My 57 Airstream Caravanner

I Will Miss Her So Much

2012-01-08T16:46:00.001-08:00

-steve

The Pullout Pantry

2011-12-13T20:37:00.001-08:00

Pam and Brissy the Cat and I are four and a half months into fulltiming in Island Girl now. I hadn’t really planned on the trailer being able to operate in the cold, but we’ve been doing ok. Everything works the way I wanted and I haven’t found anything that needs to be changed.

Work is mostly done with the last fairly big project being the pullout pantry in the old broom closet.

I used a heavy bottom slider and a guide for the top from Rockler. The sides are just simple one inch aluminum stock from the hardware store.

The top guide mounts to a simple shelf over the top of the pantry unit.

The original door got reused.

I now have lots and lots of storage and the broom found a home in the wardrobe closet.

Island Girl Takes Another Ferry Ride

2011-09-21T22:31:00.001-07:00

Very early and dark on Tuesday morning we headed for Anacortes to make the 0930 ferry to Lopez Island where my trailer spent many of her years.

Fog in Anacortes soon gave way to nice warm and sunny skies as we made the forty minute trip to Lopez.

Even though we’ve sailed in the San Juan Islands for years, I’d not been on Lopez since around 1980 when I was touring on my bicycle. I’d forgotten how beautiful it is. Island Girl’s former home actually has shoreline on both the front and back of the property. We backed in behind Harold and Kathy’s motorhome, just a few feet from the water and surrounded by Douglas Fir and the distinctive Madrona tree, common in these islands.

Edith has her 94th birthday next month. I know she was excited to see her old trailer again, but I don’t think she could have been more excited than I was. Meeting her is really special to me. I know the trailer is just a collection of aluminum bits and pieces, but it was an important part of the lives of those who have used her before me. She’s taken great trips, served as a home (just as she’s doing now for Pam and me), and even for Harold and Kathy’s honeymoon.

Edith is a cat person, like me. My Brissy is not the first cat to travel in the trailer. She is adjusting well to the move from her sailboat, but it has been a huge change for a cat who has spent her life on a boat. She had a fun two days too, walking on her leash, just like Edith told me she had done with her Siamese cats.

But Brissy was more than ready for a nap while waiting for the ferry for the return trip home this afternoon.

Those of us that love these old trailers really do so because of people. We love the old aluminum and the way it shines, but we feel a connection to the guys that put them together at the factory. And, we feel a connection to the people who have owned and used the trailers in the past. It is about aluminum, but it’s mostly about people. I feel so honored to have been able to make that special connection this week.

-steve

Something Really Cool

2011-09-11T17:27:00.001-07:00

We took the trailer to our first rally last year at the Tin Can Tourist Rally in Lynden, WA, only twelve miles away. Island Girl was an empty shell then, Alzheimer’s wouldn’t let us stay, and the weather was lousy. This year we got to do it right with a nearly complete trailer, and no problems from Alzheimer’s as we’re living in the trailer fulltime anyway. And, the weather was perfect. Lynden is a great, laid back rally where everyone is just into old trailers and some cool old cars as well.

Saturday afternoon a fella came to the door who greeted me with “You have no idea who I am.” When he said his name, though, I did know him as Harold was the son of the original owners of the trailer. He and his wife (they celebrated their honeymoon in the trailer) were visiting friends, had no knowledge of the rally, but happened to drive by when their planned route was closed for construction. They figured they’d just take a drive through the fairgrounds and look at some trailers, but happened to drive by one that was the same model his family had owned.
But, he saw the wheels and knew it was the trailer, not just the model. If you’ve followed this blog, you know we’d earlier made an email and telephone connection. He’d seen pictures and knew, even though we’d not been in contact for a year or so.

He and his mom have been on my mind. We’d earlier made tentative plans to ride the ferry out to Lopez Island to let her see her trailer when we got done with the work. The weather is good, things are fairly stable with Pam, so it’s a good time to make the trip, especially since Harold and Kathy are heading to Lopez for a month to celebrate his Mom’s 94th birthday. We’re going to try really hard to make the trip out there next week.
Very very hard to wipe the smile off my face right now.

Swallowing the Anchor

2011-08-21T20:29:00.001-07:00

is the term for a sailor moving ashore. We’ve now swallowed ours after almost 23 years aboard our little 31’ cutter. We’re three weeks into life on Island Girl, our new yacht. Three hectic weeks, especially for Brissy the cat and me, but thankfully Pam has made an easy transition. It is a necessary change for us, but it is a big one.

The boat will soon be for sale, but I am so lucky that we were able to do so much more with her than we ever dreamed. Pam was able to experience all of a sailing voyage around the world and I have my memories of it.

First winter aboard in 1988. Nothing worked. We knew nothing.

Tracy Arm in Alaska, 1996.

Baja, Mexico, 1997.

On passage to Galapagos, 1998.

A very dirty hull after a 30 day passage to the Marquesas, 1998.

Paradise on Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, 1998.

Pago Pago Yacht Club in American Samoa in late 1998.

Approaching South Africa, 2002.

Haulout in Richards Bay, South Africa, Christmas, 2002.

The fabulous game park near Richards Bay, 2003.

Thousands of dolphins passing by us in a feeding frenzy as we near Cape Town, 2003.

The best sailing in the world, South Atlantic, 2003.

The crew that helped us through the Panama Canal, 2004.

* * * * * * *

And the new home is going to be just fine.

Island Girl Ceases Being My Shop

2011-06-27T20:53:00.001-07:00

Since my subfloor has epoxy and a layer of fiberglass cloth on it, I've not needed to be careful with it and the trailer and its subfoor have been my shop for a couple of years. That ended today and I will now have to be careful. Last week I made a stupid epoxy spill on the subfloor but it was easy to clean. Tomorrow I shall move the epoxy out of the trailer.

Pam has bunches of bears, but mostly Pandas.

Those pandas dictated the choice of bamboo for the floor. It was fitted around the cabinets as opposed to under mainly so I could replace it later if bad things happen to it.

It went in easily in a couple of work days, even with all the fitting. Still have the moulding yet to go, but that should be pretty simple. Shouldn't have been in hindsight, but I was surprised by the amount of waste. I'd gotten three boxes and figured I'd barely use more than two, but there are only 5 or 6 full pieces left and a lot of cutoffs thrown away.

I'm afraid to walk on it now, but I'm hoping that feeling goes away.

-steve

Holding Tank Venting

2011-06-08T21:00:00.001-07:00

Island Girl had no holding tanks originally and only one vent that exited through the bathroom. I utilized that existing hole along with the original scoop type vent cap for the black tank. The gray tank vent runs through the wardrobe closet. For both vents, I decided to use marine through hull fittings. They make a watertight seal and terminate with barb type ends. I stayed with barb type fittings for the tank as well and used marine sanitation hose for the actual vent lines.

The inside hole is large to allow access for installing nutplates that will let the vent cap be easily removable for maintenance. I’ll add a trim plate to cover the hole later.

The vent cap came from a posting on Airforums about finding these neat little caps at some mobile home supply store.

Here the nutplates are installed along with the through hull fittng, ready for some Vulkem for a seal and 6 machine screws for the cap.

I also used Vulkem to add a bit of screen on the top of the fitting to keep the critters out.

Today the toilet got its final install as well. Other than the flooring install, all the big systems are now in and functional. Still several hundred little things to finish, but we’ve made it to the point that Island Girl is now totally useable.

Ice Cream

2011-05-30T15:51:00.001-07:00

I like it. I like it too much. In the 23 years we’ve lived on our boat, though, we’ve never been able to keep ice cream onboard. We have a good refrigerator, but it does not have a freezer. During the years we were away from the U.S. cruising, ice cream was what we craved after a long and usually hot passage. As soon as we anchored in a new port, we’d head ashore with our passports, boat papers, and two spoons. Once the paperwork was done, we’d find a store, buy a two liter container of ice cream and usually eat it right on the steps of the store.

Ice cream is now one of the few foods that Pam can eat pretty well, so we often go to the grocery store on the way to the trailer and pick up a pint for her to eat. I help. I do.

Yesterday I got two half gallon containers of ice cream (coffee and vanilla bean) and put them in Island Girl’s fridge. Today I was only there for a short time and did little work, just installed a cabinet door. But, the ice cream is frozen solid in the freezer, so it’ll be ready for Pam tomorrow when we get over there. How cool is that? Ice cream in our own freezer! I’m a happy boy.

Island Girl’s Systems are Go

2011-05-26T15:47:00.001-07:00

Not much actual work today, but a big step forward. Yesterday I moved the trailer near a faucet and filled our fresh tanks. Today, the water pump and water heater got their electrical hookups done. Note to self: always make sure that you've hooked up the wires to the circuit breaker panel before you wonder why the pump doesn't work.

No leaks at all in the PEX. There's a drip at the water heater drain that needs attention and one at the strainer basket in the sink. Easy fixes. I will never like plumbing, but the PEX with the copper crimps and brass fittings works really well.

So we've now got heat, a cold fridge, hot and cold water, and a stove all functional.

Little by little, polishing continues. Rain has about made it impossible for the last few days, but I’m planning to do it just a little at a time anyway. Compounder and F7 Nuvite is all I’ve used so far.

-steve

Plumbing Water and Plumbing Gas

2011-05-17T22:16:00.001-07:00

I still hate plumbing, but it's almost over. Fill lines for the two tanks and the sink drain remain to be done with the water. The pics show the layout in the galley with a few ball valves instead of check valves.

The low point is right at the water heater and using the heater bypass, I'm able to get away with a single drain line for the system.

Double flares have been keeping me busy for a week or so. I've been lying under the trailer on rain and mud soaked cardboard surrounded by the state animal of western Washington, the slug. I put in shutoff valves for each of the four gas appliances. The propane system is all hooked up now, but the tubing still needs to be secured to the frame. I'd never done the double flares before, so it was scary turning the gas on this afternoon after the last connection was made. Had a couple of joints that needed another pull on the wrench and one just plain crummy flare that evaded my quality control and had to be replaced.

Even though we've had temporary gas lines run for the heater for 2 years, it was still pretty cool to fire up the stove for the first time.

And, despite the rain, polishing has begun. Weather looks good for the next few days, so I'm planning on getting some more compounding done.

The curtain sewing project has given me the sewing bug. I’m going to try to sew my own awning and window shades and bought an old Pfaff 130 sewing machine on eBay for the task. It is a year older than me and six older than the trailer. Unfortunately, it wasn’t well packed and arrived with the base for the case pretty well destroyed.

I took it completely apart and repaired it with epoxy and fiberglass, so it’s back in pretty good shape now.

