Adding the C Channel

Once the subfloor was completed, we needed to add the C channel.  The C channel is a U ish shaped piece of aluminum that runs along the edge of the subfloor.  The shell get attached to the C channel.  This process is used because the frame/chassis is made of steel and the shell is made of aluminum.  If the two metals are in contact with one another it results in galvanic corrosion.

Mr. C had to cut slits in sections of the C channel that had to curve around the corners.  The C channel was fastened through the floor with bolts.   Sealant was put in each hole prior to inserting the bolts.

Cutting slits into C channel for corner pieces.

Mr. C coaxing the C channel around the corner.

Corner C channel bolted down.

C channel attached to subfloor.

 

Subfloor

Mr. C used some auto trim to line the holes in the cross members and the edges of the outriggers as rub guards.

Rub guard for the plumbing.

Rub guard for the outriggers.

It was time to cut the new subfloor.  We used 3/4″ MDO (Medium Density Overlay) Plywood.  Each sheet had to be shortened from 8′ to 88″.  The front and rear pieces had to have the corners rounded to match the curve of the trailer.

The rounded corners of the subfloor.

We had saved the original pieces and had made a pattern before removing them.

Using the old floor as template.

The tricky part was cutting and fitting the piece that goes around the wheel wells.   Mr. C did a good job of measuring and cutting.

Lots of work to fit the sheet around the wheel wells.

The back piece did not align as intended.   We had to do a little finessing.  Once we were happy with the layout we used a tool called a biscuit cutter to cut slits in the edges of the plywood that abutted one another.

Using the biscuit cutter to make slits to join the two sheets together.

The biscuits and edges of the plywood were glued and two sections were joined together with tie down straps.  The glue set up really fast and the sheets were not perfectly aligned.  We got better as we went along.

All four sheets of subflooring cinched together.

 

Labor Day

Mr. C took an opportunity to play on Labor Day.  He spent the morning fabricating and welding a spare tire mount and brackets for bumper jacks.  Once the spare tire was mounted we decided it was too tall.   He will cut it down and make a new bracket sometime in the future.

It worked out that a friend was home and Mr. C was able to use his tig welder.  The bumper box is aluminum and Mr. C cut out a chunk in the bottom to fit over the rear trailer hitch.  Once the welding was done, we went for a boat cruise with our friends.

Painted Frame

Over the past week we have been painting the frame.  We painted a Rustoleum primer and silver top coat on areas of the frame that will not show once the belly pan and shell are back on.  The A frame and bumper were painted with a product called POR-15.  The primer is a rust preventer.  This is designed to work on rusty materials.  Seeing the bumper and the propane tank holder were rusty we chose this product.  The rest of the frame was new steel and not rusty, so it wasn’t necessary to use the POR.   Some suggest using the POR-15 for the entire frame.   It is much more expensive and is also trickier to work with.  Therefore, we limited how we used it.

We had to crawl under the frame in order to paint the underside.  Needless to say, we both ended up with a lot of paint on us.  The Rustoleum primer is thick and did not want to come out of my hair.  I didn’t really care for the look of battle ship gray.  After the first round of painting I wore a sleeve off of an old shirt on my head.   I ended up with a few silver highlights around my face.  Let’s just say there is a whole new meaning to the terms “silver fox” and “chrome dome”.  There are times when it is an advantage to be in control of the camera and this is one of those times.  Working with silver paint gave us both the appearance of the Tin Man.

With the painting finished (or so we hope), Mr. C attached the wheel wells and made sure the joints, seams and rivets were thoroughly caulked to avoid any penetration of water when driving in the rain or through puddles.

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.