Around The World Caravan. Restoring our 63 Safari #8671

Progress

2011-06-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well the reality that this needs to be ready for this camping season is quickly turning to panic. Progress is slow and the punch list is long.

Here are some pictures from today. Finishing the rest of the mechanicals and cabinet work didn't quite make it this weekend, but hopefully by the end of tomorrow the interior will be camp ready and my focus can turn to outside work.

kitchen progress

2011-04-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Got the counter tops test fitted, waiting on a new slot cutter before installing the t-moulding and doing the final install. As soon as that is done I can finally start the water lines.

need a range!

2011-03-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

Figured out the range I had saved is the wrong size. I'm now searching for a Tappan range, rough opening 19.5 x 19.5

Here's a few photos of the finished cabinet it should go in.

I have a great magic Chef vintage stove with extra burner tops that I'd gladly trade.

Here's the stove I have, which is too big

Here's the model I need....

Update

2011-03-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've updated here. Interior is coming along, about 2/3's of the interior is back in. I'm hoping in the next week to have 100% of the woodwork back in so Megan can go to town on the curtains and cushions, then it will be tons of finish work, details, and plumbing connections.

Here's a few photos of the progress

Brad did some awesome artwork for me, recreating the truck logo. This won't be going on my truck by any means, but our plan at this point is to have an entry rug done with the image.

Floored!!

2010-11-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

Will let the photos speak for themselves, but happy to report that today I finished installing the flooring!! Just some trimout around the wheel wells, tub, and toilet, add the threshold and we're ready to start installing cabinets (once I can afford to rebuild them!)

Tub and floor going in

2010-11-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple weeks, fighting a bad ear infection, but also fighting the rapidly changing weather and the reality that if I don't get a few select projects done before the weather turns then I'm going to be at a stand still until spring.

Bath tub was painted and reinstalled. underlayment, overlapping the seams of the subfloor by 24" were glued and screwed using coated concrete backer board screws. Today I was able to install about half the floor tile, tomorrow I hope to finish the rest of it up front, and around the toilet tank and bath vanity. Last step will be to seal the edges and trim out around the wheel wells.

Ruba dub dub, time to paint a tub.

2010-11-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Tub was pretty beat up, chips from things being dropped in the tub over the years and/or during demo of the interior. Step one was sanding the once stained tub, then all the chips in the clearcoat were filled and sanded again.

Lots of repairs, including some fiberglassing were needed on the drain area since it was removed with a saw rather than a proper tool for tub removal. The cuts were glassed in from below, filled above. All will be covered by the drain flange but wanted them fixed before reinstall.

Today the tub received 2 coats of epoxy filler/sealer primer. Once that cures, it will be wet sanded, prepped and painted with several coats of Urethane bumper coating in a pure white. Once that cures I'll be able to install and foam in the tub as I do the tile in the bathroom area. Progress, finally!

Again this is just the epoxy primer/sealer. Even, still wet, so a bit of a shine still.

back to work

2010-10-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Its been almost 6 months since I've had time or money to work on 8671, but now its time to get back work. Tomorrow she comes home and floor install starts. 12x12 armstrong tiles, as close as I can get to the originals, minus the 9x9 size which has proved cost prohibitive. Then reglazing the tub, and I can finally start doing the woodwork repair and install. Can't wait to get it home!!

This and that

2010-06-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Air Conditioner is in, and thank goodness!! Was installed in a vent so can always be removed for historic reasons later without leaving any lasting marks.

Thanks to Steve and his machining skills we now have an installed black tank with a working valve. Rain kept me from making the final gray tank connection at the collector this afternoon, and the vent pipe, but will finish that this week in the evening.

Lastly, got our restored license plate back in the mail and installed, and managed to get all the lights and brakes wired up front so we're street legal now!

Road Trip!

2010-05-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Wally and I met up today with Jed (Jed58) and were able to salvage much of the interior from his 63 sovereign. 2 sets of those overhead bin tracks I've needed, and many of the missing cabinet latches, drawer slides, drawer handles, outlet covers, light fixtures etc will really help the restoration.

Had some great conversations with him, a really nice guy!

Have got to say thanks again Jed for the parts! If anyone is looking on the west coast for a 63 30' shell to start work on there is definately a project to be had. Lots of panels need replacement, lots of floor issues to resolve, but definately some trailer there to build on.

More misc work

2010-03-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

More work as I get parts cleaned up and reinstalled.

Center and bathroom lights are reinstalled, so in the bathroom mirror. Also did some finish polishing on the rear panel and installed the new license plate mount.

Today I also cleaned and buffed out the black tank in preperation for reinstall. Very pleased how it turned out. I need to mount it in place and cut the opening for the furnace vent, then install it for good. Hoping to get the valves installed and plumbed too, toilet back in so that area is completely done and sealed off from the cridders.

Tub needs to be sanded and sprayed, but almost ready to be reinstalled as well.

zolatone touch up

2010-02-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well I discovered after everything curred that the zolatone I received as a replacement was a more pure white than the other batch, and as a result it left other areas looking more yellow. I ordered an additional gallon today from the "lot" and will fog the entire interior one more time to even things out. I did temporarily install the front sconces to make sure everything was working properly and give me some light to work on some details in the evenings after work while I wait on the rest of the material to arrive. Sconces still need to have the difuser material installed once it arrives.

Zolatone done

2010-02-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Actually have a few minor touch-ups to do next week, spot on the refrigerator scoop that the fleck almost looked like it ran, and a few blemishs in the tub area, but will let things cure for a few days. Pulled the paper down etc, which is when I could finally see the little touch-ups that were needed. So far very pleased how its gone.

Zolatone going in

2010-02-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

white epoxy primer coat (man that stuff stinks)

Then first coat (fog coat) of Zolatone in yesterday. Waiting on one more gallon to replace a rusted can before I can do one more coat, then the fleck coat and we'll be ready to remove the masking and start putting things back together.

2010-01-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow (weather permitting) is the big zolatone day, well day 1. Finished most of my punch list today and spent the rest of the day cleaning and masking the interior.

Presents from Franks Trailer Works

2010-01-25T20:03:00.000-08:00

Received a package from Frank's Trailer Works yesterday, and another today. First one yesterday included a very cool post card from the around the world caravan, the second, a much bigger box included an astrodome screen that will actually fit (how many different sized frames did they make with square corners!?!) and a new-old-stock antenna mount to replace the one outside.

Thanks Frank! Hope I can help you down the road!

Those of you tracking my leak issues I now have at least reduced the flow, but not stopped it. About 12 hours of mixed rain and snow, and the leaks are as follows:

1. Rear window, water is coming straight down the fiberglas on the endcap, center segment, so I need to get back up on the roof and check those seams and rivets, this time hitting all the rivets too. I hope the weather clears in the next few days to facilitate that. Total water received in the back, I'd guess a table spoon or two total (including what is still on the end cap surface)

2. Front window, straight down center, weeping out the from under the overlap on the skins, so I know its either at the top where the endcap meets the bow #1, or the rivets and/or seams of the center segment. Less water here than in the back, so its something small.