The machine came through it fine and should be able to handle any awning work I throw at it. My own capabilities are limited to throw pillows right now, but at least an awning is on the horizon.

-steve

I Still Don’t Like Plumbing

2011-04-19T22:08:00.001-07:00

but this PEX stuff is really nice.

I’m using the brass fittings with the copper crimp rings and it all goes together really quick. My system is very simple with only a galley faucet and and shower and toilet. It’s being made outside in modular sections, one for the bath and one for the galley.

The plumbing for the shower and toilet sits inside a still to be finished cabinet between the bed and the bath with the feed coming from under the bed. Almost everything was done outside except for the last two elbows connecting the feed lines. The crimper needs quite a bit of room.

So the only crimps that had to be done inside are the two at the top left in the above picture.

Then everything slides into place inside the cabinet.

Outside, the fills for the two fresh water tanks, the city water hookup, and the fresh tank vent are all mounted in place. They’ll just need Vulkem and final fastening to finish. These four fittings are all marine style.

58 degrees is forecasted for Saturday, so we might head for the car wash tomorrow to get ready for some outside polish work. It’s way past time for my summer uniform of shorts and flip flops.

-steve

Progress That Shows

2011-04-11T17:53:00.001-07:00

Most of the time I feel like I work and work on Island Girl and nothing really shows. Lately, though, things are beginning to come together and often a little work yields big results.

The chrome plater finally got my pieces done and the scare light and the Bargmann H20-2 I doubt have ever looked quite this good. Nice to be able to get rid of the vice grip door handle I've been using for the last two months.

Woot.com had a really good deal on a full size mattress and it is now cut to fit and in place. I wasn't ready for it, but the deal was too good to skip. When it arrived, the package firmly said it had to be opened to expand within 3 days, so it's in, ready or not.

On the big job front, my buddy Jim, who usually mans the rivet gun, is sewing curtains. I'm a wiz at hand sewing, but hopeless with a machine, so his help is really appreciated. It's a bark cloth fabric that I was afraid was going to be too bold for my taste, but I'm really happy with the way it looks.

There's a sink and a faucet visible in the pics too, holding tanks now have fittings, and I'm collecting the last of the crimp fittings for the PEX.

-steve

A Toaster in My Toaster

2011-03-19T17:34:00.001-07:00

Got a package in the mail a couple of weeks ago that I wasn’t expecting and inside was a wonderful old toaster for Island Girl from Pam’s sister. It’s perfect!! Thanks, Barb.

As you can also see, the laminate for the countertops is going in. Had our caregiver today and I didn’t want Pam with me when I did the stinky gluing, so it was a good day for it. Ran out of time with one piece still to go, but that’s OK.
The entry for the bathroom has been an ongoing project, laminating the upper and lower parts, one piece of Baltic birch at a time.

It’s not much different than the original, just a smaller opening and more curves, but I’m happy with the way it looks.

And the old vanity with its curved top is morphing into the new computer station. That curve was a tough one.
-steve

Rain and Wind

2011-03-12T19:04:00.001-08:00

It seems like we’ve had rain and wind nonstop for a month. I know it’s really not that bad, but it seems like it. The boat has been heeled over in the wind and gloomy and dark down below. Pam continues to slowly get worse and I still try to get her off the boat for awhile each day, but it’s a big effort getting her on and off as she just about can’t walk anymore. If you know anything about sailboats, think bosun’s chair. So, this morning, even though I had our caregiver coming to give me a break, I was dark and down and gloomy and depressed, mostly from the weather.

As far as trailer work goes, things are pretty good. Having to work slowly and deliberately as I’m in one of those stages where it’s easy to make stupid mistakes and I have little patience for myself on that stuff. But, it’s almost magical the way the trailer is coming together after all this time. So many things I’ve thought about and planned for during the last two years are actually in the trailer now and they mostly look and work like I wanted. That’s way cool.

Outside, I’ve got the louvered panel for the fridge air intake installed. Louvered panel came from Fergie's Custom Louvers and I used the Vintage Style Drip Caps from VTS. Fergie’s louver polished up nice and easy, but Steve’s drip cap was a pain. I knew it came white and need to be stripped, but it didn’t strip—even Aircraft Paint Remover didn’t touch the finish. Only sanding got it down to bare aluminum and it was a lot of work. It was also too long but that was expected and an easy fix.

I used nutplates and machine screws to fasten the louvered panel after making up some C channel to reinforce the huge hole I cut in the trailer.

Chris, Aluminium Idler, put up a post in his blog about using a torch to heat and bend his door back into shape. I used the same technique after his inspiration to put a huge bend in a straight piece of trim for the bathroom entry sill.

Today I worked on the upper piece to that bathroom door and on the curved top for the former vanity cabinet just forward of the bathroom.

That little cabinet top has a really sharp curve on it and I could not get the usual 1/8” Baltic Birch to make the bend no matter what I tried. I ended up using a couple pieces of 1/16” Aircraft Birch laminated together to get it done.

But back to the wind and rain. . . I worked about half the day on those two projects above and decided to spend the afternoon sitting and reading in front of the fire in the heater. I’m parked in a storage lot which doesn’t sound very pretty, but Island Girl is in the back on the grass with lots of trees around and a couple of eagles often overhead. The trailer doesn’t heel in the wind like the boat and the rain sounds really soothing on the aluminum. And nine Caravanner windows are much better than tiny portholes. My gloom was pretty well gone.

-steve

The Wardrobe Makeover

2011-02-14T19:04:00.001-08:00

The original wardrobe was a huge hanging locker. I really like the Elfa Bins that I used in the cabinet between the recliners and the plan has been to use them in part of the wardrobe as well. The bins are on sale in January, so I waited until last month to get 4 more of the platinum mesh drawers. The last couple of days I’ve been dividing the wardrobe and making the hangers for the bins.

Lots of finish work still to go on them before they’re done, but I think they’ll work well with lots of storage that can be used in several different ways.

-steve

How is It Possible to Work 6 Hours in This Space?

2011-02-06T19:18:00.001-08:00

I had care for Pam today and figured I'd get a bunch of stuff done. Instead, I spent 6 hours inside this little 2x2 space, mostly finishing the fridge vent hood and putting the floor of the cabinet back in.

Sometimes it is just amazing to me that I can work so many hours and seemingly get almost nothing done.

It does all count as progress, though, and some projects actually get done these days instead of being bits of ongoing projects.

-steve

Refrigerator Install

2011-02-04T22:09:00.001-08:00

For the two years I’ve been working on Island Girl, my hope has been to face new refrigerator with the original 50’s door from the old Marvel she came with.

A Dometic RM2510 seemed to be the closest in size and among the most important measurements was the width of the freezer door which was just small enough to clear the Marvel door frame. The inside height of the Dometic was greater, but everything looked like it could be done.

When it arrived, almost all the measurements worked out. Depth would be tight in the cabinet, but the door mod could be done. Second thoughts began to creep in when I opened the Dometic door and looked at all the storage in the door itself and all that would go away if I used the Marvel door.

I asked everyone I knew, including all the great people from Hospice who have been coming by for Pam (and me), for their advice on how I should go forward. Function is going to win out, especially since I’ve departed from the pure original vintage trailer in quite a few areas.

Depth, though, was a problem not solved until I removed a bit of interior skin. I made up an airfoil shaped piece of aluminum to replace my cutout and my riveting buddy Jim came over to help put it in place. At the same time, I lowered the fridge mount as far as I could in the cabinet, down to the top of the wheel well. Then it finally agreed to slide right in with a perfect fit.

I’ve been working most recently on the vent, making that out of some of the salvaged aluminum interior skins that I’ve replaced with birch.

And instead of that cool Marvel door, it’ll be standard Dometic, but done in birch.

No vintage fridge door also means that the vintage stove makes less sense, so I’ve got a new stove going in opposite the refrigerator. The new one avoids a clearance problem with the water heater that would have been an issue with the original. If anyone needs a 50’s Princess stove, you’re welcome to come pick mine up.

On the left in that last picture is the platform on casters that I made up to make it easier to move the new fridge in and out during the install. It’s made life much easier.

-steve

When You Simply Cannot See the Obvious

2011-01-08T17:56:00.001-08:00

I’ve been hard at work in the bathroom and what I’ve done has been going slowly, but well.

There is one problem that I’ve spent hours and hours thinking about, trying to solve it in the best way.

In the original, Island Girl had a flat shower pan, water lines for the shower running around the perimeter, and the shower head mounted on the bulkhead to the left in the picture above.

The new bulkheads are slightly wider than the old and there will be a small cabinet on the right, between the rear bulkhead and the bed in an area that used to be a narrow strip of tile. I’d very much like to route the water lines in a cleaner appearing way than just screwed to the wall as they were. I want the wet bath to function well as a shower and be easy to clean.

There will be a new laminated piece going around the curved door opening and I’d thought I might make that piece wide enough to hide the water line routing inside it. Complicated, but it would work and keep the clean appearance.

Usually, when I’m struggling with how to execute an idea, I ask my friend Dusty for advice. He drove over today while Pam and I were at the trailer and he took a look at what I’d planned. I don’t think he had any real reason to be there except that I had asked for help earlier in the day back on the boat. Didn’t take him long to ask me why the shower had to be mounted on the side bulkhead as original instead of the rear bulkhead. Clearly there was no reason. Using the rear bulkhead the water lines and shower mixing valve could easily be hidden in the new cabinet next to the bed.

He’s exactly right and it’s a much better way to do it: simple, shorter water run and keeps the water lines and fittings away from a space that will later house the computer. Good friends are good to have.

Why couldn’t I see this on my own?

-steve

The Bathroom Begins

2010-12-30T15:58:00.001-08:00

The trailer originally had no holding tanks. Not many changes in the space except for the addition of the holding tank, but I really want it to function well as a wet bath.

That’s the way the shower pan looked when I took it out in the gutting process. I’ve decided to reuse it, just shortening to fit the new space and a bit of polishing.

New bulkheads are rough cut, the tank is in place, and the shower pan is smaller. I’ll be using white FRP panels on the inside of the bulkheads and the aluminum will be painted white.

5/8’s ply will sit on top of the tank and 1/2” King Starboard will form the visible surface.

I’ve seen Starboard, but have never used it. It works like wood, cuts easily, and can be fastened with screws. It should give me a nice waterproof surface that will be easy to keep clean.

This Perko marine scupper drain (used to drain the cockpit on a boat) is the shower drain fitting. It has a simple check valve in it, just a floating rubber ball. It’ll use marine sanitation hose to form a P trap before running forward to the gray tank. I’ve also dished out the subfloor surface around the drain to encourage the shower pan to drain.

