Monday, July 27, 2009

bellypan down and I'm out of beer...

After a couple days of drilling out many rivets, down came the bellypan. Even though I have read countless stories of finding dead or alive critters, my Fifth Avenue on Wheels had none. Just a lot of gravel and insulation that had let go.
Here you can see how the '66 era trailers' side panels wrapped down below to meet the bellypan. A previous owner or two must have done some work under the bathroom because a seperate sheet had been tacked on toward the back.

The black tank holder has seen better days. I'm thinking that the new black tank will go above the floor and the gray tank I am adding will go within the frame just behind the axle.


I got a good look at the condition of the frame and I think I got lucky with just how intact it is. Next step is to remove the subfloor insulation and the subfloor and then wire brush the frame making it ready for Por-15.




Yeah the axle has to be replaced, too. At least it had some travel left in it by the looks of it.
As a post script, I would like to express my appreciation to Tim, Colin, and Rob of VAP fame for all of the podcasts they have produced. It sure makes working on a trailer more fun listening to the three of them plus all their great guests telling stories about how to fix and how to enjoy a vintage Airstream. Now if I could just get Rob to draw my name as the winner of that '64 Tradewind, I could bring my family out to D.C. for a visit and add to my aluminum collection.
Now I'm off to the beer store.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

beer belly pan

I've moved the Airstream (which still needs a name) from the backyard to my front driveway so I have a nice semi-level place to put it up on jackstands and remove the subfloor and work on the frame. It seems to be happy in its new location next to my cargo trailer.
I started to drill out the belly pan rivets and then it started to rain. I was forced inside to drink beer and look for leaks. I found one leak coming through a window hinge (typical on a '66), but I still have to do the hinge silicone treatment that is suggested for my vintage window.

Now that I have the trailer level, I am messing with different ways to make a template for my subfloor. This is an idea that I came up with using aluminum foil. I am also going to use a "story stick." This is a method of copying curves that someone on the airforums mentioned. I am constantly amazed at how much information can be gleaned from the forums if you spend enough time searching it. One thing I have learned, though, is that if you find something useful you should bookmark it so you can find it again!