3. Water leak at the refrigerator vent, can see that the colar needs to be sealed to the skin above, and the riveted seam on the colar itself. Will need to pull the trailer out when I do the furnace and will tackle that at the same time. This one should be pretty straight forward.

4. Passanger side rear-most bow. Water coming down in the endcap. End cap to seam to the bow area is not resealed yet, ran out of weather, plus patio awning rail is lose, and suspect that rivet is pulled lose. This is the biggest leak at this point, about a saucer sized wet spot on the floor.

Progress but need more warm dry weather to do more sealing. For now the water is pretty limited and other than some staining on the floor here or there isn't doing any significant damage (and those areas will still be cleaned/retreated before the finished floor goes down).

Photos

2010-01-16T07:51:00.000-08:00

As many have read over on the forums, I finished posting the photos of Cecil and Mary Tolle's from the caravan over on my photobucket account (for now until I find a better home for them).

Here's a link if you'd like to check them out.

Around the World Caravan Photos

Done with the chemical strippe

2010-01-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

Finally done with the chemical stripper. The rest of the paint removal will be with a wire wheel and the DA with 80 grit. End caps will get scuffed, then I can start final prep work and start masking.

lots of lose ends to tie up, but a few weeks to get them done too.

Paint removal, leak repair, black tank

2010-01-02T21:51:00.000-08:00

I've taken advantage of the precip and used that to help isolate some leaks in the rear of the trailer. I thought I had them all resolved, but found after the snow had been melting for 12 or so hours that I had a few wet spots below the rear window, just to the sides.

After some detective work, and some suggestions from forums friends I figured out it didn't appear to be coming from high up, but rather around the bottom of the belt rail. I sealed that real well today, and of course the forcasted rain never materialized so I don't know for sure if I've fixed it or not.

I do find it amazing how much water can come in a weapy rivet, which I found and replaced on the beltline trim.

Also received word of a VAC member selling a 63 interior and am in the process of getting an unmutilated black tank, which is very exciting. It sounds like it needs minimal repair (pictures to follow tomorrow I believe) around the toilet flange but other than that miles better than the hacked up tank I've been working to repair.

I spent much of the day after sealing the back area, stripping paint off the ceiling.

I've gone back and forth in my head about how anal to get with paint removal. I see respected airstreamers on the forums and their blogs painting over what I would consider scuffed paint, all the way to mostly stripped but with patches still showing.

I'm going over everything as many times as I can with paint stripper (some of it is so stubborn). Areas shown in these photos were done yesterday and today, with 4 coats of stripper, all soaking the longest I could let them without it totally drying out. Then sanding with a DA with 80 grit paper to feather out edges.

My only worry is that somehow the epoxy primer might react with the old paint, but don't see that happening on other blogs and forums and haven't been able to find anything googling etc. The epoxy primer does say it works over bare metal, fiberglass, and properly prepped paint. Clean and sanded paint I think qualifies, but I guess I'll find out.

End caps need to be sanded, I'm finding these the hardest. The compound curves make all sanding tools on able to use edges of surface to sand, which means lots of changes in paper and lots of waste. I think I'm going to sand all the way down the outside edges (around the cabinet openings, etc) where the most wear and tear would be, and feather back to the other paint and scuff those areas for a good bond. Whomever painted the trailer repeatedly, must have either used incredibly good paint and/or prepped like crazy, because nothing is peeling, and is very stubborn regardless of the brand or type of paint remover. I don't dare attempt any chemicals on the fiberglass.

Tomorrow I hope to finish the ceiling sheet metal and start sanding the end caps, that way I just have to work on the window trim parts, which I'm open to the best way to strip these fragile pieces of sheet metal.

First picture shows the only segment, about 2 linear feet of the top two panels, minus a vent) that hasn't been stripped yet. So getting close!

Snow!!

2009-12-31T21:07:00.001-08:00

Got a good snow fall today, so I guess we'll see if all the sealing last week was successful.
Got my order all ready for Zolatone, 4 gallons and 1 gallon of epoxy primer.

Hope to get the heater going tomorrow and continue with paint stripper in there.

more progress

2009-12-27T17:37:00.000-08:00

installed some electrical boxes to finish up the 110 rough in.

12 volt system is up and running (test run now that all sheet metal is up).

Discovered the 1 vent fan motor I thought looked workable is in fact toast, so 2 new ones are in my future.

Tomorrow I'm off to the DMV to hopefully get the paperwork signed off to run the 63 plate Wally found me. Got an email from Olympia Christmas Eve giving me the green light. Hopefully it will hold up and we'll have it running for years! If all goes well plate will get shipped to be restored professionally.

Since I've yet to come across a vintage functional or NOS Bowen water heater, I'm going to run a modern heater tucked behind the original outter covers. Below you can see the patch today that will later hold a new 6 gallon water heater. On the left will be a piano hinge that will allow the bowen water heater front to open in order to access the unit, but will close to appear as original as possible. Of course if some day I come across a great working bowen and want to switch back, this patch can be removed since its the identical shape and size.

Thanks Joe

2009-12-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

Joe was able to zoom in and crop the photo up close. Much easier to see

More window work

2009-12-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

Rear window was leaking around the glass, so more routine work.

New Bulb seal.

Removed the old glass, cleaned the frame, new glass and new glazing strips.

Ran a little short on the glazing, time to reorder!

Need to finish polishing back there, few more rivets to replace, but its 21 degrees outside, need to wait for a warmer day.

Exciting find

2009-12-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

Joe emailed us some scans he has that are higher resolution that we've seen, which answered some questions.

Photo 1: First photo from Joe's records showing the trailer on the caravan, note the reflectors on the rear below the tail lights.

Photo 2: Also from Joe, shows the trailer again, later in the caravan, and you'll notice between the reflectors something else, but impossible to make out. Up until today we thought perhaps it was reflector tape or something.

Photo 3: Higher resolution Kremlin photo Joe passed along that you can zoom in. (8671 is just to the right of the guys in the dark coats) You can see the dent in the bottom right of 8671, and that dark line in this photo, but can make out it is text. You can also see the rear window guard in this photo. The text is hard to make out, but if you look down the row and see trailers closer to the camera that say "WE HAVE ALSO VISITED IRAQ". (you'll need to zoom in for all the details)

Photo 4 You may need to zoom in on this photo more than likely. I raced home today to try polishing the rear panel to see if this text was there under all the grime. I made a few passes with the cycle and didn't see anything and didn't have any more time and started packing up. As I turned around I caught a little of it, and realized it was there. Its faint, and impossible to photograph, but I did manage to catch a little of it. The red I added on my computer to help you find it.

Thanks Joe for the cool pics!

more tank repair

2009-11-09T21:03:00.001-08:00

It is amazing how little time it takes to break something, but the hours to put it back (especially when parts aren't available to replace them and you have to repair instead).