Last post of the year and nearly two years into the project. Hard to believe it’s been that long, but there’s clearly light at the end of the tunnel now.

-steve

Finishing the Black Tank

2010-12-13T20:27:00.001-08:00

I don’t know how many hours the tank has taken, not a lot. But it’s been one of those jobs that takes small parts of many days: a layup that takes just a few minutes, an overnight cure, and another layup and cure.

I inset the drain fitting and laid up several plies of cloth over it. Hate it when I do these things: put the tank in place and considered where to put the drain, took everything into consideration except the fact that Airstream made these trailers with frames, and of course, dead centered the frame rail with the drain. Easy fix, I’ve admitted it, and no longer have to explain the patch you’ll see in some of the upcoming pictures.

Fittings got installed in the top along with a couple of thin wooden stiffeners glassed in.

Next, 1x2’s were bonded and glassed in to form a mounting flange for the tank top.

And this is all that was left of the 10 yards of cloth I had ordered, positive I’d have plenty. The roll on the right in the picture is the additional 5 yards I had to get.

I used a marine sealant to mount the cleanout fitting. The nozzle will sit under the bed and connect to the fitting I installed on the outside in an earlier post.

The tank top was bonded to the bottom with thickened epoxy and attached with some temporary screws.

Finally, today I removed those screws, trued and rounded the outside edge slightly and finished the job with a two ply layup just over the seam. Peel ply comes off tomorrow after cure and the tank is done.

-steve

Fautasi LED Lights

2010-12-06T18:18:00.001-08:00

When Pam and I were cruising in our sailboat, we stopped for a couple of years in American Samoa starting in 1998 to work and reload our cruising dollars. While there we became friends with Michael and Kendra who were getting their boat ready to go. Michael gave me a handful of white LED’s and resistors and I soldered them together inside a 35 mm film can with a 12 volt lead. That became our cockpit light for the next six years with lots of light and hardly any power draw.

In 2004, Michael and Kendra started an LED lighting company in Fiji, called Bebi Electronics. They provide needed jobs in the local community and offer some pretty cool lights. Most of their products are for the marine market, but several fit right in on an Airstream.

I’m using two Fautasi lights mounted below the overhead lockers and lighting the galley. The name is from the Samoan racing canoes that are powered by lots of people power.

They’re 18 LED, warm white, handmade, and mounted in a native hardwood from Fiji. They bring back memories for me since they do look like a fautasi.

These two lights are controlled through a small toggle switch on the light on the right. My galley now has plenty of light.

I’m now done installing lights, except for one reading light by the bed where I’m still unsure of position. Everything is LED. Since the days are very short and I’m sometimes working after dark, I now know that I’ll have plenty of light, everywhere in the trailer.

-steve

Continuing with the Black Tank

2010-12-01T20:45:00.001-08:00

Cold weather has been slowing progress down quite a bit. Most days I have Pam with me, so we do the ten minute drive to the trailer to turn the heat on and then do something else for an hour or so to let it heat up. I like to get her off the boat for awhile most days, but she is now in a wheelchair mostly and everything takes much more time.

After glassing the inside, I turned the tank over, filled the holes used in wiring it together, and rounded the edges with a belt sander. Today I glassed the outside with 3 plies of cloth overall and a couple more where the drain fitting will go.

When the third layer was wetted out, I put a two inch strip of dacron peel ply on the edge. Peel ply saves a lot of work. It’ll pull off when cured, leaving a nice surface that won’t need sanding to prepare for the layup to fasten the top of the tank.

Tomorrow I’ll trim the edges and maybe get started on the top and the drain fitting.

I ordered a few laminate samples for the galley counter top and everyone who has seen them has picked this one. I think I have too. Water heater and toilet have now arrived as well.

-steve

It is Cold in Western Washington

2010-11-21T19:14:00.001-08:00

And it’s supposed to get colder before it gets warmer. I kept my epoxy on the boat last night to keep it warm and it took quite awhile for the trailer to warm up this morning. Got some epoxy and fiberglass work done though.

I’ve got a day for the trailer again tomorrow so hopefully I can get a little more done. Tuesday looks very cold so trailer work is probably out.

-steve

A Stitch and Glue Black Tank

2010-11-19T19:00:00.001-08:00

I'm using stitch and glue to fabricate the black tank which will sit above the subfloor in the rear curbside bath. It should be a good technique for the tank, especially as it's easy to shape it to fit the Airstream curve. Materials will be a 1/4" plywood core, epoxy, filler and fiberglass cloth. The tank will extend through the bathroom bulkhead and under the bed so the little cleanout sprayer fitting can be hidden.

Yesterday I got the plywood pieces cut out and glued the first layer of 1/8" Baltic birch into a rabbet cut into the 1/4" plywood. The birch will let me make the curve on the sides of the tank. Today the bottom and sides were wired together to hold them in place temporarily for the epoxy.

We've got light snow and cold here for the next few days, so I may not get too far with this until it warms up a bit. The trailer heater warms it up just fine, but I can't keep it on unless we're there, so it really gets cold soaked. It has to be warm for Pam, so we went to the trailer, turned on the heat, and then ran errands for awhile to let it get warm. Pam is quite frail now and isn’t walking well, so it’s getting much harder to get out with her. Worth it, though, as she thought those snow flakes falling today were pretty cool.

-steve

I Have to do Plumbing Pretty Soon

2010-11-14T12:20:00.001-08:00

I know I can do it—the system is pretty simple, but I just don’t like plumbing. But, cabinets are going back in and I know it’ll be much easier to make plumbing runs while those cabinets can still be moved.

So this marks the official beginning of plumbing, still probably to be delayed as much as I can. The streetside rear corner was originally the outlet for the power cord, but all that stuff is in front now. I’m using the hole to plumb a cleanout sprayer for the blackwater tank. The inlet is a Perko marine city water hookup and chrome plated bronze, very nice quality. I’ll use another one later for the trailer’s city water hookup.

The black tank will sit on top of the subfloor in the rear curbside location of the bath. I’ll be fabricating the tank using epoxy and fiberglass cloth with stitch and glue techniques. I’ll start on the tank soon.

Meanwhile refinishing is ongoing with the original bed frame and its nice curved corner the current work in progress.

-steve

The Key to My Trailer

2010-10-25T19:31:00.001-07:00

Pam is no longer able to climb into the V berth in the bow that has always been her bed. I’ve been lifting her up there for several weeks, but finally decided to move her into the main saloon where access is much easier. Alzheimers doesn’t like changes and boat cats don’t like changes, so let’s just say that last night was not the most restful on our little boat.

Cold, windy, and rainy this morning, but I had respite care for Pam and 6 hours alone to work on the trailer. I got the 12 volt fan hooked up on the heater and connected the gas line. And, the work mostly stopped.

It was nice and warm with the fire burning in the heater. I sat back in one of the recliners with my copy of David Winick’s Airstreams Custom Interiors and most of my day slipped away.

Guilt made me get a little work done, some sanding and some stripping on the cabinets. I emptied out the stuff in the drawers in the galley cabinet too and scored a great find.

When I bought Island Girl, the keys could not be found, so I installed a deadbolt and have been using that to lock the door. But in one of those drawers was this little key that fits the Bargman lock perfectly.

-steve

We Almost Have Heat Again

2010-10-24T21:01:00.001-07:00

About a year ago I got the Dickinson Propane Heater installed temporarily so Pam could be comfortable inside and so I could work through the winter. The wet weather we have this weekend and the look of the forecast means we need it back in again.

Nothing is ever simple. Since it sticks out more than the Panel Ray it replaces, I needed to get the other big pieces of cabinetry back in, so the bed and galley are inside, with refinishing of them still to go.

Tomorrow I’ll get the propane hooked up on the heater and the 12 volt power for the fan that we didn’t have last year. Then our little fireplace will be permanently installed!

Even though there’s a lot of work still to do on the cabinets, it’s a really big deal to get them back in. We’re starting to look like a trailer inside again.

-steve

The Recliner Cabinet

2010-10-11T20:15:00.001-07:00

is mostly done except for the hinges for the top compartment and the laminate tops over the electrical system area.

The circuit breaker panels for the 110 volt system and the 12 volt system are on opposite sides under the radio. Front panel is the solar regulator, and it also has the battery voltage readout.

Brissy the boat cat is just starting to get used to the trailer. She’s not at all happy with car and truck noises outside, though.

Both of the Elfa bins are accessible behind the one panel opening. The pull is off the original gaucho and matches the other drawers.

Still waiting for hinges to arrive for the top compartment, but they’ll be here shortly.

I spent most of the day today cutting, fitting, sanding, and fitting on the forward bulkhead for the fridge/wardrobe cabinet. It’s close, but not quite there.

-steve

Big Stuff Goes Back In!!

2010-10-10T19:56:00.001-07:00

All the original cabinets moved out of Island Girl about a year and a half ago. Yesterday was a big step forward with the refrigerator/wardrobe cabinet going back in. It’s not refinished yet and needs a couple of panels replaced, but it is back in. Mainly it’s back because I want to reinstall the Dickinson propane heater with cold weather approaching, but it still looks good back inside.

The cabinet for the recliners is nearly done. Mostly waiting for some hinges to arrive from Lee Valley and for the laminate install. I have absolutely no idea for color or pattern on that and am just kicking it down the road.

-steve

Tools!!

2010-09-25T16:48:00.001-07:00

I’ve got a pretty good set of basic tools, but when it comes to making cabinets I really come up short. My buddy Dusty (he of the Airstream cutouts for the overhead sliders) looked at what I was doing and loaned me a router, a laminate trimmer, a biscuit joiner, a brad gun, and a staple gun. All these in addition to his table saw, chop saw, and belt sanders I’d already been using. It’s really a luxury having access to the right tools.

The front curved portion is, like most of the cabinet, 1/8” Baltic birch and is bent around the plywood formers and attached with thickened epoxy. It was done in one uncut piece and I used duct tape to mark the edges and to keep the epoxy from sticking beyond those points.

Then I just used a razor knife to cut out the opening for the two Elfa bins. I used the round welt from VTS for the edges.

The bottom bin will attach to the front face, giving access to both bins.

The sides are now on and I’ve got the hardwood pieces cut for the armrest opening and the mount for the little radio.

The Forward Cabinet Takes Shape

2010-09-14T16:58:00.001-07:00

The two recliners came with a center console, but it’s too wide and very heavy. It does have a nice leather center armrest and that will be resized to fit the smaller cabinet I’m making.

The back half of the “T” shaped box houses the batteries, converter, and circuit breaker panels. Might even be some storage room left over if I’m lucky. In the back of the trailer the original bed has a great curve of birch made into it and I want to tie that into the front cabinet. I’ve started with curves cut into 3/4” ply and notched to fit the 1x2” framing, fastened with epoxy and cloth (thanks, Marcus).

