Tales of the Toaster

Announcing Our New Website!

2008-04-29T21:16:00.003-04:00

After getting lots of requests for easier to find resources, I decided it was time to redesign the blog. If you are reading this post, point your browser to the new home of Tales of the Toaster:

http://www.toastertales.com/

I will no longer be posting here on Blogger, so you will have to go to the new site to see coming developments!

As the new site grows, I'll broaden the content. Please also add your comments and link your blog to the new site!

Thank you for joining us so far on the journey of this restoration. Things are really moving ahead, so please go to the new site and keep reading!

Easy Days in the Big Easy

2008-04-21T02:18:00.004-04:00

We arrived down here in New Orleans several days ago, a little early to enjoy a little taste of the city before starting work at the rebuilding effort we're signed up for the rest of this week. The past few days have been pure indulgence. We're staying at a wonderful B&B (the gorgeous and hospitable 1896 O'Malley House) located in the mid-town area, we sleep in (though for us, waking late is at 7:30), we enjoy touristy things like walking tours and riverboat cruises, and we spend our afternoons enjoying the breezes on the veranda reading books. We've also had the wonderful opportunity to get to know local Airstreamer Rick Olivier, his wife, Tania and his daughter Marsalla. It's been just about the perfect vacation, which we've truly enjoyed.

Rick is a portrait photographer, a musician and a dad with a deep love for the traditions and heritage that makes New Orleans such a special place. His photographs of the local celebrities are magic. You can feel the music coming right off the paper. Tania is a free spirit, too. She works here as a teacher--and has a true passion for exploration. She can't wait until Rick finishes their Safari and they hit the road. I hope their path comes North. I'd love to show Marsalla around Richmond and Washington DC.

Three years on and Hurricane Katrina still is a deep presence in this city. Coming down, I wondered if it would be treated as somewhat taboo. It isn't: the people here are legitimately proud of their resilience and eager to share their stories, which are truly inspiring. However, this is an area that has transformed. Certainly, the leading industry is tourism, which is hardly surprising. The other major industry is higher education--and that has given the neighborhood we're staying in a dominant college town feel. Small funky restaurants. A vibrant arts scene. I don't know if this was as deeply characteristic before the flooding, but it makes the environment truly enjoyable, even as the area rebuilds.

Much waits to be done, though. The city is filled with empty houses waiting for reconstruction and occupancy. In this mid city area, almost all the historic homes have survived, but so many are in need of attention. There is concern about owners who have procrastinated rebuilding for so long, choosing to remain in trailers. However, the vibe here is distinctly upbeat: the optimism is infectious here.

Yesterday local Rick Olivier hosted a little Airstreaming get-together. To our surprise, Airstream Life editor Rich Luhr and his family happened to be in the area. They brought their companions, Adam and Susan from Maine. It was great catching up with Rick and Eleanor, whom I hadn't seen for three years, since our whole restoration effort started. Rick invited over neighbors and Jim and Donna Clark. Earlier this winter Rick shot photos of Jim and Donna's 2005 Airstream at a local marina which will appear in the summer's issue of Airstream Life. What I learned from Donna was that the article won't tell the truly epic back story: after the shoot, it took an hour to extricate their trailer from the tricky parking spot. Then on the way home, Jim took a turn a little tight and their son heard a noise. A few yards later they realized they had a flat tire. Jim changed the tire, looked up and realized something more: the axle had bent! Somehow they limped home...and ordered a new axle.

Drinking ice cold sprites out on the porch, snacking on veggies, talking with the girls and watching the palms was just about heaven. Later, Rick gave us tours of his Airstream: again, we got to view an amazing bathroom renovation. We are postponing that part of our own effort because it is the least critical repair ahead. However, seeing what Rick...and Frank and Rob have done is downright inspiring. I can't wait to get there now either!

Cherry Blossom Rally, Wrapped up

2008-04-20T11:59:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been a busy week since leaving the CBR, but how to describe such an incredible 24 hours?

The rally was like going home. Most old friends were there, others were missed, new friends felt like old. We ate, we talked, we dreamed, we celebrated. Kids played, dancing with kites and remote control aircraft. It rained, as it always does at every CBR--and amazingly, our trailer did not leak, though we know there are holes that can seep. Funny stories were shared and challenges levied.

After a day of beautiful sunsets and warm breezes, we headed home, excited for our next rally.

Then we got to work. Many mundane responsibilities were left to hang for us to work on the trailer--and we had to get things in relative order before heading off for vacation.

Now we are in New Orleans, enjoying a few days of indulgent laziness before getting to work on rebuilding. But more on that later...it's vacation now and we are enjoying it!

Scenes from the Washington DC Unit's 2008 Cherry Blossom Rally

2008-04-15T14:16:00.003-04:00

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Airstreams Look Better When They are Moving

2008-04-15T07:46:00.011-04:00

Yes, our trailer hit the road! It took a couple more days than we anticipated...involving a whole lot of clearing out and a fair amount of work, but we managed to get her moving on Saturday morning, just in time for the last day of the Cherry Blossom Rally.

Getting to that point was laborious. It took a whole evening to just clear out the tools and parts that we'd accumulated in there. I cut and installed several belly pan patches, finished packing insulation while Rick wired up the electric system. Rick fabricated a more stable steel channel reinforcement for the doorway. We did lots of structural riveting, removed the handing gas lines and put repair rivets on the bottom of the belly pan. The tires were re-pressurized, we tested electric, wired in the jack and hit the road.

Two efforts did not lead to success, mostly because we lacked of the right tools and fasteners. After taking on a very laborious task of cutting the bottom of the front wall down 2/16" to match our now slightly higher floor, we tried to reinstall it. However, lacking the correct clecos, we could not make the holes in the old wall match up. We left a few rivets in and decided to wait to get the right ones later. Our second problem was re-attaching the front banana wrap--ie, the lateral aluminum strip on the exterior separating the belly pan from the upper skin. Our problem there was that we quickly realized that this would require longer rivets than those available from our local big box store. A drive to our local Fastenal distributor revealed that these would be a special order item. So, that, too, would have to wait.

We finished at 10:30 pm Friday night. Realizing it was too late, we crashed and slept very soundly. First thing in the morning, we hitched her up, sucked in our breath and watched the trailer finally roll.

So, all in all, we managed to accomplish what we felt was a critical milestone: we got our trailer to this year's Cherry Blossom Rally. Riding behind it in a passenger car, I could observe that it rode with a noticeable degree less bounciness than it had in 2005.

That accomplishment, however, is fairly subtle. It's not showy, but it is significant. During open house, I could see that some folks who had seen it before were a little surprised by our pride in taking our trailer from this state:

To this:
However, what we have now is solid...and eventually we'll reinstall all the pretty stuff once again! Nobody will call it a polished turd!

Sealing Things Up

2008-04-06T23:11:00.003-04:00

First: a little background on this weekend's efforts: A week ago Saturday, I managed to get myself working fairly late, put in a big effort, then pretty much passed out. The effort kept me down all day Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I met a friend for lunch, barely keeping myself from falling over. Afterwards, I collapsed into a chair in my doctor's waiting room. The verdict came and it was surprising: tetanus. A week earlier, I'd had a tetanus shot, in preparation for our upcoming relief trip to New Orleans. Apparently, I had a reaction against the shot. Verdict: I would have to wait for it to pass--and I should look with extreme caution on taking a booster of that vaccine ever again. By Friday, I was on the mend and yesterday I put in a full day of work again (though I still have a sizeable lump in my arm) .

So, with little time ahead, we swung into action this weekend. My first order of action was finishing up the panel to seal up the old furnace hole. Over the week, I'd taken a file (properly called, to my endless amusement, a bastard file) to smooth off the edges and round the corners off. It's funny how rounding off the corners really transformed it from a crude piece of metal into something that looked like a real panel. I measured in a half inch and marked hole points every 3". With that, I slept--something I did a lot of in my fevered state.

Saturday, knowing my tendency to skate a drill on smooth aluminum, I decided to work slowly to guard against error. I started by drilling small holes in my marked spots with a very small drill bit. Then I took a #20 drill bit (one the size of Olympic rivets) and widened the outermost top holes to full size. Then Rick held it up to the hole while I looked for visual fit. When it looked right, I took a Sharpie pen and marked the holes on the skin of the trailer. I drilled in those holes, gooped the back of the panel with vulkem caulk and set my first rivets. Then I continued drilling out holes, gooping rivets with vulkem and cranking them in place. By far, the hardest part was the bottom, which curved over the belly pan. We tried bending the edge with a broomstick and a pvc pipe--with little result. Finally, by working together, one person forcing the panel to curve while the other riveted, we managed decent success. Completion was a cooperative result and we were both pleased with the result (moreover, today it rained all day and the panel never leaked!).

Today, we focused on completion. Rick finalized wiring while I attended to insulation. I put Reflectix insulation under all of the exposed exterior panels, sealed it with aluminum tape and filled in the gap with fiberglass batting. Most of the panels are done--but we ran out of batting, so I will have to finish up tomorrow. Overall, it was an exceptionally tedious job. There are few ways to make endless hours of taping and cutting sound exciting. However, the notion of gaining some decent warmth made it worthwhile.

After replacement of a couple of interior rivets gone awry, we quit for the evening. Tomorrow we reattach the inside wall. Then getting this trailer back on the road will start to become a real possibility...

Floored!

2008-03-29T21:28:00.009-04:00

This is a view we've wanted to see for two years!

We still have a zillion bolts and screws to drive down (isn't that what Sundays are for?), we have lots of other things to attend to (including the very dead battery in our tow vehicle) but our front end floor is in.

Ironically, it wasn't until Wednesday that we realized why we've been having such a hard time getting this stuff in...the 3/4" ply we used (we think it was that thickness, but remember--we bought it two years ago) was a little thicker than the old flooring material. If you notice, we've started planing edges to match. Well, we are still learning...

Our approach to installing the flooring was by partial sheet. Full sheets are a stronger option--but not always most practical for installation. For us, partial sheets were a necessary compromise: I cannot handle full sheets of plywood by myself--in this marine grade, it's just too heavy--and finally, smaller pieces are just easier to fit.

We solidified the joints by battens, strips of wood screwed underneath, mating up the new pieces to the old flooring. It's a technique we learned from other members of our unit of the Airstream club--and it seems to work. It has involved a whole lot of screw setting (and we still have a lot more to do). However, now that the new floor is down, it's feeling really solid. That's very, very nice.

Slicing Aluminum Like Butter

2008-03-26T22:23:00.003-04:00

Rick was out tonight, at a late business meeting, so I was on my own. My assignment: prepare a replacement panel to cover the hole left when we took the furnace out two years ago. Since then, we've covered the hole up with plastic--which isn't really a roadworthy solution.

Today, I used a new tool (electric metal shears from Harbor Freight) and cut out a panel to fit. The job wasn't tough, but I was working with new, expensive materials (T3 aluminum) and an unfamiliar power tool. My earlier experiences with fabricating aluminum wasn't positive--using tin snips I got jagged edges and had trouble manipulating the metal on inward curves. I had none of that trouble today--I just followed the line and the shears just plowed into the metal. Pretty darn cool!

This aluminum is a lot thicker than I thought, but it cuts up nice. I achieved fairly smooth cuts, but I want to sand it to remove a little waviness in my line and to possibly round off the edges. I'm going to need a new sanding belt to do that, though. This task is pretty easy and fun! I may just get hooked on fabrication after all!

One More Portion Down

2008-03-24T21:25:00.002-04:00

Today after work, we attended to the right side of the front panel. I drilled in an access hole (so Rick can pass wiring through to the tongue after it is welded), drilled in pilot holes for self-tapping screws.Then, after considerable pounding, the board slid in. It has a slight gap towards the front, but once screwed in and bolted down, the front ended up solid.

Whew. Fortunately tonight we set up a lamp, since we finished well after dark.

In accomplishing this, we made one last use of a very useful tool...our cardboard template of the front curve. Rick drafted this from a tracing of the old rotted floorboards, then marked it with the location of the frame members and the outriggers. It served as a cutting guide and as a drilling guide. It worked, but now we will retire it to the basement.

