Mello Mike's Airstream Overlander Restoration Blog

What's new?

2012-01-12T20:33:00.001-07:00

I'm FINALLY gearing up to resume work on the Overlander. I had to wait for cooler weather (it's no fun working in triple digit weather) but once it arrived I lost my job, so I've been busy looking for work. Sometimes, even working on the Airstream has to be put on hold. I'm still looking for work, but things are looking up.

This past week I finally got the garage cleared out enough to empty out all of the stuff I had stored in the Overlander for the move. With that done, I can now resume the restoration. Here's what needs to be done:

1. Remove kitchen and bedroom
2. Prep wood floor for tiling
3. Install new floor tiles
4. Install new water heater (this will involve cutting the skin)
5. Repair kitchen/bedroom cabinets and install new kitchen counter top
6. Reinstall kitchen and bedroom
7. Install new PEX plumbing and fresh water tank
8. Build dinette
9. Install bathroom

That should keep me busy for awhile, I would think.

In the meantime, I decided to refocus the content of my two blogs. This blog will be dedicated to the restoration of the Overlander while my other blog will focus on my travels in my Wolf Creek truck camper (and the Overlander when it's done), and in RVing general. That's why I removed the three travel articles I recently posted here. I already had them on the other blog and felt I was simply duplicating my efforts.

Saying Goodbye to a Couple Friends

2011-09-04T13:19:00.010-07:00

After 7 years of ownership, I've decided to sell the Sovereign. I have neither the room nor the need to have two Airstreams in my life now. As a working man spare time is short and I'd rather spend what little maintenance and restoration time I have on the Overlander. In the meantime, we decided to buy a truck camper while work continues on the Overlander. It won't be usable for another year or two anyways so having a truck camper fits our immediate needs and gives us more RV versatility for the future--boondocking is a love of mine and there are simply too many places I want to go where I would never take the Overlander.

After looking at several new and used campers, we decided on a 2011 Wolf Creek 850N by Northwood Manufacturing. Northwood is the same company that makes Arctic Fox campers which are known for their quality. We like the lighter weight and smaller price of the Wolf Creek and we got a stinking great deal on it as a nearby dealership was liquidating their entire stock of new RVs.

Campers require a beefy truck so it was also time to say goodbye to our Ford F150. We love the F150, but it had a mini-short bed of only 5.6 ft and simply didn't have the payload nor the suspension for the camper we wanted. With the improvements Ford continues to make with their trucks we decided to buy another, this time an F-250 with the 6.2L gas engine. Big enough to carry our camper and tow our Overlander to Airstream rallies while we continue to work on it.

If you are interested, I've started a new blog chronicling ownership of my new Wolf Creek 850N Camper and my love for Boondocking. You can find the blog here: http://mellomikeswolfcreekcamper.blogspot.com/

New Digs

2011-06-14T09:55:00.005-07:00

I haven't posted much on the blog or made much progress on the Overlander lately due to our recent move from Phoenix to Mesa here in Arizona. I hate moving. I did enough of it in the Navy to never want to do it again. One thing we discovered in this move is that we have too much stuff. It's truly time to downsize our household. The nice thing about the new location is that I'm closer to work, much closer, and live just a few miles from my dad. The new house has a pool, too, which is great for this climate. As the pic shows, the property has a large concrete pad, more than large enough for both Airstreams.

In addition to the move, the other thing impacting on our progress is the heat. Temperatures have once again reached the 100s and the temps will stay this way until late September. So most, if not all, of the posts between now and then will relate to our camping excursions to the mountains where it's much cooler.

International Globe Emblem Restoration

2011-05-13T10:51:00.013-07:00

I've restored Airstream emblems before, but nothing like this one. This emblem, used from 1958 to 1961, has some very detailed etchings and I had no idea how to go about restoring it until I came across a post by Shari on AIRFORUMS. She had restored a Safari name plate and serial number plate using Sanding Sticks. I had never seen these before and decided to buy some and try them out. As you can see from the pic I think they did a pretty good job.

The process of restoring the emblem was pretty easy, just time consuming. For the job you'll need a good magnifying glass and the aforementioned sanding sticks. First, I applied three coats of dark blue Rustoleum spray paint over the entire emblem. Then I used the sanding sticks using the heaviest grit first to remove the paint from the continents and grid lines. Then I went over these surfaces with finer grit to give the exposed aluminum surfaces a polished look. The International letters were hand painted last. The only obstacle I encountered was removing the numerous scratches that were on the left side of the emblem. Fortunately, aluminum is soft and these came out with some additional sanding.

Now that I've restored one, would I do anything different? I'm not so sure that spray painting the entire emblem was the best course. Perhaps a better approach would have been to lightly sand the continents and name areas first then tape them off before spray painting the oceans.

Byam Hooks - A Cool, Vintage Accessory For Your Airstream

2011-05-08T09:51:00.030-07:00

What in the world is a Byam Hook, you might ask? Good question. Byam Hooks were sold in the old Wally Byam Store in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Wally Byam, Airstream's founder, loved them and according to his cousin, "Pee Wee" Schwamborn, he had a large number of them in his Airstream. Soon they became very popular and were named after Wally himself. These hooks are also known as razor strop hooks (outside the Airstream community) and "elephant hooks," the latter because the exaggerated upturned hook resembles the trunk of an elephant and the screw holes look like the eyes.

Pee Wee further explained how these hooks were used by his cousin, "Wally found this one of the most useful items in trailering. They met his many needs. [Inside] he could hang up his Coleman lantern. A wet raincoat. Run a cord from one hook to another and have a clothes line. Just about anything Wally needed to hang up could use these British manufactured hooks. On the outside you normally found two of them to hold up a Army surplus canvas water funnel. Using his jeri cans Wally poured his water into this large funnel into the water fill. Wally had many inside his Airstreams. How many? Ten? Twelve? I never counted them, but there was adequate coverage through out his Airstreams."

Byam Hooks were either screwed into wood cabinets or riveted to the aluminum walls inside or outside the trailer. The big appeal of these hooks is that the extended hook is very effective in preventing items from falling off while in transit. I like these hooks not only because of their history, but because they look cool and are much smaller than the hooks you typically find at the "big box" stores. If you have a vintage Airstream, you gotta have a few Byam Hooks to add an authentic vintage touch.

This is the product description found the Wally Byam catalog: "These uniquely designed hooks are commonly known in the trailer field as Byam Hooks simply because Wally had them all over his trailer inside and out. Install several in your bedroom so that you have a place to hang those clothes at night which you normally wouldn't put on a hanger. Utensils can be hung on them, stretch your clothes line -- there are literally dozens of uses for this sturdy aluminum Byam Hook. As simple as they are, they are difficult to find."

Unfortunately, the last sentence of the description is even more correct in this the 21st Century. The original style Byam Hooks are no longer being made, and are becoming increasingly rare and valuable. If you have one or more, hold on to them and take care of them. My 1958 Overlander had three Byam Hooks, though one was slightly damaged. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that when I picked up that old Airstream drop-leaf table last summer, a Byam Hook was attached underneath which I assume was used to latch the table to a cabinet for travel.

Fortunately, you can purchase a close reproduction of the Byam Hook though they are currently out of stock at Vintage Trailer Supply. Sailboatstuff.com offers them, however, they can't keep the silver chrome version in stock--Airstreamers gobble them up. After waiting one year I finally received the five I ordered. The pic below shows a comparison between the slightly smaller reproduction of the hook offered by Sailboatstuff.com (on the left) and the original British-made hook favored by Wally.

Airstream California Plant History Lesson

2011-05-02T08:33:00.004-07:00

Did you know that Airstream had two California plants in operation in the 1950s each producing their own separate Airstreams? One plant was located at 1755 N. Main St. in Los Angeles while the other was located at 12804 E. Firestone Blvd. When the E. Firestone plant first opened in 1956 it was located in an unincorporated section of the county. The nearest post office at that time was in Norwalk, so that was the city used in the plant's address. In 1958 the area surrounding and including the plant was incorporated into Santa Fe Springs. This is why you see California serial number plates with three different city locations in the 1950s, though the Norwalk plant never actually moved.

My 1958 Overlander has a Norwalk serial number plate. Apparently, Airstream had an excess supply of Norwalk serial number plates until at least August of 1958 (I located a Flying Cloud built in August that displayed a Norwalk plate http://www.vintageairstream.com/archives1/58FC/1958FlyingCloud_228604/index.html) when they started installing the Santa Fe Springs serial number plates. As you can see this difference in city names is one way to distingquish early from late 1958 Airstreams built at the E. Firestone plant. In addition, the Sante Fe Springs serial number plate looks identical to the Norwalk plate, at least they did in late 1958 and in 1959.

Fast forward to 2011. Vintage Trailer Supply didn't stock the proper 1950s Norwalk serial number plate--until now. Steve Hingtgen, owner of Vintage Trailer Supply, contacted me on AIRFORUMS about making a new serial number plate with the Norwalk street address. Based on the images I've provided, he is currently working on producing this serial number plate for the Airstream community. Way to go, Steve!

The bottom line is that if you have a California built 1950s Airstream and you need a new serial number plate make sure that the city and address match the original. This is a vitally important part of your Airstream's history.

Oh yeah. You may have wondered what happened to the Airstream plants in California. The Los Angeles plant at 1755 N. Main St. closed in 1960 (Pee Wee Schwamborn said he could still see the faint outline of an Airstream on the old brick building in 1990) and in December 1967 Airstream opened a new plant in Cerritos, CA at 15949 Puima Ave. After Airstream moved into the Cerritos plant, the Norwalk/Sante Fe Springs plant was sold to a pipe company with the building used as a warehouse. Several years later, the building was leveled to construct an auto mall. The Cerritos plant remained in operation until 1979 when the plant was closed for good. Today all Airstreams are made in Jackson Center, Ohio.

Take Two - Hehr Standard Window Restoration

2011-05-01T06:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was spent working on the Overlander's two streetside Hehr Standard windows. Don't let anyone fool you. Working on these windows is time consuming. It wouldn't be so bad if there was no corrosion present on the backframes. I spent a good four hours sanding and brushing them down to remove this corrosion.

The front window assemblies were already restored for these two windows, so I only needed to work on the backframes. Removing the front window assembly and backframe is pretty simple and takes about an hour. I detailed the removal process in an earlier thread posted on March 19th. You'll need to bend the drip cap up (if you didn't already remove it) to get at the top row of rivets holding the backframe in. There are lots of rivets along the top so be prepared for lots of drilling. When removing rivets it's best to drill pilot holes in each before drilling them out with a larger drill bit. The pilot holes help prevent the drill bit from walking off the rivet head and scratching or damaging the skin.