I got the rest of the framing put together today using a pocket screw jig. Really like the pocket screws: strong, and really quick.

Air19 has a great thread at airforums showing his cabinet work on a ‘53 Flying Cloud. He is really skilled and I am not, but he makes use of Elfa bins for his storage and I’m using them in this cabinet as well.

I’ve just got it clamped and wired in place to check the fit for now. The Elfa bins just slide on grooves cut into the 1x2’s. It’ll all be covered in Baltic birch and a laminate yet to be decided upon.

-steve

Island Girl Rolls

2010-09-12T21:04:00.001-07:00

We’re not camping yet, but Island Girl left the storage lot and headed to Lynden Fairgrounds for the TCT rally this weekend. Couldn’t camp in her empty shell with Pam and the weather was Pacific Northwest awful today, but it was great to hook her up to her new Reese hitch and actually roll down the road. Got to meet some online friends from Airforums in person. A bunch of mighty impressive trailers there too.

It’s a little step forward, but feels pretty good after a year and a half of work on the trailer. I am a really slow worker, but I’ve really got the bug to get out camping in my trailer now.

-steve

Plated Brass Barrel Bolts?

2010-09-06T08:27:00.001-07:00

I’ve been looking at these ugly things for a year and a half. Can’t believe Airstream used brass plated steel barrel bolts to latch the inner door.

Still need to finish off some rivets—the inside of the door has many, but just about finished with the door. Inside is stripped and polished, but lots of etching. I might have to consider replacing the top inside door panel, but we’ll see how much more the compounder can do.

The rusty barrel bolts have been replaced with stainless. I also added and inside door handle to use as a pull to save wear and tear on the old Bargman lock.

Pam is hanging out with her two bears in the reflection. She’s just about over a bout with the flu that’s made us boat bound and miserable for the last few days. Good to get back to the trailer for a couple hours yesterday.

-steve

Fixing Up the Door

2010-08-24T20:11:00.001-07:00

My buddy Brissy loves her sailboat. She’s nearly nine now and has almost never left it since she joined us when she was five weeks old. In this picture, she’s hangin’ out on the boom in Trinidad after crossing the Atlantic ocean. Up until this week, she had never walked on grass, but she’s now made three trips to the trailer to help me work on the days that I’ve had respite care for Pam. Bris thinks that grass stuff has real possibilities.

I had care for Pam today, but Brissy bailed on me and decided to stay on the boat and sleep all day. That made it a good day to work on that door through which both of them tend to walk, not knowing where they are going. I’ve had two real goals for the summer months: getting the belly pan installed and doing a general fix up of the door before wet weather hits us again.

The door is in really good original shape and fits very well. Mostly it just needed new gaskets, stripping and polish of the interior panels, and replacing pop rivets with bucked. I drilled out a couple of pop rivets on the hinges and they just fell right off. There was a little corrosion, so that was cleaned up and sprayed with aircraft primer. I also added a doubler inside the door and interior wall at each hinge attach.

Quite a bit more work to do on it, but it’s at least back on to keep Pam and Brissy secure.

Seems like nearly all the tasks right now show as a big improvement on the trailer. All that ripping apart and tearing up has to be done, but this stuff is more rewarding.

-steve

Back to Stripping

2010-08-04T21:02:00.001-07:00

Marcus advised me to try Aircraft Stripper, the nastiest stuff available, for stripping off the old Zolatone. I was too stubborn to follow good advice until I had used up all the other stuff I had. Finally got to that point today and got a gallon of the good stuff. Sort of goes pop when the cap is unscrewed and it has plenty of dire warnings written on the can. You are warned against using Aircraft Stripper on airplanes. No warnings concerning Airstreams.

It smells awful and you don't want to get it on your skin, but it does seem to get much more off on the first pass. It'll still take about three applications to get rid of the Zolatone. I'm now doing the lower interior skins that won't be replaced by Baltic Birch. The end of stripping is in sight.

Up front, I'm fitting the lower panels in birch. Once they're in, I can start on the cabinet that will house the batteries and the rest of the electrics.

Meanwhile, Pam, who loves to "talk" to that girl she sees in the mirror, found a really huge girl to talk to inside the trailer.

-steve

Assumptions are Dangerous

2010-07-13T19:48:00.001-07:00

First, apologies for not blogging recently. I have been working on Island Girl, but mostly on the belly pan. I was advised to be patient on this task by the Someday 59's and I have really tried to do that. But, I’m a month or so into it and it isn’t yet done, close but not done. I’ve not yet thrown any tools, but I have walked away from it several days.

Even at this incomplete stage, the trailer looks a bunch better. The worst piece of the old pan was right by the door, so you had to look at it all the time.

Now it looks like this.

But it hasn’t been a fun task and I’ll be glad when it’s totally done. Since my fresh water and grey tanks extend down, the pan isn’t solid underneath. I used 5052 aluminum, .025 on the ends with the curves and .032 on the straight bits. The Wide Flange Rivets from VTS are really good for fastening underneath.

This post, though, is supposed to be about the dangers of assumptions. I’ve dealt with 12 volt electrical systems for years and didn’t expect any troubles with the system on the trailer. Since I had no battery installed, I didn’t do a lot of checking of my work. It’s simple: what could go wrong?

Recently got the batteries in place, so I’ve gotten most of the lights installed. Everything has worked just fine, except for those three LED puck lights running down the overhead center. How could they not work? The fix involved drilling out an eight foot line of bucked rivets and pulling one whole side of the overhead down to get access, just a few hours of work. The troubleshooting was easy: I had a loop of positive wire between two of the lights that should have been cut and wired into the light circuit, but wasn’t. Stupid mistake that could have so easily been checked earlier. What could go wrong?

Everything works now, though. I’ll get the solar hooked up in a day or so and we’ll be able to use our Fantastic Vents as it looks like we’ve finally made it to warm weather.

New Airstream signs too!

And we even got to tow for the first time, all of about 100 yards to move from a sunny spot to a shady spot for the summer!

My Friend Dusty

2010-05-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

is the guy I always ask for ideas. I really like the idea part of the process, too, but many times he sees things I don’t.

Our boat has heart designs cut into cabinet sliders to use instead of hardware for moving them. Figured I’d do something like that for the sliding birch doors in the overhead cabinets. Looked OK, but just wasn’t right. Dusty looked at them, got a piece of paper and a pencil, and drew what looked at first glance like a loaf of bread. But, the little light in my head came on and I added a tongue and a wheel to his loaf of bread.

I really like them.

Next big project up is the belly pan. I went to Seattle this week and picked up several sheets of .025 and one of .032 5052 aluminum and they’re waiting now in the back of the truck until the rain stops.

-steve

One Polished, One Not

2010-05-08T21:33:00.001-07:00

Worked mostly on the overhead cabinets today. Mine are in two sections mounted next to each other. I’ve stripped both, but today I spent some polish time on the front one for a big difference in appearance.

I wanted a transition between the warm wood in front and the cool polished aluminum in the back. The original cabinets that will return to the curbside do it fine on that side. On the streetside, though, I don’t like the polished look on the end of that overhead. Made a test fit with a piece of birch on the end and think it will look better that way. I’ve definitely settled on birch for the sliding doors, too.

I replaced the navigation lights on the boat this week. There has been a plan for the old ones. I have a strong emotional bond with our boat. She’s been our home for 22 years and she always took care of us during our trip around the world. There’s no way to use her now with Pam and I know, like last year, we won’t leave the dock at all. I’ll not even bend the sails back on this year. We’re nearing the end with the boat.

The old bronze nav lights will be refitted with LED’s and will be accent lights for the 13 panel front endcap. No polish, either, as they’re going to stay just like they are, showing the wear from all the winds and waves they’ve faced. I’ll be able to look up at them and remember the boat and that’ll make me happy.

-steve

Three More Panels of Birch

2010-05-05T15:33:00.001-07:00

I’ve been working on the rest of the upper interior panels for the last week or so. Just three panels of birch, but a lot of cutting and fitting and cutting and fitting. . .

followed by sanding and four coats of finish.

Olympic rivets are being used mostly, especially along the seams joining the three panels, extending that long line of bucked rivets on the aluminum panels.

The first round of stripping is done on the overhead cabinets, too. I’ve considered replacing them with the same type in birch, but I’m pretty sure I’ll just polish the originals and use birch doors. It’s pretty hard to improve on the originals—functional and very lightweight.

-steve

A Piece of Steel Wool

2010-04-23T19:04:00.001-07:00

Back in October I had sent a letter to Lopez Island to the address of someone whose last name was the same as the original owner of my trailer. Doubted there’d be any connection, but figured it was worth the cost of a stamp to try. I pretty well forgot about it, but a few weeks later I got a letter from the original owner. She said her husband had died some years earlier, but that she was 92 and that she’d get some information together for me. Exciting stuff! A few weeks later I got a call from her son, Harold, who was in high school when the trailer was new. He promised to get together with his mom and get back to me saying, “it may be awhile, but I’ll definitely get back to you before you get the trailer back on the road.”

And he did, emailing me about a week ago with some great info and stories about the trailer. We exchanged a few emails that night, he’s read this blog, and we’ll stay in touch for sure. As we get closer to Island Girl being finished, we’ll take a ferry ride out to Lopez and see if his mom approves of what I’ve done to her trailer.

Island Girl’s first owners had been tent campers who had friends who owned an Airstream and they decided they just had to have one too. They took an empty two pound coffee can, soldered the lid back on, and cut a slot in what they now referred to as the “half buck box”. Whenever either of them received a fifty cent piece in change, they’d save it and drop it in the box. Most of the money for the Airstream was saved that way and in 1957 the box was heavy enough to justify a trip to the factory to purchase a brand new Bubble. They got a deal, though, and drove home with a big, shiny, brand new Caravanner. Harold tells me he can still remember the “new car smell” inside the new Airstream. Their lot was small and the trailer would only fit in their garden next to their home in suburban Chicago.

Their first tow vehicle was the first new car they’d purchased, a 1951 Pontiac Catalina with a straight eight and a Hydramatic tranny. It pulled the trailer pretty well, but Harold reported that they sometimes needed to run the heater on full blast at the top of long climbs to keep the coolant temps down. I’ve done that a few times myself, but not in a ‘51 Pontiac. In ‘59, they bought a new International Travelall that had a six cylinder with a three speed transmission with overdrive. That first year that they had the trailer, 1957, they did the first of several trips from Chicago to Lopez, here in Washington’s San Juan Islands. In ‘58, there was a trip to Nova Scotia and the New England states. ‘59 began the towing duties for the Travelall with another trip to Lopez. Minnesota and Michigan were the destinations in 1961 and in ‘62 they returned once again to Lopez and also to the Seattle World’s Fair. A Florida trip was in 1963 and ‘64 saw a one way trip to Lopez with a garage being built for her there around 1970. The trailer was used as a home on the island while a new house was built there. From around that time period until just a few years ago, it likely never left Lopez.

