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Dusterbd13
Dusterbd13 UltimaDork
8/5/17 8:41 p.m.

Looking at it on a bigger screen with my glasses on, it is not what i was thinking. Its a fabric loom, the wire is still plastic coated.

Please ignore my previous comment. Im still not sure how sold core wire withstands vibrations and movement, but if its still good after 50 years, wy screw with it?

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/6/17 7:30 a.m.

I have a new RV Carbon Monoxide/Propane detector that you can have if you need it. They're supposed to be replaced every five years and this is older than that, but it's never been installed.

OHSCrifle
OHSCrifle GRM+ Memberand Dork
8/6/17 7:47 a.m.

How are the exterior seams and window seals?

If you have not seen it before, Gregor on Garage Journal has documented window removal and seal repair very nicely, including some tool improvisation.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185104&page=90

Camper stuff starts at post #1797, but this is a house, photography, motorcycle, welding and machining rabbit hole worth reading from start to present day (still an active thread)

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/6/17 7:55 a.m.

In reply to Woody:

I 'think' the CO detector degrades through time whether there is a battery in it or not. Let me do some reading, no reason to ship something that doesn't work.

The wires are plastic coated with a fabric loom. The plastic is still flexible. We'll see how much of the interior I have to remove and how much wiring that exposes and go from there. I have found some of the origional floor tiles in place under the cabinets and I'm 99% sure those are earlier asbestos ones. Tiles are pretty stable, but it's something to pay attention to.
The keys I have open one of the three outer storage locks. The other two are stuck. Going to have to look into that.
These trailers are remarkably hand made. Lots of evidence of hands during construction with more individual handwork the further you peel back the layers. This is going to be fun.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/6/17 7:57 a.m.

In reply to OHSCrifle:

That thread is what got me into Festool stuff. I try very hard to stay away but once or twice a year I pop back in and catch up. I like to think of myself as the hobo/redneck version of Gregor. Similar in philosophy, much different in execution.

ITBland
ITBland New Reader
8/6/17 8:35 a.m.
mazdeuce wrote: This is all 120V household type wire. I was mostly concerned that in 1963 the favored fire proof coating would have been asbestos.

Asbestos treated cloth covering is a possibility in 1960s wire, this might help: Asbestos Electrical Wire Insulation & Asbestos Electrical Insulation Products (Looks like the silver-looking "Romex" wire is safe, but if "Type" markings are visible, look those up.)

Here is an article on re-wiring an Airstream http://vintageairstream.com/electrical-wiring/ and their reasoning for replacement:

This 110v system was unsafe after 50 years from typical corrosion and shorting to sharp edges on the the aluminum skin and frame.

Also worth noting that home wire made before the 80s had a much lower temperature rating and deteriorates in heat. (I wonder what the temperature of the aluminum skin of the Airstream would be at the Grand Canyon? )

onemanarmy
onemanarmy New Reader
8/7/17 12:44 p.m.

So will this be pulled with the COE project?

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/7/17 8:18 p.m.

In reply to onemanarmy:

Ideally? Both the Airstream and the COE are 1000 miles from home. The Airstream doesn't have an interior, or a floor in many places. The COE doesn't have a hitch, or about 10,000 other things it needs to run and drive. Both of them are right at that squishy point where they're about as valuable as the metal they're made out of. I'm a little bit overwhelmed by the scale of either project in isolation much less both of them at the same time. The Airstream is hooked back up and we're one sleep away from heading the rest of the way home. If you see a dark blue Silverado with all of the tracks from One Lap 2015 on the back window, smile and wave.

Dusterbd13
Dusterbd13 UltimaDork
8/7/17 8:21 p.m.

Im excited about you heading home. Gives me new things to read, and insight on how to tackle problems differently than sheer will power and brutal determination.

NOHOME
NOHOME UltimaDork
8/7/17 9:15 p.m.

Heading home already? That went fast!

java230
java230 SuperDork
8/7/17 10:08 p.m.

A couple things to note, treated wood will eat aluminum. The copper in it does not get along with alum. I know it was mentioned for floor replacement.

Second for an outdoor shower I highly recommend the Bullfinch shower point. It's sooo good and well worth the $ over standard RV garbage.

Really looking forward to this, safe travels home!

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/9/17 6:03 p.m.