Now, I have one problem. A new writer left a comment last night. I approved it in the moderation screen (sorry, a necessary evil since spammers started entering advertisements there) and then could not see it online. Ergh. I regret I must have clicked wrong. Phooey.

Getting Floored for Easter

2008-03-23T21:30:00.011-04:00

Two years ago, we started this job by cutting out flooring sections. Today--after putting down insulation and trimming--we set in our first flooring section back in.

But I must digress here. Insulation. Easy to cut. Annoying as all heck. Despite wearing full coverage clothing, a respirator and gloves, it left me feeling so itchy I had to jump right into the bath immediately after laying the stuff down. Ick. Thank goodness that stuff didn't go into my lungs! On the plus side, the Airstream now has a well-insulated front section (a welcome alternative to rodent poop and nut shells). Hopefully the effort will make cold nights a little warmer from here on in.

Bolting the flooring down was surprisingly laborious, but not particularly difficult. We needed to trim to get the piece to fit in, then we had to mark the location of the outriggers. Not having the access to use elevator bolts, we used self-tapping screws, setting them 3" apart (since we couldn't use the elevator bolts, we decided to set them fairly close. That means drilling lots of pilot holes and countersinking, which we took turns at. We found the countersink a slightly fiddly, since there was no effective way to gauge how deeply it went in. Rick (who drills with far more force than I do) felt he'd drilled some of his holes too deeply--but the screws still seemed to set fine. Getting the self-tapping screws to screw in--even with pilot holes--was also difficult. They were extremely wobbly. I couldn't handle this at all, but Rick managed--though that came with a few curses and retries.

There will be more bolts to set at the periphery, but we turned to attaching a batten (more screws!) and setting in the second half of the front section. Using a large sheet of cardboard to refine fit and map out the position of frame members, we raced to finalize the fit as dark fell.

Alongside that, we spent time on littler projects. Rick positioned the two new AGM batteries he purchased last week, set in the boxes and did small modifications to the trailer wiring. I scraped off old vulkem caulking and drilled out the broken rivets to clean up the old furnace hole (which we'd had covered by plastic). I don't quite know what to do there, but I will be covering it up with a new piece of aluminum. I may try placing the old radiator cover over it to disguise the patch, but that depends on whether I can pound the poor old dented piece into a reasonable shape.

Restoring Front End Stabilization

2008-03-16T19:45:00.009-04:00

Rick's fall ended up being a blessing.

We came to realize that we attempted too much without providing compensating structural support. The upper shell was attached to the chassis by a couple of clecos--but we'd left the belly pan detatched. But as we pulled out wood, critical points of support got removed. It seemed manageable as we removed more and more rotted areas, until the cross-wise support of the belly pan got removed. Then we realized it had started to sink off the frame. Slowly the aluminum was dipping past the steel of the chassis frame where it was unsupported--causing it to rise elsewhere. The twist became clear when the door wouldn't shut easily.

So, this weekend has been a reconstruction effort.

First--we had errands to accomplish. For some odd reason, the little package containing the necessary hardware (except the hitch screws, which aren't included) and assembly instructions missing from our new power jack. Fortunately, our preferred parts supplier (Restless Wheels) is extremely reputable. They took a packet from an unsold jack and called Barker for a replacement for the missing one. So, we picked that up and picked up hitch screws (I had a chopped off piece of the old screws to match). While in Manassas, we went to Lowes (which doesn't have any closer stores) for a supply of insulation and aluminum tape. For some odd reason, our local orange big box store doesn't sell either Reflectix (reflective bubble wrap insulation) or aluminum tape. Once stocked up, we headed back home.

Since we had more exposed frame, we got cracking on getting it sealed. To be honest, we spent a good bit of time looking in on the hole, trying to figure out what went wrong. It quickly became clear that the problem was that by opening up so much of the floor, we lost stability in the upper shell. Cracking open the belly pan may have been a bit of a blessing. However, we still couldn't shut the door effectively.

So, taking a page from Frank's bathroom repair, we installed a jack to support the upper shell. However, since we hadn't completely opened the belly pan, we couldn't stabilize it against the ground. Instead, we used the frame as our base. That helped, but not quite enough. Our next thought was to put the lost rivets back in on the belly pan, but Rick felt we needed more space to get underneath. So, we started cranking on the new jack. Watching the frame, it became quickly clear it was still unattached, so we cranked it back down. However, as I uncranked, Rick let the door swing...and it shut. We stopped cranking, went up, went down. We shut the door again. It's never closed this well before. Result? The upper shell has been set at its best location. Both of us breathed much, much easier.

Based on that, we pulled out the clecos in the front, pulled the belly pan up and placed new rivets in. This required a bit of drilling (the holes were too small), but the aluminum went right up and the holes lined up perfectly. That was a good thing. There are more rivets to go up higher, on the belly pan and along the banana wrap line (the horizontal wrap at the base--you can see its shadow running laterally above the tongue in the photo above), but the process of stabilizing is in force. Rick squared and we cut out a new replacement panel for the floor.

So, now we're in reconstruction mode, which is a really good place to get to.

Opportunity Drops in (on our Belly Pan)

2008-03-16T07:38:00.014-04:00

It was a dark, dark Friday night. The wind blew through the trees. Lonely dogs howled at the moon. It was, as they say, an ominous moment.

After supper, Rick and I continued discussing our heater paradox (we are having a tough time finding a solution), so we went out to examine the logistics of the interior. Standing in the doorway, Rick rocked on his feet and slipped. He fell right into the hole he had cut into the flooring to remove rotted wood only a few weeks early. His foot went through the crack at the center of the belly pan, where the two panels met.

Oh, no.

This morning we checked out the damage. Some rivets sheared in the bottom (replaceable). Fortunately, no metal was bent. However, trouble with the door showed that we altered a critical structural connection with the upper body. We pushed the belly pan as close as we could to its original position and that relieved the door stress.

Well, there are different ways to look at this. Riveting more of the belly pan back together, patching the places where it sheared will be a pain. However, the access gave us a good chance to look further back and to treat more of the frame. I quickly cleaned up the area, mixed up some rust converter and applied it to the frame.

So, our mission is to get the work in the front done as quickly as possible and to seal up the belly pan. Luckily, there isn't too much to do on that. We're in good shape, but the next few weeks will be busy ones.

On a related side note: A few months ago, I installed Google Analytics on this page. That's a service that gives information on traffic a site generates. It's a useful tool for understanding who an audience is and how to improve. To my surprise, there's a decent degree of traffic here, even though I've done little to promote this blog. Apparently, a couple of other sites link back here. A significant degree of traffic come from a link on VintageAirstream.com. Wow, I am so honored by this! Then I looked at the description given to my blog:

The Nightmare known as finding out just what a vintage trailer can hide...

I love your website, but I beg to to differ, RJ! I'm enjoying myself way too much to consider this a nightmare. Certainly, there have been challenges with fixing this vintage pile of metal--but we've been able to face them. We repaired the front end relatively fast--we chose to do more, and then let the project fall into a hiatus. For me, I'm really enjoying learning more about the trailer and figuring out how to fix it. Both of us also feel that the result is worth it. When we are done, we'll know our trailer will be up to decades of serviceable miles on the road. We'll know how to do field repairs. But ultimately, we've learned repair is mostly a matter of attitude.

So, Rick slipped. Things like that are liable to happen. Yes, we do have an extra job ahead. But we also have access to places in our under-body that we've never previously had access to. We got to inspect a significantly larger amount of the frame (and found it's in pretty good shape. We get to replace more insulation. No significant damage was made.

And all of that is pretty excellent. I just hope our future mistakes are as productive!

My Grandmother's Century

2008-03-10T09:30:00.015-04:00

It's hard to say goodbye, but sweet to appreciate all the joy that came from a long friendship and a deep love. Yesterday, my grandmother passed away peacefully after living more than a hundred years of wit and adventure. Short stature never stopped her from being an avid sportswoman. Born to a small rural town, she was a bright, spirited young girl who longed for bigger horizons. A nursing scholarship proved the ticket to life in the big city of Boston, the love of her life and eventually to achieve professional success that inwardly she desired but couldn't acknowledge until she was much older and retired. I got to know her as an adult while assisting her with caring for my grandfather as he died of cancer. I rediscovered her as a deep friend, someone with hidden inner strength, determination and tolerance. I can't say how lucky I feel to have had her in my life.

So, I'm skipping a week off from Airstream repairs. It's a delay that just has to be managed. As some readers may know, I spent most of this winter working in the Capitol of Virginia, during the legislative session. Before that, progress on the trailer slowed as I was pretty fairly overwhelmed in the fall during the reelection campaign. Now, I am back home in Northern Virginia, looking forward to repossessing my after work hours, but preparing to go to Boston. Fortunately, I was able to go up earlier this week and say goodbye while she was still alive and aware. Now I get to wish her off to her bigger journey. Looking at the shot above (incidently, she was almost my age when it was taken), it's pretty easy to see her reunited with my grandfather, taking on new off-road cycling adventures once again.

Maybe I Do Know Jack...

2008-03-02T23:07:00.010-05:00

There is a deep satisfaction from recognizing that I have gained an atypical skill...that I am becoming proficient in something that isn't retiring and girly.

For me, that seems to be grinding. After cutting bolts, bar stock and flat steel...I don't feel much hesitation at all in putting on the goggles, whipping out the grinder (my trustworthy one is a cheap Harborfreight model) and letting it rip.

I can wear nail polish, ladylike suits and heels--heck, do it all the time! Inwardly, I know that I am the master of cold steel--well, that's just cool!

This weekend's mission was cleaning up the hitch. I am so appreciative of the comment to my last post, questioning bringing the bottles forward on the hitch. In fact, this really won't shift the location of the bottles much at all--they were fairly far forward, due to the (now removed) battery box. Even after removing the bottle box, they remained stable, despite the "aft forward" placement. However, we had to remove the holder to allow access to the front panel when we repaired the frame. Now we are just looking at replacing it. My half baked idea was to put the spare tire behind it.

To this end, I started drawing out template pieces for the tire carrier. Trouble is--I can't seem to find a way to position it so it doesn't interfere with the sway bar clamps. It's a bit maddening, since right now that darn tire is just a royal PITA (don't get me started ranting, it might never end).

My schematics got interupted by a bit of an emergency. I came in and found my kitty's face full of pollen in the early afternoon. A websearch and examination of the offending plant made me realize worst fears: she seemed to have ingested parts of lillies, a plant that will induce renal failure in cats within 16 hours. After a confirmation call to animal poison control, we rushed her off to the local emergency animal hospital for 48 hours of purgitives, fluids and observation. Morning blood tests showed we got her in time: she is miserable, but healthy, despite her near brush with death. We breathed easier today and I got serious about cleaning up that hitch.

Removing the deadman switch was easy. This original switch was a critical safetly element--if the trailer should become accidentially unhitched, the brakes would bring it to an immediate stop. Dutifully, past owners would connect the battery cables to the deadman switch. It was a ritual, confirmed even when we got the trailer in for its state inspection. Trouble is, nobody thought of how this original bit of engineering worked: just what would cause the brakes to engage? When I found an original schematic for this system, it suddenly made sense:

The circuit was obstructed by a clip, that connects by cable to the tow vehicle. If it's pulled out, the circuit complete and engages the trailer brakes. Getting a new one cost less than $20, offered greater reliability plus a lower profile. Excellent deal.

I ground on that and the bolts for the jack. We have a brand new Barker power hitch--maddenly missing its hardware, but we'll get that by next week. So, after ensuring the trailer weight was supported, I turned my grinder to that. I managed to free the jack, but two of the treaded bolts look like they will need specialty tools and more persistence. Still, I am overall, happy with the results.

What to Do When Far Away

2008-02-27T06:39:00.006-05:00

The Toaster is half a state away and I am in working land. Yesterday at 5:30 pm, I managed to remember to order aluminum. I called Airparts, referenced the many people who referred me and ordered a combination of alclad and utility aluminum sheet goods. It was confusing, but it's on its way and I think I'm cool. They are also having a cleco sale (clecos being the rather cool "temporary rivets" that are really useful)--so I ordered 50 of them. The lady who helped me (I wondered if it might be the woman standing in the aluminum roll in the photo on their webpage) was reassuring. I needed that. I was totally confused by the options for shipping, specifications, etc. She fixed all that. It should arrive next week, so unfortunately, I was too late to get it for the weekend. It's ok. I still have to fit in ordering paint and the switch--the latter seems harder to figure out, so we may just head out shopping on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a quick shot from last weekend--our proposed tongue configuration...