Around 1999 it was sold to someone who lived on San Juan Island, but had property on Lopez, where they set up the Airstream. They almost certainly never moved the trailer until selling it to the family I purchased it from, who moved it only the very short ferry ride between the two islands.

And the piece of steel wool? Harold was called by his parents in the early 90’s to figure out how mice had gotten into the trailer. He found the only likely entry around the freshwater tank drain and filled the gap with a piece of stainless steel wool. I clearly remember removing that piece of steel wool when I dropped the bellypan.

-steve

Island Girl Has a Ceiling Raising Party

2010-04-20T19:55:00.001-07:00

When I had the three big interior panels polished, I brought them inside the trailer and started to rivet them together. Buck riveted as far as I could reach by myself and clecoed the rest. Charlene was here for six hours today to watch Pam and I recruited some of my friends from the marina to help get what would be one large panel flipped over, lifted, and installed. My buddy Jim, who has bucked way more rivets at Boeing than I ever could on this trailer, shot the rest of the rivets while I bucked.

Just as we finished, John, Tom, and Karen arrived and, with the help of a couple of 2x4 T’s and some clamps, we were ready to flip the panel and lift it into position for clecos.

We pushed and pulled for an hour or so and then clecos started lining up with holes at the back end. Pretty soon the panel was pop riveted back up. Big big difference in the way the trailer looks on the inside and it’s really satisfying to start getting some projects done.

Nice to have a great bunch of friends too. Really good day.

Meanwhile, back here on the boat, Pamela has decided to be compulsive about where my mouse sits on the mouse pad (for some reason, she has decided that it must always be in the middle). Windows sends me back to the desktop every time Pam touches the mouse, so I’ll admit defeat and wrap this post up.

A New Jack

2010-04-11T19:38:00.001-07:00

Boy, they really knew how to build them in the 50’s!!

In the fall when we moved from the shady but soon to be muddy spot to the drier location for the wet winter, our original tongue jack failed. I got a replacement quickly, but cold and wet soon set in and that job was put off in favor of the inside jobs I did during the winter.

I had all day to work on the trailer today and the temperature hit 60 for the first time this year, so it was a good day to tackle the jack. As it turned out, I needed nearly all day as the old one was a bugger to get out.

It was fastened with 4 3/8” steel rivets. I ground off the heads hoping I could then drive the rest through, but no go. I drilled them out, but it still wouldn’t budge. I then attacked the thing with my trusty old Makita grinder and a couple hours later, just as the grinder went up in smoke, the jack finally gave up and came out.

The new one slid right in and fastened with grade 8 bolts. Nice to see the trailer sitting on a jack instead of all blocked up like it’s been.

I was sure I’d stripped the Zolatone from both of the upper interior panels that will hopefully go back in this week. I was sure but I was wrong. One panel needed stripping and it’s the usual fight trying to get the Zolatone off. This picture is after three coats of stripper. Clearly more to go.

Got an email from the son of the original owners of Island Girl when I got home from the “jackfest” and that really made my day. Lots of info about the trailer and it’s tow vehicles that I’ll be going through tonight. She went from Chicago to the Seattle World’s Fair!

The Endcap is Done

2010-04-04T17:02:00.001-07:00

I thought I was done day before yesterday, but wasn’t happy with the shape of the last panel. Recut and refinished those two panels and put them up today.

Pam has her two teddy bears in her hand in that shot and that’s a definite sign that she’s ready to call it a day and head back to the boat. The Tundra has a pretty decent sound system and she just loves to go back to the 60’s and listen to the Byrds on the trip back home. Turn, Turn, Turn.

I’m happy with the way it looks and can’t wait (but I will) to see what it looks like with all the upper skins in place, polished aluminum in back and birch in the front. Getting the aluminum back up is the next phase. I have a new center piece still to be cut out and possibly some more stripping of old zolatone to do before the panels go up.

The First Few Panels Go In

2010-03-23T18:57:00.001-07:00

The last few days I’ve been cutting panels and applying finish to them. Using Waterlox for the finish, three coats on the back and four on the front surface. First couple of coats really soak into the birch.

I had care for Pam today and had the first five panels all finished, so it was a good day to start putting them up. Decided on a three inch spacing for the Olympic rivets, figuring using the spacing for the bucked rivets would just make way too many holes and going farther apart might let gaps pop up. First is the all important Cleco shot, but it really shows the color better than the rest. I like it, it’s light, but close to the original. I want it pretty light in color after lots of years living with dark teak and small portholes in the boat.

Happy with the way the rivets stand out making a nice contrast with the wood. The rivet shaver was busy.

Ended the day with 5 panels riveted in place and the next two up for a trial fitting with clecos. The next batch still needs to be cut out and finished, so it’ll be next week before they go up, finishing the end cap.

It is so much more fun doing this kind of work than ripping up old floors or scraping frame rust. I know all the work I’ve done so far is really important for the trailer, but I sure like doing the pretty stuff.

13 Panels of Birch

2010-03-15T16:37:00.001-07:00

There are so many great restoration threads at Airforums.com. Many of them I’ve read over and over and pick up new ideas each time I go through them. I do have a favorite and it’s Carlos Ferguson's '62 Safari Scroll down to around post #42 and see what he did.

Carlos is an artist and I am a hack, so I harbor no illusions about doing anything as nice as he did, but I think I can do something that will make me happy and that’s a reasonable goal for me. I’m not doing the whole interior in birch. I love my shiny 13 panel endcap in the rear and am planning to stay shiny as far as the forward end of the galley, and then transition to birch for the interior from that point forward. Part of the reason is that my trailer has an ugly fiberglass endcap in front—it’ll get covered by 13 panels of 1/8” Baltic birch ply.

I used my rear endcap for making cardboard templates. The fit is slightly different as my sloping rear has a different shape than the vertical front. Here’s a rough first try:

Carlos used pop rivets on his but I’m thinking of using single use clecos (Olympic rivets). I really like the way the rivets stand out in the rear endcap and it seems like the solid head on the Olympics would be closer to the look of a bucked rivet. I think it’ll hold ok, going through two pieces of birch and then the fiberglass endcap. Tried a couple today:

Tomorrow I go back to the doctor and hopefully ditch the plastic boot on my ankle for a normal shoe. Can’t wait.

The Front Endcap Goes Back In

2010-03-09T19:02:00.001-08:00

I needed a respite care day to get the forward fiberglass endcap back in. It’s a big floppy piece that I can just barely handle myself, but knew I couldn’t do it with Pam in the trailer. Today was the day, and it was really the first real work day in two months since the broken ankle.

I put in another layer of the Prodex insulation, but didn’t use the foam offsets to create a dead air space like I’ve done in the rest of the trailer. The fit of the endcap was tight already and I didn’t want to try to fill so much behind it that I couldn’t get it back in. All the wiring is now roughed in and ending at that forward end. I’ve probably forgotten to add wiring for something really important that I can’t think of now, but today I did remember to add a run of coax and Cat 5 cable for TV and the computer.

One of my favorite current resto threads at Airforums.com is by Air19, 1953 Flying Cloud Project - Cabinetry Finally. He’s been using lightweight Elfa storage bins for his drawers. I’m copying his great idea in a few areas, the first of which will be these two bins for the cabinet between the recliners.

The plan for the old endcap is to use it to mount a 13 panel replacement made from 1/8” Baltic birch. I’ve made templates from my rear endcap and really look forward to building it.

Not Quite Back in the Saddle Again

2010-02-25T19:01:00.001-08:00

I’ve finally gotten the ok from the surgeon to start putting weight on the bad ankle, and just as important, he says I can take the boot off the ankle so I can drive. I’ve really missed my Airstream.

Since we’ve lived on a small sailboat with uncomfortable seating for 22 years, I really wanted two comfortable recliners in the place of the gaucho. I’m not changing much of the original cabinetry in the trailer, but I’ve been planning for this one all along. I purchased the two recliners with a center console just before I broke the ankle. The plan is to replace that center console with my own, done in birch to match the original wood. The console has an armrest that will transfer to the new one easily and also has brackets that hold the chairs in place so they can’t slide.

I’m still not fully back into work mode, but I got some 1x2’s this week and plugged in the hot glue gun and started making a rough mockup of the new console and the cabinet in the forward end (behind the chairs) that will hold the batteries, converter, inverter, and the circuit breaker panels. This way I can plan the wire runs to the panels and also fit everything so that we maximize storage but still allow the chairs to fully recline.

Pam and her two favorite teddy bears tried out one of the chairs today.

My broken ankle made me miss the first anniversary of the Island Girl project. Seems like a lot of time and not much work until I look at all the pictures from the past year and realize I really have done quite a bit. A year after getting the trailer we also now have a tow vehicle for the first time, buying a first generation Toyota Tundra this week. I’m pretty sure our old Chevy Tracker will fit in the Tundra’s bed. Hopefully by anniversary two, while probably not done, we’ll be able to actually do some camping.

Norm, we now have similar spare parts

2010-01-16T15:13:00.001-08:00

Back in July, Norm, whose resoration blog is Captain Wilson's Overlander wrote about an unfortunate slide into second base and resulting ankle injury that kept him on the shelf for awhile. I joined the club this week.

Many of you know my wife Pam has Alzheimers and I’m her fulltime caregiver. Sometimes you push too hard. Three nights ago we were both were feeling poorly, weak, nauseous. It came on quickly. Weird thing is that Brissy the cat got sick too, so we’re thinking it was something environmental that got the three of us. Anyway, it was nearly bedtime and I thought I should try to get her up in her berth on the boat before I felt too badly to do it. Nearly made it—teeth were brushed, face washed, and loaded into her jammies. I passed out and fell straight down and broke my right ankle.

Alzheimers really makes these deals hard. I can’t leave her alone longer than an hour or so and it takes time to arrange for care. And the care needs to be familiar as consistency is everything with the disease—we do everything the same way at the same time, all the time. The surgeon wanted me in right now, I couldn’t do it, but yesterday I got Charlene, our regular respite care nurse to come here early and plan for an overnight stay and Jim and Rich, two of my best friends and the big part of my Alzheimers support network in the marina got me hauled out of the boat (not the easiest thing) and into the hospital. I was back on the boat at 8 PM last night.