South Dakota to the U.P. and now back to Texas. Not the most direct route, but the Airstream is parked in the yard.
It's still light out. I could go work on it. I think I'll hang out with Mrs. Deuce instead.

hobiercr
hobiercr GRM+ Memberand Dork
8/10/17 9:18 a.m.

Even when you don't expect anything to go wrong it always feels great to see your gear parked safely in your own yard. Glad the trip home was uneventful.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/10/17 10:10 a.m.

Let's do this. The majority of the hard disassembly was already done by Hans. I just had to take it out and stack it up. Most of this will be thrown away, but I'm going to keep it around until I know I don't need it. All the more reason to work quickly. The exception is the bench/bed/table complex at the front end of the trailer. That I'm keeping. It has been carefully removed and stacked in the climate control confines of the Grosh, leaving us with this. Looking better. While Mrs. Duece was visiting us this summer she had a bit of a mishap. She usually works her butt off and keeps the lawn in good shape through the hottest months of the summer. This year I have a little mowing to catch up on, which means my trailer hours are limited for a few days. More to come!

759NRNG
759NRNG HalfDork
8/10/17 10:24 a.m.

I see a parallel lawn tractor thrash in your future.....glad y'all made it home OK.

RossD
RossD MegaDork
8/10/17 10:50 a.m.

A zero turn mower was one of my best investment for my family life ( along with project life)

egnorant
egnorant SuperDork
8/10/17 4:35 p.m.

Why not just mount the whole thing behind the COE? Or put pontoons on it?

Is that Mimosa eating that mower? Time to rent a goat or 6!

Bruce

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/10/17 5:28 p.m.

In reply to egnorant:

Part of the purchase price ($0) was a deal that it would go back to Hans and his family someday. I'm more of a caretaker than an owner. The only real restrictions are that is stays silver and that it continues to be a useable trailer. The more I stand in the middle of it and look around the clearer everything becomes. I need to pull up the floor and sort out the holding tanks. Those will decide where the toilet goes and everything will flow from there. Hoping to have the inside naked tomorrow.

NOHOME
NOHOME UltimaDork
8/10/17 5:59 p.m.

What the heck is that stuff you call "lawn"? Looks carnivorous

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/10/17 6:15 p.m.

Not so much lawn as weeds that withstand mowing. If I let it grow the grass gets crowded out, if I keep it short it becomes more or less grass like. Yard work is my gym. I don't do cardio, I don't lift weights, I fend off the relentless push of the jungle.

coexist
coexist Reader
8/11/17 12:29 p.m.

I have a similar vintage AS waiting for me to get started on a renovation. The floor is also needing replacement. The challenge is the plywood extends under the walls, pinched between the floor rails and the wall bottom plate, and this is often the place with the worst rot. The ambitious restorers take the entire shell off to allow full access to the plywood deck. Naturally this would require the space of two trailers at least, plus it's a logistical issue in other ways.

I don't have the space to do this, so I am considering building an interior framework to elevate 1/3 or 1/2 of the shell at a time, only enough to get the weight off (1/4"?) and allow the plywood removal and replacement. Even this modified approach would require removing all the interior panels to get to the fasteners in the walls, and taking off all the belly pans. Once you've gone this far, changing the electric wire is a relatively minor addition "while you're in there". Aluminum can of worms.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/11/17 3:18 p.m.

In reply to coexist:

That's my situation as well. I know what everyone says, so now we'll see if that's what happens when I get things apart. I'm kind of committed now.

The rest of the cabinets are out including the stove and both furnaces. There was a ventless heater screwed to the cabinet by the door. I suspect that the original furnace stopped working and simply adding another one was the solution.
I have a few more things to peel off the walls and then I pull the wheel wells and start with the lower paneling. I did find $0.11 and a mummified mouse that might be older than me, so that was fun.

NOHOME
NOHOME UltimaDork
8/11/17 5:04 p.m.

I have used one of these tools to extricate rotting flooring that was built under kitchen counters. Means you have to install (hammer in) a new strip around the edges, but I did not want to remove the counters.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
8/11/17 5:26 p.m.

Theory says that I should be able to remove all the bolts holding things together when I remove the floor, and when that happens there might be enough wiggle room to open up the gap an extra 1/16 or so and slide the new wood in and then bolt it all back together. Theoretically.

hhaase
hhaase HalfDork
8/11/17 7:34 p.m.

Deuce;

Quick question, and I hope it's not too late. Did you manage to get a weigh slip from a scale for me?

-Hans

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