The main reason for removing these windows, of course, is to allow replacement of the infamous backframe gasket and to facilitate easy replacement of the galvanized metal screen. If you're lucky, you'll have little or no corrosion on the backframe. Unfortunately, I wasn't. One frame was badly pitted and it took three hours of sanding and wire brushing to get it to look good.

Installing the galvanized metal screen (from Vintage Trailer Supply) is fairly easy and is different from a regular screen window as there is no spline. You'll need the special roller from Vintage Trailer Supply to properly install it in the frame. Make sure you cut the screen a good 1/2 inch larger on each side. This gives you enough "slop" to properly install the screen. When installing it, I recommend that you crimp the sides first before crimping the longer top and bottom portions. After all four sides are crimped, I pushed the excess screen material under the frame. The installed screen looks terrific.

Cutting and fitting the backframe gasket is pretty straightforward. I glued the gasket to the frame using black 3M Gasket Adhesive but I wasn't entirely happy with its performance for this application. I suspect the reason for this is because this gasket is made of silicone rather than rubber. A black silicone adhesive would have probably worked much better.

Reinstalling the backframe is pretty easy. I prefer to use Olympic rivets because with a dab of Vulkem I think they provide a better seal against water, though Airstream in some years before 1958 used pop rivets (some present Airstream restorers use them as well). To each their own.

Hehr Window Restoration Continues

2011-04-23T16:20:00.003-07:00

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time, you know that I've been working on several leaks. I eliminated most of the really bad ones by sealing the exterior seams with Parrbond, but a few nasty and elusive leaks remained.

Two weeks ago a bad rain storm swept through the Phoenix area. Since the exact source of the leaks was still a mystery, I decided to take a seat in the Overlander and watch. What I saw was surprising. The source of the leak on the street side front was the Hehr window pictured above. I don't know the name of this type of Hehr window but it doesn't open, the frame is hard riveted to the body. The two windows in the bedroom, which are identical in design as the one in the front, were also leaking, but not as badly. Mystery solved. Now it was time to get to work.

The design of these windows is very simple. The main frame that is riveted to the body contains an interior frame that houses the window pane. I was shocked to find that there was no sealant in any of these three windows. No wonder they leaked (the curbside bedroom window did have some butyl tape along the bottom but it was NOT applied where it was needed, between the window and frame). Even though I had replaced the glass seals on these a few months ago with the one available from Vintage Trailer Supply (Product Code VTS-195X), they really didn't prevent water intrusion. They look nice, to be sure, but as a seal against water they fail miserably.

Since these windows were so old, I decided to fork out the bucks and buy new window panes, especially since I was shocked to find the old front window woefully undersized. The old glass barely reached the top of the window frame. A new, larger piece of glass was obviously needed and would help provide a better seal. Before installing all of the new glass, I sealed them up good and tight with a thick bead of Vulkem. They won't leak now.

Aside from new glass, I also replaced all of the old rusty pan nuts and screws with new ones, courtesy of Vintage Trailer Supply. All of the aluminum flanges that hold the glass in place were lightly sanded and cleaned before reinstalling. They look much better now, though eventually I want to replace a few since they are dented and nicked in a few places.

Semper Gumby - Always Flexible

2011-04-10T09:54:00.002-07:00

When you're restoring a vintage trailer, you quickly realize that things rarely go exactly as planned. Often when you are in the middle of a project you discover something else that needs your attention. Such was the case of the bent C-channel rib I discovered on the street side front radius after removing the front interior skin. The skin was originally removed to perform wiring repairs and to do other modifications and improvements to the front. Discovering a bent rib was the last thing I expected. It's funny (and sometimes not so funny) what you discover when you start removing things. The unwelcome discovery mandated a change in plans. Like they say in the Marine Corps, "Semper Gumby!" Always flexible.

This bent rib was apparently created by the errant bumper of a PO's tow vehicle which had made too sharp of a turn. The bumper had left a small crease in the skin and had slightly bent the rib behind it. There was no evidence of this bent rib until the interior skin had been removed. No matter, the rib was bent back and refastened with buck rivets and a new supporting rib. The whole job took about 2 hours.

Several wiring upgrades were also performed before and after the rib repair. First a new radio antenna was installed using the existing exterior holes. This job took about 15 minutes and was very well worth it. The new antenna looks great and extends a good 6 ft plus. Next I installed a new 110v outlet in the lower curbside front to plug-in the new 110v to 12v converter-charger. This was a pretty simple job. I just tapped into the outlet next to the front window and ran the Romex down to the outlet's location. Remember, black (hot) gold; white (neutral) silver. Since the skin is metal it forms a good ground in an Airstream.

Several upgrades were also made to the 12v system. I ran a 14awg 12v wire up to the shelf above the front window where the new Sony 12v AM/FM/CD player and puck lights will be installed (a third 12v wire was run to the street side kitchen area where the new CO and propane leak detectors and a new 12v power point will be installed). These three wires were terminated at the newly installed 12v fuse panel, courtesy of Vintage Trailer Supply. Lastly, I decided to run two 12v wires for the future battery meter (I'm still trying to decide which one to buy since I haven't been entirely happy with the Xantrex Link 1000 in my Sovereign).

IT WORKS! The pic shows a test of the new 12v Fuse Panel, the new 55amp Parallex Converter-Charger, and the new 110v outlet. The 12v system is coming along.

New Airstream Name Plates

2011-03-26T16:12:00.001-07:00

I spent the morning polishing and cleaning up some hard to reach spots in the front and riveting new name plates on to the body.

The pic to the left shows the new Airstream and Wally Byam Caravan (WBC) plates buck riveted on the front. Sweet! You might be thinking, "but Mike, I thought the WBC name plate goes above the window not below it!" That's right, here's the reason why I put it there...

A few months ago I removed the ugly, old battery box that wouldn't polish, but doing so exposed a one inch hole in the front that was used to pass the old battery wires. I had to devise some way of covering this hole in a way that looked good. I considered a small patch but didn't want to go this route because the front already had more than it's share of rivets that were put in the old battery box mounting holes. So I decided to mount the new Wally Byam Caravan plate in the front to cover this hole. It works for me.

Oddly enough, the Overlander wore two Wally Byam Caravan Plates in the 60s but neither was placed above the front window where one is traditionally placed. I can tell because the outlines of the old plates are still visible. One was placed over the rear window and the other was placed on the curbside front beneath the International Globe emblem.

The new Overlander name plate also looks nice. For some reason, it never had a name plate, I'm really glad that Vintage Trailer Supply offered these quality reproductions. Unfortunately, Vintage Trailer Supply doesn't offer the proper Norwalk serial number plate now, so I'll need to restore it. It's in terrific condition, just needs to be painted with a spray paint that matches the blue on the Overlander plate.

Hehr Standard Window Backframe Gasket and Screen Replacement

2011-03-19T22:17:00.001-07:00

Ah, the dreaded Hehr Standard window backframe gasket replacement job. The only window that requires you to rivet the gasket to the trailer. The screen design is also different. There is no screen spline to be found anywhere on the Hehr Standard window. A bizare design, indeed, but the windows do have a certain vintage appeal and they look pretty cool.

As this was my first time working on these type of windows, I decided to tackle the smallest of the four, the mini Standard Hehr. This particular window is riveted to the bottom of the frame of the larger window above it using tinners rivets. I don't have a tinner rivet set, so I decided to keep the window frame attached and work on it there. That made things a little more difficult for the screen installation, but only as far as time goes (more about that later).

Here's the order I took for this project:
1. Remove the window operator
2. Remove front window assembly
3. Drill out rivets of main window backframe and gasket
4. Remove interior window frame
5. Drill out rivets of interior C-channel window frame bracing (sides only)
6. Install new galvanized screen
7. Rivet (Olympic Rivets) backframe gasket to trailer.
8. Clean front window assembly (removed old silicone)
9. Reinstall front window assembly

The first two steps are pretty straightforward. Removing the front window assembly requires that you lift up a little metal tab on the side where the window slides into the window frame. Once you do this, the window easily slides out.

Removing the rivets is also pretty simple. I recommend that you first drill a small pilot hole before drilling out the rivets, this prevents the drill bit from walking off the rivet head and scratching or damaging your trailer skin.

Steps 4 and 5 were necessary only because I didn't remove the entire window backframe because of the tinners rivets mentioned earlier. It really didn't take that long to do anyway and once this was done it gave me access to slide my window screen tool to crimp the sides of the screen.

Once the screen was installed, I moved on to installing the backframe gasket. First I put down a bead of Vulkem to provide a good seal. I recommend cutting and trimming the corners of the gasket before doing any riveting. I also recommend 45 degree angles for the corners of the gasket. The corners were sealed using black gasket adhesive. As for the riveting itself, one thing I learned after installing a few rivets. Put pressure on the gasket to keep it seated tight to the frame while you drill your pilot holes in the gasket, otherwise it will pull away a bit.

All in all, the effort wasn't that difficult. It's just time consuming. And once it's done, you won't have to do this job again in your lifetime.

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Overlander gets Fan-tastic

2011-03-16T11:34:00.001-07:00

I completed the installation of the new Fan-tastic Vent 4000R in the Overlander last night. I have three of these fans in my Sovereign and I love them. They really move the air and are pretty sharp looking too. The unit I installed is the one offered by Vintage Trailer Supply with the gray exterior housing and lid. It has three speeds and can operate in one of two directions.

The installation went pretty smooth with no real issues. There are varying opinions on how to mount the unit to the skin, but I elected to use Vulkem underneath and on top of the foam gasket that comes with the unit. Since the old vent was a manual crank unit I had to tap into the adjacent 12v dome light for power. With the main rib in between the dome light and the fan I had to drill a small hole in it to pass the wire. For the ground, I simply screwed into the rib.

I ordered the curved garnish without thinking or checking the inside of my Overlander but I should have ordered the regular garnish because the interior roof is straight and not curved like my Sovereign. No biggie, Fan-tastic is shipping me out another unit at no charge. I removed the old interior trim piece to make room for the new garnish.

Another fun and worthwhile project. If you don't have one of these and you are thinking about installing one, I highly recommend that you do it. The installation is easy and enjoyable, too.

New Running Lights and License Plate Tail Light

2011-03-13T08:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I broke out the Dewalt buffer and some white rouge and cleaned up the old mounting surfaces where all of the light and door prop assembles were installed. Some corrosion had formed in some spots, especially where the old door props were located (see bottom pic). The white rouge did a great job in cleaning up the surfaces (see pic below).

As you can see the new tear drop running lights are sweet looking but the main aluminum mount is very thin and easy to bend if you're not careful. I wish they were a bit more rugged in construction like the old ones, but they'll do. You can buy them from Vintage Trailer Supply for only $4.95, so you can't complain too much.