So, I’ll be leaning on my friends, especially for the next two weeks while I’m in the hard cast, and I’ll still be able to take care of Pam for the most part. Everything is cool.

Island Girl, though, goes back burner for a time, except for the delivery of the new recliners on Tuesday. I will be there for that.

-steve

A Year End Post About Little Jobs

2009-12-31T15:35:00.001-08:00

Weather has mostly been either wet or cold or both and progress has been slowed, but I’m still plugging along. Electrical is ongoing, but I’ve done a few other projects as well.

I wanted to use the knobs from the Hehr lifters to replace the black plastic knobs for cranking up the Fantastic Vents. I cut the centers out of the plastic knobs and glued them into the old Hehr knobs and added a screw to attach to the shaft.

On the electrical side, I’ve been running wires. I’m using marine wire, tinned and stranded, both for the 110 volt and 12 volt systems. I’ll be mostly on the 12 volt side and using LED lighting for everything. These puck lights from VTS will be in a row on the overhead.

Added an external 110 volt plug on the outside and converted the original socket to 12 volt, mostly with the idea that I could hang an LED light under the awning at times.

I’ve used 10 gauge wire to run from the feed studs for the solar panels and covered the connection with boots.

I’m using panels from Blue Sea Systems for both AC and DC systems. The 12 volt is on the way and this is the 110 volt version.

It didn't rain today!!!

2009-12-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

Seems like it rained every day in November, but December has started off dry and we even saw the sun. Looks like a couple of dry days ahead, so started mounting the Fantastic Vents today. One is in and the other tomorrow.

I'm really pleased with the old Hehr cover mod. Didn't really know if it would show, but that nice shiny inside with the Hehr logo shows up well from inside with the vents extended.

Based mostly on some VAP discussion of Fantastic Vent installs, I bedded it in silicone (as Vulkem seems not to stick to the plastic) and used stainless pan head screws (1/2" #10) with washers to screw the flange down. Didn't use the supplied gasket, just lots of silicone. Laid a blue masking tape line down around the perimeter and that controlled the mess.

One goof. I ordered the inside trim piece with the curve, but it's clearly too much for my roof (which is really pretty flat right on top). Should have ordered the flat trim piece, but it'll be easy enough to trim.

As a follow up on my trailer's history, I got a phone call a week or so ago from the son of the original owners. He says he visits his mom about once a month and will get some info together for me next time he goes to see her on the island. Told me he clearly remembers the trailer arriving (he was in high school at the time) and that his parents had gone to Jackson Center to pick up a Bubble, but had gotten such a good deal on the Caravanner that they went with the bigger trailer. R.J. Dial's site says only one Bubble was made in Ohio that year, so maybe that had something to do with it too. Anyway, it looks like I'll get some nice info on my trailer's past (he said it was their baby and went everywhere with it) so that's really exciting to me.

Making Fantastic Vents Fantasticer

2009-11-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

While searching airforums for threads about Fantastic Vent installs I came across this one by jbond, Herb, about using the original Hehr vent covers on a Fantastic Vent. Hehr Covers on Fantastic Vent Herb was also nice enough to post an article he had written about the mod as well. Thanks Herb.

My vent covers were (and are) pretty battered, but they polished up pretty well and look, I think, a lot better than the gray plastic cover that comes with the Fantastic Vent. Nothing really changes except the gray plastic is sandwiched by the inner and outer parts of the old Hehr Vents.

Rain has really hit us hard and it'll likely be months before I can actually mount the Fantastic Vents, but at least they're ready to go when I can.

Provenance

2009-11-04T14:43:00.001-08:00

I'm pretty sure my trailer lacks a truly great history like Scott's around the world trailer, but still, I've wondered what it did, how it got those huge piles of dirt in the bellypan, maybe just where it has been. There was some information with Island Girl when I got her: I knew the name of the original owner, an address or two, but not much more. I even found a copy of Wally's "Fifth Avenue on Wheels". Google told me the orginal owner was buried on Lopez Island, one island over from where I got her. So, I figured that was about the end of it.

In my internet searching, I did find one address of a person with the same last name on Lopez. I wrote that person a letter a few weeks ago, asking if there might be a connection to my trailer. Expected to hear nothing back. Today in the mail there was a typewritten reply to my letter. He was buried, but she is still alive and 92 years old. She wrote that she'd get some information on the trailer together and get back to me. How cool is that?

Insulation work continues. Tomorrow I'll get the front end cap area done and that'll put me at around three quarters of the first layer done. Second layer will wait until the wiring is done.

Can't wait to hear again from Island Girl's first owner.

I Really Like This Stuff

2009-10-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

Prodex Insulation.

I'm mostly doing what has already been documented on Airforums by Malconium, Uwe, Carlos and others. Rich the Viking got me thinking about 2 layers and that's the way I'm going to go. Using 1/2" deep strips of foam insulation between the shell and the first layer of Prodex, glued on with foamboard adhesive. The next layer of Prodex will sit on another 1/2" deep strip of foam insulation and that will just about fill the 1 1/2" cavity inside the ribs. The wiring will go between the two layers of insulation.

Like many have done, my Prodex came from Insulation4less.com and I ordered the tape for the seams and edges from them as well. Hopefully, one roll of insulation gets it done.

It's so easy to work with this stuff. Cuts with scissors, simple to fit. I had one day with the sun out (must have been weeks ago ) and there was an amazing difference between the bare shell and the insulated sections--hot and cool. It's been wet and fairly cold the last few days and I can see the heater warming the trailer up quicker as I get more of it insulated.

Likely the Last Outside Work Until Spring

2009-10-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Our weather has been a tease this week. It rains, clears up for awhile, and then rains again.

I pulled off the fiberglass forward endcap so I could buck rivets for the Wally plaque and do the antenna install. Don't know of any other 50's trailers that have the endcap in fiberglass instead of thirteen aluminum panels, but there must be others. It's so big and unwieldy that it'll likely go back up just as soon as I get the Prodex insulation installed. Planning to cover the fiberglass with a 13 panel redo in Baltic birch later on.

You can see the big roll of Prodex insulation in the endcap picture, that's next up.

Decided to patch the lower antenna mount hole and put the Wally plaque over it, moving the antenna slightly higher. Looks the best to me this way.

Where Do I Put the Wally Plaque?

2009-10-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've got the patched holes for the center mount radio antenna and I'll be putting the new antenna on as soon as I take the inside forward endcap down. Thoughts on where the Wally Byam Caravan plaque should go? From the info on the VTS site with the original instructions: "...directly over the front and rear window will be the Wally Byam Caravan plaque. Directly over the plaque will be the number. Directly above the number will be the Caravan Club decal." Do you think I should put the plaque just above the antenna mount or should I patch that lower hole so the plaque can go directly over the window?

Got the 320, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000 grit sanding done on the rear endcap and made a quick pass with the compounder today. Not perfect as it still has some pitting, but I really don't think I want to take any more material off. Looks pretty good now and I think I can be happy enough with it. Many many hours spent here.

I installed the bulkhead passthroughs for the solar panels today. They're made by Blue Sea Systems and all of their electrical stuff is really good quality. I'll be using one of their AC breaker panels later on too. Blue Sea in Bellingham, so it's a local company too. They mount through 3/4" holes in the patch installed after the center roof vent was removed. All 4 solar panels will feed through those two posts.

Lighting our Fire

2009-10-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Not really a work session today, just leak checked the propane line I installed yesterday. But we fired up the heater for the first time and sat inside the warming trailer as I soon started yawning and felt that I badly needed a nap.

I just love this little heater. Excuse the shoddy cabinet it's temporarily mounted on--it has the original cutout from the Panel Ray and will be replaced later. The exhaust pipe is also the air intake feed--it's double walled. Therefore the heater is using no air from inside the trailer for combustion (a good thing). There is no noticeable heat on the outside skin after running for a hour, so the fresh air side of the deck pipe seems to insulate heat from the exhaust very well.

Let it run for 30 minutes or so to burn off the brand new odors and then brought Pam in to sit by the fire. Nasty wet drizzly Washington day outside.

Solar and Heat

2009-09-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today might just be our last day with mid 60's temperatures for this year. We never know in the Pacific Northwest. I needed one more good day to get some solar mounted on the trailer and got that done today. With the center roof vent gone I've got room for two 50 watt panels and two 60 watt panels. I took two of those off the boat last night and now they're on the Airstream. Mostly on the recommendation of John, FLYNCLD, who has them on his '62 Flying Cloud, I got the mounts and tilt bars from AM Solar. They mount with a special 3M tape that needs at least 60 degrees to use, thus the need to do it before cold weather comes.

I also got the patch clecoed on for the stack for the Dickinson Heater, the hole cut for the stack, and it temporarily screwed on. Nobody to be found on a Sunday to help me rivet, so maybe I'll get that done tomorrow and get the heater itself mounted.

Rivets

2009-09-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

I've been drilling out a bunch of rivets taking the upper inside panels off, but yesterday I practiced and today I got to use my rivet gun and put in some actual aluminum bucked rivets. The plan was to borrow a compressor, but the available one had no gauge and no way to regulate it, so I needed another plan. One of the other tenants in the storage yard came by to look at my progress, we started talking about compressors, and he told me to check out the pawn shop by the airport. Really good advice it was and I've got what looks like a brand new Porter Cable 150 psi unit for $75.

Yesterday I set up my practice piece and went to work. Really want to thank all the rivet experts, particularly Aerowood, over at airforums.com for all the knowledge I've been able to pick up on riveting from their threads and posts. I removed the center Hehr vent, the powered one, grabbed a marina friend to buck for me, and riveted on a patch over the hole. I took out the vent (sorry, Frank) so I've got a clear span for solar panels that hopefully go on tomorrow. Planning to put Fantastic Fans in those remaining vents, fore and aft.

I received my Dickinson Propane Heater and have begun the temporary mount in the permanent location by the door. I wanted to get heat in the trailer so I can continue to work inside this winter. Pam will be able to sit inside in front of a cozy little fireplace.

Camera battery died after the one picture, so I'll get more up tomorrow.

Just a couple of little jobs today

2009-09-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

My recent progress with polishing the rear endcap made me revisit whether or not I wanted to strip my existing overhead panel or replace it with new. One of my buddies in the marina suggested I ask myself if I had more money or more time. Therefore I started stripping one of those panels today. They're mostly behind cabinets anyway and I'll still replace the center overhead panel since I'm getting rid of the center hatch and will have a different light layout. Seems like a million bucked rivets on each side of that center panel, but I'm sure it's really only a thousand.

I had respite care watching Pam today and treated myself to having lunch in my trailer sitting at my refinished table. That's the only woodwork I've redone so far, but I just love the table: so simple and light, but pretty big and sturdy too.