The concept here is to have the bottle carrier up front, then have the tire behind it. To support the tire, I will weld a piece of steel lengthwise to the tongue, then attach some kind of holder that we can bolt the tire into. Getting the spare tire mounted will be a huge convenience--there really is no convenient place for it either in our truck or trailer (it ends up something we are constantly trying to accommodate).

We haven't quite figured out what we want to do with the old battery box traces (immediately behind the tire). There's a hole (for the wires) and that bit of molding--I'm thinking a patch may be needed, but maybe we could turn it into something functional. Are there any innovative ideas out there?

Wintertime Forward Motion

2008-02-24T14:11:00.007-05:00

Winter improvements have been tough, due mostly to work that keeps me 130 miles away from home on weekdays (and a life that has kept me spending most weekends attending funerals)...

But things are shaping up (and thankfully fewer people are dying).

My biggest token victory came Saturday morning. An incipient leak was finally blocked (yeah!) after years of effort. Over several weeks, I took spare moments to clean out old caulking out of all the seams between panels at the front of the trailer, using a dremel tool and a nylon brush attachment (it was just small enough to get at the caulking with minimal impact to the aluminum). I cleaned all the channels up to just above the roof curve (that's all I could reach). I washed out the channels after that. Finally, I refilled the crevices with parbond. Saturday I woke to a rainy morning. I ran out to check. My leaky spot was cold--but quite dry. Victory!

This morning we went shopping and measuring. I realized that while we had the pieces of wood cut to fill in the floor, we had to finish up odd jobs that we needed to complete before covering it. Ironically, the shopping was sort of a waste--we ended up buying a harness that we didn't need and both of us decided the power jack we bought was just too flimsy for the cost. They will get returned to Camping World.

So, here in order is my checklist of priority actions I need to take on the front tongue of the trailer...at least as I see it today:

patch battery hole
weld in cross member for spare tire holder
remove crappy old deadman switch
weld new tank holder
paint new tank holder
attach new harness, connect to interior electrical 110 volt system
wire in 12v connection
drill hole and install new deadman switch
paint any exposed metal
finalize underfloor wiring and install flooring (already cut)

All of this will require a couple of supplies. I need a new deadman switch. I need a crossbar and tire carrier. I need more paint & aluminum tape. I need insulation. I have a tank holder, though. I figure I can order the steel that I need cut from a local metal supplier, so my last task today will be drawing up a mockup for it.

On the inside, I will also need to get some insulation for filling in the holes in the floor. We're also considering wiring some low voltage lights up into the overhead rack before replacing the inner wall. Finally, I need to build a big patch for the hole where the furnace used to be (and if I can hammer the old vent cover, it will go back in its place). Then I can put in the flooring.

Barring replacing the axles (I don't know quite how I'll get that done), what is ahead of me all seems fairly reasonable. I can accomplish this stuff with minimal assistance from Rick. Then I can put the furniture back into the trailer and maybe get some use--though non-urgent jobs will continue. With axles and this work, the trailer should be minimally roadworthy. We do need to work on the rear end, but honestly, it doesn't feel like the situation there is nearly as dire as what we faced up front. And, since we've been down this road before, it's not nearly as tough to fathom taking on the job. I just want to use my trailer first!

Recent activity, I have to admit, comes from prodding from Frank, the bathroom rebuilder of VAP fame. We went to view his efforts over the holiday season. To my surprise, Frank in person is quite different from the Frank I hear on the podcast. He is, by training, an artist. When I saw an antenna holder he fabricated by hand out of sheet metal, it clicked in my brain...his background in sculpture means metalworking training. It shows. Also, in person, he's much more serious. This guy has oodles of focus, which he manages to hide when he appears on the podcast. I don't doubt for a second that his trailer is going to be a showpiece.

Ending up the day, I just finished measuring and making up a template for a cross bracket for a tire carrier. Rick and I agreed on L bracket and I'm still figuring out what to do for the carrier itself. I still have 130 more miles to go before I rest tonight. With any luck, by next week, I'll be welding!

Heavy Metal Weekend

2007-09-10T13:51:00.000-04:00

Work went forward this weekend, though with little observable results. We tore another hole in the floor, this time tearing up most of the wood at the doorway. I am realizing that while Rick is expert at the strength tasks like tearout, I am growing a talent for grinding metal--out rust, out bolts, etc. It's not exactly something I'd figure I'd be good at, but this restoration project always seems to make us aware of more unexpected capabilities.

Meanwhile, we also spent several hours trying to gain a new skill--welding. We'd bought a welding setup at Home Depot, but then couldn't find any classes in the area (save for a rather inconvenient metal sculpture class involving gas welding at a local art institute). So, we ended up reading and watching every intructional manual and video that we could find. Then Saturday, we strapped on safety clothing (long sleeves, jeans, hi tops, leather sleeve covers, bandanas, welders gloves, welding mask). Rick said I looked like a B-movie robot from the 50s! We set out some steel and checked that everything was correct. Westarted practice welding.

To be honest, the first time I tried, I was nearly overwhelmed by terror. There is a heck of a lot of power and danger in a welding machine--and you really have to trust the safety system. My first weld was downright intimidating to get started on...it really represented a big mental leap for me to arrive at a point where I could keep composure, hold the wirefeeder and squeeze the trigger. I hemmed, I breathed deeply, I squeezed. It worked: I didn't go blind, get electrocuted or burned.

Sunday we had a busy day away from the trailer, but we managed to squirrel away a full hour to do some practice welds. This time we practiced on a flat surface, eventually grinding out old welds to lay down new ones. I started to get the hang of shifting the wire feed speed and started to watch the pool of metal (apparently critical for controlling the welding operation). By the end of the hour, I started to feel that I was making progress. My welds aren't great, but they are getting significantly better. Next week we're thinking of attempting practice projects. This could get addictive!

Getting Dirty Again

2007-09-03T07:13:00.002-04:00

We got really cranking the past two days. We ripped out the rest of the front and kitchen area flooring and cut out a replacement pieces. For the right front section, we worked from a cardboard template Rick had made from wood he ripped out when he replaced the left side of the front. Work was easy, but laborious. I helped with the sawing, but Rick did most of the demo, then I followed behind cleaning (pulling all sorts of yucky stuff, including a rodent nest), washing, wire brushing and finally painting the frame. We haven't actually set the panels in, since we have bolts on order from Vintage Trailer Supply and also need to purchase insulation to fill in the belly pan. We have no reason to doubt that this will be accomplished next weekend.

I also attended to a couple of "housekeeping" chores. First, I couldn't believe the filth that accumulated on the far side of the trailer in just two years. Even my precious windows had mold on them! Well, I set to scrubbing them. It left us both with two impressions--that we really have to go ahead and purchase the metal cover structure we'd been thinking about--certainly before polishing. Also, we probably have to consider a full out and out washdown as an annual maintenance punch item.

Anyhow, the good end of this is that I think that I isolated the leak allowing water to seep into the kitchen area (where we removed the rotted wood). Mopping up one seam shed water on Rick's new floor--so it looks like that might be the bad one. I'll make cleaning that and recaulking it my weekday project.

Oddly, our frame had two hitches attached to it. A year or so ago, Rick pounded and ground the old one hitches off. That left a couple of places on the hitch exposed and gathering rust. Also, there was a bit of rust on the parts of the frame we exposed in our tearout effort. So, I pulled out the wire brush drill attachment and started to work. First step--I brushed all involved sections, washed (and pulled out lots of yucky stuff out from the belly pan) and finally painted the rusted sections. Which leads to my next feature:

Consumer Report: Battle of the Rust Sealing Treatments

I have used two kinds of rust treatments on steel pieces. Outside, I used the POR-15 and Stirling Silver paint combination favored by many in the Airstream restoration community. On the interior parts of the frame, I started using Eastwood's rust encapsulator paint. Two years of exposure have passed and results are starting to emerge.

On the parts painted with POR-15, distinct pinpoint rust marks are starting to emerge, though there is no sign of paint damage. No damage is showing on the admittedly more protected places painted with Eastwoods.

Evaluation: I think both are quality products and far superior to Rustoleum. Durability seems to be slightly better for Eastwoods, since the more exposed parts painted with that did not breech rust. POR-15 involves a complicated process of setting down two base coats of POR-15, then following with a third cover layer of another paint (POR-15 is UV sensitive, so must be shielded). Eastwoods gets a bit of advantage in my mind since it only requires applying a single layer of paint and is available as an aerosol spray, which is exceptionally handy.

Action: Since I have leftovers of both products, I cracked open a mini-can of POR-15 (I bought a six pack of sample sized cans, which is super, since a little goes a long way), applied a single layer of that yesterday and hoped to follow up with a spray coat of Eastwood's Rust Encapsulating paint in silver on the exterior. However, the nozzle failed, so I ended up using the Stirling Silver paint combination. I applied Eastwood's black paint on the exposed frame as with the rest of the frame.

Verdict: If you have any cans of POR-15 hanging around or recently applied it, feel confident that you have a high quality product on hand. However, if I need new supplies, I will probably prefer Eastwood's Rust Encapsulating Paint, since it is easier to use and seems to perform as well, if not better. Also, it's necessary to think of rotary brushing and repainting exposed areas as a normal maintenance activity.

So, the weekend is over. . .We have enjoyed some great food and stupendous weather... We've worked to the blues, crickets and cicadas...We are truly dirty and I have paint flecks on my wrist that may never come off. We are slightly sunburned and very, very tired... Together, that's all an exceptionally good thing. Happy Labor Day!

Tale of a Hiatus

2007-09-02T08:48:00.000-04:00

Well, I'd like to say that we've done tons of work on the trailer since my last post, but honestly, that isn't quite right. It really gets progressively harder and harder to pick up on a neglected project. At first it was a case of simply not having any spare time to make progress. Then I picked up a moonlighting job and Rick hung in as his work escalated and he finished off his degree. At a certain point, though, life changed again. I got laid off from my day job and made my moonlight job full time. Rick graduated and shifted jobs as well. We are both vastly happier with our new positions and though we are still busy, time was no longer completely unavailable. But then the challenge of making sense of projects abandoned two years ago was daunting and a point of mutual dread. While our intentions were high, ironically, it was the purchase of new living room furniture that put us back in action. While seemingly unrelated, the process of shifting possessions around our home left us realizing that we really needed to put the trailer back together and reclaim the basement bedroom that is currently filled with the furniture and parts from the trailer.

Our first effort was to inventory just where the different projects stood. That was a surprisingly timestaking effort, involving several evenings of making lists, organizing parts and tallying. This journal was also valuable in tracking what we'd done. There are still several projects we just aren't sure about, so things may get interesting as we move forward.

We hope to plug ahead this fall. Rick has a plan for redoing the plumbing so that we have a greywater tank (operated by a pump, to be installed next to our water heater). We may rewire, though that effort may be limited to merely replacing the wiring we expose (interestingly, we haven't had problems with the wiring, but since it's so old, we figure it's worthwhile doing). We also need to tear up the rear end flooring and weld in new metal there.

So, we got started yesterday, installing a new door handle. It's a small item--but getting started again gave us a sense of accomplishment. As usual, it took a big of fiddling, drilling in new holes, and frustration, but it got done (I didn't document it, but it wasn't really anything other than drilling out rivets, removing the old one, than forcing the new one into the old unit's place. Finally, we have the trailer secured (the lock was broken on the old one). Today we get into meatier work, cutting out flooring in the front and replacing it with new plywood (marine grade). Wish us luck!

The Work Vacation Begins

2005-08-15T13:54:00.000-04:00

Well, I have the week off (well, except for this morning, which I spent at the office), the weather finally has toned down a mite bit, so it's back to the drawing board. Picking up a project after a two month break is hard--but really, there was no humanly way to work inside that trailer without fans or air conditioning. But now the temps are in the mid 80s, forecast is for a nice week, so we should get a bunch of work done.