One thing about the new lights, the wire-pass-through hole doesn't match where the existing hole is located in your Airstream. You'll need to drill another small hole. I considered drilling a hole in the light mount to match up with the existing hole in the Airstream, but the hole would be located right next to the light bulb. Over time the light would melt the insulation on the wire and short out. So, unfortunately, drilling another hole was the only real option. The three mounting holes matched perfectly. I used vulkem to provide a good seal to prevent leaks.

Racing Stripes for the Overlander

2011-03-06T08:19:00.001-07:00

Just kidding. No those aren't racing stripes. It's painters tape. I'm still working on eradicating leaks. Finding leaks isn't fun, in fact I hate it. I enjoy it as much a root canal or vasectomy. I'd rather be working on the the more enjoyable parts of the restoration. I still have a couple nasty leaks in the bathroom back aft and four lesser ones in the dinette area forward. And I still have a small leak on both sides of the main door (I suspect the brow is the source of this particular leak).

So far I've replaced all window seals, replaced a few cracked window panes (one was my fault while cleaning off old caulking), replaced most pop rivets with Olympic rivets, and yesterday finished sealing all roof seams. My weapon of choice to eradicate these pesky leaks is Parbond. This stuff works great and is used primarily for narrow seams. A word of warning, if you've never used Parbond it's messy. I recommend that you use painters tape to pinpoint your application and to reduce cleanup. I also use a small piece of clear plastic for my finger to force it into the seam. Use of a respirator is advisable, as the stuff gives off nasty fumes.

Getting on the roof can be troublesome for a 50s Airstream with drip caps, but I came up with an easy and effective solution. I use a large piece of rubber foam coiled up to provide enough clearance and cushion to prevent my ladder from damaging the drip caps and to prevent marring the polished finish.

The Phoenix Astradome

2011-02-25T21:01:00.001-07:00

Perhaps the biggest eyesore with the Overlander was the old Astradome. One of the previous owners mounted a bizarre looking contraption on top of the old one that resembled a shark fin. It appeared to be some kind of antenna because the bottom of the vent had a coaxial connection. Whatever it's purpose, it had to go. You can see it in one of several older posts in this blog--UGLY!!

Tonight I finished installing the new Astradome courtesy of Vintage Trailer Supply. The item is spendy (about $150), but it's worth it to have a slick looking dome in the front of the trailer. Plus it looks sweet at night as the trailer lights beneath it give it a cool-looking glow. Buck rivets were used in the original installation and VTS recommended using small pan screws, but I elected to use pop rivets topped off with a coat of dicor sealant. The bottom of the rivets were filed down a little to flatten them out so the lifting mechanism can sit flush. As for the new foam gasket, I chose to install it on top of the vent housing rather than the bottom of the dome itself.

Installing the dome was much easier than I anticipated. I was able to install it from the inside using a small step ladder, no need to get on the roof. The whole process also allowed me to clean the lifters, one had seized up pretty well. Liberal amounts of WD-40 and a rag removed all of the old gunk. Overall, a fun and very worthwhile project. Next week I move on the rear roof vent for the installation of the new fantastic vent fan, again courtesy of VTS.

4CU Rally - Dead Horse State Park

2011-02-21T07:29:00.002-07:00

Just returned from another great Four Corners Unit Rally at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, AZ. It's always great to see old friends and make new ones. The weather didn't cooperate on Saturday as it rained practically all day, but we had a nice covered ramada for all of the activities. As you can tell from the pics, this year's theme was Western. Over 30 Airstreams were parked on the loop. We even met a couple who lived in Brimfield/Kent, Ohio, the same area I grew up in. Small world!!

Keep on Shining - Overlander gets Polished

2011-02-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Another run to M&M Truck Polishing in Eloy, AZ, this time for the Overlander. Raymond's crew did a great job and they only took a week. Like the Sovereign, Raymond's crew did the first two passes, the final pass with the cyclo will be done by me. The polishing set me back $1500, but the money is worth it in the amount of time and effort it saved me.
The first two pics show the Overlander at M&Ms. Note that the windows and rock shield are covered with paper and tape. Polishing is very dirty--polishing creates black oxide dust that goes everywhere. It best to protect them and cover your vents, too, if possible. The bottom three pics show her at home. Ain't she purty!

Jalousie Window Restoration

2011-01-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Talk about a contrast in window design! The Hehr windows on my 1958 Overlander are completely different than those found on my 1972 Sovereign, like they were from another planet. This difference is epitomized by the Jalousie windows. The five parallel glass louvers are unique in window design and require a different approach for weather sealing.

While these windows are vintage you can still buy the seals you need from Vintage Trailer Supply. Three seals are required. The top and bottom of the window frame is sealed with a gray colored bulb gasket which cushions the glass and provides a water and an air tight seal. The bulb seal can be difficult to install, but a little WD40 in the track really helped slide it in. The sides of the louvers are cushioned and sealed with a fuzzy strip, again WD40 helps. Finally, the tops of the individual glass louvers are sealed with a clear rubber seal which provides a thermal and water barrier. Removing the screen in the back and installing these from the inside really speeds things up, especially the top louver.

Though not technically a seal, the retainer disks in each individual louver should be replaced as well. Some of mine were missing and those which were still installed were brick hard. All should be replaced. These are cut to size and are simply wedged into place to keep the glass tight in the louver. These can also be purchased at Vintage Trailer Supply.

Aside from the standard Jalousie window by the door, my Overlander also has a Jalousie window in the front. I've never seen this before in an Airstream. The make of this front window is newer from the side Jalousie, so it appears to be a retrofit by the original owner.

Who Said Airstreams Don't Leak?

2011-01-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

I can assure you that they do. I've owned three Airstreams and they've all leaked. Recent rains have revealed numerous leaks in the Overlander and I'm currently working on them. I've got a leak along the back wall in the bathroom and several in the front, on both the streetside and curbside. The front roof vent leaks and I suspect the roof vent in the back leaks also (this might be the source of my bathroom leak).

Fixing leaks is a process of elimination. Water travels downhill but it can also wick sideways along ribs, so with this fact in mind, it can be difficult sometimes to track down the source of a leak. Sealers you'll need to fix your leaks include Parbond and Vulkum. Parbond is best for small seams while Vulkem is better for wider seams or gaps.

So far, I've replaced all exterior pop rivets with Olympic rivets (sealed with Vulkem) and sealed all windows and main verticle seams with Parbond. The main door, Hehr windows, and rear Hehr clearview window seals have also been replaced. I've still got to work on the main roof vents and the backframe window gaskets for the Standard Hehr windows.

Solar Installation Complete

2010-12-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

With all of the sun we get here in Arizona, it makes a lot of sense to go solar to keep your batteries charged. Cost might be a little intimidating, but not if you are willing to shop around. You can find a couple 100watt panels, a nice controller, rooftop combiner box, mounting hardware and wire all for under $600. Don't jump at the "special solar kit offers" you find on the Internet. It's my experience that most are over priced.

Installation was actually pretty easy. It just takes a little planning and preparation. The most important part of the preparation is having the right wiring and equipment, and as far as the planning is concerned, knowing where to install the solar panels and solar regulator. When placing your panels on the roof, you want to avoid shading from the A/C Shroud, plus you'll want to mount your panels so that they are at an angle to avoid dirt and water from collecting on them. Like I said, the installation was easy. Anyone can install a solar system if you know the basics of 12v wiring.

The solar system I installed on the Sovereign consists of two 95 watt Sunwize solar panels and a Xantrex C35 PMW Charge Controller (from SolarBlvd). For this installation I also purchased a CW Combiner Box, 15ft of 10awg wire for the roof top runs, and 40ft of 8awg wire for the internal wiring (these items from AM Solar). I had to make my own aluminum L-brackets because the Z-brackets I bought from AM Solar were too short due to the radiused roof. Rather than drill and screw the brackets into the roof I elected to use VHB double sided tape. I'm told this stuff is bullet proof and rock solid. We'll see.

Progress on the Overlander and Our New Classic Table

2010-11-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

Some progress is being made on the Overlander. But the truth is, I need to get a few more things done to the Sovereign before I go full tilt on the Overlander. I want to install the new solar system in the Sovereign and finish shining it before the New Year's Rally. Once these two tasks are done, I'll concentrate on the Overlander until the triple digit temperatures hit next June.

So here are the few things I've done to the Overlander. A recent rain storm revealed a few leaks, so getting these fixed are a priority. First, I installed a new weather seal on the door using the recommended seal from Inland RV. The seal looks and works great. Then I set my sights on what appears to be a couple leaks around the rear Hehr Clearview window. The window was badly fixed by the PO so I had a new laminated window installed. I'm pretty sure this was the main source of the leak, but for good measure I also sealed the window frame edges between the body and window frame with Parbond and installed two new Bargman 99 "wedding cake" lenses (one had a large hole in the top). I hope these measures work. We'll see.

I also scored on a classic Airstream Drop Leaf Table. These tables were found in most Airstreams from the late 50s to the early 60s. This particular table came from a 1960. The guy I bought it from had sold his Airstream years ago but forgot about the table which was stored in his garage. This was good fortune for me. I've been looking for a table since June and found this beauty just a few hours south in Oro Valley, AZ. Got it for a great price, too! The table looks great and is well constructed.

Exterior LED Retrofit for the Sovereign

2010-11-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Going with LEDs for the Sovereign was something I thought long and hard about. I wanted to keep the vintage look and retain functionality of the Fiber Optic light monitoring system, but I hated how ugly the old lights were and how much power the old lights consumed. So in light of how shiny and nice the Sovereign looks now, I decided to go with new, modern looking LEDs (I bought the running lights from SuperBrightLEDs.com and the tail lights from Inland RV).
Last summer I installed the white LED backup lights but a short in the circuit prevented them from working. While installing the new tail lights today I decided to find that elusive short. First I found a loose bullet connector with part of the metal connector showing on the curbside light and fixed it, but I still had a short. After taking apart the umbilical/pigtail I found the culprit. A single strand of wire from the ground connection was touching the base of the backing light connector. After cleaning up this connection, I plugged the pigtail in again and Voila!! Backup lights work!!!
After it's all said and done, I have to say that the LED lights look far superior compared to the old style bulb lights. However, I won't be going to the LEDs for the '58 Overlander. Some things are better left vintage, especially on a classic 1950s Airstream.

Airstream international globe emblem - I finally got one!

2010-11-12T22:02:00.001-07:00

After months of searching, we finally found somebody willing to part with one of their International Globe Emblems. Installed from 1958 to 1961, our '58 Overlander was missing both badges when we bought it back in May. We knew that it had them at one time because you can see the four pop rivets in the distinctive diamond shape on the back and curbside front. I can only imagine why the emblems were missing from our '58. It's likely that somebody paid a previous owner big bucks for both. These emblems are extremely difficult to find, so if you find one, count yourself lucky. Don't ask what we paid.

