At Last, the Step

With the trailer right side up, Mr. C was able to finish off the welding.  We measured out the new step and added an outrigger.   We knew we were going to have to do this, but wanted to wait until the step was in our possession.  With the last outrigger in place we dry fitted the step.  Fit like a glove.   Mr. C decided to add a metal strip across the opening for the step to shore up the floor in this area.

Time to think about coating the frame.  We discussed our options and decided that painting it ourselves would be the cheapest and quickest.   The forecast is for cooler temps and less humidity.  We found a local auto/auto body supply store that carried what we were looking for.  Off we went and retrieved what we needed.  Too hot and humid to do anything when we returned home.

Productive Day

Mr. C set me up with 3 grinders and the original bumper.  The bumper was one of the few pieces we could salvage.  It was my task to remove all of the paint and reflective tape.  The outside of the bumper went relatively smoothly.   However, the interior of the bumper with all of its curves and crevices proved to be a challenge.  The wire brush kept shedding bristles and impaled themselves in my thighs.   I was feeling like a porcupine with all the quills hanging out of me.

While I was busy grinding, Mr. C was plugging away at the welding.  Apparently that was going much better than the grinding because he was waiting on me.  Finally a shiny bumper ready to be welded in place.

Once the bumper was attached, we lifted the new frame into the air and Mr. C cut apart the old frame.  I stacked it in the garden.  For now we will refer to it as “garden art”.  Some of the side rails released large piles of rust chips when tipped on end.  If only those piles were gold!  Once the original frame disappeared, we flipped the new frame right side up.

Slow Progress

We took last weekend off from working on the Airstream and headed north to our log cabin.  You might be thinking a quiet, relaxing weekend in the north woods.  Wrong!  It was a work weekend.  We tackled a number of chores, enjoyed the good weather, and some peace and quiet.

The plan was to plug away at small things on the week nights.  Mr. C would come home from work and head out to the Airstream.  Looks like rain, feels like rain.   Don’t want to drag out the welder.  Good thing because the rain would arrive.   Not a lot, but enough to limit the work.  Throughout the week Mr. C cut holes in the cross members to run the plumbing to the gray tanks from the shower and kitchen sink.  The wheel wells were fabricated by a local HVAC company.  Mr. C sealed the seams with Vulkem and riveted them together.

The end of the welding is in sight.  If the weather cooperates.

Welding Continues

Mr. C took at PTO day yesterday.  He had planned on welding.  Plans changed as we got some much needed rain. The rain was supposed to clear out mid-morning.  It lingered into mid-afternoon with a few more down pours later in the afternoon.   The morning was spent cutting additional pieces for the frame to hold the gray water tanks, battery box and a holder for the spare tire.  Mr. C did get some welding done between rain showers.  We flipped the frame on edge for easier access to some of the areas needing welding.

Today we received a few more metal pieces, the gray tanks and a new step.  Mr. C managed to get some more welding in after work today.  The bottom of the battery box was welded into place.  Gusset plates were welded into the outriggers for additional strength.

Frame Construction

We spent the weekend working on the new frame.  Earlier in the week we cut steel, but we needed to customize some pieces as we went along.  The threat of rain kept chasing us in on Saturday.  Although we really didn’t get any true rain, we didn’t want to risk it with the power tools and welder.  Mr. C made great progress on Sunday.  He welded almost everything from the top side.  It was very humid and I can’t imagine how uncomfortable he was in his welding attire.  We stopped for a lunch break about 2 PM and decided to call it a day.  Rain was threatening and Mr. C was hot.  Of course the rain didn’t arrive until 8 PM.

Uncovering the Frame

With the shell off we could pull the frame out from underneath.  We had to move the gantry system forward so it was located over the frame.  The crane hoists were attached to the tongue and bumper of the trailer and the frame was flipped over.  The bottom of the Airstream has what is known as a belly pan.  It is aluminum sheeting that encloses the bottom of the trailer and frame.

As Mr. C removed panels of aluminum, I removed insulation, mud, pine cones, candy wrappers, insects, bee hives, etc.  Fortunately no mice or carcasses were revealed.  There was a tangle of electrical wires.  The trailer did not have a gray tank when it was manufactured.  At some point someone connected the kitchen sink, shower and bathroom sink to the black tank.  Unfortunately they cut into the cross members of the frame and they were all broken.

Once everything was stripped from the bottom side of the frame, it was flipped back over and placed on its tires.  The plywood we had put in as a temporary floor was removed.  We then removed the “C” channel.  Construction of the Airstream is unusual.  You have plywood located directly on the frame and then aluminum channels approximately 1.5″ wide (“C” channel) are fastened to the top of the plywood with screws and bolts that go through the frame in selected locations.   There are also carriage bolts counter sunk into the plywood and secured to the cross members.    The aluminum shell gets attached to the “C” channel.  Therefore, the aluminum and steel do not touch.  If the metals are in contact, it get corrosion.  We removed all of the screws, bolts and “C” channel.  The original plywood on the front and rear edges was crumbling and we made a paper template of the curves before removing the plywood.

