, because I need their help out in the trailer.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2008-08-27T12:52:00.004-04:00

Here I am getting at the frame to make the rear horns level to the rest of the main frame rail.

Yeah, I have some work to do here. I took a Sawzall and cut up about 2/3rds of the way, just forward of the weld. Then I raised the rear with a jack, one side at a time, until it was level with the rest of the frame.
Once it was level, I put the heat to it. Crappy picture, but it came out better than I thought it would. The welds ain't pretty, but they're solid.

Sunday Morning Confession.

2008-08-24T08:12:00.003-04:00

I have made a mistake. Not only did I make a mistake, but I was going to try to cover my mistake up. Try to hide it from everyone. I think I could have pulled it off, but I would not have been able to live with it. You see, when I welded my newly built rear frame horns onto my existing frame, I did not take enough care to ensure that it was all lined up, straight and level. The worst part about it is that when I tack welded everything in place, I actually saw that the rear of the frame did not quite match up. I figured it was only off a hair, so it was good enough. Well, it was not until I got the wood floor in and was bolting it up that I realized that my mistake was a pretty big one. Look at the gap I have between the rear crossmember and the floor. It's nearly 3/4 of an inch. I got disgusted with myself and walked away from the trailer for a week. I thought about building a spacer out of aluminum to take up the space. Then I thought about making a spacer out of steel. Then I started thinking that I could just use wood to take up the space. However, like Frank told me; if it ain't right, it's wrong. Today I'm going to take the rear piece of plywood out, cut the frame, and reweld it level. Fix it right. It's my trailer, it's my hobby, and it's my therapy. I need to do it right.
Thank you to Frank for giving me the balls to post my mistake on my blog. It's a little bit humbling to show everybody my mistake, but if it keeps others from doing the same thing, then I feel good about it. Thanks again to Frank for lending me his rivet gun, bucking bar, and rivets. Hopefully soon I'll be putting them to use. And a huge thanks to Rob Baker for delivering the rivet gun to my trailer. He brought it up from Baltimore for me and dropped it off before he went away on a trip with his family. If you understand how little time Rob gets to spend with his family, you realize what a huge thing it is for him to take a the time to help me out. With friends like these guys, I am truely blessed.

I Am Floored

2008-08-06T08:36:00.002-04:00

After some sweating, swearing, and swinging a mallet I have the floor laying inside my trailer. The barbell weights are holding down some warping until I my elevator bolts come in from Vintage Trailer Supply. Once I get it fastened to the frame, I can install the C-channel that Frank bent up for me. Then I'll be making and installing new banana wraps. Once I have those I can get riveting and have this thing road worthy again. I may be sleeping on a cot, heating with a kerosene heater, and peeing in a port-a-pottie, but I will be at Rob's installation rally with my trailer.

Picking Up Steam

2008-08-03T08:39:00.002-04:00

Rob Baker came to visit me at work yesterday. It was really nice to see him, and I appreciate that he took the time to stop in. Rob has been one of my best friends since kindergarten, and it's always nice to catch up with him face to face rather that through a computer screen. We talked Airstreams a little bit, and I got all excited to work on my project when I got out at 6:00pm. What a beautiful evening it was! I had installed the rear most piece of flooring last week, but then I learned that I have to install the front pieces first and work back. So out came the rear piece, and in I slid the piece between the wheel wells. I stalled here, as somehow I ended up with the wrong thickness of plywood for the middle piece. Yeah, I cut it and waterproofed it before I discovered that it was wrong. Since I didn't have the right thickness plywood laying around the shop, and it was too nice a night to drive 25 minutes to Lowes, I was done for the night. Frustrating.
Rob told me that he has a water decal for Long Lake. Well, my father-in-law Roger (Ramjet) has plenty of space for you to courtesy park! Lake Eaton Campground is also in Long Lake, right across the lake from our cottage. Let's make plans. You can even bring that long haired hippy friend of ours with you.

Slave Labor

2008-07-29T18:42:00.002-04:00

Getting ready to weld some steel on the already painted frame. Got to grind the POR-15 off first. By the way, those shoes are OSHA approved.
All the kids wanted to help out, so I put them to work washing the Airstream. It was probably the first bath it's had in 10 years or more.
Once I got the scum off, the trailer actually looked really, really nice! Check out the reflection in the skin. That's dry aluminum, not wet shiney aluminum. Not bad for 47 years old.
I will not polish this trailer. She shines as she sits. I cleaned the scum to about 4 or 5 inches above the drip edge. Maybe it acted as a preservative all these years.

Watching the kids...