Blue Striping for the Sovereign

2010-10-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend working on the striping for the Sovereign. Rather than use tape I elected to use Rustoleom Sail Blue spray paint instead. This paint is cheap and is much more durable than the old tape that was previously used. Yes, taping off the areas was a time consuming job, but the end results were worth it. I'm pretty pleased with the results. Still need to work on the bottom strip, I'll do that next weekend.

My "New" '58 Dometic Refrigerator for the Overlander

2010-10-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I was fortunate to buy a '58 Dometic Refrigerator from fellow Airstreamer Mark Wiltrakis. Although the Dometic came from Mark's '59 Trade Wind this refrigerator was manufactured in October 1958. Sweeeet! Not only was I fortunate to find such a rare beauty, but Mark also transported it from his home near Portland, Oregon to Phoenix. I still can't believe I was able find a gem like this. Thanks again Mark! This propane operated reefer will be the centerpiece of my Overlander restoration. A special thanks also goes out to Brad Norgaard who let us use his home for the transfer, for giving us a tour of his beautiful '59 Trade Wind (the 2nd time for me), and for helping us load the fridge into my truck.

Buck Riveting Repairs

2010-10-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

Buck Riveting was something I always wanted to do but never got around to buying the rivet gun to make it happen. I finally broke down and bought one to restore my Overlander and to repair the broken rivets attaching the front frame plate to the shell on my '72 Sovereign. I had repaired all of the broken rivets previously with Olympic rivets but they were too weak for this repair and they snapped in half. Buck riveting is the only way to go for this important structural repair. After studying some informative Youtube videos on buck riveting (I missed this demonstration at the recent Restoration Rally), I broke out the rivet gun and bucking bar and tried my hand. I have to say it was incredibly easy, and I even taught my son Nathan how to buck rivet. The bottom pic shows you the completed job with the extra row of rivets.

Finally, the Sovereign is Polished!

2010-10-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

This job has been nagging at me for over a year now, but I simply didn't have the time to devote to this project. So I had to find a business locally that would polish my Airstream for a decent price. After calling several polishing and detail businesses in the area, I took the Sovereign to M&M Truck Polishing in Eloy, AZ. The polishing job only set me back $1500. She looks a million times better, eh? In case you're wondering, they use the rouge stick method, primarily red and white rouge. It didn't take that long either. I dropped it off on Saturday and picked it up yesterday. If you're interested in having your 'stream polished, ask for Ray at 520-208-7432. He'll want to see your trailer before giving you a price quote and he'll stick to his quote even if he goes over, timewise. Oh yeah, make sure all of the clearcoat is stripped before bringing it in. It will save you money.

4CU Balloon Fiesta 2010, Albuquerque, NM - Final Report

2010-10-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we decided to watch the Mass Accession from the parking lot where our Airstream was parked. It was an incredible sight, with all of the balloons passing directly over our parking area. We even had an impressive view from our Sovereign's vista view windows! The temps were much better on Sunday with the high only 78. In the afternoon, we toured several Airstreams including Paula's impressive 68 Ambassador and Louis' cool 62 Ambassador, and then we took to the launching field to watch the Twilight Glow at dusk. Unfortunately, the launch was cancelled due to an encroaching thunderstorm, but the evening's fireworks more than made up for that loss. After watching the launch Monday morning, we hitched up the Sovereign and drove home. It was hard leaving. We made quick stops at Grants, NM to gas up and at the famous Jack Rabbit stop on old Route 66 near Winslow, AZ. Rather than going through Flagstaff, we decided to take a different route and go through scenic Rim country via Route 87 through Clints Well and Route 260 in Camp Verde.

4CU Balloon Fiesta Rally, Albuquerque, NM

2010-10-03T05:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning we hitched up the Sovereign and drove 7 hours to Albuquerque to attend the 4th Annual Four Corners Unit (4CU) Balloon Fiesta Rally. About 70 Airstreams strong, we have front row seats for this spectacular event. The main launching field is only about 100 yards from where we are parked. Temps have been a little warm, Friday the highs hit 91, while yesterday the temps peaked out at 86. Still, everyone is having a great time as Airstreamers from all of the country converge to watch the most photographed event in the world.

Overlander A-Frame Rust Proofing with POR-15

2010-09-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

POR-15 is a highly touted rust preventative paint. The treatment is expensive because of the high cost of the paint and because of the pre-treatment products it requires, but it works extremely well. First you need to clean the metal surface with POR-15 Marine-Clean, then treat and etch the surface with POR-15 Prep and Ready. I bought silver POR-15 paint, but it doesn't really matter what color you use since a top coat paint must be applied (the paint doesn't have any UV resistant properties). When the paint drys (it took about 7 hours) it provides a tough coating for the metal which is highly resistant to rust. The top pic shows the A-Frame after applying the top coat which is Rustoleum Metallic Spray Paint.
Oh yeah, you may have heard that this paint is impossible to remove from your skin and it's true. I took all of the precautions to prevent this from happening, wearing gloves and a long-sleeve shirt, but somehow I still got some paint on my right wrist. I'm told that it takes a week for the paint to finally wear off of your skin. We'll see.

Bargman L-77 Door Lock Repair and 12v Wiring

2010-09-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty productive day working on the Overlander. I soldered 2 ft wire extensions to the tow light wiring so it can reach the new umbilical plug and connected these wires to new 12v breakers to protect these circuits. I need to come up with some kind of cover for the plug wiring and for the circuit breakers so they aren't exposed, similar to what you find on mid-70s Airstreams.

I also ran a new 12v interior circuit for the front of the Overlander. This circuit will be used for new 12v lighting and for the 12v stereo system which will be mounted on the upper front shelf. I still need to run one more 12v circuit for bedroom lighting and for a new storage compartment light.

The job which took the most time was rekeying the Bargman L-77 main door lock. My lock had a key but an old key was broken off in the lock, so I ordered a new key cylinder and keys from Vintage Trailer Supply. Unfortunately, with the broken key in the old key cylinder, removing it was no simple task, in fact I had to take it to a locksmith. Removing the old cylinder requires a key or a lock pick set. To remove the cylinder turn the key and push the pin located on the side of the lock. Doing this at the same time should remove the old cylinder which pops out the front not the back.

New Umbilical/Pigtail Plug for the '58 Overlander

2010-09-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

Now the real fun begins! Last week I decided on where to mount the Umbilical/pigtail plug on the Overlander. I elected to install a removable pigtail just like my Sovereign. Why a removable one? Well the intense Phoenix heat is hard on exposed wiring insulation plus with the pigtail stored inside it deters thieves from stealing your trailer in the middle of the night.

The pic shows my new Pollak 6-wire plug temporarily installed using the original 4-wire access hole (this 4-wire plug provided 12v power from the tow vehicle directly to the trailer fuse panel for lighting). The extra screw holes have been temporarily closed with pop rivets and a screw (pop rivet gun broke again), buck rivets will be installed later. The wires inside the trailer will need to be extended about 2 feet to reach where the pigtail plug is now mounted.

Since I already had a large hole on the curbside front where the old 4-wire plug was mounted, using this old hole makes a lot of sense and gives me better access for maintenance than where the original umbilical was hard wired to the trailer.

As you can see in this pic, the Overlander's umbilical has a 7-wire connector on the vehicle side and 6-wire connector on the trailer side (reverse light wire will not used since there are no reverse lights on a 1958).

The old hole where the old umbilical entered the coach between the wall panels will now be used as an access point for the new brake wire and for the battery wiring. As explained earlier my batteries will be mounted outside on the A-Frame.

12v Exterior Wiring Troubleshooting

2010-08-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

The temperatures have cooled down a bit which has allowed me to do some work on the 12v exterior lighting. The old pigtail had numerous cuts and had deteriorated badly with the old insulation falling off the wires and causing numerous shorts. But disconnecting the old pigtail wasn't easy. The pigtail was hard-wired to the trailer's wiring. The only way to disconnect the pigtail was to remove the inner skin from the front of the trailer. The pigtail wiring was terminated with the trailer wiring using wire nuts (see pic of this cluster).

Note: According to Frank's Trailer Works, this isn't an OEM design and I believe them. The OEM wiring was all red according to others, but mine has the standard wiring color scheme.

The testing of the trailer's external wiring went incredibly smooth tonight with all of the wires and lights testing out fine. The wire colors for the exterior lights turned out to be: Red-Left Turn, Brown-Right Turn, Green-Running Lights, Black-Brake Lights (not needed), Blue-Electric Brakes, White-Ground. I was really happy that everything tested out fine. Rarely does anything go well on an old vintage trailer but they did tonight.

Rather than having the pigtail hardwired to the trailer, I'm going to mount a Pollak 6-wire inlet plug (7-wire on the Tow Vehicle Side). I'm going to install this plug where the old Tow Vehicle charge lines entered the trailer. A great location which will be near the 12v fuse panel. The old pigtail access hole will be used to pass the battery leads up to the 12v fuse panel.

Vintage Looking Fabrics for the Overlander

2010-08-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

We spent a Saturday last month searching for fabrics. We both wanted to go with a vintage 50s look. Fortunately, Karen's favorite fabric store had several designs and colors to choose from. Here are a few photos showing everything we bought that day. The yellow plad fabric will be used for the curtains and will be fully lined on the outside with UV resistant fabric. The bamboo looking fabric will be used for the goucho while the light blue fabric will be used to make bed spreads and accent pillows for the goucho. This week we'll be placing an order for Armstrong vinyl floor tiles.

Smoothie Moons!

2010-08-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

The wheels on the Overlander were in serious need of some dressing up. I considered buying new rims similar to the ones I bought for the Sovereign, but I really liked the old vintage baby moons look. Unfortunately, my wheels don't have the tabs for the baby moons so I had to go another route. Last month I discovered the Smoothie Moons on the Air Forums and they looked like the perfect solution for my existing rims. I ordered these from HubcapMike.com for about $20 a piece. They were very easy to install and they look fabulous! The Smoothie Rims don't cover the entire wheel, there's about a one inch "ring" around the outer edge that isn't covered. I'm going to paint this "ring" a white or robin's egg blue to give the wheels some pop. Now I just need to get the rest of the Overlander to shine like the wheels!

New Axles and A-frame modifications

2010-08-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

The Overlander just spent a week at Arizona Axle in Glendale getting new axles and brakes, and having several modifications done to the A-frame. I decided to keep the leaf spring and regular axle combo rather than go with torsion axles because they last longer and are more durable. And with the Overlander weighing only 4,000lb dry, I opted to get brakes on the rear axle only as a means of saving some money. And as an added bonus the new axles give me an extra inch in height, always a good thing when Boondocking.