But right now I'm organizing. I'm setting out all the things we intend to do. After mucking around with the welder a bit, we agreed--neither of us feels confident about welding on a new coupler. So, we are going to reassemble the hitch, leaving an access panel so that Rick can pull the wiring harness when we take it to the shop to replace the coupler.

That makes the rest of the hitch reconstruction easier. We will replace the sway bar clamps (for some crazy reason one is further forward than the other). Other targets for the week--replace the flooring, redo the plumbing, rebuild the gas bottle carrier and weld in another reinforcement bar into the frame. That should leave us in a place where most of the rest of the work will be in the happy-to-glad category. Oh, yeah--we have a beautiful new fiberglass skylight (from our good friend Steve at airstreamdreams.com), a door handle to fit in, and another Fantastic Vent to install. Nothing for a week, right?

We are in agreement--we gotta get things back to a point where we can get back on the road and really enjoy this thing!

Getting Back to Work

2005-07-18T11:02:00.000-04:00

It's been a month since I've really done any meaningful work on the trailer. A very hot month!

Yesterday, the muggiest day in a very long time, I went back into the shell and went back to working on woodwork. A hour later, I was covered head to toe in dampness. I don't think it was perspiration, since it was early and cool. All my dry clothes were just a wick for the humidity. I also think, but cannot verify, that the humidity impaired the refinishing chemicals--it all seemed to take longer.

Earlier in the week, Rick ordered a new power jack. We've been wrestling with this, but it's a little luxury I think Rick will enjoy. Meanwhile, we are still figuring out how much we are going to replace on the toungue. One thing we did figure out--the sway bar clamps are not set symetrically on the trailer--so that's something we'll definitely replace. We'd like to also replace the receiver, since the old one is a little sticky. However, the old one is also very well attached to the frame--so cutting it off may end up becoming too much for us to accomplish.

Doing this is holding us back from finalizing the electric. Why? Because the harness has to pass through the frame--where we plan to weld. Rick is considering putting in a little access panel on the inside, which would allow him to pass the wiring through at a later date. Clever, huh?

Airstream Roadshow!

2005-06-21T11:20:00.000-04:00

Well, just back from a super weekend up in New England! While we arrived too late at Antiques Roadshow for filming our valuations, I may be appearing on public television stations around the country next winter extolling my excitement over my dear, beloved Rubic's Cube. Yay! In the for what it's worth side of this blog, here are my tips for your next Antiques Roadshow appearance:

Try to get early entry tix. The experts are all on a race to claim airtime, so filming slots go fast.
Avoid bringing paintings or glass items, unless you are convinced they are really valuable and willing to stand in line forever.
You will not have a long wait if you have an ancient antiquity--however, Roadshow rules forbid coins. The antiquity guy needs more business!
The most familiar experts end up being the friendliest and most helpful. The dirt I got is that the newbies tend to get nervous about finding items that will get them airtime, not getting customers or supporters.
When I mentioned our trailer to the experts, most gave very envious sighs. Airstreams are really desireable to dealers, who have to tote their stuff around the country and have a sense of style.
Going to Antiques Roadshow is a blast (and we loved Noel Barrett), even if you don't make TV!

So, it's a crunch this week. Rick's going to pick up a new jack. I'm going to try to get everything clean in the house so I can do some woodwork after work the rest of the week. Yikes, but things are, in their very haphazard way, coming together.

Airstream Physics

2005-06-16T14:40:00.000-04:00

It's a low week as far as the trailer is concerned. We're expecting house guests in a week--and I'm about to head off for a weekend in New England. Part of that has meant getting trailer stuff out of the guest areas in the house. Why is it that the stuff that fits easily into a 20'x8' (160 square feet) area requires about 1000 square feet of house space? There must be some kind of unique laws of physics that only occur in Airstream trailers--the way these items expand when remove from the trailer defies logic. I don't know if Wally thought of these, but here are some rules...

1. Things fit better in an Airstream than any other space...always
2. Outside the Airstream, tough, well built cabinets become rickety and delicate.
3. Things appear smaller in an Airstream, unless you have to repair them.

Well, by clearing out a closet, we were able to get a nice, neat place for most of our tool boxes. We still face moving all of the other stuff in the guest bedroom--I think it's going to end up making our basement pretty much a warren.

Meanwhile, there is the continous campaign for acquisition management. We received an order yesterday from Airstream Dreams. As I expected, the skylight cover looks nothing like the previous DIY job--and we are especially happy that it has a sealed in metal plate for riveting it in. As I suspected, the new bulb seal (what I had previously called the windows' "mystery gasket" is a whole lot more durable than the foam weatherstripping I had used when working on the windows. Slowly, I'm going to start replacing these. The package rounded out with a pair of tee shirts and (eeek) a tub of coarse aluminum polish. Someday soon, I will start down that evil path too...Another package brought a new can of Por-15's Stirling Silver and Marine Clean. Now, if Rick gets a new hitch and I track down more Fornby's, we'll have most of our supplies for the forseeable work (except plumbing, which seems to always be a figure as we go case).

But meanwhile, I'm off this weekend to New England. Highlight of my trip will be going to The Antiques Roadshow in Providence, RI! Sadly, they don't value vintage trailers on the Roadshow (nor, according to the instructions on my tickets, vehicles of any kind). Not that the Toaster is ready for the Keno brothers--we still have a lot of work to do. Rick's going to study while I'm gone, since he has final exams all next week. Unless I can find a night off for trailer work, I probably won't be posting much news until after June 26. Then we're bringing on the heat and getting cranking (as we face the summer heat)!

Ode to Working on the Trailer When it’s 90° with 100% Humidity

2005-06-12T19:42:00.000-04:00

Restoring an Airstream
Isn’t always a pleasant dream,
It always seems that something unexpected bites me in the butt,
Leaving me irritated and occasionally in sobs.
I know if I get myself out of this darn rut,
I may finish up all these bleep bleep bleeping darn jobs

Rotozips and sawzalls
Leave me dog tired so I know well
A dream trailer is hard won when sauna conditions put me in a snit.
Yet, when I really want to unwind,
When summer’s heat leaves me truly unfit,
I wonder is it really the weather or do I just have beer on my mind?

Mind Over Matter... Just Think it's Cold Outside

Refinish my brain, please

2005-06-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

Remove that adhesive in two applications! Hahahaha! That darn wall took three hours of endurance scraping and endless reapplications! They really used fantastic glue, back in the day. Tough part is, it is a truly purgatorial task to remove it. But eventually, persuasive treatment with steel wool prevailed. Then I managed to eek out two cabinets of refinishing before running out of Fornby’s furniture refinisher. Now I have to find more of that stuff—they don’t sell it at Home Depot any more, so I’ll be shopping hardware stores this weekend. Still, I think I’ll be able to finish the rest of the woodworking in fairly fast fashion, though I know how this blog will start to sound:

Day 1: detailed description of refinishing the furniture

Day 2: discussion of some of the discoveries of refinishing the furniture

Day 3: rant about frustrating elements of refinishing the furniture

Day 4: poetry about refinishing furniture

Day 5: hey, I’m working on refinishing the furniture, but doing this darn task has me utterly bored, so let me tell you about the crazy things I’m thinking about while refinishing the furniture.

I’m going to stop and jump to step 5 (oh, heck, if inspiration strikes, I may even do step 4). It isn’t as if refinishing the furniture is any stupendously mysterious process. It’s the same darn process everyone uses with Fornby’s (rub in the stuff with steel wool, following the grain until its clean).. Here are the tips I have learned—wear a sealed respirator, lots of protective clothing and wield a big fan. Crank up NPR and get working!

Meanwhile, Rick removed more of the doodads on the hitch. He got everything off except the coupler, which will probably be an epic adventure.

Tow vehicle?

I ended early today at 4 pm to catch the end of my neighbor’s block party. Actually, the party ended up making our trailer efforts a bit of a tourist attraction. A couple of folks came up and started asking me questions—which I couldn’t respond to while wearing a respirator and goggles. I”d try to lift the respirator and sputter off answers—but fortunately Rick saved me and I got back to work. One guy actually came over to try to get Rick to sell him our old '49 Chrysler. Rick’s seriously considering the offer, but I do hope we still can trick it into my dream tow vehicle! Anyways, the block party was a fun take-in and we learned that there may be another vintage Airstream in Vienna.

Mandatory Work Break!

2005-06-12T10:17:00.000-04:00

It’s exceptionally nice when a messy job requires taking a break! Today is fume day—I’ve set up a big fan in the trailer (mostly for ventilation purposes), strapped on my respirator (outfitted with new filters) and I’m doing the solvent dance! Presently, I have a half hour break while the adhesive remover gets working. Because of the fire danger (this stuff can spontaneously combust), I’m dividing my work into two sections, so that will mean two breaks. Then I get to work with the really nasty stuff—Fornby’s refinisher. Goal: Get all the woodwork cleaned and refinished today. It sounds like a big order, but I am excluding the cabinetry we removed, the panels I intend to replace—plus, it’s pretty easy when I don’t have to worry about drips!

I am not quite certain how to remove the doors from the overhead compartments. They are a bit complicated, but I’m sure once I get my head up into them, I’ll figure it out.

Yesterday, I bounced between working on the trailer and going to a Toastmaster’s convention. I’ve been a Toastmaster (a group that helps adults learn public speaking and leadership skills) for the past three years and as it turns out, the convention for all the clubs from Virginia up to Canada occurred three miles from my house. So, I changed clothes three times over the day and bumped off to various sessions! One minute might find me scrubbing aluminum, but a half hour later, I’d be sitting in a session dealing with, say, the finer points of motivating volunteers!

Friday I made it out to my local powdercoat specialist. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, this operation was HUGE! They do everything from small motorcycle parts to battleship hulls! Still, I can’t say how nice these folks are. The owner came out, looked at my range and told me that he couldn’t safely coat the stovetop. Now, I know other folks have had this done, but he explained to me that really, the paint is only good to 400 degrees and that even the high temperature paint would not stand the heat of a gas burner. He suggested going to an enameller, but indicated that he didn’t know of one, and that the fellow who used to do it locally closed shop. Anyone know of a decent enameller near Virginia?

Afterwards, I headed off to the local trailer parts shop, to pick up parts for overhauling the hitch. We plan to add in a new spare tire holder, move the propane bottles and possibly replace the coupler.

Before Changing the Hitch

Earlier in the week, we had a fun time cutting off the old bottle rack—I had my first experience with a sawzall. I’d been rather afraid of them, but Rick persuaded me to give it a try. Once I got started up, I had a great time cutting—why the heck was I afraid of this? My fear was utterly irrational (considering I’m not afraid of other saws). It wasn’t even hard to handle. Anyways, we ended up joking around afterwards and celebrated frosty cold cokes on a warm summers evening…

Donate blood today!

Ok, well, it’s time to get scraping that adhesive remover off! I’ll check in later!

Neatening Loose Ends

2005-06-06T10:44:00.000-04:00

Most of my window epic is resolved. I spent a couple of hours grinding and polishing, then I installed the lexan panel in the frame. Why lexan? We did this since it's the front window and we don't have a rock guard covering for it. Eventually, we hope to fabricate a covering and return glass to the window.

Meanwhile, reinserting the window went smoothly. I cut away the bottom (not showing) part of the gasket in the corner, filling the gap with Parbond caulking. The result is fairly acceptable, as shown in the photo below.

Not exactly perfect, but at least fairly inconspicous damage

The frame is pretty much done, except for one side (not showing). I ran out of gasket and I'm waiting for Airstream Dreams to send me more to do that last edge and one final window.

After finishing with this, I spent time organizing tools and cleaning up the trailer. Looking at the whole situation, I realized I didn't want to deal with refinishing the woodwork, so I took on a different project, cleaning the stove. It's actually indoors now, since we took it out of the trailer. I was amazed at the layers of crud covering it. Right now, the outside surfaces are clean, but the inside still has more grease than I'd like under the cooktop (though I tried to clean that, too). Right now, I'm hoping to get this powdercoated--it would allow me to change it to a bright turquoise (look at my interior shot here and tell me it wouldn't look great) and as a bonus, would cover the chips in the enamel (not really visible in this photo). But the local powdercoater isn't sure he can paint this one, so I'm going to bring it by his shop Friday for the verdict.