I'm not good at it, thats for sure, but this round turned out better than I anticipated, at least so far. A couple hours yesterday, some cure time, form removal and another coat today after trimming things to size and here's what we have so far.

Will get sanded then likely another coat to fill minor imperfections then I can finish the internal bracing and get the bottom back in. The skirt was broken out I'm guessing to gain access to fasteners that didn't exist.

Vent installed

2009-11-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

The stock vent cover for the refrigerator was undersized, allowing wind driven rain, or any kind of snow accumulation to fall into the vent, down the scoop and onto the floor (thus why there was no floor left behind the refrigerator compartment. I resealed the collar, filled the old holes and installed the new vent (an original early 60's vent, all aluminum, sealed and riveted in place. Also did some polishing on the area, shaved the rivets from last sprin where I had to repair the rear bow that was damaged at some point before we brought it home.

Polishing some more

2009-11-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

nice weather the first half the day so I went ahead and tried to get a few passes on the rest of the curb side of the trailer, make her look better, make the neighbors happier. 3 passes on most of the areas (need to go back with my polishing wheel and cut in around windows, handles, gutters, and other hard to reach areas and probably at least 2-3 more passes with F7 to get a consistant shine (minus the beauty marks). I know many love that gray color, but I just don't. I don't mind the scratches, dings, pits etc, but never been one for the dull gray.

Here's a few from today.

polishing, shaving, what causes?

2009-11-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

Finished shaving the rivets from the patch on the rear curbside end cap segment. Think it turned out pretty good for my first one.

I've been polishing areas, mostly to make the neighbors happier, but moreso because I want to clean the seams, identify any leaking rivets etc and get all them sealed before the weather turns. I am really surprised how much filform is on this, and wondering if F9 or G6 would be better than the F7 I'm using. Wondering what others have encountered.

This is what a lower panel by the door looked like after an hour of work with F7.

One other interesting thing on the polishing side, is that I'm running across these streaks around areas that dripped, gutters for the doors and windows, rivets on corners of window frames, etc. It is white at first, after further polishing it still shows, and is almost rainbow colored. Any ideas on how to remove this?

Finally, wondering if anyone has insight on these handles. On all 4 corners of the trailer, just above the window, screwed into the last bow front and back. Any ideas on what they are for? Very pitted, been there quite awhile obviously. Only think I could think is maybe they were for guide ropes when they were being lifted on and off ships at the various ports?!?

patch going in

2009-10-28T18:45:00.001-07:00

fixing the end cap slice. Tried a larger patch with nice rounded corners and evenly placed rivets, but that wouldn't lay flat, figured that out thankfully before drilling any new holes.

Thought about rounding the corners on the patch but the groves from past caulk removal and reapplications made keeping the same exact shape necessary, crooked holes and all (it gives it some character).

After lots of fussing, lots of clecos and adjustments finally got the piece of .032 2024 to lay right and got rivets going in. Took a picture before dark, but before I finished the last dozen or so rivets.

Tomorrow need to clean up the exta tempro and shave the rivets, polish the area and ready to finish up the end cap seams, one more pass with F nuvite, some localized polishing around the #'s and decals, then can install those before I ruin them on my desk, and the back is pretty much ready for the crummy weather.

back at it

2009-10-27T20:32:00.001-07:00

Well back at it finally after a couple months of intense schedules at work. My "new" water tank arrived yesterday, to my disapointment the whole bottom is rotted out (notice all the jb weld and fiberglass trying to stop leaks under there that someone did) and will either have to be cut apart and rebuilt or flat out replaced. Lots of wasted money either way it goes. Here's what the first picture looked like over email, then what it looked like when it got here.

I had planned on getting that tank installed and that hole sealed up front, but instead for now until I figure out a plan, I started in on the rear end cap that had some leaks. First part was to start polishing, remove all the AO off the skin, some caulking remover, some glue remover, still more to do before I can reseal the seams and install the rest of the WBCCI #'s and decals while the vinyl still comes off the paper.

Last thing this afternoon is I removed the scab of a patch on the curbside end cap segment from the AWC I presume and removed the tar and whatever else that was. Tomorrow I plan to start the patch and hopefully get that installed and all sealed up.

just about done

2009-10-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Things came to a screeching hault about a month and a half ago as we started the marching season here, and I found myself on average at school 70 or more hours a week. When I was home, family time and simply digging out of the week and trying to recover came first. Thanks for all the emails about getting back to work, thats just what I look forward to doing after our last gig tomorrow. I the next few weeks before the cold really sets in I need to finish the paint stripper work, then need to play a few gigs to save up for the Zolatone materials and get that sprayed.

Found an aluminum pressure tank to replace the galvanized one it came with up front, so can get that installed and sealed before winter, get the front belt line wrap back on, and finish my fiberglass repair up front and on the bathroom fixtures while the money comes through.

My hope is to have the zolatone all finished up and flooring down this winter so next spring we can start putting things back together. Have baby #2 coming in late April, and am taking our band and choir to New York City and Washington DC in late march early april. Busy Busy.

Panel Progress

2009-08-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Street side panel is nearly done, some polishing done already to see how the panels would blend, and I'm very pleased with the initial result. Still need to run some more rivets as soon as I get my helper back. What a difference 12 feet of aluminum makes!

panel on, windows out

2009-08-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wally came over and helped rivet today, and we got the side panel almost all the way in, still work to do around the wheel well, belly pan to replace there, and refigerator door to reinstall.

Bad news was that in the process of closing the kitchen window, the window had ended up out of center, and it cracked one of the corner welds on the sash, so out it came to the welder. I decided to take the front window to him also, because a PO had repaired the same problem on that window with an L bracket. In the process of taking that one out the other corner buckled, and the glass shattered. Nobody hurt, was wearing gloves fortunately. So two windows at the welder, new glass to be ordered tomorrow, and back in by the weekend.

Panels

2009-08-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Wally and I got the window panel done, its looking much better, then I spent the rest of the day (like 4 hours) drilling out rivets, removing the water heater, the window, wheel well, the 4 layers of patches over the furnace area, and removed the street side lower panel

Tomorrow I'll get the side ready for the panel, get the panel made, and hope to install it Wednesday morning.

Interior starting to come together

2009-08-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get as many of the interior panels back in place as I could to help keep the structure there when I pull the street side lower panel off.

Wally found a source for scracth and dent 2024 4x12' panels, so I'm going to replace all the lower sheet metal inside will be new, all the upper metal and end caps will be stripped/sanded down before the zolatone is sprayed.

This afternoon I fabricated the front panel, installed the new insulation and got the panel all riveted in place.

Panel almost in

2009-08-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

With Wally H's help we got the panel cut, drilled the holes, got it in with clecos before he had to run for the afternoon. Tomorrow we'll get the vulkem flowing and the rivets in.

Panel out

2009-08-20T22:48:00.001-07:00

Managed to get the refrigerator scoop back up in place, most of the ceiling rivets back in, and then removed the front corner panel that had been damaged by someone at some point and start fitting the new one tomorrow morning.