2008-07-29T18:22:00.004-04:00

Laurie worked today, so I got to spend the whole day with my kids. When my daughter went down for a nap, the boys and I went out behind the shop to do some final work on the frame. About 5 minutes into it, the welder quit. Out of wire. Great.
So, I made the most of it and went and laid down with my daughter and took a nap. When she woke up, we all took a ride to the hardwear store for a spool of wire. I know i should have bought two, but they last so long...
Here's what I was cleaning up. The frame had some pretty thin spots. I noticed them when I was painting the frame, but ignored them. I wouldn't be able to put wood over it, though, so I had to fix it. I drilled holes through the thicker metal, then spot welded good metal across the weak.
Yeah, I saw this when I was painting the frame. I chose to ignore it. It chose to keep me awake at night thinking about it.
"Hey Dad, can I put water on it and watch it steam?"

UPDATE!

2008-07-28T08:33:00.002-04:00

I've sort of stalled on my trailer project lately. Too much work, too many trips to the beach, too many basketball games in the driveway with the kids, and too many "honey do's" have taken their toll. I still need to finish the last bit of welding on the frame, but the weather has not cooperated at all. It's been raining a lot, and I don't want to take my welder out of the shop and get it wet. I will have a window of time to work on it tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be sliding the new floor in soon.

I looked up some pictures of my old 1986 32 footer for inspiration. I love the vintage units so much more than the one I had. It was more like an apartment with fine wood, lots of plastic, and just a general feeling of cheesiness to it. I'm into things that are utilitarian. Tools. Cars with rubber floors rather than carpet. Old land Rovers that you can clean out with a hose. Things like that. My vintage trailer will be nice, but it will be utilitarian. Something I can take the family to the wilderness with and not have to worry about. It will have rod lockers for fishing poles. It will have an area for a cooler to keep bait. It will not have carpeting, and it will not feel like 5th Avenue on Wheels (sorry about that , Wally). Self contained, off the grid, base for exploration. It will get used, get dirty, and be loved. More like a Super Cub on bush wheels and less like a Lear jet. And like a Super Cub, it will be coveted by my children. Unlike the Lear, which is most times just turned back in at the end of the lease. Unloved.

Shop Time

2008-07-17T09:37:00.003-04:00

I was able to get out to the shop last night. I used the old, rear most piece of flooring as a template and traced the shape onto a sheet of new 19/32" plywood. The piece of painted wood holding the two halves together came in very handy when lining everything up. Then I screwed the whole deal to the new plywood so it wouldn't move around, got out my pencil and traced it. I used the good edge to make a cardboard template for the rotted edge, then I just flipped it and used the mirror image to trace my line.

Now to to hardware store to get some paint brushes so I can apply the Olympic water sealer. I always need to buy new paintbrushes. That will happen when you have 3 boys who like to do "projects", but don't like cleaning brushes. That's why I use the $0.79 ones from True Value.

Getting Materials

2008-07-15T22:11:00.002-04:00

I took a trip to Lowes today to get plywood for the floor. I went with 19/32" flooring, which acording to my caliper is the same thickness as the original. I was going to use marine plywood, but after striking out with all of my local suppliers and cabinet makers, and discovering that if I ordered it shipping would cost almost twice the price of the plywood, I went with regular old plywood. I also bought a gallon of Olympic waterproof for wood to protect it. That's my 1973 Land Rover that I used to get it home, and the reason I have the name RoverOwner on Airforums. 2 sheets of plywood, 13 bags of mulch, 4 kids, 1 dog, 1 wife, a bag of garbage that I forgot to drop in the dumpster at work, and me all fit in there. Gotta love everything vintage, when having a utility vehicle meant utility and not fashion.
Yeah, about that mulch that I mentioned above. I didn't get to do any actual work on the trailer when we got home as laurie had other plans for me...

The Vintage Trailer Jam

2008-07-13T21:51:00.004-04:00

My boys and I headed to Saratoga last Saturday to check out the Vintage Trailer Jam. What an awesome spectacle! Seeing all the old trailers got me that much more fired up to get my own finished. The best part was finally meeting in person all of the people I have gotten to know on line in the Airstream community. The reason I took time out from a family vacation and drove 2 hours, though, was to meet Frank Yensan in person and get a close up look at Anna. Frank, along with Rob Baker, have fueled my passion for vintage trailers and been a guiding light in my restoration. Frank even brought my c-channel up from Baltimore for me. What a guy. Check out the picture of me and The Man. As Sheriff Beuford T. Justice once said "You sounded a bit taller on radio".
Chatting up the ladies. Frank too time out from baking pies and entertaining me to answer this gracious older woman's questions.
My boys, watching a man cook for the first time in the lives. They're wondering if baking power and baking soda are interchangable, too.
As I walked around the field looking at all the beautiful rigs, what struck me was the number of young families and kids that were camping. I got a feel of why I got back into Airstreams with a vintage unit this time. It's all about fun. There was no regimentation that I saw, no "bull pen", nobody in a suit and tie. Just kids running all over the place, strollers galore, friends hanging out, pies being baked, and even an inflatable kiddie pool being blown up. It was a really cool vibe and I can't wait until I can park with these guys and join the fun. I will definately have my trailer ready for Rob's installation rally come October.

