"Time for your bath (tub)!"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.