More floor

2009-08-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

More floor down today, actually able to start cleaning up a little bit inside, now that there is a place to put things. Depending on weather may start reinstalling the rear and curb side lower sheet metal, well after stripping paint. I hope to start that Monday, finish dropping in the last piece of wood tonight or first thing in the morning.

Flooring going in

2009-08-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well I had hoped to not splice the front piece, but after fussing with it for over an hour and still 2 feet from its final resting place, I cut the front piece in half and started installing it. Piece number one was in in just a couple minutes, J channel screwed down and elevator bolts I could already access installed and bent over. I've glued and screwed a 32" wide splice the entire width of the panel, which will be glued and screwed to the second half, I think this more than makes up for the fact it was cut, besides in this area the steel plate up front is doing most of the work. The final piece I plan on putting in as a single piece, but not sure I can push the side walls enough at the doorway without damaging the door jam, I'll play with it tomorrow, otherwise it might get the same treatment. I did a similiar joint in the bathroom because of the vent, plumbing pipes etc I couldn't do it as a single piece either. But the entire floor is also getting troweled with adhesive and overlayed with 1/4 inch plywood before the 9x9 armstrong floor tiles go down anyway, so all factory seams will be overlapped by 24" and all center seams will be entirely overlapped.

I also pulled all new 10 guage wires for the trailer lights etc. All getting soldered and shrink wrapped before dropping the second piece in.

Can't wait until tomorrow when we can walk front to back in the trailer on entirely new plywood, what a great feeling that is going to be!!!

Last floor removal

2009-08-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

Finally out came today the last 7 feet of the original plywood floor. Belly pan was a mess, now cleaned up, several hours of scrubbing, wire wheel on a drill and grinder and some primer and paint and the frame is now ready for new insulation and flooring tomorrow. My goal this weekend is to have the last flooring down and the walls all bolted back in place down both sides the trailer.

Next week rivets start coming out for two panels replacing (weather permitting). Here's today's findings.

While its open I'm fixing all the trailer lights/brake wires and a new trailer plug. I'm struggling on whether I should go ahead and run a backup light wire and install a set of those 64 and up back up lights just above the bumper height on the rear panel or not. Not original, but very useful backing into campground spots in the evenings etc. Not sure, may run the wire and decide later too.

Makin her pretty

2009-07-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

Can't keep doing all the grunt work without taking a little time to do the fun stuff. Finished polishing most of the center front end cap and installed the WBCCI #'s, the Caravan sticker, and the new Airstream plaque, and painted the tongue, what a difference a couple hours makes!!

Jalousie Window redux

2009-07-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well the project of fixing the jalousie windows was sped up due to the wind that followed the few hours I worked last week unloading the interior. The wind came up and blew the two broken but taped panes out of the jalousie windows and promptly shattered them on the driveway.

Before the destruction:

I took one of the intact panes to the glass shop and had 8 made, then worked on the axle etc.

This morning I finished cleaning up the lower setion and installed weatherstrip and those 3 pieces of glass, then the retainer disks. Then to the top....

crap!! those are 9/16" longer, different mechanism so offset is different. Back to the glass shop... repeated above process and did some polishing below the window, about an hour with nuvite F.

Axle is in!!!

2009-07-14T21:08:00.001-07:00

So it took way longer than I thought, that old axle just didn't want to come out. After cutting 3 of the 4 bolts out and some work to get the rust between the frame and mounting flange broke loose, down she came. Had hit the bolts with PB blaster for several days, still didn't break loose with a rattle gun, breaker bar, so instead had to use a sawzall and air cuttoff wheel.

I measured the ground to wheelwell height and it was 19.5 inches

Axle was shot don't you think?

After getting the frame cleaned up and painted, the new axle from Inland RV slide right into place, but had to drill new holes which was a pain in the butt, arms and shoulders are sore after 4 of those.

New Brakes, Centrifical balancers, bearings and seals and all back together. Need to pull wheels back off in the next couple days and finish the upper shock mounts and wire the brakes, but ran out of time for today (started at 9:30 AM and finished this much by 5, most of that was eaten up removing the old stubborn axle.)

Back on its feet, measurement was 24.5 inches, a full 5 inch height change, which of course will go down, once the interior is back in and the roof A/C is on.

She's home and work has begun

2009-07-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

Tradewind to storage after camping and 8671 home to our driveway today.

First thing after getting it home was to start unloading the interior into the garage (which now that the jeep is gone actually can hold 3 gouchos, kitchen cabinets etc).

The result:

After a few shorter projects this week (replacing axle and fixing two front windows) the front floor is coming out and being replaced.

Jelousie window glass being ordered tomorrow, two broken pains, rest have blemishes (chips, bubbles, glue residue, silicone etc) so all 8 getting replaced. Wind came up shortly after taking the photo and lowest broken but taped pain fell out and broke on the ground.

Top right corner of the front window was broken at some point and repaired via the hardware store. Hoping to get that welded so I can reweatherstrip - this window has been leaking for a very long time.

WATER TANK

Removed the water pressure tank, at first glance it appears to have some sediment in it, but in good shape. The air pump works and all the pieces appear present. Has anyone rebuilt this setup and have it in current use that could speak to its practicality and safety? I could convert the tank to a gravity feed rather easy, or replace with a modern plastic tank. Suggestions?

Anyway, tomorrow I need to order glass locally, and assess what I need to do for the axle replacement, probably go as far as to pack the bearings, get the backing plates and hubs on and ready to go, but first need to get the shock mounts welded on.

Axle is here!

2009-06-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

New Henschen axle w/ centramatic balancers from Inland RV came today, and so did the solid rivets I ordered, and the parts to finish repairing the black tank, so back to work tomorrow!

Black tank repair

2009-06-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

Started repairing the black tank today. Its going to take a lot of fiberglass materials, and a lot of time, but I think it will work out.

When Rob's helper removed the black tank, for some reason they drilled out the toilet flange and drain valve and trashed the tank (granted they weren't going to be using it). The problem is this tank is fiberglass (which is relatively easy to repair) but on this model, the toilet is directly supported by the tank, and with the hole cut, it is very difficult to recreate that true structure it once had, without replacing the entire top of the tank.

The solution I came up with, was to fiberglass the top back solid, then cut in a toilet flange from the big box store. From inside the tank (which has a huge hole in it from them drilling out the drain valve too) I fiberglassed with 7 layers throughout the day the hole virtually back to flat. Once that flange is ready to bolt in, I'll be inserting two pieces of 1/4" stainless below the toilet flange, inside the tank, and then stainless risers agains the sides of the tank, basically making a bridge of stainless, against the two sides and top of the tank from inside that will support the lid of the tank and the toilet above. This will be bolted to the toilet flange and further sealed into the tank with a few more layers of fiberglass.

Then I can seal up the bottom of the tank, and glass in a new thetford valve flange from Inland Andy, some body work on the top, and some more fiberglass to repair the front apron that they also ripped off, and we'll have a stronger than new tank ready to install later this summer.