The frame was very rusted and most of the cross members were broken.  We were hoping to salvage portions of the frame.  However, after removing the axle and seeing gaping holes in the side rails it was decided to construct a new frame.  Off to the steel yard for more steel.  Axle is on order.

Deconstruction

2014 is the year to start the renovations.  The garage had to be cleaned up and organized.  I think the renovation will be easier and certainly more straight forward.  As soon as there was room in the garage we removed our personnel belongings from the trailer.  Before removing any of the interior walls, we did a mock-up of the bathroom.  This was the key piece of our intended interior design.  We are planning on using a composting toilet which eliminates the need for a black tank and gives us more flexibility in toilet placement.

The interior lower walls  and insulation were removed.  Lots of drilling of rivets.   Mr. C strung some 2x4s across the interior to help stabilize the walls. We then constructed a gantry system to lift the shell. There are two roof vents that were removed.  Chain hosts were lowered through these openings and attached to a 4×4.  Once the trailer was positioned under the gantry system Mr. C started drilling out rivets all around the exterior of the trailer.  Thinking all of the rivets were removed, we tried lifting.  Look, look, look again.  At last the shell was free and we hoisted it over the wheel wells.

The trailer frame was pulled out and the shell was lowered onto 2×4 stands that were attached to the internal cross bracing. Hoping this will be enough to hold it down in a storm.

 

Ready to Roll

Once the Money Pit was cleaned up and buttoned up, we were ready to take it on a trial run. A few cots and a couple of patio chairs to make it homey.  We pulled it to the cabin figuring we could use it as a bunk house.  There was also the advantage of being able to work on it if we had any issues.  All went smoothly.  However, I wasn’t happy with my cot and asked for an upgrade.

The next outing was a week long camping trip in northern Minnesota.  We had a niece attending college in Duluth.  We arranged to pick her up on campus and go out for lunch.   She said we were easy to spot driving through campus with the Money Pit in tow.  On the early part of the trip we had great weather with highs in the 70s and dry.  We camped in one spot for a couple of nights and then we would move on.  One of our moves involved traveling on a dirt road for a long distance.  We pulled into a campground for a picnic.  We discovered that the latches for the windows came undone.  The inside of the trailer was literally a dust bowl.  When we arrived at our destination all of the bedding was hung out for a good beating.  The interior was wiped down with baby wipes.  Pins have since been added to the window latches to keep them closed during transport.

One morning I was getting dressed and listening to the radio.  The weather forecast was for up to 18″ of snow in northern MN.  Now granted it was October, but early October.  The next morning we woke up and it was 54 degrees.   A few hours later it was 34 degrees with a combination of snow, sleet, and rain.  The worst part was the driving wind!  We decided to stop and pick up a space heater.  With the heater in our possession we checked into a campground with hookups.  It was toasty in the trailer, but miserable outside.  It was in the 20s by morning with several inches of snow on the ground.  We called some friends and spent the last few days of our vacation camped in their back yard.

Over the past few years we managed to get in a few trips, but were hesitant to travel too far knowing the frame was in need of repair.

Exterior Updates

While I was scrubbing away on the inside of the trailer, Mr. C replaced the running lights, tail lights and reflectors.  He had to patch a number of holes that remained on the exterior from the water inlet, furnace vent and hot water vent.  Mr. C also added a number of solar panels on the roof.

Once the solar panels were up he added a few batteries on the interior.  We didn’t have much for an inverter.   Therefore, we were only able to run a few small things.  Nice to have light when you need/want.  We tried a cheap 12V fan, but it was very noisy.

Cleanup

We started the cleanup process.  First we removed the disintegrating cushions and carefully measured them, took photos and made sketches.  Fortunately our neighbor had a dumpster so we could just toss them in.  It didn’t take long to remove the two gauchos (couches that pull out to make a bed).  Some of the supports and drawers underneath were broken.  Once those were removed it was onto the heater, refrigerator, stove and sink.  The heater was scary and we knew we would not be reusing it.  The refrigerator and stove were in rough shape.  It was decided it was probably cheaper and safer to buy new rather than trying to restore these.  Next the counter top and cabinets came out.  Last was the bathroom – a half bathtub, vanity, toilet and sink.  The bathtub and toilet were cracked.

Sweep, vacuum, sweep, vacuum.  I must have removed at least 20 pounds of sand.  There was a lot of floor rot in the rear of the trailer and some in the front.  We learned this is very common.  We decided to lay 1/2″ plywood over the original floor which would allow us to use the trailer without falling through the floor.  It would also help to keep the critters out.

Now the focus on getting the walls clean.  Hot soapy water didn’t seem to touch it.  Maybe because I was working as a one-handed wonder. (I broke my wrist a week after we purchased the trailer.)  I think I went at it five times with various cleaning products, removing a little grime each time.  Some of the products took the paint off.  That is not what I was attempting to accomplish.

At last, clean enough to use it.