Put on a new piece of threaded rod, taller, for my propane tanks. One of them needs polish. Heater gets here in a few days, but it'll just be a temporary install to keep the trailer warm for work this winter.

The Rain Has Come Back to the Pacific Northwet

2009-09-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

I've got nearly all of the fasteners in the subfloor, lacking only a few in the C channel corners where I need some help backing the nuts in those spots where access is really tight. Those bolts that go through the outriggers and C channel have been time consuming too as I've had to do them one at a time with a pair of vice grips holding the bolt head on the bottom while I tighten the nut from the top. Rest of the floor has had the bolt head indentations and seams filled with thickened epoxy.

The plan was to epoxy the topside of the subfloor (like the bottom side is already done) and lay one layer of fiberglass cloth in the areas covered by cabinets. I'm now just going to lay that layer of cloth over the whole floor--cloth is cheap, I'm using the epoxy anyway, and it's just as easy to do. Overkill, I'm sure, but it'll give me a virtually waterproof subfloor. First section got laid down today.

I'd put in bunches of hours earlier stripping and polishing the rear inside end cap, but it just wasn't coming around. It has something like etching from the old Zolatone on it--feels smooth to the touch, but it isn't. Somebody came by and looked at it and suggested S.O.S pads and the thought of little rusty bits of steel scared me to death. Today I sanded a small piece as a test and then moved on to the endcap itself. I started with 400 grit and moved up grade by grade until it was done with 1000 grit, cleaned it with mineral spirits, and then polished again with G6 and then F7. Huge improvement and hopefully it shows in the photos (hard to take pics of shiny stuff!). Some of the etching is still there, but much is gone. Maybe I could go over it again starting with 320, but I hate to get too aggressive with it.

Island Girl has a new subfloor

2009-08-27T16:39:00.001-07:00

Pam is peeking from her spot in her car. She did come inside to check it out, but quickly retreated to the familiar seat in the car.

Still have quite a bit to do on the subfloor: add the rest of the bolts and screws, bolt down the C channel, add some cloth and epoxy, and rivet in the rear steel plate. I'm really pleased, though, to have this big step mostly done. Island Girl is actually looking something like a trailer again.

Subfloor goes in slowly but surely

2009-08-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

One more piece of the subfloor to go in. Wheel wells are back in as well. It takes me two days for each piece of floor: one to cut out, epoxy the lower side, and do the fiberglass layup over the edge, and then day two to get it into the trailer with doublers as needed and some of the fasteners in.

I've been using 3/4" ply doublers where I have seams that don't meet at structure. They are all epoxy coated and the mating surfaces have cotton flox mixed in the epoxy to get a better bond.

Using self tapping screws where I've replaced crossmembers with 2x4 tubing, but I'm tapping those holes first. Elevator bolts are being used when I'm attaching to crossmembers.

Even though I haven't yet fastened any of the C channel to the subfloor, the trailer is much stiffer than it was before. That vertical 2x4 on the floor jack has helped a lot on getting the new plywood in. It lifts up the rear of the shell easily and makes the floor sections pop in with no problem at all.

Two more days and I'll have my subfloor in and there's still no rain in the forecast.

The subfloor starts to go in

2009-08-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

I got the last two windows back in, just in with no operators, but in. Got to keep the wet stuff out if the subfloor is going back in. Short of time today and I really wanted to put that aft piece of subfloor in. I wanted to see how hard it would be to get in there. I knew I'd regret it if I tried today--just knew I'd have troubles and be sorry I tried. Couldn't wait, though.

Used the same technique that I used to support the shell while painting the frame with POR-15. Got out a 2x4 with a radiused "T" on top, jacked it up vertically with a floor jack with the "T" on a rib line, and raised the rear part of the shell up. Lifted it enough to have about 1 1/2" of clearance between the C channel and the outriggers. Slid the new plywood in one side, spread the shell at the bottom a bit, and that rear section popped right in. Fit is really good.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the doubler made from plywood for this first seam. I'm having to fit a little to get clear spans of subfloor over my tanks as there's no room for doublers on top of them and most of the crossmembers have moved in those areas, so they don't line up at the seams. I'm planning to install a couple of rear sheets and a couple in front and finish the subfloor install around my axle.

My goal since I started Island Girl's renovation in February has been to get the subfloor back in before our Pacific Northwest weather changes back into rain. I know I'll make that goal now and that's a really good thing for me. With a floor in, I can get heat in the trailer and keep working through the cold months ahead.

New goal for the fall and winter is new insulation, new wiring, and getting the upper interior skins installed.

The Start of a New Subfloor

2009-08-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

I was planning to drive to Deming on Monday to see the trailers at the rally up there since I had respite care for Pam that day. My buddy Darrell offered to make a plywood run that day too and since my little car is hopeless for plywood hauling, we picked up 6 sheets of 3/4" ACX and a couple of sheets of 1/8" Baltic Birch so I can see how it finishes out for later.

I'd made cardboard templates of the front and rear panels before ripping out the old subfloor, so I transferred the rear template to a sheet of plywood, added in the C channel width, and subtracted 1/4" of wiggle room, and cut it out. Went with ACX instead of marine ply since I knew I woud be coating it with epoxy on both sides. I used a router to bullnose the edge on both sides and layed up a 6" piece of fiberglass cloth around that edge, using Rutan BID cloth sourced from Aircraft Spruce and System Three epoxy. That particular cloth I've used before and it goes around corners, like that plywood edge, really well.

I can't think of a better way to seal that vulnerable plywood edge. I'm sure it's overkill since I'm 57 and my trailer is 52--I know what I'm doing will outlast me. Maybe she'll still be around when she is 100, though, and wouldn't that be cool?

Painting the Frame with POR 15

2009-08-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the days that I get a few hours away from Alzheimers when Charlene comes and watches Pam for 6 hours. That made today the day to paint the frame with POR 15.

I've been spending the last several days getting the frame ready for the paint. Some grinding, quite a bit of wire brushing, cleaning with Marine Clean and etching with Metal Ready got me to yesterday when I got it masked off. My trailer shell has been supported lately by the steel plate riveted in front and several strips of 3/4" ply placed under the C channel and on top of the outriggers, held by C clamps. Those strips really needed to come out for the paint, but the shell still needed some support.

Decided to try supporting it with a couple of 2x4's with a short piece of 2x4 on top in a T and cut to follow the radius of the inside top of the shell. I lifted the shell using the 2x4's and a couple of floor jacks. Just raised the shell enough to unload the 3/4" plywood strips. Don't want to leave it very long this way, but it gave me access to all the outriggers for paint today and the strips can go back in tomorrow.

Like many have said, POR 15 is just amazing stuff. Flows really well, sets up fast. I got two coats on all of the frame, including the bumper and the tongue. Did one coat in grey and one in black so I could see where I'd been. Ran out of time for the Sterling Silver, so it'll get done tomorrow. Seems like most guys have been less happy with it and the way it goes on, so I'll see tomorrow.

I'm actually thinking about putting the subfloor back in now--that's exciting stuff.

Sorry for the poor pics, the photographer was tired.

2009-07-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Island Girl got to take her first trip on her new axle and wheels. It was done pretty slowly since her shell is only held up by some strips of plywood and a few C clamps. Looks to me like she sits 3 or 4 inches higher than before and there's about a foot of clearance below the tanks (which all hang down 4" below the frame) and the spare tire.

Hopefully you can see in the pics that we've added quite a bit of structure to the frame. There's a piece of 2x4 tube forward with the spare tire mount, another between the two fresh water tanks, one more right by the shock mounts as part of the gray tank mount, and a final one replacing the rear crossmember which had significant rust problems. Also added a steel plate which will be riveted to the rear shell, like the existing one in front. Spare tire mount adds some structure too. Tire goes into the mount either with a floor jack or a small block and tackle setup.

Tanks are just loosely fastened in here for the pictures. Fresh tanks have baffles inside and the strap mounts hold them across the baffle area. They are 24 gallon tanks. Gray is 33 gallons and held both by the straps and the top flange. Most of the plumbing fittings will be on the tank tops with the exception of the shower drain which will follow those existing holes in the frame and enter either on the side or back of the tank. At least that's the plan now.

Shock mounts are pretty tight on clearance, but I think they'll be OK. Actually had to countersink the bolts on the lower mounts to make them fit.

I'll be wire brushing and prepping for POR 15 over the next few days. I know you guys in the hot country wouldn't think much of our current 85 to 90 degrees but for us in the Pacific Northwet, it's pretty darned hot. Might be taking it pretty slowly for the next few days.

Island Girl's Excellent Adventure at the Welder

2009-07-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

I don't have a TV yet and my buddy that does was leaving, so the trailer had to go to the welder before he was actually ready to start on it. I've been having bunches of fun doing Hehr standard windows (9 of them on a Caravanner) while I've been waiting. They kill time really well as they take 5 or 6 hours each. I'm nearly done.

Bill, the welder, got started on Thursday. I'd had the axle shipped to him from Axis. It's a 5000 pound axle, derated to 4200 pounds, with 12 inch brakes, the zerk fitting for the bearings, and their high profile mount. Fit was just perfect with the only hitch being some concern about clearance for the shocks and we'll probably look at that tomorrow. Otherwise, everything is good: she sits up a little higher but I still have about a foot of clearance under the tanks hanging below the frame and I think the wheels I got from Marc look pretty cool.

The spare tire is going inside the A frame which means one more crossmember has to move a little bit. We're still kicking ideas around about the mount. Thinking about using a pulley system with some mechanical advantage to lift the tire up and then held up by studs and lug bolts. Ideas appreciated here. I've searched all the threads I can think of and can't really find anyone doing it quite this way, but we're thinking it's pretty simple and strong and out of the way better than most other ways.

Inside, my frame is in remarkably good condition. The aft crossmember is rusted out and gets cut out and replaced this afternoon. My trailer has the steel plate riveted in up front, but not in the rear, so we're adding one there as well. There's rust and damage on the step and it's forward outrigger that will need some work too.

We've added two pieces of 2"x 4" steel tube as crossmembers as part of the mounts for the gray and fresh tanks and have reinforced the existing crossmembers that will also be part of the tank mounts. The gray is held by angle on its flange and by straps. The two fresh tanks are secured by straps. All will be easy to drop from below should the need arise.

It is so much fun actually putting things into the trailer instead of ripping it apart. It's a really good time.

Spinning my wheels

2009-06-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for my new axle to arrive from Axis. Shipped about a week ago, so I should see it soon. Really been in a bit of a holding pattern while I'm waiting and have just been doing a few little jobs on Island Girl.