After initial resin layer and first layer of cloth (looking through hole hacked in the bottom by the PO):

After 7 layers:

Parts coming

2009-06-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

I'm excited, axle shipped today from Inland RV. As usual Andy was very helpful, we have a 4500 lb unit coming, complete with new hubs, brakes and shocks.

Also ordered a rivet gun, solid rivets, bucking bars etc to I can work on panel replacement. Main panel is the street side lower, it was bent when the bad axle forced a PO to bend the skin to get the tire out, even when deflated. Also bad patches over the years on the heater area and old battery compartment make this panel have to go. I know I need to remove the panel, lay the new metal face down on the lawn, lay the old panel face down on top of it and transfer all the holes and cuts onto the new metal then go about installing, and a friend has several hundred klecos that he has purchased for his rig, so that should help.

Here is panel #1

Panel #2 is the front curbside corner, it has two creases that I just can't live with as "character". No evidence those happened on the caravan, so I plan to replace this panel. Even though it's smaller I think it will be harder, just because it goes under so many panels that I think I'll have to remove the front window and frontcenter panel, otherwise I can't figure out how I'd get it under the end cap segment, the side skin and the front under window area and bottom corner of the window frame.

Can't wait to get it home in the driveway and start getting to work. Only thing left to order is the skin material. Still trying to figure out if .032 is a better chice or .040, plus concerned about how to best make clean cuts the full height of the sheet without showing signs of tin snips work. Advice is appreciated.

Back on track

2009-06-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

I finally sold my 54 willys jeep I have had since high school. Never drove it, too much to keep up with, and made my little garage 100% wasted space. That space I'm insulating and drywalling this week so that this winter I can be rebuilding 8671 cabinets in a heated space with all my tools finally. Also, the money I freed up will go a long way on the airstream. I did splurge and get a leer canopy for our Tow vehicle, but that is really necessary with all the stuff we have and the total lack of outside storage on vintage airstreams.

Tomorrow Inland Rv will take another wad of cash from me as I order our new axle. I know there are cheaper and even comperable brands out there but going with what was there originally, and Andy has always treated me right, so if it doesn't work for some reason I know he'll stand behind it.

Also just finished an order for the rest of the pieces to get more windows done, and soon will also be ordering sheet metal for the street side panel that is going to get replaced before winter. That may have to wait a payday.

I know I'm going to take a lot of heat for it (sorry for the lead in) but we are going to do one massive deviation from stock, and that is an a/c unit. We're going to install a carrier low profile on the roof. It least inpacts the lines, I'm not wanting to modify cabinets etc to hide a window unit in a compartment door etc, and we simply cannot own and use this trailer with little kids when the entire summer here is in the 90's and 100's.

Granted this entire trailer was destined to be forgotten and changed forever, so we hope the airstream gods will forgive this modification, knowing that anyone really wanting to change it back down the road can make it go away without too big of trouble if their heart so desires. That is getting wired in with a drain tube while the skins are down.

We have one more trip that is too close to move the tradewind to storage and get anything done on 8671, so I'm using this time to get all my parts ordered in, and reorganizing my garage, getting the drywall up so I can take all the contents out of 8671 and store them safely out of the weather while I finish the floor work.

Goal #1 is to finish the plywood, install the A/C and axle, and have the interior skins back in place one last time by September so I can shoot the zolatone when we have consistant weather in the 70's, then my busy time of the year gets going until November, then I can settle into my new garage and start replicating all the interior pieces from whats left of the originals, so that by spring we have some big progress.

After the 4th of July you should start to see some regular updates again here, maybe not all so exciting but none-the-less progess.

We were excited to read about our trailer in the Vintage Advantage again this month, and also happy to get a swift kick in the butt from a few people to get back to work, so here we go.

Parts parts and more parts

2009-04-01T20:29:00.001-07:00

Well I should say that we're on spring break, but have been working our butts off! As you know the Airstream is sitting a little while as we install a 14x28 inground pool ourselves (We've been saving up for a long time and frankly its the only way we can afford one, to do all the labor ourselves.)

Anyway, in the last couple weeks a couple great forums members have come forward with parts that are needed to continue the restoration.

Sam sent us a shower curtain track, and Norm sent us two boxes of parts, all the interior light pieces we were missing, and all the door and drawer hardware that was missing and/or broken. Wally here also found me 3 baby moon hubcaps to be rechromed and installed down the road.

I just wanted to take a moment and thank these amazing people for helping out with these parts. We're one step closer to getting 8671 back in use again.

Wife and I are ahead of schedule on the "big dig" which hopefully means in the not too distant future I can get back on track reinsulating the shell on the street side and getting that reattached.

nothing new!

2009-03-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

I've had several emails on whats up with us. Unfortunately I have nothing new to report. We did have a lot of rain and I identified a few leaks to repair, but between work and a major project at the house (Which has practically the entire back yard ripped up) I simply haven't had time to do more than think of what needs to get done. I did get another shipment of rivets, vulkem, and weatherstrip, and when I get some decent weather and a few hours I hope to get some more work done. I still hope to have the leaks taken care of, floor replaced and zolatone shot before winter, but for now things have slowed way down, just not enough hours in the day. Will be back to work on her soon!! And can't wait!!!

Seeing clearer

2009-02-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to rebuilding the kitchen window. The glass had broke when Rob had retreived the trailer after the ebay auction. The axle is so bad on the safari, that the kitchen sink spout had swung around and shattered the window. They had done a good job of sealing the broken window temporarily, but the duct tape was starting to break down and it leaked badly in the last rain.

New glazing tape, and seal, new bulb seal on the frame, all the aluminum cleaned throughout and she's back together. Sounds easy but took 3 hours to complete, primarily because at some point the glass was changed and had been reinstalled with silicone, which had to be carefully removed.

Bow Splice

2009-02-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a donor bow from Wally, I was able to cut out that damaged bow and splice in a new piece. Tons of rain today and so far that area does appear dry, I did however find a few other leaks, so those will get sealed before the roof goes back up. Red arrows show where there original bow was cut out, and the black arrows show the start and end of the splice. Lots of rivets and a few bolts (bolts not yet installed) will hold it all together.) Kip gave us great advice on how to install the repair, unfortunately the stock bow was damaged on the side I needed, so I had to install a piece from the curbside and install it backwards, which worked out great because the donor bow was bigger than the stock one, and actually perfectly (and snugly) wrapped the damaged bow on 3 sides.

Hidden damage

2009-02-20T15:51:00.001-08:00

It wasn't until after several weeks with 8671 home that we noticed some damage on the roof, and only because we were on the deck looking at the trailer.

Before starting the refrigerator scoop repair and reinstall I figured I better get on the roof and address the dent just in case I had to remove some interior skin to get to it.

Well, lets just say it was far worse than I remembered. Here is an exterior photo

Then the interior damage:

Thanks to help from Zep and Aerowood as well as some materials help from Wally I think I'm going to have the peices to replace a rib segment, and roll much of the dent out.