It's nice what a bit of elbow grease can do...now if only it were turquoise!

Window Epic Resolved...

2005-06-05T14:09:00.000-04:00

Good news! The window mostly fits in the opening. Mostly--because the channel it hangs from was filled, but I can file that gunk out. However, it fits the space, so we are both breathing a lot easier!

Removing the old vent involved drilling out 46 rivets

This weekend, I only have today available for working on the trailer, so it's a busy day. Rick finished installing a fantastic fan, I installed windows. We planned to try to re-seal our skylight, covering the cracks with a layer of epoxy. However, when Rick removed it, we quickly realized that what we have is a bad replacement job. The skylight is not original, it's not fiberglass, it's comprised of two badly cracked pieces--and most critically, it doesn't appear to fit correctly. So, plan to put it back up and send off for a new reproduction skylight from Airstream Dreams.

Yesterday, before getting to my main task of the day (painting), we headed out early to the lumberyard and on a supply run. We made our first ever trip to Harborfreight Tools and bought a bunch of specialized power tools--their prices are exceptionally inexpensive, so we were both happy with our respective purchases. In our minds, so long as these tools last through this job, we figure its worth paying 75% less.

Well, since I don't have to worry about refinishing the skylight, I'm going to get a little more time in refinishing woodwork. It's a very nice day out, so it's a good time to do it.

Window Epic, Part II

2005-06-02T22:45:00.000-04:00

I'm a bit late writing this, so pardon the delay! This weekend, I worked Sunday and Monday on the trailer--and I practically have finished the windows…but my efforts have led to a bit of a crisis…

You see, a cautionary tale hangs there. Late last week, I started readying the window that I had "alumiwelded"--and noticed that the joint was moving. Before I knew it, one side had broken off. Cussing, I pulled out my torch and started to heat the frame to reapply the solder. However, before the alumiweld soldier stick melted, I noticed the frame started to melt. I stopped quickly, before it completely dissolved. I called around to parts shops--but it seems that the window frame is irreplaceable. I was advised that if the damage was small, it could be coaxed to workable condition.

Not knowing quite what to do, I took it with me when I made my second attempt to get to Blaine Window Hardware in Silver Spring. Apparently, the Blaine family had sold the shop off to one of their staff. A very kind Caribbean man served me.

Unfortunately, he could not match the window operators from his own stock, but he assisted me for an hour, giving me advice on fixing the windows and on repairing the melted frame (they could not do aluminum repair, unfortunately)--all this in exchange for a somewhat overpriced tube of Vulkem. I didn't get what I hoped for, but the trip appeared to be worth the effort.

So, on Sunday, I spent three hours drilling, auguring and grinding the frame into the profile that the window. After I finished, the melted portion of the frame looked identical to the undamaged part. Tuesday Rick took the frame to a TIG welder with precise instructions for the repair, based on the advice I got from the window repair shop. He was assured that they would do the work extremely carefully and according to directions--and that it would cost about $35.

Needless to say, the welder completely ignored my precise instructions and Rick got a $70 bill.

Results: The frame channel is completely filled with aluminum, so much so that there is no place for the glass to sit (I can fix that). The exterior profile has been destroyed (I think I can fix that). One side of the frame is 3/16" shorter than it was before (I cannot fix that).

It's been raining since then--I don't know if I can remount this window frame to the trailer, much less if the window will leak by consequence. If I can just get it to mount correctly, then I think I can maybe compensate for the missing 3/16" with a bit of creative gasketry and pass the leak test.

If it won't mount, our options will be very difficult.

One option will be to try to find a replacement frame from a salvaged trailer. This will be our best, though most difficult solution, since it will be tough to find a parts trailer with the correct age and of size window frame available. We would also find a wrongly sized window frame and weld in replacement segments to the existing frame. Our last and worst alternative will be to take out the entire window frame assembly and replace it with a modern window.

Have I learned a lesson? Yes, the service vendors in this area STINK like rotted rat puke.

The Bathtub Back!

2005-05-25T07:53:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a quiet few days with the trailer. After my csr breakdown, I ended up spending much of the weekend at a reenactment, though I did fit in time to do one more window. Generally, it was nice to take a break, to catch up with friends (who think I am a bit obsessive in my push to finish this) and to review work plans.

Yesterday, Rick picked up the bathtub from the restorer. As it turned out, when we started really looking at the tub carefully, the little gash I had restored on the tub surface was actually a big crack in the back. It was caused by the tub being installed with blocks of wood at one side to slant the tub so the lowest point was the drain hole. The problem with this set up was that there was no bottom support for the fiberglass in between the blocks and the low point--so it cracked, probably multiple times. It ended up being hard to find a fiberglass shop that would handle that repair. The shop did a good job with the crack repair, shot a very nice epoxy paint layer, but I am disapointed that they didn't sand beyond the repair area (I suppose all my sanding efforts were not in vain, it looks pretty good). Honestly, I still think I could have done a better job, had I owned the spray equipment and a dedicated painting space. Still, the tub looks much better than the average tub in a vintage unit. It looks especially lovely sitting in the middle of our living room!

We're in a spell of wet weather right now, which is causing holdups for most of the jobs I want to do now. My largest priority is to remove the rest of the windows to restore them in a bulk fashion. I finally figured out how to remove the glass relatively safely from the windows, but its a slow process, so I want to do a bunch at the same time to move things along. I also want to get out to the window repair shop, but that's something I'm going to have to work out with my boss.

Meanwhile, I am still trying to figure out what is causing the leak on the side of the trailer (over where the old fiberglass repair was). I replaced the window, it's nice and tight, but the bellypan slowly got wet again from the rain. The other thing that might be a leak at the fiberglass skylight filter near there. That may have problems, but I won't know until I get up on the roof, hopefully this weekend.

By the way, I have to add a disclaimer on an earlier posting, since members of my family are now giving my mother a tough time about washing my mouth out with soap. My grandmother Gigi did it! Mom was great--she sympathized with my sad plight, then asked me if the experience left me with any future flavor preferences for soap!

Window Epic Part I

2005-05-21T23:38:00.000-04:00

In my ongoing quest to repair my windows, I took a half day off work and made an attempt at getting to Blaine Window Repair yesterday.

Note: emphasis should be placed on "attempt."

However, rain, bad traffic and a broken serpentine belt conspired against me. I ended up shored up on an offramp to the Capital Beltway, vainly flagging passing vehicles for assistance. Finally a fellow stopped and muttered something to me in a slavic language and thrust his cell phone towards me. He looked friendly, so I dialed #77. Some time later (there were lots of accidents out there) I got a tow. Liberated of $128, I got a ride to the garage and walked home. Thus my epic adventure withered to its anticlimatic end four and a half hours after my first efforts for setting out to Silver Spring.

And as for Blaine Window Repair? Turns out the tow truck driver is buds with the owner. "Tell him Larry sent you."

Objective: new window operators

Finally Getting the Hang of Alumiwelding

2005-05-19T07:43:00.000-04:00

Last night I finally figured out how to use the Alumiweld system! As the instructions say, you heat up the metal you are welding very hot, remove the torch and melt in the alumiweld stick. The tough part, it turned out, was getting the broken window frame hot enough to melt alumiweld.

I first started by testing the product out on a scrap of bellypan aluminum that Rick removed during last weekend's welding effort. That's a very small piece (3" square, say) of very soft aluminum. It heated up with a regular propane torch fairly rapidly. When it got sufficiently hot, a little bit of the surface did wrinkle, possibly because, as soft aluminum, it probably has a lower melting point. But overall, the test went exceptionally smoothly. Boosted by that, I moved on to my broken window frame.

After about ten minutes of trying to heat the frame, I decided that regular propane wasn't doing the job, so I moved up to the MAPP gas. Then I had a tough time keeping the torch lit. About that time, Rick decided to check up on me. Bad timing. With typical Mars efficiency, he proferred his solution. However, he was hitting this on a frustrated Venutian who really didn't want advice, just caring support and encouragement. Problem was, he was right, darnitall!

So, I let it cool down and found some scrap wood blocks to lift up the frame slightly off the ground, allowing me to hold the gas tank down lower and stop the torch from self extinguishing. I started heating it up again. Then just as I started getting it hot, it warped, moving the broken part out of position. Argh!

I headed into the house, down to the basement and grabbed the first set of nails I could find. I muttering as I passed Rick. Rick bent down over his textbook, recognizing me in a barely rational state. I was on a mission.

After nailing the frame in place, I started heating up the frame again. Oddly, this time, everything went textbook. I got in a nice, flat soldier. Finally! Barely in time--it as pretty dark out by this time. I yelled for Rick and did a little happy dance around the trailer!

OK, some tips...

1. I got my alumiweld from Eastwood Company, who gave me excellent service (received it next day after ordering on standard shipping). They also sell a positioning compound, which turned out to be very useful for getting my (warped) frame to sit correctly. If you can, I'd say, buy that as well.

2. I used an old wooden board as my soldering surface. Given my druthers, I'd have preferred to use a fireproof surface like a piece of Homasote board (available from building supply places). Then I could have clamped it to a work table and soldered away without fear of burning the table up.

3. I think this is definitely something to work on outside. It is pretty darn flammable and probably off gassed (I don't know, I wore my respirator, just in case).

I thought this was a good weld, but as my next entry explains, it wasn't...

Project Record: Window Repair

2005-05-16T15:25:00.000-04:00

I'm inserting this in draft form earlier than I intended, since lots of folks are working on restoring windows (and I've got a few emails on this). I am still figuring out a couple of steps (see notes) and will revise this as I work on all the different windows.

Please note--these instructions only apply to 1961-1965 models. I based my approach on RJ Dial's directions.

Difficulty (Scale of 10 Drills): TBD

Materials Used:

Window Gasket (available from airstreamdreams.com)
Glazing Tape (available from airstreamdreams.com)
Carpet knife and fresh razors
Straight edged razor
Screwdriver
Pliers
Wire brushes (copper for exterior, steel for inside channel)
Plastic to cover windows
Window sealing tape (weather stripping dept of Home Depot)
Frost King X-treme Rubber Weatherseal (or other rubber D shaped gasket) (or "Bulb seal" from Airstream Dreams
3m Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (yellow) (available from airstreamdreams.com)
Small cutting board
Gasket or adhesive remover (I used Permatex Gasket remover, purchased from Advanced Auto Parts)

Part 1: Window Removal

Hehr window removal (click to enlarge)

1. Remove the hand cranks* (1), tilting the window out (1b) so that you can release the window from the sliding mechanisms(1a). Pop them out and set aside in a designated place. We find this easier when a second person holds the window out.

2. Unscrew the side screws holding the window drip channel down on one side (2). Bend the channel up, so the window will slide past it. There is a small screw in the center of the window(3). If you cannot unscrew it by hand, use a set of plyers to remove it (a screwdriver will not reach this screw).

3. Lift the window up to about 2/3 open. Steadily push it out of its channel, towards the direction where you bent the drip channel up (4). This will release the window.

4. Before working with the window, cover the window with plastic and tape. Home centers sell a weather resistant tape with weatherstripping supplies. This product is good, although do note that it will leave a little residue glue on your trailer (though it cleans up easily).

Taped up window

* Hand crank removal: Unscrew the operators from the inside of the trailer. Open the windows so that the arm aligns with the cutout portion of the channel. Inside the channel, the arm is secured to a little plastic slider with a spring. You may be able to ease the slider out or get it out by compressing the spring. Chances are, it will break, since the plastic tends to harden. Replacements (without springs) are available from Inland RV, however, they are very costly. RJ Dial suggests using a nylon nut and bolt instead, which I am going to try when I address this problem.

Part 2: Window Repair

Window profile(click to enlarge)

1. Put the window on a smooth, cushioned surface. Work the old gasket out of the window. I found it easiest to start at the corners, inserting a carpet razor into the outer edge and then working it out.

Start removal of the old gasket at the corners

Once you get the corner out, it is easy to pry the rest loose with a screw driver.

Working out the old gasket

2. The toughest part for me is removing the glass from the glazing tape. Right now I'm experimenting with applying different kinds of adhesive/gasket removers to the crack where the glass meets the aluminum, in hopes that it will seep down and soften the glazing tape. Hopefully, this will work and you can gently pry the glass out of the frame using a carpet razor. So far, this has led us to broken glass. Fortunately, the windows from this era were made of generic glass and are easily replaced.