As for the A-frame, several modifications were made. The old 2" coupler head is gone and replaced with a new style one that locks down on the hitch ball far better than the old one. Also gone is the monstrous hydralic brake cylinder assembly, a huge improvement in looks and in freeing up extra space. The A-frame now sports new safety chains and a 1000lb tongue jack I purchased at Vintage Trailer Supply. But the most important change made to the A-frame was welding angle iron supports to mount two 12v batteries (a aluminum box will eventually house two Size 27s). This necessitated moving up the propane tank base about 3 inches. And more importantly, everything fits! With the propane tanks installed, there's just enough clearance to crank the tongue jack. The A-frame looks pretty rough right now but not for long. I'll clean up any remaining rust on the A-frame, then I'll apply a coat of POR-15 to rust proof it for good. A couple coats of silver rustoleum spray paint will then dress everything up.

New Radial Tires for the Overlander

2010-07-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

The Phoenix heat is limiting what I can get done to the Overlander this summer, so I'm turning my attention to the running gear. The first order of business is getting new tires so I can safely tow her in town for the other work that needs to be done. Unfortunately, the process of buying tires didn't go smoothly. First I tried going with Goodyear Marathon 205/75R15s, but they were too small and she sat too low for my liking. Next, I tried going with Goodyear Marathon 225s, but according to Discount Tire, they wouldn't fit, so I went for the middle and bought Yokohama 215/70R15 Light Truck tires. When I bought the Overlander she came with Springfield 7.00x15Bias Ply LT tires, so I knew the Yokohamas would fit. Haven't decided what to do with the ugly rims yet. New Alcoas? Full Moons or Baby Moons?

In a couple weeks I'll take the Overlander to Arizona Axle where I'll have new axles, leaf springs, and a new 2" hitch lock put on. I'll also have them cut off the old hydraulic brake cylinder, move the propane tank platform up on the A-frame, mount new safety chains, and install a new manual tongue jack. Installing a tongue jack is normally very easy, I've done this several times. However, one of the previous owners had trouble with the old jack and it's presently mounted sideways. Two mounting bolts had siezed and were ripped out leaving broken stems in two of the mounting holes. I'll have Arizona Axle drill them out and retap the threads if necessary.

Boondocking on the Mogollon Rim with the Sovereign, July 2-5, 2010

2010-07-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

Karen and I needed to escape the oppressive heat of Phoenix (114 degrees), so we decided to getaway to our favorite boondocking spot near the Blue Ridge Reservoir for the July 4th weekend. It was a great, relaxing 4-day weekend. Only two hours from our front doorstep, the temperatures at this spot averaged 78 during the day and 58 at night. Wow, was it nice!! The reservoir was very crowded, which was to be expected for a major holiday, so we didn't get an opportunity to try out our new Sea Eagle inflatable boat.

As for towing, our new F-150 did remarkably well. I have to admit, I was a bit anxious towing the fully loaded Sovereign (about 6,000lbs) up the Camp Verde overpass on the way home, but the F-150's 5.4L V8 and 6-speed transmission handled the tough, uphill pull with ease. Before taking on this overpass, we decided to dump our black water tank at Trail's End RV Park in Camp Verde (jettisoning any unneeded weight is always a good thing).

I took advantage of the cool weather to tackle a few repairs and improvements to the Sovereign. I replaced the old Pollack pigtail coupling which cracked in two, repaired the 12v tow vehicle charging line including the placement of a 12v circuit breaker, replaced the middle fantastic fan lowering mechanism, and reinstalled the privacy curtain track for the bathroom (Karen will be making a privacy curtain since we ditched the heavy, combersome pocket door). It was a pretty productive weekend!

2010 4CU Restoration Rally - Albuquerque, NM

2010-06-12T22:23:00.001-07:00

We are in Albuquerque and are attending the 4th Annual Restoration Rally. This rally has been terrific with classes on Polishing, Riveting, cabinet making, Zolatone painting, electrical systems, plumbing, axles and brakes, and solar. The instructors were all excellent and knew what they were talking about. I don't know the exact numbers but it looked like there were about 40 Airstreams at this event. We made lots of new friends which is the best thing about attending these rallys. If you have a vintage Airstream, I would recommend attending. You'll be bound to learn something.

Tips on buying a vintage trailer

2010-05-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few tips to those who are considering buying a vintage travel trailer. The biggest consider- ation for me is the climate where the trailer has been kept most of its life. Obviously, the best scenario is to buy a vintage trailer that's been kept in a garage or barn. But if you aren't fortunate enough to find one that's been babied like this, then the next best thing is a dry climate. Remember, water is the enemy of an old trailer and most vintage trailers have simply been neglected for many years. If the trailer you're looking at has been in a humid climate or rainy one you'll probably have floor rot and frame damage. The furnishings will probably be in poor condition, too. I've bought both of my vintage trailers here in the desert Southwest, and both have had zero frame damage and floor rot. Simply put, the dry, arid climate is great for an old trailer.

The other consideration is condition. Repairing dents in the outer skins is very expensive. Try and find one with no dents or minor ones. Also, if you're interested in restoring an old trailer, don't buy one that's been gutted--you'll be spending a lot more to get it in usable condition. Of course, this doesn't matter if you're going to be customizing the interior, but still most people are willing to save a little money. Also take a look at the windows and window opening mechanisms. Are they complete and in good condition? Do the window opening mechanism work? If they don't it can become quite costly (and difficult) to find replacement parts.

First Modification to our '58 Overlander

2010-05-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Our Overlander came with an ill conceived and poorly executed 30amp inlet installed by one of the previous owners (see bottom pic). Not only is the installation horrible looking with a 3/4 " plywood spacer, but it also requires a male-male 30amp cord which is very dangerous if the trailer side is ever pulled out while plugged in. Our Overlander didn't have this cord so I had to buy a new one.

I ordered a shiny, stainless steel Furrion 30amp inlet and yellow Marinco 30amp cord. The installation was pretty straightforward. I was able to use the original hole but I had to enlarge it with a dremmel tool to enable installation of the Furrion inlet. I'm pretty pleased with the results. Just have to figure out what to do with the old mounting holes. I'll probably close them up with some Olympic rivets.

Plugging in the trailer for the first time was pretty exciting. Looks like everything works except the fridge. There is no knob for 110v electrical operation on the fridge, it was busted and laying on the bottom shelf. It might just be the knob so we'll see what we can do about that. Hopefully, we can salvage it. I'd rather do that than fork out a grand for a new one.

A 1958 Overlander - Our New Addition

2010-05-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

We have a bad case of aluminitis. We bought another Airstream, a beautiful 1958 Overlander. With the Sovereign pretty much done, we decided it was time to purchase our next project. She's not perfect, but the exterior skin is dent free and the zolatone interior walls look great. Most of the original interior is intact, the refridgerator was replaced some time ago and the front goucho/devan was replaced with a dinette. She will need a new black tank, but that was to be expected. The interior fixtures are almost completely intact and she has also been wired for 12v. What's really cool about this particular trailer is that not only do we have Jalousie windows next to the main door but we also have them in the front window. I've never seen this before. Here are a few pics of the Overlander with our new Ford F-150.

New Shower Curtain Track for Sovereign

2010-05-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

After pondering several options to hang my shower curtain, I decided to mount a RECMAR bendable I-beam aluminum track. The track is in the shape of the giant U with the ends mounted to the shower wall. The bottom of the U is supported with a long bracket which I screwed into the wall behind the medicine cabinet. The cool looking 70s shower curtain is made by Splash Home and the design is called Geo Squares in the Celery color.

New Tow Vehicle - 2010 Ford F-150

2010-05-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

With two SUV's in the family it was time to downsize. We always wanted a pickup truck, because of their versatility. Plus pickups make great camping vehicles. The F-150 is a wonderfully engineered truck. It drives like a car, yet with an 8-cylinder, 5.4L engine, has the power of big truck. The truck comes with a transmission cooler, a transmission temperature guage, and a beefed up suspension. The Supercrew seats 6, with the back seats able to fold up for additional storage. The versatility is amazing. The 4x2 truck only comes with 3.55 rear gears, but is still capabile of towing 9,800lbs, more than enough for my 5,000 lb Airstream. Can't wait to tow with it, but first we have to wait for the 1,000 mile break-in period.

Next Airstream Life Story - 2010 Balloon Fiesta Rally

2010-05-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

It's been three years since I've written a story for Airstream Life. So I approached Rich Luhr, owner and editor of the magazine, about writing a story on the Balloon Fiesta. He was very enthusiastic about the subject, stating he always wanted a story on the event but nobody ever approached him about it. The Four Corner Unit sponsors a rally each year with large turnouts and I'll be attending this year's rally. If you've never been to the Fiesta you've got to do it at least once in your life. This will be our second time there. Photos from the 2009 Rally are provided courtesy of Richard Girard.

Simply Fantastic!

2010-04-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what happened to customer service? I sure have, on numerous occasions. Recently I had come across several internet posts that said that Fantasic Vent--a Michigan-based company--has fantastic (pun intended) customer service and that they will replace any defective part in their fans gratis! Well, I decided to find out for myself. My Sovereign came with three fantastic fans (hands down, the best modification and improvement to my trailer) but were showing signs of age. After explaining to them the current state of my fans (screens with holes, cracked garnish trim, etc.), they didn't even blink an eye and said that replacement parts were on their way, free of charge! That's impressive! But what's really impressive is how well these fans work--they do an amazing job at keeping the inside of the trailer cool. American companies like this need our support to keep them in business. That's easy to do when you have an outstanding product with superb customer service and support.

Got Power?

2010-04-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

On the last day of our recent trip we sure didn't. While charging with my generator, the negative battery post separated from one of the 6v batteries (I was using two 6v batteries wired in series), resulting in a total loss of 12v power in the Sovereign. Having no 12v power (no lights, water, and refrigerator) really sucked the last day of our trip.

Why did the battery fail? I'm sure that stress and tension were the culprits. I opted to intall big 2/0 cables when I installed my Freedom 10 Inverter-Charger. I'm sure there was a lot of tension from these cables that caused the failure (they're very difficult to bend and maneuver in tight spaces).

So I traded both 6v batteries for Size 27 12v batteries at Costco and connected the inverter to the new batteries using 2 guage cables (much easier to bend).

I really loved using the 6v golf cart batteries, but this recent failure made it clear that if you only have room for two batteries, go with the 12v Size 27s (If I had room for four I'd go with 6v batteries any day). The major advantage of using 12v batteries is if one battery fails, you still have another to get by while you're camping.

New Sony Radio/CD/MP3 Player

2010-04-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

It would have been nice to keep the old 8-Track player and AM/FM Radio for vintage sake, but the 8-Track player didn't work and the old analog radio sounded awful. It was time for an upgrade. As a music aficionado I've come to really love my 30GB IPOD, I have a pretty large collection of music from the 60s to 80s. My new Sony audio system has an MP3 aux port for my IPOD and I wired up a 12v power point to keep the IPOD powered up. I also installed a lighted switch to power the system down to avoid phantom power drains while Boondocking.