More to follow...

Inside work

2009-02-16T20:23:00.001-08:00

Another drizzling day keeps me inside. Yesterday I cleaned and cleaned in the garage, and made some space for all the pieces that were stacked almost 5 feet high in the front 8 feet of the trailer. That freed up some space to work up front and get some electrical work done.

Removed the shelf over the front bulkhead, it wasn't original, in fact it was a piece of aluminum siding. Also removed the surface conduit that went from the front street side sconce to the front bulkhead, so it is gone.

Now undoing damage. Today I thought I'd reinstall the refrigerator scoop, or a least get it ready to go back on, but figured out the outter trim was destroyed when the trailer was gutted, here's what I have left, now the task of finding a replacement...

Also working with my father-in-law to engineer a support to allow me to repair the drilled out toilet flange on the black tank (which is no longer available)

Lights are on (half of them)

2009-02-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I started getting the clearance lights from Marc and Mike onto the trailer after some prep and paint last week. Would have finished them today but we had snow all day instead (but hey, I did manage to get a lot of cleaning done in the garage!)

So, here they are, two of them back in place with temporary screws, some polishing still left to do, but at least its street legal now.

On a positive note, I did finally get to order weatherstrip and glading bead so I can seal up windows and replace the broken kitchen window.

Polishing

2009-02-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

We've been trying to get the outside cleaned up to make it look better for our neighbors, did manage to get about 4 hours of polishing in and it is amazing how much better it looks.

I had to remove a series of stickers up front, 3 layers of international stickers, all faded and peeling. Under them was a trailer sales sticker:

Then I started polishing the area and noticed the appearance of a ghosted sticker

Things look a lot better, got too cold out so I stopped for the day.

Scattered Progress

2009-02-09T17:12:00.001-08:00

Some random work here and there. Decided as I bolt things down I need to go ahead and stop leaks in the back, including all the water coming in around the rear window. Several hours of work has removed the failed clear silicone. Next I've been polishing to provide a clean surface for the new sealer, plugging holes from the old awning rail with rivets, and reinstalling the airstream plaque. Also I need to finish removing the sealer on the segment seams and finish polishing and sealing this so that the back is completely water tight. Then I can reinstall the belt rail and have a nice dry bathroom area to reinsulate and install interior panels in.

Also excited to have lights now. Thanks to Marc and Mike I have a complete set of clearance lights to restore and install.

Hoped to do more polishing but ran out of clean bonnets.

Marc's lights

2009-02-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

Marc's donation of tail lights helped get things moving forward. Needed 8671 to be street legal so it could temporarily leave the driveway for some work being done at the house. Did some polishing under the lamps so they could be sealed for good instead of a temporary job. Ran out of time this afternoon so I finished installing without sealant and without polishing the second side, just in case I don't get back to it in time before moving it. Otherwise I'll remove the street side again, polish and seal both tomorrow. Wow what a difference just by removing the old stickers on the rear window and reinstalling factory lights. Thanks Marc!!

A partial before view:

After:

slow progress

2009-02-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

Megan and I spent a few hours today getting elevator bolts in. My plan has changed slightly. After further brainstorming I have been measuring for the bolt locations, then cutting small holes in the belly pan to get my socket in there. I am using nylon lock nuts to cinch things down, then with a long chisel hit them and bend them over as they were done before. This week I'll be cutting and riveting a 6" wide strip down the cross member which will not only cover the holes, but will provide a new surface to rivet the belly pan to the lower cross members. This aluminum is pretty chewed up from the rivets rubbing through. Instead of trying to use screws or washers, the aluminum strip will provide a non-stop new surface.

Half the Elevator bolts in:

I'm about half way done, but did have to stop to do some surgery and remove the stabalizer bars from the back. Since this has the worst axle I've ever seen, (so bad you can't get tires off even deflating them) the crossmembers had drug on a few curbs and are pretty bent up. I'm not sure if they are worth saving. I'll try to bend them back to shape and remove some rust and reevaluate.

Wally and I recovered the 66 doner trailer to provide the bows and end caps for his 64, and in exchange for 2 hours of snow removal to get it out and the use of my truck I am happy to have this vintage magic chef range, complete with original broiler pan. A couple chips up top to repair, but complete, with nice burners and controls

Parts Eh?

2009-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well I helped my friend Wally recover a parts trailer from Canada so he can rebuild his 64 Globetrotter that had some severe structural damage from a misplaced hillside the PO found. Has all the bows, ribs, end caps, etc that he needs plus a number of parts to help finance his project. I know I'll be helping him time to time get the one back together once the parts trailer is completed, an no it definately is not a candidate for restoration, trust me.

The formerly Canadian parts trailer did have a few pieces that will grace 8671, a period kitchen range, a bowen water heater that has a tiny prayer of being rebuildable but a good outside cover (yes I want to try to restore the bowen but we'll see). A faucet for the kitchen, a piece of trim for around the tub and maybe a kitchen sink (8671's has several chips in it that I had planned on repairing).

Will follow with photos when there is daylight again.

Also have on the way from a few great forums members (as noted above) who have shipped me tail lights (Marcus) and marker lights (Marcus and Mike) so we look forward to getting it street legal again!

Its always sad to see an Airstream leave the road for good, but a trashed tradewind in exchange for repairing an otherwise awesome condition globetrotter is a good trade (IMHO). But if you know of someone looking for 66 windows, latches, fiberglass end caps, 66 bathroom parts, vents, etc let me know and I can get you in touch with Wally and maybe you can strike a deal!

4 more feet

2009-01-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

We're up to 12 new feet of plywood, and the trailer smells so much better, starting to feel better too. Getting rid of all that rotten wood makes everything so much more solid.

from the door

test fit of the furnace over the relocated and rebuilt/cleaned bathroom vent line

standing on the plywood coming out next, looking back

trying to catch all 12 feet

Thanks Rob - package arrived

2009-01-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

Rob forwarded on materials from the trailer, including the original warranty paper from inside the rear wardrobe.

KAH POP!!!

2009-01-20T17:28:00.000-08:00

I was just taking a few minutes before pickup up our son at daycare to level the trailer so I could start getting the trailer bolted together this week, at least the back part, and just as I got it level KAH POP! I quickly went around the trailer trying to figure out what happened, after several checks, I realized the basketball size dent on the passanger rear had popped out.

Photo (from Joe's archives on 8671 when on ebay)

Photo #2 (taken this afternoon)

Some areas of show darker on the photo, they aren't dents but instead areas that are tarnished more from the metal's former position. A little more work to get this panel the rest of the way back to where it belongs, but not bad for not even trying.

4 more feet in.

2009-01-18T11:56:00.001-08:00

Just a couple quick photos. Managed to get 4 more feet in, though it still needs to be adjusted a bit and the walls squared up. Will work on that tomorrow.