Ready For The Floor

2008-07-06T18:18:00.003-04:00

The frame is now done! My welder finally came by this morning and did his thing. I spent last night giving my frame a coat of POR-15, and today I put on another coat and also painted the area that was just welded. I'll have to hit that area again, since it's recommended to use two coats with POR-15 to ensure good coverage. My left leg looks like a leopard from the knee down, as I was kneeling in drips while I was painting. Oh well, it wears off in 3 weeks. At least I didn't get any on my face (this time. I had a bad expeience once while coating the underside of a Land Rover)

Some non-Airstream news: Last night I got a call from the Chenango Couty Sheriff's office at 3:00am telling me that my drug store had been broken into. I headed to town to meet the deputy and check out the damage. Thankfully, it was minor. No drugs were taken (thank God), and they only got a small amount of cash. The criminal cut himself on the door glass on the way in, and left a nice blood trail leading right to the back door of his house. I'm good friends with the lead investigator, so I got to help him track the blood. It felt like I was looking for a shot deer. After a few hundred yards, we lost the trail but my friend really amazed me when he spotted footpints in a newly mowed lawn that he followed until we picked up the blood trail again. How he saw those footprints I have no idea. He was standing over them telling me "Look, right here! See how they go over there...". I couldn't see a damn thing, but he sure could. When we got near where the trail ended and it went toward a house, he unholstered his gun and told me to go back to the drug store and wait. It's amazing the set of balls police officers have when they deal with this sort of stuff. My friend has a wife and two beautiful kids at home, and here he was going alone to the door of someone who was obviously unstable. The suspect was not at home, but I shudder to think what could have happened if he had been. My friend, John Fern, has my utmost respect and admiration. Later in the day they tracked down the suspect, arrested him, and got my money back. All in all, what started out as a very bad day and ended up being an amazing experience. Not that I hope it happens ever again, mind you.

By the way, Frank, check out my carpentry skills. Yup, did that myself.

D.I.Y.

2008-06-30T08:19:00.003-04:00

My rear frame piece has been done for about a week and I've been waiting for my welder to come and attach it. My 110 welder is OK for small jobs, or larger jobs when I can position the piece for easy welding. However, I cannot get it to produce a good weld from below, or even on a vertical face most times. So I contacted a guy I know, worked out a time, and then he did not show up. Twice. I have been pretty bummed out, number one because I had to ask for help which I hate to do, but also because the welding was the "next step". I have other things to do, but until the welding is done I can't finish POR-15'ing the frame, can't get the wood flooring on, etc.

So yesterday, I went out and tack welded everything in place. It's still not really solid, but at least it's out of the shop and on the trailer. Psycologically, this is huge for me. I can move forward.

Le dimensioni per il canale

2008-06-29T09:27:00.002-04:00

Frank Yensan is going to bend me some c-channel to replace my corroded originals. These are the dimensions he will use to replicate.

Ready to stick on the stinger.

2008-06-24T21:30:00.002-04:00

The rear frame is all built and ready to be welded to the original frame. I had some trimming of both the old frame and the new piece to do to make sure that everything ends up square. If I'd been more precise about cutting the old one off and building the new piece, I could have skipped that. Oh well. Live and learn. I had to jack up the body to get enough clearance to get the new piece in place and lined up.
There she is. In place and ready for the heat.
The gap between the rear skin and the frame had me concerned. Since the dimensions are exactly the same as the day it left the factory, I'm sure it's proper, and when I rivet the skin to the c-channel everything will come out alright.

This picture does not do justice to the absolute mess I made of my shop. It felt like I was walking around on sand from all the steel fragments generated during the cutting and grinding of steel. At least I didn't get anything in my eyes when all the sparks were flying. I've heard that can be bad.

Baby Steps

2008-06-22T08:58:00.003-04:00

This is the end of the frame that I have modified so that I can have the bumper bolted on instead of welded on. This silly little piece took me about 6 hours to make. And I had to make two of them. It probably would have taken me half an hour to make them both, but I seem to be in the habit of working on the Airstream for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Between helping with the garden, running errands for the Missus, pulling splinters out of feet, lighting the grill, eating dinner, giving my daughter a bath, and myriad other things that come with being a father, husband, and slave. This is the (almost) finished piece. I still have to weld them to the frame, but it was after midnight at this point, and I was whipped.