I used the old shelf where the old 8-Track and AM/FM Radio was mounted. I cut a new piece of wood grained formica for the facia and cut holes for the radio and switch using my dremel tool. I used the old speakers which sound okay for now. Eventually, I'll upgrade them with some Bose speakers.

Valley of the Gods and Lee's Ferry

2010-04-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Located just 25 miles north of Monument Valley is the amazing Valley of the Gods, Utah. You'll need a good off-road vehicle to drive the 27 mile unpaved loop. The valley sports stunning views and driving the route is fun in it's own right as you cross several streams. The shapes of the buttes have taken on various names like Lady in a Tub and Seven Sailors (shown below). A few miles south of the Valley of the Gods you'll pass Mexican Hat Rock, a rock shaped just like a Sombrero.

Lee's Ferry is located south of Page, AZ along the Colorado River. A nice little Campground is located a short distance from the river (only $12 a night) and there's good fishing and boating in the area (see bottom pic of river). This is also where the Grand Canyon river rafting tours start. A little history about this site. A ferry was started at this spot by Mormon pioneers in the late 1800s. A nice farm and orchard, where the ferry operators lived, is located a short distance from the river. The ferry was discontinued after the nearby Navajo bridge was built in 1928.

Monument Valley

2010-04-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

We are in scenic Monument Valley today and are staying at Goulding's Camp-ground. The views are stunning and awe inspiring! The campground is located in a small canyon in plain view of Monument Valley. We opted for no hookup sites, cheaper at $25 vice $46 a night. Who needs hookups when you have a Honda generator, Xantrex Inverter, and all the water you could ever need. Temps are nice this time of year. Last night dipped to 43 degrees, while the high was about 65. Lots of Europeans here at the campground. More than half the RV lots are taken up by Class C Rentals, mostly French and British. There are two other Airstreams here at the Campground, a 70s Sovereign like ours and a newer Bambi.

Ready for Boondocking

2010-04-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

Boondocking or primitive camping is my favorite way to camp. The wilderness, fresh air, and peace and quiet are all hallmarks of Boondocking. And best of all, it's free! Campgrounds and RV Parks have their place, to be sure, but nothing beats camping out in the wild. If you want to learn more about Boondocking, I wrote an in-depth article on it which appeared in the Winter 2006 issue of Airstream Life Magazine.

Since there are no hookups when Boondocking, water is perhaps your most precious commodity. My Sovereign has a 50 gallon fresh water tank which is pretty large, but that limits you to just a weekend of rationed water use, especially with family. More water is needed. Inspired by Jimmini's setup, I bought a 50 gallon PCO water tank and 12v pump. It fits perfectly in the back of my Excursion. I bought the tank at a place in Tempe called FIMCO. A great place with a wide variety of plastic tanks and pumps.

New Exterior Electrical Outlet

2010-04-03T03:33:00.000-07:00

Exterior 120v electrical outlets come standard in today's RVs but not in the early 1970s when my Airstream was made. The first time we went camping we wished we had one, so this improvement was added to my Honey-Do list. For this project, I had expert help from Brad Noorgard (FLYFSHR). Brad has a strong background as an electrician and working with aluminum, so this project was in capable hands from the beginning. The hardest part was getting the holes cut just right for the outlet box. Here's a couple shots of Brad working on the project.

This project was made easier by the fact that the storage compart-ment already had an electrical outlet. The old outlet took up a fair amount of room in an already limited storage area, so this modification was a win-win. I simply used this wiring for the exterior outlet. Here's a before and after shot of both outlets. This is a TAYMAC aluminum outlet. It comes painted gray. I'll strip and polish it when I polish the Airstream this Fall.

Kitchen Window Improvement

2010-03-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

The newly decorated kitchen features a gray countertop, an aluminum backsplash, and silver window blinds. But the old screen frame had a tan/cream color which really clashed with the aluminum backsplash. I was thinking about painting it silver until I saw Art's (MaxAB) '77 Sovereign at the Dead Horse Ranch Rally. Art had sanded the paint off his kitchen frame and had polished it to give it a stainless steel look. It looked great. I did the same last week and it really looks terrific with the kitchen decor. Your opinions?

Window and Screen Cleaning and Maintenance

2010-03-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

Maintenance is never ending on a vintage Airstream. I spent the last week cleaning the fantastic fans and installing new window gaskets, bug fuzz, and window screens. This included spray painting the bathroom window screen frame white and sanding the kitchen window screen frame to give it a stainless steel look.

Today I removed the front window to remove the old gasket and to clean up the bubbles and the old moldy looking seal in between the two window panes (if you haven't noticed the inner pane is plexiglass while the outer pane is real glass). If you have a rock guard you have to remove it first. The front window simply lifts out like the other windows.

Removing the inner, plexiglass pane should have been a quick 10 minute job, but when you work with vintage Airstreams, things are rarely ever easy. One of the 14 screws had seized, BIG TIME, and I couldn't budge it so I had to drill it out. Once that was done, it was a simple task to remove and clean up the the old, deteriorated seal. My plexiglass pane had some scratches and other bubble-like imperfections so I elected to not reinstall it at this time (I'll get some new plexiglass and reinstall this later). Reinstalling the window is definately a two-person job, don't try it alone.

With the rock guard off I elected to do a little maintenance on it as well. The splines had pulled away from the corners (this seems to be a common problem with all window rock guards) and took some silicone spray to the rubber gasket/cushion to clean and freshen it up. While cleaning the tinted plexiglass with Windex I noticed that the rock guard had done its job on at least four occasions--I counted two small cracks and two star-like dings in it from flying rocks. If you have one, I'd inspect it, too, for similar results.

Installation of my Xantrex Freedom 10 Inverter-Charger

2010-03-14T03:43:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I installed an Inverter-Charger combination unit in an RV. If you're not familiar with this kind of Inverter-Charger, it provides AC to all of the regular 110v outlets in your trailer. I wanted this unit to run my TV, DVD player, DIRECTV Satellite Receiver, and my wife's curling iron. This 1000 watt unit will provide plenty of juice for our needs.

With limited experience with 110v AC and having never installed one of these before, I was a bit intimidated at first, but after consulting with "Lewster" on AIRFORUMS, it was a pretty simple job actually.

The installation manual calls for a separate breaker box for the Inverter output which is wired to the 110v circuit(s) you choose. I used a 15amp breaker to protect this circuit. The AC input to the inverter is provided by the main breaker box which also houses the air conditioner circuit. The inverter ground was wired directly to the ground bus in the main fuse box.

For the DC side, the installation manual called for 2 gauge wire but I decided to go larger with 2/0 to minimize loss as much as possible. These wires are very large and very difficult to manuever and bend. I'll be using the Link 1000 to remotely control the Freedom 10 Inverter-Charger. See my earlier post on this installation.

Vista View Window Maintenance

2010-03-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

Like most windows, vista view windows are not maintenance free--they require periodic sealing to keep them water tight. Not only do the frames need sealing but also the windows. Unfortunately, the vista views in my Sovereign were sealed with silicone which is a no-no on an Airstream. I spent the weekend cleaning off the old silicone and caulking them instead with Vulkem. I employed blue painters tape to make the task of caulking as clean and painless as possible. Tools you'll need for the job: a hooked putty knife, razor knife, painters tape, and a tube of Vulkem. There is one trick to apply the Vulkem when you use painters tape. Let the caulk set up for 3 or 4 hours so that when you remove the tape the caulking doesn't pull away and stretch.

Dead Horse Ranch - 4CU Airstream Rally, 12-15 Feb

2010-02-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at this Rally. Saw several old friends and made several new ones. The theme of the Rally was Pirates as you can readily tell from the pics. In total there were about 20 Airstreams at this Rally. This location, we felt, was far superior to Picacho Peak State Park. Everyone was much closer and each loop had its own restroom/shower facility and water spicket.

This was our first time at Dead Horse Ranch State Park and we were not disappointed. The park has sites with hookups or no hookups and there are plenty of places to ride your bike and fish. There are three lagoons stocked with fish, mainly trout. You can even take your boat on these, though no motors (gas or electric) are allowed. The park is located near old town Cottonwood which has several quaint antique shops and the town of Jerome (which we visited) is located about 12 miles up the mountain.

Link 1000 Battery Monitor

2010-02-01T21:33:00.001-07:00

Spent last weekend installing the Link 1000 battery monitor. What a neat little unit. The installation was pretty straight forward with the only challenge being running the wires up the refrigerator flue through a small one inch hole. The Link 1000 consists of a control unit and a 500 amp shunt which you install next to your batteries. I also needed to install a wood mount to cover the large holes in my front wall panel (goodbye Route 66 license plate, see earlier post). I've also ordered a Xantrex Freedom 10 Inverter-Charger which the Link 1000 will be able to control remotely.

Hot Water Mystery Solved!

2010-01-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

During the New Years Rally and the trip to Corona, CA I noticed that we had warm water in the cold lines and limited hot water in the hot water lines. Weird problem to say the least! The first thing you would think of is that the water lines got crossed somewhere. Nope! I checked that and even had Greg at Inland RV double check. No crossed water lines. We didn't have enough time left to have Inland RV fix the problem, so we left with that issue unresolved. When I got home, Greg had left me a message to make sure that the valve handle didn't get reversed on the heater bypass valve. I check that and it didn't so I was back to square one. However, Greg's question got me thinking that really the only thing in common with the hot and cold water lines was that one little cheaply made valve. So I decided to do some more troubleshooting. I fired up the hot water heater and activated the bathroom sink faucett valves and watched the water flow through the water lines (a great benefit for clear PEX plumbing). What I saw surprised me. Even with the bypass valve closed I saw water flowing through the valve. I opened the valve and water really flowed through it. I closed the valve again and water still flowed through it, albiet at a much lower rate. Mystery solved!

Winter Punchlist and To-do list Review

2010-01-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here's my punchlist of deficiencies and "to-do" items for this Winter.