Frame with paint

2009-01-17T18:17:00.000-08:00

Ground down the rust and got the frame painted yesterday. Belly pan is still on =) will be for a few weeks at least I'm guessing. Have run out of play money for the month so after the plywood is in I'm out of luck until February once I run out of materials. So it goes!! Things are moving faster than expected anyway, and will give me a chance to keep up on other things a little.

I do appreciate the input from everyone, even in multiples. Thanks again. Rob Baker - if you get a chance give me a jingle on the forums, had a few questions for you!

2009-01-16T06:22:00.001-08:00

I've had a lot of questions about how I plan to bolt the body and plywood down with the belly pan on.

Since we have a neighborhood association, and neighbors that are very picky about the appearance of each home, I know it isn't a possibility of simply dropping the pan and leaving it hanging, or otherwise storing it, since I don't have enough room to store the cabinets outside of the trailer, let alone a piece of sheet metal the same footprint of the trailer.

So, it has to be the process as follows:

Remove floor, clean exposed frame members and coat with por-15. Let dry, second coat. Overlay insulation then cut and install plywood sections.

Once approximately teh back half the plywood is in place, I will take out the last few rivets holding the belly pan on, drill my bolt holes and bolt the plywood and frame down. While the pan is down, I'll clean and paint the bottom mounting surface of the frame, then reinstall the belly pan, which should be able to be done in a day to day and a half, which is a timeframe the neighbors can't really complain about. We also have tons of neighborhood cats, that just from having the black tank hole open I know love to sleep in airstreams, mark things etc, so having a 8x12 foot opening for weeks on a trailer just isn't an option.

I won't be using self tapping screws, except time to time to temporarily attach wall panels before riveting, but not on the floor.

Hope that better explains things and thanks for chiming in. All the help is appreciated!

Oh yeah took out more floor this week

2009-01-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

Earlier in the week I was able to get away from the work routine for a couple hours of daylight and remove what accounts for the rear 12 feet of the trailer (the back 4 is already repainted, reinsulated and refloored). After this there is just 7 feet left to take care of. Rust was much less of an issue, in fact there is no welding needed in this part of the trailer. Some C channel will need to be replaced but I have some already in the garage all set to go. Some grinding and paint and some insulation, minor plumbing and vent repair in the kitchen and we're pretty much ready for more plywood. At the suggestion of Frank, Joe and a few others I'm going to try to set these two sections in full sheets since the walls are pretty flexible right now.

Also ran across an antenna a TV antenna that is close to correct on craigslist in Texas, but the price for the antenna alone is out of our price range for now, plus the cost of shipping wouldn't be cheap either, but still am looking for that as well as a handful of other 63 parts.

Hope to get a coat of paint on the frame tomorrow afternoon if all goes well.

Furnace cover arrived!

2009-01-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Frank (62overlander) we now have an exterior vent for the furnace. I need to get some clarification on how this installs but look forward to getting another piece of the exterior fabric back to original

Thanks Frank!

This weekend

2009-01-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

It took forever, but most of that was stopping for phone calls, neighbors etc. In an effort to stop the gallons of water 8671 was taking on, I decided to take advantage of a decent day (34 degrees and not raining/snowing) to reseal the biggest leaks, the street side refrigerator vent and sewer vent.

Sewer vent cover was actually a chrome ring for 1 1/2 inch drains on a sink, sealed with years of silicone. I replaced that since it was a pile of rust covered silicone. I actually sealed the pipe so it was in itself weather tight to the skin, then sealed the trim ring around the pipe as a secondary seal.

Both the refrigerator vent, and the scoop were removed, aluminum polished, cleaned, parts resealed and reriveted. Due to the weather conditions, all I had time to do was apply several good coats of filler primer to the scoop, which had lost its gel coat. I'll still need to repair it further when it warms up outside for a more prolonged amount of time. For now instead of rivets holding it on, it was reinstalled with 6 #8 stainless sheet metal screws with a small amount of Vuelkem on each set of threads. This should minimize issues in removing it later this spring.

Neighbors did think it was odd that I was on a ladder polishing the trailer at almost freezing temps, but rather do it right once than have to do it all over.

Photo with pipe sealed but not covered with trim ring yet (will take that photo later)

Good news is it rained last night and had no evidence of water in these areas, though it wasn't a "Big" rain. We'll see this week I'm sure with several overnight snow storms with daytime temps into the 40's forcasted.

She leaks, everywhere!

2009-01-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

We had the big melt of all our snow, and found LOTS of leaks. Both outside outlets leak, C channel joints leak aroun the entire rear, leak over front window, and the refrigerator vent just poors in water. I think I've solved the rear and side leaks. Outlet has new gaskget, and all exposed areas of the outside skins were cleaned and coated with rubberized undercoating. This should provide another layer of protection from water.

Next started to remove 4 more feet of plywood. Frame is in great shape, insulation was GROSS, mouse nests, their leftovers, and lots and lots of wet clay mud. Saved some, since I can't help but think that mud was from one of the jungle roads where elephants were pulling the trailers through the bogs.

I have some mystery wiring to track down. Extra coil of romex in the wall, the middle of a circuit, just over the water heater. Also two blue wires that dead end there and just at the license plate light. All taped in the wall from the factory. If anyone has any idea what the purpose of these was, feel free to share!

I most of all am looking forward to relaxing this weekend, was a long week back at work. Hopefully 8671 can get some attention too though.

Back 4 feet is in!

2009-01-02T17:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I ground down the rest of the frame and got 2 coats of por-15 paint on it.

Thanks to some help from Megan and our neighbor Bryan, I was able to get the plywood down in the back 4 feet. New insulation, all waste lines in and connected. It is amazing how solid it makes the back of the trailer. Still have several leaks to track down, I think they are coming from both the outside electrical outlets. But its too cold and too wet to seal them right now. Aren't affecting the new plywood but just in front of them.

secured

2008-12-29T19:15:00.001-08:00

Valley Lock and Key made us a set of keys for the L-100 lock so we have a secure interior now. Also got the rear cross member cut out and the area prepared for new metal. Also heard from Frank today (62Overlander) who has an original furnace exterior cover we can use. Thanks Frank!

cleaning, prepping and planning how to get er' done

2008-12-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

Well not a lot done today on the trailer, but had some nice family time. Did manage to remove the fiberglass wheel well covers and reorganize the interior parts so I can work further on the floor without having to keep moving things. Ed our neighbor is going to help me weld the frame this week, once that is done I'll start working my way forward removing more plywood. Megan pointed out after we do the 3 sheets to get through this bad spot in the kitchen that there are only 2 more to have a completely new floor, so guessing that'll end up being the eventual goal, though it will take some time, since we're saving up for other projects and paying off getting 8671 in the first place. I hope this month to at least get the back 4 feet in and bolted, and have the other 8 feet out so I can start repairs in those sections.

(Kitchen wheel well exposed, note the ripples in it due to the sag of the street side body due to floor rot)

(back 12 feet of trailer is free of cabinet parts etc making work possible)

(most structurally challenged section of the trailer for body issues, wheel well damaged, body sagged and outside skin above tire damaged from bad attempt by someone at some point changing a tire with the axle too far gone to get the tire out of the well without bending the skin out).