OK - step one: Tack weld your steel plate to the frame. Find the center where the hole will be drilled. Well, this is step two. Step one is to rummage around in my pile of steel bits and pieces to find a couple chunks of metal that will work with the minimum amount of cutting, grinding, and sweating. These ones just needed a little trimming and they were perfect.

Next step: Drill a hole for your bolt to fit. Since this bolt will be holding a heavy bumper to a frame, it needed to be pretty big. Which means it would need a pretty big hole. Which means that, since the whole thing is too big to fit in my drill press, it would be a bitch to drill with a hand drill. Do this twice.
Step 3 (4?): Put your bolt in the hole, put the nut on it, and weld the nut to the plate. Make sure not to clean up the weld before taking pictures so that it looks like metalic seagull poop on camera rather than a good, solid weld.
And here's what you get. Clean, simple, and if I tweak my bumper pulling out of the driveway, I can easily remove it to repair the damage. Like Wally said, "Make no changes, only improvements".

More Frame Work.

2008-06-18T08:28:00.002-04:00

Last night after work I got back out to the shop for a couple hours. I had to take a break when my son came to tell me that there was water coming out of the ceiling below one of the bathrooms. Seems one of the boys was experimenting with hydrodynamics and wave theory during his bath. Nice. Oh well, it'll give me a good story to tell around the Thanksgiving table in years to come.
This in one of the welds, half ground down. My welder is only working on 110 volts, but I was able to get good penetration for a good, strong weld.
Weld all fininshed. It's not perfect, but if there are any imperfections that are visible after it's all mounted on the trailer, I'll fill it with lead and smooth it out.
Harbor Freight tools rock!
Don't forget to wear a long sleeve shirt when you weld. I earned myself a nice sunburn on my left arm. Sometimes I'm stupid.

Makin' Sparks.

2008-06-17T18:29:00.003-04:00

I measured the steel that I cut out of the frame and headed to my local metal store. They had the exact steel for the frame rails, but they would have had to fabricate the cross member. That would have cost around $150 for the labor alone. I made an executive decision to use the same material for the cross member that I'm using for the frame rails. It'll weight a little bit more, but it'll work.
I'm boxing the ends of the frame rail that will be visible behind the bumper. That's how Wally did it. One change I will be making is to weld some captive nuts inside this cavity that the bumper will bolt to. That way I can remove the bumper if it gets damaged without having to grind off welds. Another thing I'm considering is to use a late model aluminum bumper instead of the heavy stock steel one. That should offset the added weight I put in there with the beefier crossmember. If I do use the newer bumper, I'll have to shorten it to make it fit.
That's better. I had to get to work by 6:00pm tonight, so I've still got some welding to do and lots of sanding of welds. I made sure I had time to put my tools away and snap some pictures for the blog before I had to leave.
Oof. That bumper definately needs work. Anybody have a spare aluminum bumper laying around that they'd like to donate to the cause?

Cutting out the cancer.

2008-06-14T09:14:00.003-04:00

I have worked 8 days in a row now. No big deal, but what bothers me is that I have not been able to get out to work on the trailer in all that time. Last night I decided I'd had enough. I needed to get out and work with my hands. It's therapy for me. No cranky customers, no needy employees, no doctors waiting on the line to talk to me. Just me, my tools, some tunes playing, and, if I'm lucky, one or two of my kids will come poking around looking to help. Here's what I did during my therapy session. Out came the sawzall and off came the back eighteen inches of frame. I had a boy on each end of the bumper holding it up as I cut. That frame section and bumper is heavy! I didn't realize it until I picked it up to bring it into the shop.
I had thought about just rebuilding what I've got, but since the bumper has to come off for the repair, I have decided to build this entire section out of new steel. You can see the cancer in the far frame rail. It's bad. Sorry about the crappy picture. It's about 10:00pm at this point, and I normally go to bed nice and early. I think I got tired.
The bumper is free from the frame. I used a cutting wheel on my angle grinder to cut through the welds. I'm thinking about making up an arrangement so that the bumper bolts to the frame when I get this all back together. You never know when you might snag a stone wall with your bumper or something pulling out of your driveway and have to repair it.
Everything marked so I know where things go next week when I build the new piece.

Back to business.