3. Clean out the old glazing tape using gasket remover (I found Permatex gasket remover worked best). Scrub this channel clean (I used a wire brush), as it is your primary waterproof seal area. Optional--clean and polish the exterior of the frame (see earlier entry on this).

Removing old window adhesive

4. Roll out a strip of new glazing tape into the channel where the old glazing tape was. Trim it so there are no gaps. Carefully lower the glass pane back into the frame, setting it down on the glazing tape (I found this easiest with a helper, since there is no moving the glass again after you've set it down--that glazing tape really sticks to glass).

Applying glazing tape

5. Use a flat edged razor and a small cutting board to mitre the starting edge of the new window gasket. Firmly pry it into the corner, making sure the lip gets wedged into the channel. Feed and pry it in place without stretching it. When you come close (say, 2 inches) to a corner, calculate where to cut it. I find it easiest to finish if I wedge it into the corner first, then work back to where I stopped to trim it.

6. Replace the window, reversing the procedures detailed previously. I am buying replacement operators, so I have not reinstalled these. I will post more info on this, when I do.

Part 3: The Mystery Gasket

I found a mystery gasket sealed the window inside the trailer wall. It is green in the window profile drawing above. You can also see a photo of it in the wall here.

The mystery gasket

This was stiff and cracked, so I decided to replace it as well. To do this, I bought "D" shaped gasket at Home Depot.

Replacement for the mystery gasket--later I found it in grey, which looks much less conspicous

1. Remove the old gasket and clean the channel it sat in with window cleaner.

2. I found that the adhesive on the new gasket was inadequate. Instead, use 3m Super Weatherstrip Adhesive on the gasket, press it into place. Trim at the ends.

Since writing this, Airstream Dreams has solved the identity of the mystery gasket. It is called "bulb seal" and it will be available at their website starting 6/17/05. Unlike weatherstrip, it will not require adhesive. While I have completed all my windows with weatherseal, I am going to test out the new "bulb seal" one one window. My impression is that it will probably be a bit more durable than weatherstripping (which I expect will only be good for a year or two), though I don't know if it will give as tight a seal.

Welding and Still More Demolition

2005-05-16T12:10:00.000-04:00

What a weekend!

Saturday started off early. Stuart Natoff came over to weld the front of our frame. He fabricated a beautiful replacement segment, then welded it right in. Turns out, Rick didn't have to recut the damaged part flush with the frame, but the new piece was so well made, it slotted in there easily. Due to the access to the belly pan, we were able to weld it from both the inside and the exterior sides. Afterwards, Stuart connected it to the skin with a couple of clecos (a kind of temporary rivet, which allows you to position things). The result was absolutely amazing. Previously, our trailer would lurch on its frame whenever anyone stepped onto the entry step. That has stopped. The whole trailer finally has a very solid feel.

Welding the front end

Result: nice new front end support

A bunch of clecos hold it in place from the outside

After Stuart left, I headed out to Home Depot and Rick started to remove the old furnace. I got home in time to catch a last blow and the furnace's emergence from its side access hole. Inside we checked the space underneath. Rick noticed some more punky wood. I noticed animal droppings. Neither of us liked what we saw. But we ended up scrambling to cover everything as a violent thunderstorm rolled in.

Now it may be a deep phobia, but I just cannot tolerate rodent droppings. Rick finds this a bit absurd, but it makes me start to think of hantavirus, the black plague and lots of other deadly diseases. It didn't matter to me that the sky was going nuts outside and the wind was pummelling the trailer. I pulled on my respirator and rubber gloves and got sweeping! I finished with a final spray of cleanser. Ew, ew, ew!

More floor rot found, so we removed the galley (rodent droppings removed)

So Sunday morning, we decided to get in some more demo work. The stove came out easily--just remove the fastening screws, unclamped the gas lines and it slid out. We found the counter also fairly simple to remove. The cabinet itself wasn't so cooperative. It had a number of hard to reach screws in the back connecting to a wall (needed a short stumpy screwdriver for this)--and fully corroded screws connecting it to the flooring. After drilling out the floor screws, the unit finally slid out. It's surprisingly rickety.

Once we swept away the floor, the problem under the counter became clearer. Early on, we noticed that the trailer's water inlet leaked, so we've been traveling with bottled water. Now we can see that this had existed as a longer term problem than we'd imagined. I cut a small patch out of the floor. This revealed that in fact the decay is only created a slight disturbance to the top of the wood--but we discussed it and agreed that since the counter is gone and the space is open, we're going to replace it anyways.

So, with that in mind, we got to work on cutting out the rest of the front right flooring section for replacement. Earlier in the week, we'd cut off the bolts connecting to the frame out of the U channels (with a Dremel). Now we started cutting the rest of the wood out, taking turns with a circular saw set to 4/5ths of the plywood depth, then finishing with a jigsaw and a chisel. It all came out pretty easily. Finally we saw the full extent of the old fiberglass repair. Turns out the wood there was rotted all the way through, the repair consisted of a chunk of wood glued in with reinforcement cloth and epoxy. The result was pretty strong, actually, except it created a lump in the floor and they failed to repair all the rot (which appeared to be progressing). One piece of wood was less than a quarter inch thick with a thin layer of epoxy coating!

The weather turned nice, so I finished my efforts by finishing up cleaning out the window frame that had been fully slathered in silicone. Airstream Life Magazine's Rich Luhr had emailed me earlier in the week suggesting I try using a different adhesive remover, so I switched to Kleenstrip Adhesive Remover. This worked pretty well. It got most of the big bits out in quick order, but the tenacious little scraps of silicone, especially those stuck in the corners, still resisted removal. So, on went another layer of adhesive remover, followed after it set with brisk scrubbing with a steel brush and finally, picking out the crevices with a nail file. Ta da!

While waiting for the adhesive remover to work into the silicone, I started to play with two mini projects. I set up a ladder (padded with a towel against the trailer) and looked up on the top of the trailer. I failed to have confidence to climb up off the ladder (it's high and scary up there), however, I did get a good view of the top.

Then I tried to get in a test run with the Alumiweld sticks I got to repair the window frame metal (it cracked apart on one side). This is a kind of low-melt alloy of aluminum that can be melted on to repair aluminum and pot metal with just a propane torch. For my experiment, I pulled out some aluminum flashing sheeting that we had, decided to get artistic and cut out a bunch of aluminum leaves to fuse together. The Alumiweld instruction emphasized getting the base metal extremely hot before melting in the rods, so I grabbed a MAPP gas torch (a more purified kind of propane gas that burns hotter). I lit the torch up, set the flame low and lowered it onto my leaves to heat up the base metal. My pretty spring leaved withered into dry autumn form under the flame. This was so funny to me, I just burned up all the leaves to crumpled form, all the while humming the song "Autumn Leaves" (ok, ok, I admit I have a perverse sense of humor). Turns out, Home Depot flashing is cheaper aluminum than even Alumiweld! Well, I had to clean out the window frames at that point, so I'll give it another try tomorrow, maybe with a cooler burning propane than MAPP gas.

Silicone

2005-05-10T14:04:00.000-04:00

I decided to take on the trailer’s rear window after work last night. It’s that silicone encrusted window I photographed last week. Getting it out was fairly easy, since all the operators had separated from the window (nor, for that matter, do they appear to operate) and the screws attaching it were already loosened. I sprayed on a thick layer of gasket remover and started to take on the silicone.

The channel in the windowframe was filled with silicone instead of a proper gasket

The layer of silicone holding the glass into the frame ended up being moderately manageable to remove. It just took several (about 5) passes with a putty knife and two hits with gasket remover and it slowly eased out. To my surprise, I found that one end of the frame had separated and had been held in place with silicone. Distantly, I recall that the previous owner had mentioned when I picked up the trailer that they’d broken the window operators during their big trip in the trailer the previous winter. This window started telling a story of an epic road disaster, leading to frenzied efforts with silicone. I like these folks, but right now, this silicone is irritating me, getting in my hair and pretty much annoying me.

I moved on to cleaning out the segmented aluminum channels filled with silicone.

There is no way to describe the tedium of removing silicone from aluminum. It is slick, something like greased over pork gelatin (and need I write that I don’t eat meat). It resists constraint, even from a sharp edge like a razor. It brought out the fiercest cleaning effort on my part—I found myself exerting the kind of determined scrubbing effort I can only recall my grandmother making in my early childhood. I can’t try to write how many gouges I made in the frame in this effort, although I suppose if the gouges are inside the window frame channel, it won’t really matter, since nobody will ever see them. After two hours of frenzied scouring, dark started to fade in. All that work, and I had only proceeded through one side of the frame—and there were still little traces of silicone in the channel.

Right now, I’m wondering if it really matters if there are random traces of silicone left behind, so long as the channel the gasket mounts to is clear.

All of this has left me musing about cursing. Bear in mind, I come from a family where my 4 year old niece thinks that the word “stupid” is a dirty word. I was fairly naïve myself as a child, getting my mouth literally washed out by soap after uttering a word I had learned from reading a Sherlock Holmes book, “dastardly.” Generally, I find curse words to be occassionally necessary exclamations, though lacking in originality and style. But every once in a while, I find a project like this silicone effort spurs so much frustration that it inspires me to try to invent a truly novel utterance of vulgarity. Consider the whole genre of cowboy vulgarity—half wild exaggerations that use panache to compare bad circumstances to the bluer side of rural life. But I don’t live in a farm and there is little vulgar panache to be found in general office work (cleaning out this window frame is like getting a virus that only lets you see one pathetic ugly porn website). Nope, there’s no {insert wildly creative vulgarity here} creativity or flair there.

By the way, I do plan to get more detailed information on restoring the windows up here soon. I still have some things I'm working out right now...

Gorgeous Day to Work...and Not Work!

2005-05-08T19:37:00.000-04:00

Today the weather was absolutely perfect. Warm, but not too warm. Spent the whole day working outside and not working outside! Couldn't help pulling on the old WBC (that's right, so old there wasn't another C and an I!) beret. It's the vintage one I bought off ebay after seeing the really cool old Airstreamer beret at the Cherry Blossom rally. I know there are the folks who think the berets look silly, but I LOVE my beret! It makes me feel--well, rather pretty.

A nice day for working outside

So, went to town on cleaning. Organized the tools, then started sweeping. I've decided that the hantapoopies identification was wrong, based on the copious number of acorns stored under the tub area. I think it was more like chipmunk poopies, which is nicer, since while they still can make me sick, I don't face the prospects of dying from exposure. Looks like a chipmunk (I don't think it was a squirrel, since our squirrels are too fat) may have fit into the bellypan, then ran up the p-trap hole into the trailer behind the tub. Makes me think we'll have to see about the joints in the belly pan. Finally finished by scrubbing out the tub and hosing off the toilet. It still has the yucky wax seal, but I'm not feeling the urge to go crazy with this quite yet.

Finally decided to go ahead and get a professional job done on the tub. It's not that I don't think I can finish it, but I do think a pro will be able to shoot a much nicer spray coat and get better results in a dust free spray room than I ever could. Rick agrees--we're going to look into this later this week.

After that, went to work on the windows. Finally got the first window completed, reinstalled, save for the operator. Turns out the company that sells the replacement operators has their store in close by in Silver Spring, MD! Pretty darn cool--so will try to get down there soon as well.

Getting the gasket in the window turned out to be rather slow work. It really jams in there, so it took about two hours to work it in with a putty knife and a screwdriver. But if slow, it was pretty easy. Finally it was done, got Rick to help me reinsert it. Then I used some regular D shaped weather stripping from Home Depot to replace the "mystery gasket." Unfortunately, though the stuff had adhesive, it really didn't stick, so I'm going to have to get some gasket adhesive to keep it in place. But overall, the window looks great.

Beautiful new window with clean gaskets

Then I started thinking about doing another window, but momentum stopped for me. I installed new lenses on the taillights--managed to crack one by overtightening (it stays for a while, I'm afraid). I also played with installing a new locking deadbolt, but realized the old strikeplate was slightly too small for it. Considered taking it off and grinding it larger, but decided to take a nap instead. Woke up and decided to faux paint my gas tanks instead.