In preparation for the trip down the road to the welder, I redid all the lights with LED's and all new wiring, and made a new removable umbilical cord for the hookup. I'd previously installed new marker lights from Vintage Trailer Supply, but a post by Reggiemon at Airforums.com prompted me to upgrade them to LED as well. Thanks for the push, Reg.

I've also been stripping and polishing the rear interior endcap. It's coming, not there yet, but it's coming. Per Marcus' advice, I think I'll use new aluminum for the other bits inside that I'm planning to have polished. I think leaving that endcap in place to strip and polish was the right thing to do, but it's still hard working over your head, making for slow progress.

I know I shouldn't do this and I really have been resisting. . . . .but I couldn't stop myself today. Pam was happy sitting in the car watching me work, so I put a little polish time into the door withing a door. Came up pretty easily but it'll need some more effort. I promise to resist doing more of the outside for now.

A Rare Victory with Alzheimers Today

2009-05-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Alzheimers doesn't give you many victories. Pam has been in a nearly ten year long descent with it and there's really not a lot of her left. My only goal for her is that she is happy and thankfully, we're generally successful in that. It would be so much harder if she were depressed.

We can no longer communicate verbally as she no longer even understands yes or no. But, we can still communicate as her life is pretty simple now and very structured. For years, she's been able to play solitaire on her computer and that has kept her occupied. Unfortunately, about a month ago, she lost the ability to play. She's not had much to do and has been pretty anxious on the boat, pacing back and forth. We've pretty well solved that for now by going over to the shop each day, and working for a little while on the kayak and a little while on the Airstream. That takes up a couple hours each day and she's really content watching me work or "talking" to that girl she sees in the rear view mirror of the car. Ice cream from the grocery store usually follows the shop time.

Today was one of those little victories. I've been really tired lately and I just wasn't up for more ripping apart work on the trailer today. I laid on varnish coat number four on the kayak and was going to call it a day. Got in the car and started to head out the gate, but Pam had other ideas. The routine is for some time on the kayak and some time on the trailer and that's what she wanted as she kept pointing at Island Girl as I started to drive away. She wanted me to stick with the routine.

Still didn't feel like attacking the wheel wells, so I decided to replace the marker lights that I picked up on sale at Vintage Trailer Supply last month. Got the compounder out and polished the area around the light mounts while they were off to make overall polishing easier later. I'd earlier done one light, but today got the other three installed with Olympic rivets.

And Pam got to see that girl she's been "talking" to in the car mirror again: this time with the girl in the shiny reflection on the trailer.

Good day for us.

I See Grass Instead of a Floor

2009-05-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Lots of little stuff still to do in the destruction phase: break off all the old elevator bolts with vise grips, get the wheel wells out, use a wire brush in my drill to knock the rust off the frame, and remove some of the last bits of subfloor. But, I am nearly to the end of the take apart part and I'll be glad to see it end. I love the creative part of planning ahead and thinking of changes and how I want the whole thing to fit together, but there's nothing really creative about ripping all the stuff out of the trailer.

Since I'm parked in the grass, I left the belly pan on so I could clean out all the garbage from the top: old insulation, mouse condos, dirt (lots of that). My C channel holding the shell to the floor is in good shape, so I didn't really want to drill out all those rivets to drop the pan. I left about a foot of it from the rivet line and cut it off from there, in effect leaving a border I can use to reattach it later. Lots of damage under the bath area, including a really super patch made from an aluminum can, but most of the old pan looks to be reusable.

Bought a new tool for the job, Dewalt Electric Metal Shears, and they made short work of cutting off the belly pan. Lots of money, but they'll also get lots of use ahead on the project.

The grey water tank arrived too. It's a 33 gallon ABS plastic tank from Icon Technologies and measures 48" x 33" x 8". Definitely have to move at least one crossmember to install it, but the size will be nice to have. Kudos to Icon Technologies for the packing they did on the tank: full cardboard box that was extremely well padded inside. Shipped quickly too, but it did spend a couple of days clearing customs.

Haven't heard on the axle from Colin, but that's fine as there's still plenty to do. Really want to get my lights squared away for the trip to the welder. Lots of elevator bolts to break and remove.

Since I live on a boat, I'll still need a boat when I someday go to fulltiming on Island Girl. My kayak project, a Pygmy Golden Eye Hi, is nearly done. Mostly just needs a killer varnish job on the deck.

Tanks and Axle

2009-05-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

With the old subfloor nearly up, I've been working on tanks and a new axle. Once the floor is completely up and cleaned out, I'll drop the belly pan, probably by cutting it and leaving a 12 inch border. Before I can tackle new floor, I need to get my tanks in, get some welding done, and replace my axle.

Tanks are hard to find in stock sizes that fit my frame, but custom tanks are more expensive. The other thing that makes it hard, at least for me, is that while I basically know what I want for tank sizes and placement, I don't really know where I'll want fittings yet--I can't think that far ahead. My black tank will be above the floor, so it's no problem now, but the grey and fresh go in the frame. I decided to get ABS tanks for both largely because I can easily weld in fittings later with ABS cement. Bought two 24 gallon Valterra fresh tanks that measure 8" x 16" x 48". That's more capacity than I need, but gives me flexibility. The ABS Grey tank came from Icon Technologies in Canada, measures 8" x 33" x 48" and holds 33 gallons. I'll have to get some crossmembers in the frame moved, but they'll fit easily in the 51" I have inside the main frame rails.

Colin Hyde in New York has been running one of the premiere Airstream restoration facilities . I emailed him about some axle decisions and happened to time it just as he is busy setting up a new company on his own. I know he's busy and he's got a lot on his mind right now, but even so he probably spent nearly an hour on the phone with me going over options for my installation. Cannot thank Colin enough. He's the best. He'll be ordering me a new torsion axle from Axis, replacing my old spring axle setup. It'll be a 5000 pound axle derated to 4200, which should give me quite a bit of latitude in the way I setup and load the trailer. It'll get shipped to my welder, so axle and tanks can all go in at the same time. Big steps forward!

Started stripping my rear endcap, too. The old Zolatone is coming off, but this is not going to be one of my favorite jobs. Kicking around the idea of having polished aluminum on the upper inside and baltic birch replacing the lower inside aluminum. Not sure yet, just thinking.

She is empty

2009-05-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a month, but I have been busy. Island Girl is empty as I've removed all the cabinetry, lower inside skin panels, and am now in the process of pulling up the old plywood subfloor.

I've read stories of great difficulty removing the bathroom, but mine came out very easily. Nice and shiny behind the interior panels and nearly all of the old insulation was clean and dry.

The C channel holding the floor to the frame and shell is in very good shape and most of it can be reused. Hard for me to believe that what I'm seeing is a 52 year old trailer.

Since the plywood is in really poor shape on both ends, I made a cardboard template to allow me to cut the end pieces of new plywood to shape.

Surprising to me that the elevator bolts holding the plywood down are installed at the joint between two pieces of plywood, really just acting as a clamp. I think I'll likely make my plywood joints away from the crossmembers and use a strip of ply underneath as a doubler.

All along, I've wondered what kind of shape my frame was in. It's hard to see without dropping the belly pan, so I've been concerned until today when the first sections of old subfloor came up. For the most part, I've got a frame that is still painted and showing just some minor surface rust, much of it from the original floor insulation sandwiched between the frame and the plywood. A little more serious rust in the rear streetside, but even it doesn't look too bad.

2009-04-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

I've been slowly (very slowly, actually) taking things apart inside. Most of the old fasteners are coming out ok, but there have been a few tough ones. The more I look at the original floor plan, the more I like it. Changes I'm considering: replacing the front gaucho with 2 recliners or maybe a reclining love seat, and making the shower separate from the toilet and perhaps moving the door opening for the bathroom to the rear with a side facing toilet. Probably have to make the bed slightly narrower to open up the aisle slightly if I did this. Don't want to break up the exterior lines with a rooftop air conditioner, so I might try to install a home window unit in the cabinetry.

Taking Stock of What I Have

2009-03-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

I've got Island Girl parked in a local storage lot. I can work on her here and I share a very small shop space at the same place. I'd love to be inside, but that's just not possible. The upside is that I'll certainly know where the leaks are.

My intention is to try to mostly keep the original appearance of the trailer. I think I can do this, as the outside skin is in excellent condition and the original birch cabinetry can likely be reused. I like the inside layout and don't have much in mind for changes. The trailer has no 12 volt system, 110 volt refrigerator and hot water heater, and no holding tanks. Systems, therefore, will be starting from scratch.

I hope I can keep the stove and part of the refrigerator. Really want to figure a way to keep the cool door from the Marvel refrigerator and try to put a newer propane/electric unit behind it. Gotta be a way!

So, the plan is to take it apart and put it back together. I know there is rot in the plywood subfloor, so I know the whole floor has to be replaced. This means everything inside has to come out first. Since I want the cabinets to go back in later, they will have to come out with some care. I'll also want to replace some broken window glass and renew window gaskets pretty early on. I'd like a dry trailer by the time I get the new plywood floor installed.

My frame is a question mark at this point. I'd like to keep the belly pan on until the old floor is out, allowing me to clean out whatever is down there from the top. I won't know what kind of repairs the frame will need until the old floor is gone and I'll have to make plans for my holding tanks at that point too. And, a new axle.

2009-02-08T20:09:00.001-08:00

My wife Pam and I have been living on our 31 foot sailboat for the last 20 years. From 1996 to 2004 we wandered around the world in Pamda Bear, ending our circumnavigation where it started, in Washington state. It was the trip of a lifetime, but about halfway around Pam began showing symptoms of Alzheimers disease. She was determined to continue our cruising life and we did, but accelerated our pace to try to return home while she'd still be able to spend time with family. Now, we're well into the course of the disease and I'm her full time caregiver.I just bought a 1957 Airstream Caravanner as a long term project of restoration. It'll be a slow process as most of my time is taken, but I do have a great person who comes in a couple of days a month to give me some time off. I'll use some of that time working on "Island Girl" and document the process here.She appeared in a Craigslist ad and after several emails, phone calls, and a trip to see her, I just had to have her. Built in Airstream's Ohio plant, her first owner apparently moved from Illinois to retirement on Lopez Island in Washington's San Juans. She had one other owner on Lopez before moving to adjacent San Juan Island about five years ago with the last owner before me. It's very likely the trailer has been on those islands for around 35 years.A fellow liveaboard here in the marina, Darrell, offered to do the towing. I'd seen old original split rims on the trailer when I looked at it before purchase, so we took new wheels and tires with us for the pickup. A trouble free trip on the ferry and up I-5 to her new home was next.

2009-02-08T19:42:00.000-08:00