2008-06-05T21:13:00.002-04:00

Today I spent most of the afternoon and evening getting busy on the trailer. Since I don't get another day off for the next 12 days, I figured I'd better make the most of today. I got the rest of the old flooring out, the banana wraps off, the c-channel out, and I started cleaning up the frame to get ready for welding and application of POR-15. When the kids got out of school, my youngest son, Josh (Old Reliable), came out to give me a hand. He's such a help at 7 years old, I can't wait to see what kind of projects we can do together when he's 13 or 14.
I'm going to cut the frame off on both sides about 15 inches in from where it attached to the bumper. It looks like I'm going to have to fabricate this entire piece of the frame from new metal. It will be better than new when I'm done, and stronger too, as I plan to mount my spare tire on the bumper. The rest of the frame is in very good shape, however. I will have patch some holes that were cut in the frame where some PO ran plumbing, but other than that it's just a wire brush and POR-15. I'm going to have to talk to Frank about how he mounted his grey water tank and copy what he did, which means modifying the frame a little bit.
Don't worry Jenna. Daddy knows how to weld!
The ubiquitous "water heater replacement patch". At some point in the past the propane hot water heater was removed and a residential 10 gallon unit put in its place. Then the "craftsman" used sheet metal screws to attach a piece of aluminum to cover the hole. I'll have to decide what to do here once I decide what kind of hot water heater I'm going to use. Anybody have a TwinTemp unit they want to sell cheap?

Cash Cow.

2008-06-04T20:19:00.002-04:00

Please excuse the interruption. This is the 1968 Triumph that I just finished building. I picked it up as a project last summer and have been tinkering with it ever since. When the Airstream came along last February, I knew I had to finish the bike soon or else it would never get done. So for the past few months I have split my time between the Triumph and the Airstream. Now that the bike is finished, it will be going up on Ebay to generate some cash for the trailer project. I've now built a couple of these bikes and it is very theraputic, and also quite profitable. I made many parts for this in my shop, including the piston tail light, fender, kickstand, battery box, killer crossover exhaust pipes, seat mounts, brake and shift rod, re-worked fork internals, and much more. I'll be sorry so see it go, but then there's that georgeous Airstream behind the shop that needs my lovin'.

A different kind of first cut.

2008-06-03T20:33:00.002-04:00

Cutting and getting the plywood out was really much more easy than I had anticipated. Once I had the cut made with the circular saw, I pulled up one side, lifted it out, then lifted the 2nd side out.
The rear section of plywood was a little bit more challenging, but still not bad. There was one elevator bolt that I had missed, and a few screws still in the c-channel that I had to undo, but once they were out the wood came right out as nice as you please. The rear streetside section of wood was pretty far gone, but I think I should be able to use it for a template without problem.
I was left with a pretty good mess to clean up before I get to work on the frame. I still have to detach what was left of the banana wraps, take out the old ducting, and clean all the dirt and debris out so I have a comfortable working environment. Oh yeah, I also have another piece of plywood to get out; the one that goes up between the wheel wells. I'm taking that out so I can refurbish the frame up there and also so I can fit a nice grey water tank. There was no time to do anymore tonight, since the kids (and one of their friends) were pretty anxious to get to their little league game. Family first, right?

2008-06-02T08:42:00.002-04:00

Original Zolatone that was not painted over. Dirty but restorable.

The original Zolatone paint in my trailer was painted over by a previous owner. It seems like they used a latex paint, but I'm not sure. I tried a paint stripper, hoping that it would soften the paint and not affect the Zolatone, but it did not work that well. Actually, as a stripper, it worked very well meaning that the Zolatone came off with the latex in some spots. I next tried a Scotch Brite pad in a drill, and that worked a little bit, but again in some spots the Zolatone came off as well.

Does anybody have a tip that will allow me to restore the original finish? If not, I'll be making an appointment with Don's paintgun at Chevy Ave Restorations.

On my back in the dirt.

2008-05-30T08:24:00.007-04:00

When it came to removing the bolts securing the plywood to the frame, I was a little bit intimidated. The wood is bolted to the frame with "elevator bolts". One of my kids asked me why they are called elevator bolts. I told him it's because they use a lot of them to build elevators. He seemed satisfied with the answer. You have to remove these bent, rusted, 47 year old (in my case) fasteners some how. I was not looking forward to it.

When I was underneath the trailer looking at these little suckers, I was cursing the sadistic Airstream line worker who put them in years ago. I was thinking that he must have been having a bad day and decided to make life a living hell for whoever restored this trailer someday. It looked like there were 50 of them for every 4 feet of floor.

My first attempt at removing them was to put a 1/2 inch open end wrench on the nut and give it a try. Bent, rusty, 47 year old parts that were designed not to come apart do not come apart that easily. Nice try. My second attempt involved an angle grinder. It worked, but I almost caught my hair on fire with the sparks. Note - it was a Harbour Freight angle grinder. If I'd had a DeWalt or Milwaukee grinder all I would have had to do is wave it at the bolts and they would have fallen right out. Finally, I was on Skype with Rob one evening and I asked him how he did it. He said it was easy. He just wrote a check to Colin at GSM. Rob was, however, chatting with Frank on another channel at the time so he asked him for me. A few minutes later Rob replied that all I had to do was grab the nut with some Vise Grips, wiggle it back and forth, and it would come right out. I thought they were pulling my leg.