Painting the gas tanks was fun, little effort, cheap and rewarding. Now they look like brushed aluminum, instead of rusting off white! Yay!

Vanity, crap and possession

2005-05-07T22:36:00.000-04:00

I have believed for a while that our bathtub has something seriously wrong from a psychic sense. It has caused me no end of misery in restoring it. I have spent countless hours cramped in uncomfortable positions trying to make its ugly cracked dingy surface into something--well--that anyone would want to bath in. Along the way even that ambition got compromised. Maybe if I could just make it so someone...anybody, please, want to use my tub???

No, it just continued to be a time sink, ending up in a stasis of varying levels of, well, revoltingness. Last weekend, I spent hours sanding the tub down to a reasonable smoothness--with my husband, Rick, shaking his head in puzzled amusement when I told him it was cursed, that it was inhabited by a demon, that it needed excorcism.

Tonight, I don't think Rick disagrees with my assessment, although I feel that its liberation from the trailer may have been spiritually cleansing, hopefully divorcing it from the miscellaneous poltergeists it has obviously aquired in its life.

Goal today--clear out the bathroom. We started with removing the top of the vanity (some mildly tricky screws) then moved on to removing the toilet.

Toilet removal

That was fairly easy. Next came the vanity body. It also removed after a bit of convincing (some more odd screws)--and guess what--we found hantapoopies left behind (YUCK).

Then came the tub. First we removed all the rivets and removed the P trap.

Access to the P trap under the bathtub

No movement.

Then we took out most of the gaucho frame to see if there were screws holding in the tub.

No dice.

Then we removed the sliding door and the door trim (requiring cutting out lots of eensy teensy finish nails). This revealed still more screws that were removed.

No movement.

Working the tub free

Finally, Rick released the partition. This revealed that all screws had been removed. Only one thing was possible.

The tub was glued to the floor. Glued well, good and solidly (just like an Airstream)! Dagnabit all, Wally, why did they do this?

Rick spent another four hours sawing under the tub. Finally after a whole day effort on the bath, the tub released at 7:45 pm.

The face of victory!

Underneath, we found two things: a very old fire extinguisher and a candle with a teeny little note exhorting Jesus and God to stop Karen from doing drugs. Now, we don't know who Karen was or is, but obviously, this tub has been beset with some powerfully bad ju-ju.

Finally, the tub is out--some glued bits are still visible

We felt that while we may have not released Karen, we did release the tub. I went off for beer, salsa, shrimp and steak (most for Rick, since he did the heavy work).

Who ever that said bathtubs can't be possessed? I just hope this is over with it, finally...

New interior view...Darn, I have a lot to clean, but that will wait until tommorrow...

Project Record: Refinishing Window Frames

2005-05-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

I have resolved this week that there is in fact, a right way and a wrong way to clean up window frames. This revellation came to me today after spending a week trying various techniques to clean up the window frame I removed last week from the back of the trailer.

Before polishing, the frame is dull and unreflective

The wrong way is to use a Dremel polishing kit and a wire wheel to clear off the silver toned paint a previous owner felt enhanced the natural aluminum finish. This way can only lead to hours of frustration, gouges and rough patches in the frame, black polish all over the polisher, achey arms from working hours on the polish and a deep yearning for something stronger than wine to help you forget what a mess you've just made of the window frame.

The right way is pretty darn simple and even removes most traces of the stupid mess the wrong way made for you.

Difficulty: (scale of 10 drills):

Materials:

Medium and Fine grade steel wool
Bathroom cleaner (anyone will do, I used Tile X)
Aluminum polish (whatever you can get that is rated for polishing aluminum--I used Mother's Aluminum Polish)
Paper Shop Towels

Warning--this is a really messy project. Wear clothes you can machine wash. You may want to wear gloves, though I found that if scrubbed, the polish mess comes off the skin fairly easily.

1. Use orange paint remover to strip off any elements of the silver paint left on by a previous owner (optional, considerate previous owners may not have left you such a inheritance). Tease off remnants of paint with a nylon scrub brush (not wire!), rub down with paper towels, then rinse off all remnant of the orange goo with water. Let dry overnight.

2. Spray the surface in segments with bathroom cleaner and scour thoroughly with fine steel wool. If this fails to lift up surface oxidation (ie, the little spots), use medium steel wool and scour until the oxidation is satisfactorily removed. Rub off with paper shop towels.

3. Polish surface with aluminum polish (almost any kind will do, this isn't a plated surface like alclad). This is best if done by hand.

4. Buff off the remaining polish with a clean paper shop towel. When the towel surface gets black, move to a clean part of the towel.

I managed to make an easy task very onerous here. But heck, think of the calories I burned!

After polishing, the window frame is shiny and ready to replace

Weekend work report

2005-05-01T23:12:00.000-04:00

A year ago, I first tried restoring my bathtub. Unfortunately the surface was so far cracked, the restoring compound ended up seeping up out of the cracks. Saturday, I started correcting those cracks.

Saturday I woke up achey, but I downed a couple of naproxen, strapped on my respirator and safety glasses and headed to work. The time horizon for this effort is somewhat limited--when we attack the back of the trailer, we'll be removing the tub, so I want to refinish it before that time.

After several hours of fighting a bucking sander, I stood up and removed myself from the tub. Granted, it was a cold, wet, rainy day--but every muscle in my body was stiff and cramped. I felt miserable. Moreover, I was completely covered with epoxy dust. Quickly I jumped into a hot tub and scrubbed myself all over. When I got out, I was sorer still. After a couple more hours of pain, I gave in and downed a Celebrex and went to bed.

By morning, the Celebrex had kicked in. Today, Rick was going to help me for part of the day (he's studying for finals right now). First we went out to Home Depot for a new Dremel head, then had breakfast out. When we got back, I put my "dust clothes" on and went back to sanding the tub. I sanded it to smooth across most of the surface. My next step will be to put a new layer of epoxy, smooth sand, then finish off with the refinishing compound (Homax's Tough as Tile). I am also going to reinforce a mended crack from the back when I get it out. Right now, I think if the rest of my steps go well, the results will be better than the original tub. I have found several "OEM" drips and spatters--these will be gone now.

Meanwhile, Rick took over in grinding down the cuts I made to the frame last Wednesday. Earlier last week, he bought a new Rotozip tool. He was looking forward to getting to use it.

My next goal is to replace all the seals on the windows. While Rick worked on his grinding, I got to work on refinishing my first window. I worked by following the project mentioned on RJ Dial's webpage.

Window seals are in bad repair...

And one window doesn't even have a gasket (that's just a fat bead of silicone holding that window in)!

I have to say, if I ever were to rate a project based on "pains in the asses," this would bring in a whole herd of donkeys! Opening the window was a mystery to me, but I figured it out after a lot of trials. When I finally got it ready for removal, I found it was too stiffly encased for me to remove by myself. I had to get Rick to help me remove the window, there was a mystery gasket I hadn't expected, the glass cracked when Rick tried to separate it from the window tape (no biggie, it's easily replaced), cleaning up the frames was messy and long task, and then there's all that nasty metalic paint a previous owner painted on everything.

The mystery gasket

After five hours of messing with this window, I gave up, covered the empty window hole with plastic, stored my tools and took a shower. I headed out to a sale at Nordstroms and finally felt restored to girliness again. When I returned home I had acquired a new suit, a Pucci scarf and miscellaneous underthings. So, we spent the evening watching tv (Miss Marple, World at War on PBS) and I started polishing the window frame with my Dremel. I have only cleaned up one half of the frame. This is going to take some time and effort to finish, darnitall.

Window taped up for rain

New Frame Diagram

2005-04-28T19:10:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is a diagram showing the damage to the frame. The near end of the frame bars are painted brown, while the front end (which is further away in the diagram) is grey. The remnant of the cross bars are red (although in real life, these are just rust colored). There are two things I can't figure out how to show in the picture quite yet--that's the wall of the trailer and the bellypan. You'll just have to imagine it running behind the red fragments.

Red area shows where the last bits of the cross member remained

Rahx wrote in that he couldn't quite make out what I was showing in yesterday's posting. I think the issue may have concerned the photo showing where I had cut at the frame. Pretty much, I cut the remnants of the red bits (on the left side). However, there is still a bit of a stub of the old cross bar left, which I will remove later.

Project Record: Replace the Teardrop Lights

2005-04-28T16:52:00.000-04:00

Difficulty (scale of 10 drills):

Materials used:
Screwdriver
2 Pairs needle nosed plyers (for fishing out wire)
Plastic scraper
A few electrical caps (blue, to replace damaged ones)
Spray cleaner/degreaser
Paper towels
Galvanized screws or Olympic rivets (#10 x 1/2" pan head slotted zinc, 3 per light)
Vulcem caulk and caulking gun
Replacement teardrop lights (available at airstream dreams)

Steps

The old Bargemen lights often have a dull lens, have broken cauk seals and are constructed from a rustable steel body, making them good candidates for replacement

1. Unscrew old lights. Carefully pull the wiring and cap out of the trailer shell, fishing for any that go astray. Note that one light will only have one wire--the lights are wired in a chain and this is the last light.

From the looks of the wiring, it appears that the old Bargeman lights were from a much older stock supply than my 1961 trailer

2. Strip clean a half inch of wiring from the new lights. Match up the new lights to the old, making sure that you replace old lights with the same colored new ones.
3. Unscrew the old wiring, checking the cap to identify if it is clean and can be reused. Twist the wiring from the new light with the wiring from the trailer. Cover it with an electrical cap and screw it together tightly.

New light connected

4. Take the plastic scraper and use it to remove the old vulcem remaining on the surface of the trailer. Wash the area with cleaner/degreaser and wipe dry.

Remove the old cault and clean the aluminum surface

5. Apply a thick bead of Vulcem caulk to the circular depression on the back side of the new lights.
6. Reposition the lights on the trailer and replace the screws. Caulk will seep out and you will find gaps between the trailer and light. Some of the gaps can be minimized by pressing to bend the aluminum edges of the lights closer to the trailer. Wipe off the excess Vulkem and allow the remaining caulk to cure.

New light installed

7. Wrap remaining Vulkem in foil and store in the freezer. Defrost it a full hour before the next task.
8. After the caulk fully cures, fill in the remaining gaps with more Vulcem (apparently, using a turkey basting syringe comes in handy here). Also, carefully remove the screws one by one (try not to disturb the seal), adding Vulkem to the hole before replacing each screw or applying an Olympic Rivet. FWIW, I plan to do this step next weekend.

Stand back, crack open a cold one and admire your work!

I found that the new lights do not completely fill in the profile of the old lights. This leaves a trace of rust on the trailer surface. Folks embarking on polish jobs may wish to incorporate light replacement into their polishing project, buffing out the rust and replacing lights as they go. For us, we are doing this to stop water leaks (and I did find that two lights leaked). We plan to clean up the rust later on when we take on polishing.

Up to My Own Mischief

2005-04-27T21:13:00.000-04:00

Had the day off work, so made it a work day!

Slept in late and headed down to Home Depot for a couple of last minute supplies. Spent a bit of time trying to find the local Zolatone dealer, but couldn't find it in the industrial park. So, got home, gathered up my tools and got cracking.

My first effort was to cut off the remaining rusted portion of the frame member on one side. I did it with my Dremel tool (yet another thing you can do with a Dremel!!!). It took a long time, got the motor a bit warm, wore out a cutting wheel, but I really liked the result. The cut was extremely clean--and the Dremel was much easier to control than I expected. However, Rick doesn't feel the cut was sufficiently flush enough, so I may have to try over again. Oh, well, I'll deal with that this weekend.

Shot of where I cut the rusted end off the frame

I also tried to clean up the rust left there, but it's a struggle. I can't get the wire wheel (on my drill) down there. I may be able to reach with the dremel's wire wheel, but I wanted to let the motor get completely cold first. So, I spent about a half hour with a wire brush, then gave up.

Then I turned my attention to the flooring. Now that we've started working on the front, we are wondering what is underneath all the rest of the floor. Once again, I pulled up the carpet to look at the tiles underneath. Then I removed all the tiles not held down by pieces of furniture. Most of the tiles pretty much popped off when I set the pry bar to them. Three and a half tiles were not so cooperative.