1. Repair damaged rivets in front end - DONE
2. Polish the exterior
3. Repair outside door light - DONE
4. Replace kitchen vent cover with a new low profile cover.
5. Cover furnace vent holes in exterior - DONE
6. Repair backup lights
7. Adjust underbed tambour doors - DONE
8. Finish Bathroom Hamper - DONE
9. Mount inside hooks - DONE
10. Repair faulty hot water heater bypass valve - DONE
11. Fix faulty 110v outlet in bedroom - DONE
12. Relocate Propane Leak Detector - DONE
13. Install Link 1000 Battery Monitor - DONE
14. Install bathroom "fart fan" hose - DONE
15. Clean and repair retracting step - DONE
16. Install Xantrex Freedom 10 Inverter-Charger - DONE
17. Replace seals in upper vista view windows - DONE
18. Attach hose clamps to fresh water tank air vent connections - DONE
tanks causes hose to leak) - DOOR
19. Tweak on pocket door alignment
20. Mount magazine rack - DONE
21. Mout bendable shower curtain track
22. Sand and polish kitchen window screen frame - DONE
23. Install New 12v Fuse Panel - DONE
24. Install outdoor electrical 110v outlet
25. Clean Fantastic Fans and screens - DONE
26. Mount bathroom towel rack

Holding Tank Repairs - Inland RV

2010-01-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought we were done refurbishing the Sovereign, we found out at the Rally that both holding tanks leaked. This time we decided to take the 6 hour drive from Phoenix to Corona, CA to have our Sovereign serviced at the famous Inland RV owned by Andy Rogozinski. Inland RV services Aistreams only and is perhaps the most highly regarded Airstream service center in the West. They have an impressive mail order online parts catalog for new and vintage Airstreams, too. I've ordered several items from his catalog.

Andy gave Karen and I the grand tour of the facility today and some of the vintage Airstreams on the lot. A very interesting tour. You can tell Andy has a passion for Airstreams and people, too. Andy knows his stuff. Andy's service technicians, Greg and "Speedy," are top notch and very knowlegable, too.

Yesterday they began work on the 20 gallon black tank (see pic of old, stinky tank below), which had a leak near the top of the tank. And today they finished work on the black tank, serviced some plumbing in the rear bumper, and replaced the 30amp electrical cord which was too short and not up to code. They also got a great jump on the 50 gallon fresh water tank installation today (see bottom pic of old tank). Just a few hours of work remain in completing the water connections and reattaching the propane lines underneath, so we'll need to stay for the weekend for a few hours work on Monday morning and take the Sovereign home Monday afternoon.

This was our first time in Corona, CA and we really enjoyed our brief time here. The first night we parked at Glen Ivy RV Park, which was reasonably priced and is located in a nice wooded area about 10 miles from Inland RV. The restaurants we sampled in Corona were excellent. Bobby A's Cafe at the airport has delicious sandwiches, and Goodfella's is an outstanding restaurant that serves an outstanding breakfast and Italian food. We also enjoyed Mill Creek BBQ and El Taco Lucas. All of these restaurants had impressive portions. IKEA is a short drive north in Covina.

Picacho Peak New Years Rally

2010-01-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the New Years Rally (though we found out that both holding tanks leaked). Lots of friendly folks in the 4CU. There were about 32 Airstreams present, both new and vintage. We enjoyed seeing the vintage units since that's what we have and even got a few ideas to improve and modify ours. And Picacho Peak State Park was a beautiful location. Here are some pics of the Rally:

New Comforters

2010-01-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

Some folks who own 70s era Airstreams hate the decor of the 70s. Not us. We decided to embrace the 70s. Part of this approach is the fabrics with which we chose to decorate our Sovereign. My wife found some great striped fabric which we not only used for the comforters but also for the bathroom curtains. The flip-side of each comforter is also lined with a torquise colored fabric so we can change up the look from time to time.

Kitchen Remodel Complete

2010-01-07T05:12:00.001-07:00

I completed the kitchen remodel on 30 Dec, the night before leaving for the Picacho Peak Rally. New items for the kitchen included a new gray countertop, new stainless steel sink, new faucet, and a "new" 35 year old Magic Chef stove and cooktop. The results are impressive. The silver blinds also add a nice touch to the appearance of the kitchen. Oh yeah, who can forget the silver "Airstreamish" clock?

Picacho Peak New Years Airstream Rally

2009-12-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

I joined the Four Corners Unit of the WBCCI back in September and this will be our first Airstream Rally. It will take place at Picacho State Park near Tucson, AZ. We can't wait. I have a few things I still need to do to the Sovereign. Still need to plumb the new sinks in the kitchen and bathroom and caulk the tub. Still not sure how were going with a shower door or curtain. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some ideas at the Rally

Bathroom Remodel Complete

2009-12-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Employing his considerable carpentry skills, Chris completed the bathroom remodel last week. All I can say is, WOW!!! He did a great job. He installed all new formica countertops in the bathroom while keeping the old style charm and arrangement in tact. The troublesome horizontal tambour door was ditched for simple sliding doors for the vanity cabinet underneath. The old tub and supporting pieces were retained as well as the hot water tank cabinet. The large flip top lid encloses a space for a clothes hamper. Some minor trim work still needs to be done but things still look terrific. With the formica, we'll need to keep things dry after each use but this shouldn't be an issue.

Bathroom Remodel Plans

2009-10-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

As I reported earlier, the bathroom vanity no longer fit the contour of the radiused walls in the rear bathroom. After much thought and deliberation, I've decided to have a friend make and install a new bathroom vanity in the bathroom. I'd rather do the job right than something makeshift which is what the welts along the outer walls would have been. We're still going to use the tub where it is. We're thinking about a bench along the backwall so you can sit while you're in the tub. Stay tuned. More to follow on this development.

Fall Temperatures are finally here!!

2009-10-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

Highs the past week has been in the upper 80s and the nights have been pretty chilly, dropping to as low as 52. Regarding the bathroom, I've decided to have a friend of mine build me a vanity and cabinets to replace the old plastic ABS bathroom assembly. With the money I've spent on my Airstream thus far, I didn't want to skimp on the final product. We've pretty much decided to keep the old tub and the cabinet that encloses the hot water heater, but that's about it. Everything else goes.

In the meantime, I've been working on the fresh water tank issue. A previous owner had replaced the original kitchen counter assembly with a traditional home style unit. It looks pretty good, but there are no doors to enable access to the fresh water tank plumbing, so I need to create some. More on this to follow.

Airstream Respite

2009-09-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

August temperatures here in Phoenix were just too brutal to accomplish much. I was able to pick up a few used items from a 1974 Ambassador that a couple had gutted here in Arizona. Items included an accordian door (to mount between the kitchen and bedroom), a Magic Chef stove/oven combo (in excellent condition), a magazine rack, and two walnut room dividers.

Last week I joined the Four Corners Unit of the WBCCI. I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone, especially those who I've come to know on Air Forums.

Temperatures are finally starting to drop a little, so it won't be long until I can begin work again on the Airstream. In order of importance, here's my "to do" list for this fall/winter:
1. Complete the bathroom
2. Fix the connection between the water pump and the fresh water tank
3. Drop the pan beneath the black tank and clean and rust proof that area with POR-15
4. Clean and POR-15 the A-frame
5. Buy and mount a new electric tongue jack
6. Install a new kitchen counter
7. Convert copper plumbing to PEX in kitchen area
8. Polish the exterior
9. Buy new tires (tires only have 1,000 miles on them but are 5 years old)

Three new improvements

2009-08-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Bought a new pigtail from the folks at Out of Doors Mart, replacing the vintage pigtail that came with the trailer (yes, it looked 37 years old). I also installed two golf cart batteries and placed these in a simple plastic tote which I bought at Home Depot for $6 bucks. I also decided to purchase two LED back up lights from Inland RV for extra illumination while backing up (these things are bright!). However, the LED lights are down-right UGLY (see the before pic above). At first I was going to live with the ugliness, but I remembered that I bought two new vintage lenses for the old light canisters. I simply glued the new lenses over the LEDs. Now I have modern bright lights with the old, vintage look! Opinions??? (Note also the new rear reflectors)

Bathroom Vanity Issue

2009-08-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend before the shakedown cruise, I started to put the bathroom back together, but ran into a problem. Over the years the ABS vanity shrank a bit and the bathroom wall contour slightly changed after the new floor was put it, so what we have is a gap between the bathroom vanity and wall of about 3/4 inch. Yikes! I've put some serious thought into a solution this past week and they include everything from making a new cabinet, altering the walls a bit, or making a decorative welt to fill in the gap. I decided to go with the latter option, since this will involve the least amount of effort and money and will still look great. The welt will be made of 1 inch foam covered with a carmel colored vinyl. Here's a pic of the gap between the vanity and wall.

Shakedown Cruise

2009-08-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took the Sovereign to the mountains for some boondocking near the Blue Ridge Reservoir. It was just an overnighter, but we were able to test a few systems while we were there. Due to a fit issue with the vanity, the bathroom was only half put together but it was still an enjoyable trip. Propane system checked out great with the refrigerator, hot water heater, and stove all working great. The 12v electrical system, with the two new 6v golf cart batteries, worked flawlessly and lasted the two days without a charge. The fresh water system, however, was a different story with the pump not pulling up any water from the fresh water tank. I suspect a clog of some kind and the tank won't drain either so there's something mucking things up.

Sweltering Phoenix Heat

2009-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hampering my work on the Airstream is the sweltering Phoenix heat. Temps have been between 104 and 112 over the last few weeks. You may say, so what, use your A/C. I have, but an A/C can only cool so much and with the ambient temperature so high it can only cool the interior about 20 degrees. So it's still pretty hot in the interior. My shirts have been drenched after a few hours work. With a regular job, my time on Airstream work is limited to the evenings after work and Saturday mornings. Sundays are set aside for church and resting. Anyhow, here's how I run the A/C--a pair of Honda EU2000i's (one's a companion model)

New Bathroom Flooring

2009-07-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty fruitful weekend. Last night I installed the new Tarkett flooring in the bathroom. It's a spongy type of vinyl flooring but unlike regular vinyl flooring, this stuff is easy to work with and lay down. Spent this morning cleaning the walls in the bathroom again and caulking the edges. This evening I reinstalled the ABS drain and vent pipes. Here are a few pics of this weekend's work.

RV Safety

2009-07-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

You can never be too safe when you're dealing with propane appliances. Consequently, I've outfitted my Sovereign with both CO and Propane Leak Detectors. The Propane Leak Detector is mounted near the floor opposite of the stove while the CO2 detector is mounted 5 ft from the floor. The smoke detector is located on the ceiling in the bedroom. Here are a few pics of my installation:

New Rear Panels!!

2009-07-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

The curbside rear had a nasty dent that left a nice crease. The skin was too badly stretched to pop it out completely, so I decided to just have Oasis RV do the repair along with replacement of the bathroom floor. Now all of the dents from the previous owners are a thing of the past.

New Bathroom Floor and Pex Plumbing!

2009-07-17T10:14:00.001-07:00

Finally got the new bathroom floor put in!! I had Oasis RV in Tucson do the work. Marine grade plywood was used for the floor and it looks great. Since they had to remove the copper pipes I had them replace it with PEX piping and also had them install a bypass kit for the hot water tank (used for wintering). Don't know if I'll ever use it here in the warm Arizona climate but you never know where we'll be in the future. Here are a few pics of the new floor and PEX piping.