When will I learn to trust? Sure enough, all I had to do was get a good grip on the nut, wiggle it a bit, and it snapped right off. The first one I thought was a fluke it came off so easily. But it was no fluke. They all came apart just as easily. Sometimes it was a challenge to get a good grip on the nut, but once on there it was "wiggle, wiggle, snap".

After they were all off, I went back and used a punch to push the broken stud up through the floor. Some were trapped under the old linoleum, but a tap with a hammer and they broke right through. Next is to remove the bolts holding the c-channel from above, cut the wood, and remove the floor.

No work today.

2008-05-26T22:55:00.002-04:00

The Airstream stayed at home while the family and I went to Long Lake in the Adirondacks on Sunday and Monday. As much as I enjoy working on my trailer, I enjoy being with my family even more. Some day, when the Airstream is done, I'll be able to enjoy both at the same time. This picture is taken on a 30 foot by 30 foot granite boulder that is a little island in Lake Eaton, town of Long Lake, NY.

Tonight after dinner...

2008-05-25T08:31:00.000-04:00

My friend Don Dubois told me when I first started having kids, "It's not about quality time, it's about quantity of time". I try to spend as much time with my kids as I can, even when it would be easier to do a job by myself. Last night my youngest son wanted to help me work on the trailer, so out to the trailer we went. Our job was to drill out some rivets holding the inner skin on, so we got to it. After helping Josh drill the first 5 rivets or so, I let him go at it. He was able to get almost all of them himself, and we had a great time. What I thought would be slow going turned out to be a great discovery: my son has great mechanical intuition and sympathy. He never forced the drill, if a rivet started to spin on the drill he figured out what to do, and he never got frustrated. Not bad for a kid! Notice the iPod player near Josh's feet: We listen to The VAP while we work. I'll take care of the higher rivets
If you look closely, you can see a black line drawn down along the wall between the windows. I'll cut the aluminum sheet here with my shears. When I put it back I'll patch it together with a strip of aluminum so that it all looks almost factory installed. I am doing it like this because I'm only doing the back half of the trailer, but this sheet runs nearly the entire length.

A tip from Frank

2008-05-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

I spoke to my guru, Frank (from Handmade Trailer Company), tonight for some guidance in my trailer restoration. He gave me a tip that will aid tremendously in using the old floor for the template when I cut the plywood for the new floor. I screwed a piece of plywood onto the old floor right above where I will be making a cut with my circular saw. I then spray painted all the way around it, making sure to get the top of the board, the sides of the board, and also on the old floor that's still in the trailer. When this dries, I will take the plywood off, make my cut, and will then have a way to orient the template back to it's original shape. This way I will not have to worry about the thickness that was taken away by the thickness of the saw blade. The paint will allow me to get everything lined back up when I trace my new flooring for cutting.
Rear trim removed and rivets drilled. Getting ready to take off the rest of the belly pan so I can get to work on the frame.

Some time to work.

2008-05-18T18:26:00.000-04:00

The wife and kids were still in the Adirondacks today, so I had a good chunk of time to play in the Airstream after getting out of work at 1:00pm. I pulled the lower interior walls out in the back, and was very surprised to see that the insulation was in such good shape. I've heard horror stories about mouse urine soaked insulation, dead critters, etc. It was raining pretty good today, and it looks like water is getting in someplace and making it moist in the rear curbside corner. I'll have to investigate that further.
Next step: Get all the elevator bolts out of the floor, get the screws out that are helping hold the c-channel in place, cut the floor, and get ready for some welding. I love working with metal, so I can't wait to get at it.

Digging deeper.

2008-05-18T11:49:00.001-04:00

The back half of the trailer is now gutted. I took this picture before the curbside bed platform was removed as I was running out of daylight and I wanted to get photos for the blog. Everything from the kitchen walls back is out. Well, except for all the crap, dirt, and dust all over the floor. That all comes out this afternoon. Then I can get started on pulling the floor up, so I can get started on the frame repairs, so I can install a grey tank, so I can get started on plumbing...one step at a time.
Pile of "templates" ready to go to Frank.

Getting back at it

2008-05-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

It's been 2 months since my last blog entry. I have all of the normal excuses; other projects to wrap up, home repairs, spring cleaning, little league games and practices to attend, too many work hours, etc. Well, most of that is done and I can now focus on the trailer again. Here's a picture of the Airstream peaking out from behind the shop, wondering where I am.
I got the black tank out and took the closet flange off. Like most things, what should have been a simple job turned into a real job. The flange was held onto the tank with pounds of JB Weld. I spent one evening chipping most of that off so that I could unscrew the flange from the tank.
I was very careful about not damaging the black tank, at it appeared to be in good shape. However, once I got all the JB Weld off, I found some serious damage to the area where the flange screws in. I guess now I know why the PO used JB Weld. I'm looking into having a stainless black tank built by the welder that Rob Baker uses. I'm going to try and use the philosophy of "fix it once, fix it forever" on this project, so a nice stainless tank makes sense.
Anybody need a closet flange?

