Leaks,Leaks, Leaks

Well, I think I've got two more leaks fixed. It's raining right now, so that will surely be my leak detector. The first leak was around the vent for the refrigerator. I finally ended up removing the cap over the vent. The cap is Fiberglas and was faded. Since it was off, I painted it with a shiny aluminum finish, using a Rust-o-lium spray paint. Since it was over fiberglass, its not real shiny but better than it was. Next step was to use Vulcram <sp?> to seal the joint between the vent and the surface of the Airstream. I also sealed the joint about 1/2 unch above the Airstream surface. A leak test showed that water was rising above that lip and getting in.

The second leak was around the jalousy window frame. I had to seal a couple of areas where there was a 90 degree but joint on the frame. It's mostly sealed, but there is still a nagging leak someplace on the lower frame.

Rebuilding the Closet

I started rebuilding the double closet. I used 1/4 inch birch from Lowes. A single piece of plywood was enough for both ends. THe plywood cost about $25.

I first disassembles the closet in the trailer, by knocking off the end pieces with a large hammer. I had already unfastened the closet from the trailer walls, which also required removing the tambor door mount going across the trailer to the tile wall portion of the tub area.

The first step I took in rebuilding the closet was to cut off the very bottom of the front of the closet. The wood, where it touched the floor, was in pretty bad shape. I replaced the section with a 1x2 piece of poplar. A jigsaw worked well for cutting off the bottom. I used a guide, set at the proper distance and clamped using C-clamps, to make sure I cut a straight line with the jigsaw. I used a fairly fine blade, about 10 teeth per inch. To mount the poplar, I countersunk some holes in the bottom and used drywall screws. One thing to look out for is that Airstreams uses big staples to hold joints together. Make sure to remove them before cutting.

I ran into a bit of a problem with one of the doors. The new bottoms went up a bit too high on one of the doors, causing it to not shut. There was about a 1/4 inch of interference. So I broke out the router, clamed a piece of stock at the right location and cut down the inside of the door. I'm really getting into clamping things down!


Next step was to cut the sides. I used the old ones as a template, laying each one out. I freehanded the cut using the reliable jigsaw again. Make sure to clamp things down.

I have the pieces in the airstream and just have to put it back together. I'm planning to use corner moulding to take care of the joint between the front and side. I may even use a little moulding to hide the fronts of the new ends.

The Tub

I started working on the bath area recently. Here's what the tub looked like when we purchased the silver beauty. Kinda yucky, huh! So, I pulled the tub out and proceeded to clean it up. There was all kinds of nasty stuff in the bottom. The previous owner also put in the no skid strips but they were in bad shape.






















Here's a picture after I pulled the tub out and cleaned it. I used all kinds of solvents, elbow grease and abrasives on the tub. Also, there was a crack in the far corner of the tub that was "fixed" using silicon. Since the tub is fiberglass, the patch was pretty simple. I reinforced the back side with a bondo that included short length fiber in the mix. You can see the crack, which was about 2 inches in the corner.





Here's the tub after painting with the one-part epoxy paint from Lowe's. It turned out ok, since this was the first time I ever used the product. I followed the instructions to the letter. There are a few places where the paint ran some, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I also included a close up of the corner where the crack was and it can't be seen. Not bad for a couple of days work. The hardest part was the prep work and getting it cleaned. Next step is to reinstall it and find the vinyl trim that goes between the tub and wall.

The Electrical Cable

I decided to replace the long electrical cable connecting the Airstream to land power. THe old one was frayed and cracked in several places and looked very unsafe. Since I'm not into becoming a human torch, the cable needed to be replaced.

The first step was to remove the double bed and frame. I did that to get enough room and to clean underneath the bed. Lots of dirt there. Of course, there would be problems. It took me an hour or more to get two screws out. The screws held the frame to the floor and the slots and holes were filled with dirt and other things I couldn't identify.

I then removed the old cable. I used a 30 amp cable as a replacement. I followed the old wire pattern ( white to whote, black to black, green to green) There is a cable strain relief that needed to be unscrewed, but that was no big deal.