Exterior Lights

2009-06-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I did a check of the exterior lights and noted that 3 of 4 tail lights did not work. After opening them up I saw the cause of their failure--corrosion. The corrosion was preventing a good ground for the bulb socket.

First, I decided to work on the right brake light, since that's a priorty over the two reverse lights that are still OOC. I drilled out the two rivets holding the can in and with a slight tug, the can came out. After a quick inspection I determined that the can wasn't too corroded, most of that being on the bottom. Took a wire brush, file, and sand paper and cleaned it up. Then applied two coats of black Rustoleum spray paint. Next, I soldered a small wire to the socket (bought a new one at Pep Boys) and crimped a loop fastener to the other end which was then attached to one of the mounting screws (I used screws instead of rivets to mount the can). Works great. Whooopeee!!

I got lucky with the running lights. One of the previous owners replaced them all with Peterson running lights with the tiny size 193 or 194 bulbs.

Today I ordered 2 clear and 2 red tail light lenses from Oasis RV. The old lenses were stained, dull, and scratched in some places. They definately needed replacing.

The "Hole" Problem

2009-06-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

My Airstream had so many flaws when I bought it. One of these flaws were two big holes in the front bulkhead next to the reefer. These holes were very conspicuous. For the longest time I tried to decide what to do about them. Repair them? Cover them? Replace the entire wall? The choices were many. After getting some great advice from the Airstream Forums crowd, I chose the cheapest and easiest solutions. A CO2 Detector and a Route 66 license plate!!

Emblem Restoration

2009-06-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Time for a break from the bathroom demolition and time to have a little fun. The Airstream emblems were totally flat and listless and needed some color. I decided to use Rustoleum Spray Paint rather than using a brush. The job required lots of painter's tape and plastic for masking, and a smigin' of vaseline for the letters (just use your fingernail to rub off the paint), but the results were worth it. Here's a pic of the result. Not too shabby, eh?

Bathroom Demolition

2009-06-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

As a result of the rear end separation problem (see earlier post), the bathroom floor had a weak spot in the center rear I just couldn't ignore. So I'm in the process of removing all the fixtures and plumbing in the bathroom so that the entire floor can be replaced. I'm not going to put the floor in myself but I can save big bucks by removing the bathroom myself. This is drugery, not my idea of fun. But it's got to be done. I started this project last weekend and, hopefully, it should be done tomorrow.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that there are an additional three benefits to removing the bathroom.

1. Pop out the dent on the rear corner curbside.
2. Fix a few bathroom fixtures (the 2-part epoxy failed in a few cases)
3. Fix the pocket door sliding mechanism

Storage Table Modification

2009-06-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

Airstream owners who own trailers from the 1990s know all about this neat little unit. It is mounted just to the right of the main door as you walk in. It stores two Zip Dee chairs and has a flip-up small table mounted on the side, great for a laptop or light snack. Anyhow, Airstream didn't install these neat little units in the 1972 Sovereign, so I thought I would add one myself. Fortunately, my Dad is extremely good with wood and he made this one as an early birthday present.

Credenza Addition

2009-06-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

My Airstream didn't come with a credenza/ dining table unit in the front. So, I basically had two options: (1) build a credenza, or (2) obtain a vintage credenza from a matching trailer. Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on a vintage credenza from "87MH" and a matching fold-out table from "Zeppelinium" (both members of Airstream Forums). What's remarkable about this unit is the excellent condition of the tambour, sliding door. Here's a pic of the credenza installed. Looks great, if I do say so myself.

Vintage Door Retainer Latch Repair

2009-05-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

It appears these little, black plastic door retainers have a dubious history with vintage Airstream owners. You either love them or hate them. The reason for this hate appears to be how difficult they are to either take apart or reassemble. If you don't know much about them, the first thing you should know is that they are very durable, they are UV resistent and can be pried apart with a flat-bladed screw driver usually without breaking them. You basically put them back together the same way you took them apart--a flat-bladed screwdriver is used to push the spring back while the top is closed. This pic shows two of these repaired latches.

Additional note: Some Vintage Airstream owners don't realize this, but these retainers are also found on the inside of every door in your trailer. Don't believe me? Open one of your cabinet doors and look.

New Tambour Doors

2009-05-31T06:26:00.000-07:00

Most of the tambour doors in my Airstream were severely damaged or missing. I purchased the tambour from Winona Manufacturing in Minnesota (now out of business) and the pull handles from Inland RV in Pomona, CA. I stained each door using Minwax Dark Walnut (#2716) stain then covered each with a spray Polyurethane. A perfect match!!!

No Goucho? No Problem!

2007-07-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Since my Airstream didn't have a goucho, I had to do something for seating and lounging. Finding old gouchos is difficult and a matter of timing, so I did some research and discovered Flexsteel sofas. They offer several styles, colors, and prints but elected to go simple with a solid red sofa with detachable arms. In this picture you can also see my new curtains, manufactured by Ambruso.

Bathroom Fixtures Renovation

2007-07-17T11:28:00.001-07:00

The plastic tub and bathroom countertops were discolored, stained and plain ugly after 35 years. I decided to repaint the bathroom fixtures using two-part white epoxy paint. Before I could do that, however, the existing pieces needed repair. Holes existed on a few and some were simply failing apart on the edges. Here are a few repairs I did using epoxy putty (the repaired parts are whiter than the rest of the fixture). Looks pretty good, eh?

Disaster Averted

2006-02-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

My wife and I recently returned home with our 1972 Sovereign. Near the end of the trip, about a mile from our home, I turned a corner and suddenly heard loud, metallic scraping sounds. The first thing that came to mind was that my WD hitch had come loose. I immediately pulled off the road and inspected my silver baby. What I saw left me totally speechless. Both propane tanks were dragging on the ground with both LP lines damaged with large gaping holes. The tension rod which kept the tanks and LP regulator secure to the A-frame had snapped in two, leaving both tanks totally unsupported. Good thing this didn't happen on the interstate!!

I was immediately struck by how fortunate we were. If the LP tanks had been left open the damaged LP lines coupled with sparks generated by the tanks dragging on the road would have resulted in an explosion and fire. The incident still gives me the willies. I shudder to think what would have happened. I thank the Lord that I decided to turn the tanks off before we left to go home. Folks should think twice before travelling with their LP Gas system charged. I know I'm a firm believer now. Don't travel with your LP system charged!!!!!

Putting in the Carpeting and Vinyl Flooring

2006-02-11T17:49:00.001-07:00

No this is not a real wood floor! It's vinyl. I chose vinyl flooring in the entry and kitchen area to simplify cleaning. I think you'll agree that it looks great.

"Oziting" the Walls

2006-02-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

Ozite rib fabric (aka Hull Liner) can be found on the outer walls in most Airstreams since the early 1990s. Since the walls of my '72 were discolored from rust stains, ugly paint, and numerous holes of various sizes, Ozite seemed like a great solution. Installing the fabric was fairly simple. I cut the pieces slightly larger than what I needed and glued them to the walls using liberal amounts of 3M Spray Adhesive. Plastic trim was used to "finish" the edges. I think you'll agree that the walls look great. Another benefit is that the fabric also provides another layer of insulation, always a good thing!

Priming and Painting

2006-02-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Some work was required prior to priming and painting. In order to make the job easier, some of the inner bulkheads were removed as well as all roof lockers. Cleaning your surfaces prior to painting is important and this job proved no different. "Goo Gone" turned out to be an excellent cleaner for removing the sticky film on the kitchen bulkheads. It made the job a lot easier. Prior to painting, I used "Kilz" primer for the areas previously painted. After priming, I painted the upper walls with a nice off-white color.

Beginning Work on the Interior

2006-02-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Although this trailer spent much of her time in the Southwest, I still wanted to closely inspect the floor. This meant getting rid of the wall-to-wall carpet. As I suspected the floor was solid throughout except for the back wall in the bathroom. As you may have noted from an earlier picture, the carpet also covered the lower half of the outer walls in both the living room and bedrooms. The removal of the carpet from the walls revealed ugly rust stains and numerous tiny holes from staples and who knows what else. Obviously, leaving them "as is" wasn't an option. My solution for this problem will be described later. The upper walls also needed painting in order to cover the ghastly bright blue and pink. Here's how she looked during this phase of the work.

Running Gear Upgrades

2006-02-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

The installation of new Alcoa wheels was one of the first things I had done to my '72 Sovereign. Pretty sharp, eh? This pic also shows the ground clearance improvement made with the installation of two new Henschen 35 degree axles. Axle installation was done by Oasis RV in Tucson. Now with the running gear upgraded and frame stiffened. We can now move to the interior.

Rear End Separation and Frame Droop

2006-02-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, the rear end separation was a problem that required immediate attention. This is a typical problem with 70s Airstreams. What happens is that the bumper "separates" from the rear of the trailer allowing moisture to intrude and damage the plywood floor. Fortuately my Airstream had been in the Southwest for years so moisture damage could have been a lot worse. Still, I was able wedge my finger in the gap and pull out rotted plywood from outside.

Another problem that often occurs with 70s Airstreams is that the frame underneath "bends" near the axles from added weight and stress in the rear. Since I intend to keep this baby for a long time I decided to take care of this problem, too. Since I had little confidence in doing such repairs, I hired Oasis RV in Tucson to do the work. The final bill for separation problem was $1,500 and $1,500 for strengthening the frame.

Here's a pic of the rear. Note the "elephant ears" (the 1/4 circle alumninum patches) which cover the holes which had to be made to repair the damage. The repair basically consists of bolting the bumper to the frame. Two massive bolts are used to accomplish this.

Sovereign Blues - The Interior

2005-06-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

The interior of this poor thing was abused by the previous owners. The previous owner had a penchant bright colors, flaming pink and bright blue. Yuk! And of the original furniture and appliances, this trailer was missing the front goucho sofa, credenza, folding tables, and refrigerator. Most of the Tambour doors were either missing or badly damaged and needed replacement and one roof locker over the curbside bed was missing. The floor was covered with a beige carpeting which didn't look too bad, but I wanted to redo the floor with a combo of new carpeting and vinyl flooring in the kitchen and bathroom. This trailer was going to require a lot of work to get in presentable and livable condition once again.

Here's a pic of the living room. Pretty bare, eh?

My 1972 Sovereign International Land Yacht

2005-06-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I bought this 31' travel trailer in July 2004 in Quartzite, Arizona. I found the classified ad for this silver twinkie on the Internet. Knowing little about Airstreams at the time, I paid $3,000 for it. In retrospect, I probably ended up paying too much. The rear had two dents, two worn out axles, and a separation problem at the rear bumper (an inherent design flaw). And that was just the exterior. The interior was missing much of it's original furniture. Still I was excited to finally own an American icon. Here is how she looked when I bought her at Quartzite.

And here she is at her new home in Phoenix, AZ.