"Time for your bath (tub)!"

2008-03-07T08:28:00.000-05:00

Last night Rob and I spent a few hours in my shop, prepping and painting our bathtubs. Above, my son Joey checks the sinks prostate.
Peek a boo! Messy shop, dirty tubs, hard work, great friend.
Here's Rob's tub. It came out very nice. Once I get done adding the green glitter flake it'll be even nicer!

No Components Were Harmed During the Deconstruction of this Airstream.

2008-03-05T08:23:00.000-05:00

Well, now we're getting into it. Yesterday we finally had some warm weather (33 degrees) and I was able to get out into the trailer to get more pieces out. I'm going nice and slow, being careful to take everything apart without destroying anything. Serendipidously, as I was working on getting the curb-side closet out I was listenting to old episodes of The VAP, and they were talking about going slow and finding all of the hidden fasteners. With their guidance I was able to find the two screws underneath the bed that go into the closet. Thanks guys!
This is where the magic happens. I have finished refurbishing the vanity,and it came out beautifully. It is set aside and now I'm working on the vanity counter top and medicine cabinet. The plywood top had delaminated in one spot, so I've glued it back and clamped it. I'm having a blast bringing this stuff back to life.
Here's something I said I would never do: bag and label fasteners. I have rebuilt a few motorcycles and have never had to resort to this kind of organization. However, I think it is going to be a very good idea since a 1961 Airstream has so much hardware to keep track of, especially when compared to a Triumph motorcycle of the same vintage.

Out for refurb.

2008-02-25T08:50:00.000-05:00

After wrestling with the vanity for a few days, and then wrestling with the tub drain for another few days, I've got most of the bathroom out. I took my time and was very careful, as I want to be able to put everything back in after I've had a chance to clean it up and rebuild what needs rebuilding. I could have new custom cabinetry made, but I like the utilitarian feel of the original furniture and cabinetry.
Hey Frank, your trailer is one year newer than mine, but your tub is 17 days older.
On the bench and ready to be cleaned up for re-use.
This is the only spot on the vanity that will need to be cut away. I need to decide if I want to just replace the rotten wood, or replace the entire vanity front with new plywood. Opinions? Keep in mind that I am not a woodworker.

Say hello to Pete.

2008-02-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I spent a few hours in the back of my trailer taking the bathroom apart. I had a heater going, the music playing, and I was just grooving along. By the time I had finished up, it was nearly dark so I did not get a chance to look things over. Today when I went out to the trailer, I found this. Apparently, "Pete" worked in the Airstream factory back in the early 1960's. He left his name on the vanity underneath the counter top. I have decided that I shall name my trailer in honor of this unknown worker. This worker obviously had a sense of history, and was aware that this trailer that he was building would not end up in a dump rotting as it aged. Pete realised that he was building something worthwhile and had such pride in his workmanship that he wanted somebody, years later when the trailer was refurbished, to see his mark and appreciate what he did. Pete, I salute you.

Not to worry, Frank.

2008-02-14T08:49:00.000-05:00

I heard from a good friend that Frank was worried that I had lost my fire since I haven't posted on my blog in a while. The fire is there, not to worry. However, the thermometer has been in the single digits for much of the past 2 weeks, making getting out and working on the trailer very uncomfortable. This is supposed to be fun, and working in the freezing cold is not fun for me.
Somehow my door locked itself, so I enlisted the help of my 9 year old son, Jake, to crawl in through a hatch and save the day. Good thing I got rid of the big mouse nest that he would have had to crawl through to get into the trailer!
Even though it has been cold, I have been busy working on the trailer little by little in my heated shop. Here is a stack of drawers from the kitchen area, all cleaned up and ready to go back in (once the area that they go back into is ready).
Screwdriver, meet Airstream. Airstream, this is Screwdriver.
Progress. I can tell already that this will take much longer than I had anticipated, but that's ok. The process is fun. I have heard many people comment on how much they learned during the process of rebuilding their own Airstream, and I look forward to enjoying the same type of education.

And There Was Light.

2008-01-30T08:33:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to plugging in the trailer to see what kind of shape the electrics are in. Well, so sparks, no smell of burning wires or whiffs of ozone. All of the lights lit up like they are supposed to. That's good. Next step will be to hook up a battery and check the 12 volt circuit. The previous owner lost the keys to the trailer so I can't open the access hatch to where the power cord is stored. That's ok, just run the cord out the window.