Thank you Marco Polo

2008-12-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

Megan got me for Christmas the book Thank you Marco Polo, The story about the 63-64 caravan.

8671 Was owned by Cecil and Mary Tolle, of Elwood Indiana. Like Mary, Megan and myself are both teachers. Page 70 says:

... Mary Tolle, a school teacher, had invited them, Or, rather some of them. Cecil tolle, a retired mechanic looked out at the endless columns. "My gosh, Mary," he said, "are those the kids you invited to our trailer?"

Such miscalculations were easy to make. while English is spoken better and by more people in Asia than in Europe, the precise intent behind a word is often subject to cultural variations. A casual invitation to someone to visit was a good example. Usually "someone" came with his whole family and often with inlaws and friends. Mary, for example visited a school in Malacca and was invited to sit in on several classes. A teacher then dispatched two English-speaking girls to take her on a tour of the city. She invited the girls to come visit her trailer and bring their classmates.

Their classmates turned out to be the whole school population of Malacca. More than 3,500 came. Ten other caravanners, who were parked around the Tolles, opened their trailers too. Malaccan school teachers stood at the doors and sent the children inside eight or ten at a time. The lines were unbelievably orderly, though some youngsters waited two hours for a turn to look inside the American trailers. That evening many of the children came back with their parents. They brought invitations to come and visit their homes.

IF WALLS COULD TALK! I'll post more as I read!

2008-12-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Will go 4 more, but need to figure out a better means of storing the rear cabinets and goucho since I don't have any more covered storage available. The next 4 feet is really to repair some punky plywood where they had a battery and to patch the old refrigerator vent hole which is behind the wheel well and was relocated higher at some point. Here's the survey of the damage:The plywood is out.

You can see the damage was mostly leaking around the shower wall (and the patch on the corner of the trailer that leaked as well and will have to be replaced). The other major area was right below the shower valve.

The leak under the showever valve was leaking directly over the crossmember, and no doubt had leaks from other areas heping out, but here is the damage to the rear crossmember (street side)

The only other major rust issue (other than surface rust EVERYWHERE) is this small repair needed on the 2nd from back crossmember, again on the street side. Fortunately the cancer doesn't appear to have spread too far. This will be an easy repair I think.

Here's some zoomed out photos of the rear area

Got to meet up in my hometown with Zep for a quick part exchange Christmas Day evening (with me sporting my new shirt from my wife). Great guy, and yes just in case anyone is wondering, his workmanship is absolutely amazing in person as well!

I plan on reinstalling the streetside rear half first, then fitting the tub and sink drains, and reworking them into one drain point (for a modern thedfort drain valve on the black tank). If my plan works out, I should be able to add extensions to both the black valve and gray water valve and be able to pull them from the bumper storage compartment (no getting on the ground for anything other than making the hose connection!).

Not much progress

2008-12-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

With 4 basketball games this weekend, the Cascades in town auditioning and the incredibly cold weather I haven't made progress on the interior panels as I hoped.

Early in the week I did manage to get a few panels in the rear removed so that I can remove the rear 8 feet of flooring. Won't continue this until the weather gets back up close to freezing.

As stated before we do have working 110 and 12v now and since the trailer occupies some of our side yard we've had santa get involved.

We have lights

2008-12-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

After several hours with a volt meter and some head scratching I figured out the wiring around the kitchen area.

I'll post photos later, there are 2 leads coming in for 12v, and 3rd going up to switch for the kitchen fan (to supply 12v created by the 110 to 12v transformer under the sink), 110 circuit to power that transformer and 2 thermostat wires.

Also rewired the main plug into the fuse panel (to remove some spliced wire that was used for a surface mount added outlet in the bathroom) we now have lights!! (12v AND 110).

We are in the hunting for 2 fan motors (one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom hehr vent) and their fan blades. Both are missing entirely in the trailer. I've started to rewire the switches to go back to the localized tranformer system. Both had been bypassed when the trailer was updated to the univolt system.

I think we will install an intellipower unit in the trailer, however it will be used for additional 12v circuits that will be needed for the 3-way refrigerator. That will create 12 means of creating 12 volts in the trailer. That creates two things to go wrong, but also a back up system in the event one type fails on a trip.

Tub (in good shape) and damaged black tank have been removed and stored in the garage so that I can begin to assess the damage to the rear area. After things are water tight, this winter I'll probably pull the first 4 feet of plywood and start figuring out what repairs will be needed. We're after all going to go slow on this, since we have other home improvements that are in line first (but that doesn't mean I can't still tinker!).

2008-12-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Interior lights:

We've been contacted about a ceiling light fixture, and the bathroom fixture and front sconces are intact, however we're going to be looking out for 2 lights as seen over the kitchen sink in this photo. If you come across some let us know where! Thanks!

http://www.vintageairstream.com/archives/63Safari/1963Safari5/slides/3053_3.html

Interior photos and door photo

2008-11-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

I somewhat placed everything where it is supposed to go so I could figure out exactly what I have. Appears most major things are there, though almost every wood piece has had major water damage and all plywood products are coming apart. Not to worry, once we figure out what species of wood it is and when we get to that part of the project we'll make exact replacements for any bad wood.

Frame under the black tank/rear crossmember is paper thin on top and will need some work. Only two major areas of rot, under the kitchen sink and the bathroom area. Still may replace all plywood, but will have to finish removing all tile and get the ice pick out.

I need some education on this aparently separate 12v and 110 system (I see city power/battery or 110/12v switches all over this trailer) and multiple bulb types in most fixtures.

Did discover the roof locker lights (kitchen sink light and over the side couch) were replaced at some point with little square plastic lights, so will be keeping an eye out for those. Sink, tub, bath vanity all seem in good shape. Found what I think was the dining room table leg. Bathtub has all the misc small pieces of wood, trim pieces etc.

About half the metal T channel that held dividers to the wall were damaged when the trailer was taken apart, but fortunately I kept all those for the 66 and have matches that will work.

Door has been removed so I can remove the top hinge and take it to a machine shop for hopeful repair (since it appears to be a 1 year specific hinge that is no longer available).

The trip

2008-11-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

What a great trip (but tiring).

Eric (my brother) and his son Alec and I went down Friday morning at 5:00 AM to Napa California to bring her home. Took just under 36 hours round trip, with an hour and a half nap figured in there at 3:00 AM Saturday at a rest stop. We stopped and took photos at the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as at Robs, Dinner (In & Out Burger) and out the window along the way a few times.

Mount Shasta

Golden Gate Bridge (Eric and Alec)

Golden Gate Bridge at 8671 (sorry about the fog)

Hitching up

Dinner at 11:30 PM (Friday)

4:30 PM (Saturday) In the driveway

A Photo History

2008-11-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

Thank you Joe for the following photos showing historical photos of 8671 and photos of its sale on Ebay earlier this year.