Interior Pics

Here are some more "before" pics for your viewing pleasure

What I've done

We started working on the Airstream after giving it an evaluation. The first thing we did was clean out the old junk and dirt. Our tools were paper towels, Krud Kutter, a vacuum cleaner ( my shop vac), and elbow grease. It's amazing how our alimunum beauty changed with the cleaning.

I also wanted to kinda seal her up. We live in the East Mountain area of Albuquerque, which is very rural. I'm on 5 acres and have a fantastic view of the Sandia Mountains. However, since it is rural, we have critters. My wife say birds flying into the Airstream through a broken window. Since the inside of the Airstream is a no critter zone, I had to do something about the windoes. What I did was go to out local big box home repair center and bought a couple of acrilic sheets. I then cut them to the correct size and installed them temporarily using a dab of silicone. I first tried to use the score and snap method but that didn't work. The sheet would follow the score some but then go off the score.

I then used a variable speed jig saw and a fine blade to cut the sheet. The jig saw I have has a thumb speed control that was very handy. I scored the sheet, then cut along the score. There is probably a better blade to use when cutting acrylic, but I used what was on hand.

Here are a couple of pictures of the open windows, before the acrylic treatment.

The Evaluation, Part 1

I've started going through the siver beauty and here's what I've found, so far.

Dirt

There is a ton of dirt everywhere in the trailer. The sink and countertop is filthy. The shower is fill of dirt and grime. We live in the desert, in Albuquerque, so the dirt is expected. Lots of dirt, but at least it is cleanable.

The Exterior

The exterior isn't in too bad a shape. Here's what I've found so far

• There is a small ding in the back on the lefthand side.
  
• There are places where steel rivets were used and are much closer together than the factory rivet pattern. These rivets are also rusty.
• There are holes in the skin near the door. These holes look like someone added a lock to the door at one time.
• A few panel fasteners are missing
• The skin has wrinkles in several places as well as some black marks on the side opposite the door
• There looks like a patch in at least one and maybe two places.

Windows

• The window over the sink is missing. The frame is there but one side is bent in.
• The glass in lower window on the left hand side is broken. The glass frame is separated in one corner
• The cranks of the large window just aft of the door don't work
• The trim and seals are, of coruse, dried out and brittle.
• The front and back windoes are intact
• The jalousie window next to the door works, but the seals need replacement

Interior/Front

• The seats are missing.
• The table is there and works.
• All the underseat drawers are there and in decent shape.
• The wood frames are intact.
• The trim piece next to the door has a tear in the material.

Interior/Kitchen

• All the appliances are in place. Don't know if any work.
• One of the cutting board/covers is still there
• The sink has a couple of small chips in the porcelaine
• The support for the stovetop table is missing. The hinge is still in place.
• The refrigerator interior is filthy

Interior/Bathroom and Shower

• The toilet is still in place, but dirty
• The shower tub has a couple of chips
• THe seal around the tub need reworking
• The sink is in place
• The cabinets are in place and in decent shape
• It looks like some original rug is in the bathroom

Interior/Middle Couch

• THe pads are there but need replacement
• THe side next to the door is broken off but still with the trailer
• The underbed drawers are there and in decent shape. Some chipping on the side next to the floor.
• The bed slide is intact and works

Electrical System

• The plug in cord is cracked and needs replacement
• I plugged in the cord and the 110 outlets work, except the one near the kitchen sink
• The vent fan works
• All the lightbulbs are missing
• The inverter/converter is still in place and with clean connections. Don't know if it works.
• No battery so far

Plumbing system

• The fresh water tank is in place. The pressure cap is in place
• A hole is in the kitchen sink trap
• A copper tee under the bathroom sink is disconnected
• No sewage hose
• I open the toilet and can see the ground, so I can't tell the state of the dump valve
• THe hot water tank is in place
• All the lines are in place

Interior/Floor

• The tiles need replacement. Most of the tile is gone
• No rot found so far
• THe wood looks a little rough but usable.

Propane system

• Both tanks are missing
• The connection to the tanks is missing. an open pipe is all that's there.

The Airstream Pics

We purchased an Airstream! Whatever possesed me to buy one, especially on that needs work. I'm a glutton for fix-er-up punishment I guess.

The new member of our family is a 1961 22ft Airstream Land Yacht Safari. It needs work.

Here are a few pictures of the silver beauty.








Hope you find these pics entertaining as the "before" shots