Anybody know where I can find a porch light? I heard there's a guy on eBay selling them.
I started cleaning up some of the woodwork to see what it would look like without all the dirt. An application of cotton cleanser followed by some wood feeder with bees wax really brought out the shine. The original (?) hardware cleaned up nicely with 0000 steel wool, but is a little bit pitted. If I can determine that this hardware is actually original to the trailer I'll keep it, otherwise it will be replaced with new.
Next I hope to pull the carpet and inspect the entire floor from above. I have signed up for the East Coast Vintage Rally being put on by the VAC in June. My goal is to be ready to roll for that. I have to get this thing cleaned up first so laurie will want to go.

Not as bad as it seems.

2008-01-26T17:32:00.001-05:00

The trailer is actually in very good shape. In the above picture you can see the only really significant floor rot. Old (and new) Airstreams tend to leak, and then the water sits on the floor and rots it out. I will be taking out flooring front and rear to deal with some frame rot, however. I'll probably replace it with marine plywood for a good, long lasting repair.
Some of the frame rot that I found. This is in the rear on the street side.
Above is a picture of the floor just under the entry door. This section is almost always a problem on Airstreams. This floor is in good shape.

2008-01-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more "before" pictures. I want to be able to look back and laugh while I'm parked on the beach in North Carolina, enjoying a beer underneath my awning with Laurie while our kids splash away in the surf. That's the goal. I'm going to have to get rid of this mouse nest first, though. Ugh.

Safe At Home

2008-01-26T17:02:00.001-05:00

Home safe and sound in the driveway. I was going to take her for a bath at the carwash, but we received about 4 inches of snow overnight. Just enough to make the roads a sloppy mess.

So, as long as I was unable to clean the outside, I decided to get busy digging all the crap from the inside. What a mess! I hope to have this ready to go by early summer. A little elbow grease, a couple dollars for parts, and we'll be on the road!Right Laurie?

"If you buy it, I'll help you get it!"

2008-01-26T14:06:00.000-05:00

My friend Rob goaded me into buying the trailer by promising to help me go pick it up. I happily took him up on the offer, as Rob has got lots of experience in picking these things up. I loaded every hand tool I could into the van, along with 2 twenty ton bottle jacks, 1 floor jack, 1 hi-lift jack, 5 good rims, 4 new tires and 1 not-so-new-but-still-looks-good tire, $130 worth of bearings, races, and seals, temporary electrical lights, and lots of Mountain Dew, SoBe energy drinks, a thermos full of coffee and five pounds of Slim Jims and picked Rob up at his house at 3:00am. We had made it to Cape Cod by 8:30am with the intention of changing to the new tires and replacing or at least repacking the bearings before the long tow home. However, on the ride out we had been talking to our friend Frank who gave us the advise of "Just hook on and tow, man". We took his advise. We blew up the tires, re-wired the connection from van to trailer and headed down the road.

We found out that we had trailer brakes as soon as I stepped on the brake pedal, which was odd since I did not have any brake controller on the van. We decided to drive with the brake lights activating the brakes on the trailer until we tried to puill away from the first stop sign. With the blinkers blinking for a left hand turn, I took my foot off the brake and our rig lurched in time with the flashing of the blinker. Yup, somehow out blinkers were wired into our trailer brakes! No problem, out came the wire cutters and we were on the road without brakes.

We made it home with no problems, except for once when one of the brakes on the trailer decided to lock up coming out of a toll plaza. Quick pull over and check, the problem went away and we drove the rest of the way home without incident. 720 miles, 18.25 miles per gallon, and 16 hours with my good buddy Robbie.

I need to go vintage...

2008-01-26T13:14:00.000-05:00

"I need to go Vintage". That was my thought back a few months ago when I started to feel the itch again; the aluminum itch. So I started searching eBay, the Airstreamforums.com classifieds, and every other classified site and vintage trailer dealer I could find. Finally, I found what I was looking for. It was a 1961 Airstream Ambassador 28 foot travel trailer. To be honest, at this point in my life I do not need another project. There are many other things I should probably be directing my time, energy, and money towards right now. Thank God I had my friends Rob and Frank to push me over the edge and back into Airstream ownership. And thank God for my lovely and understanding wife Laurie, who had initially suggested that I not buy an Airstream right now. Of course I listened to her an intended to respect her wishes, but somehow one night in January I managed to hit the "Buy It Now" button on an eBay auction. That night I approached Laurie, hat in hand and feeling low, and told her what I had done. As I watched the smile spread across her face, I knew that I had made the right choice in hitting that button as well as in chosing my life partner.