The old epoxy repair is the yellowish mass at the top right, near the wall

These tiles were apparently reapplied at a later date with lots of thick, sticky adhesive. These were murder to remove and took a heat gun, hammer and chisel. I had a hard time holding everything, especially with the rubber gloves that were necessary because of the adhesive. Sometimes the tiles melted before the adhesive. Finally after about 30 minutes effort, they came up...and I found a nasty lumpy epoxy and fibercloth repair! Yuck.

I also made one other unpleasant discovery...as I moved towards the back, I became aware that the subflooring had odors that you couldn't notice standing up. Bad news.

Demo efforts continue

So, when the going gets tough, the tough return to Home Depot!

This time, I did find the Zolatone dealer on the way--and was informed nicely, but firmly that they didn't sell paint except to contractors. Phooey. I'm not sure I'm taking that so easily...I'm the daughter of a builder and my Daddy taught me that there is one golden rule in the trade whenever you reach an impasse: get creative!

Continued on to Home Depot, got a handful of supplies, stopped for sushi, meditated on entering the contracting business, rolled my eyes and went home.

My last project of the day was replacing the teardrop lights on the trailer. This was an awesome project--one I highly recommend, since it takes little in the way of tools, requires little skill, but the results are fantastic.

Overall, I feel I used today productively, but can't stop wondering how much more we're still needing to do with this floor.

Workday Musings

2005-04-26T11:52:00.001-04:00

I just realized that the photo from the inside makes it look like our hitch is also separated from the frame! It really isn't--last summer I cleaned up the outside steel and painted it silver. Inside the trailer, however, the frame is painted black. The only thing that is missing is the crossbar and plate at the front. I'll try to insert a diagram of the situation here later.

Fortunately, it's a relatively easy fix. The spot is easily accessible, both from inside the trailer and from outside (by lifting up the bellypan, which now is disconnected).

Last night Rick spent time cleaning things up. Meanwhile, I wasted lots of time trying to find my wire wheel attachment for the drill. I really need to reorganize my supplies, which are now dumped into several plastic tubs.

The last thing I did was start my effort to restore the worn Airstream registration plaque next to the door. For this effort, I am testing out using liquid latex masking fluid (aka Frisket) to block out places I don't want to paint. I started applying it over the etched lettering, right up until it got too dark to work. I am using a very fine brush, but it is still a bit too clumpy to handle the really fine lines--places like the image of the bicyclist and the trailer. I think I am going to end up canabalizing another paintbrush to see if I can cut the bristles down to a finer point. Hopefully this, plus a steady hand, will cover all the image, so I can spray a light layer paint over the rest of the sign and get a good representation of the sign's original appearance.

Ordered a bundleload of supplies from Airstream Dreams. That included breaking down for the very pricey rivet shaver, which thankfully is on sale at this point. Now I have to get some more items to work on windows.

Meanwhile, I also recieved a package in the mail--a vintage WBCCI blue beret that I won last week on ebay. I saw one of these two weeks ago at the Cherry Blossom Rally and fell in love with it. Luckily, the old ones appear to be readily available from vintage clothing dealers. This old one is made from a real French wool beret (I know, because it came in its original packaging) and smacks of that oldtime "ooh la la" look! Newer WBCCI berets are made from military surplus style berets, which, I hate to say, lack a bit of style (especially when they are worn flat on the head like mushroom caps). This old one-c'est superbe! I will be strutting in style when I wear this one down low on my head like an old school beatnik!

Tommorrow I have the day off from work, so I'm probably going to get cracking on the trailer.

The Demolition Effort Continues

2005-04-24T17:09:00.000-04:00

Well, today Rick continued cutting up to the end of the wood. This came about as a result of drilling, chiselling, sawing and plain brute force. Midway through, I pitched in and we both worked at cutting--or breaking--the bolts going from the frame, through the floor and the "U" channel (a piece of bent aluminum providing an airspace between the inner and outer shells). That released, Rick lifted up the "U" channel, drilled out the front rivets--and the rusted front plate just fell away! I suppose that's one thing we're going to have to replace!

Interior view with the rusted front frame plate removed

Front plate

View from the outside--Rick removed the old battery box and drilled out the rivets holding the front plate and the forward lip of the bellypan

Damage Assessment

2005-04-24T11:42:00.001-04:00

Yesterday's photos don't really show where we see the front end damage. The following diagram shows my own observation of what appears to be damaged (all pictures can be double clicked to view them larger).

Can't Turn Back

2005-04-23T21:30:00.000-04:00

Today we did it. We went into the "can't turn back territory," we cut into the trailer.

This morning, we took turns drilling out the rivets holding the inside shell in place in the back. Removing it involved unriveting all of the window trim and rivets to adjoining pieces. The next pieces of aluminum overlapped the back one, but we were able to remove the section by lifting it out. The only complication was that there were several rivets layered under the overlapping pieces. I had to pull those sheets out while Rick drilled out the rivets. The whole experience made me very aware of how much slower I was at the drilling that Rick, who frequently does similar work when he diassembles control racks at the plant.

Once we had it all down, Rick started cutting a hole in the subfloor. He started small, then we looked in with flashlights to see what was ahead of us. Then, after a quick call to Stuart Natof, he measured off a space between the two diagonal frame members and enlarged it with the jigsaw.

Full view of the opening

What did we find? First, our flooring is much more solid than we thought. Most of it is in good shape, except for the portion to the left side. The front of the frame, however, is clearly rusting badly, probably as a result of the battery leak.

View of damage (left side)

After reading online about many tales of gross discoveries in the bellypan, I was happy that we revealed nothing particularly horrible, just small piles of rust and sawdust.

Another odd note--in the middle of our efforts, a violent thunderstorm hit. Somehow, a tiny bit of the rain leaked up into the bellypan. We're not sure how that happenened, but maybe we'll figure it out as we go. There's going to be more effort to get at this, but so far, so good.

Rip Er Out!

2005-04-21T20:47:00.000-04:00

Before we ripped it apart...

I'm on a post work high. We tore into the trailer! The kids (visiting nephews who flirted with the idea of camping out there) are gone and we have started work!

We're not quite sure quite what we face yet, but at least the gaucho is out. It was all screws, but some of them were very difficult to remove without stripping. With two of us, it took two hours! It ended up being truly a joint effort--Rick is better at handling the really tightly adhered ones, my smaller hands were better for getting the ones in tight places. Two were set underneath another board that was stapled in place. Rick was able to push it aside and I managed to loosen the screws.

Not bad for a post-work effort. Rick wants to start planning these--though I wonder how we'll fit in many of these kinds of sessions (with both of us working) with his school schedule (Rick is finishing up his college degree after work hours). Maybe it will be easier in the summer session...

The first screws come out.

The Zen of Airstream Repair

2005-04-20T20:45:00.000-04:00

As previously mentioned, Rick and I became aware of gradually feeling less and less confident in our trailer. By last summer, we were convinced something was not quite right, but we couldn’t quite put our finger on it. After showing the rusted spots we found, we were told not to worry. Deep down, we knew this wasn’t quite right. Increasingly, we found it harder to rationalize when to take the trailer on the road. By Cherry Blossom Rally time, I was determined to get a better sense of what was up.

At the rally, I started spreading the word that we would appreciate it if the more technically oriented members could look at our trailer. The biggest question in my mind at that point was why I couldn’t seem to drop the belly pan. Word spread throughout the rally…

Sunday, apparently someone had the idea that it would be good to have a little workshop about some of the more common problems in older trailers. I recall aiming for the leftover breakfast goodies when someone like Rob Baker grabbed my elbow. I was steered to a place in the meeting tent where Colin Hyde was holding court with a bunch of the more technically minded Airstreamers.

Colin frequently entertains small children with trailer horror stories

Who is Colin Hyde? Tall, quiet and intense, Colin is the kind of guy who spends most of his time studying a situation before acting. Colin’s business is devoted to developing quality renovations to vehicles, particularly Airstreams. I see him now as kind of a Zen master of trailer knowledge. But like Zen student, my mind still had to change to accommodate a better perception of reality.

When I finished explaining my questions to him, I realized I probably said “um” as much as anything of substance. Honestly, when he started asking me questions about my trailer, I got scared! I realized suddenly that he was going to give me the straight story on what was up with our trailer… and that I might not like the answer!

Colin then mentioned that dropping the bellypan might not be such a great idea. Quickly I got lost in a discussion of “U” channels, banana wraps and skins. Sensing my confusion, he grabbed a paper bag and sketched out a slice away view of the trailer wall.

“So, have you jacked her up to check it?”

Slackjawed, I muted shook my head.

“Let me get my jack. I need to look at this.”

I ran to find Rick and get to the trailer. Suddenly all the rally was gathered at my trailer. Colin arrived.

“Oh, look here where you took the banana wrap off. It’s already detatched from the frame. I bet you have popped rivets inside, don’t you?”

“Uh huh.” I looked at Rick with dread.

Colin continued, “Ok, I’m going to crank the jack on the frame and you’ll see that part that’s bent at the frame intersection just lift right up. That’s where it’s come apart.”

At this point I was wondering if we could possibly ever drive this trailer for the 40 minutes ride back to our house without it splitting apart and littering Route 495.

“See, it’s rising here when we put pressure here. Now watch, let’s have some folks come inside and I bet you’ll see it bounce apart from the frame.”

Hidden under the banana wrap, the rising dent showed where the outer skin was bouncing away from the frame

As it jiggled up and down, I continued wondering what kind of fine the police would give me for spewing the wreckage of the trailer on the highway. What would happen to my insurance rating? Would it affect my credit rating as well?

I could only imagine it wrecked

“C’mon Mary, let’s give this trailer the screwdriver test.” Colin brandished a heavy duty screwdriver from his rear pocket like a weapon and started probing it into the flooring “Oh, it’s starting to go in here. Yep, it’s the start of floor rot, front end is in crisis. Mind if I check your back?”

Rick opened the compartment where we keep our hoses. Someone in the crowd laughed “Now Colin’s getting into the real poop!”

I started getting dizzy. Rich Luhr saw me weaving on my feet. “Whoops, Mary, sit down!” I sat. “Count yourself lucky. Colin found much more on my Caravel!”

Oh. I wasn’t sure if that was good news. Colin was still probing away.

Colin called back “Yes, your rear end is all rotted plywood!” I was feeling very numb and stupid. I didn’t get it all. My mouth was frozen open. I stared at the grass. Rick hung in with Colin and the crowd and sorted details. I started staring at a small bit of aluminum that had long ago been dented at the edge of the bellypan.

“Ooh, that might be an outrigger problem.”

I heard Rich Luhr behind me again. I think he feared that I might be developing suicidal tendencies.

I closed my eyes. Colin saw me “Mary, it isn’t as bad as it all seems. It’s hard, but it’s not as bad as it could be. Just wait, it won’t be as awful as you think.”

Colin laughed when I asked whether to worry about trailer home in one piece. “Of course you will! This problem has been here for years. I can look into fixing it, but my shop is a long ways away. You need to stop right now and think things through.”

Stuart Natoff came up and gave me a hug. “Don’t worry, it will work out.”

I was vaguely aware of one of the ladies (I think it might have been Katrina) from the rally putting a cold beer into my hands. “It will be ok; the guys in the unit will figure it all out.”

I started breathing. I drank a bit of the beer. Rick kissed my forehead. “Honey, why don’t get your mind off this and look at some of the other trailers?”

Wandering, I headed out. Patti Raimondo and Gayle McClelland started to climb up a ladder to the observation deck on top of Clayton Roger’s old mobile police command unit (one of the odder Airstreams at the rally). “C’mon up here, Mary, the view is amazing—and it will make you forget all your bad trailer news!”

I climbed up there with my beer and sat on the platform. Suddenly, the Zen of Airstream repair dawned on me. I suddenly recognized that I’d found some real friends in the WDCU. Yes, the trailer had problems. But more than that, I was loving that moment (so very Zen!), watching the sun reflect of the roofs of all of the trailers and seeing all my WDCU friends from that very high perch.

Everything was going to be okay.

Signs of Trouble Appear

2005-04-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

Who knows how much trouble lie beneath the calm aluminum exterior

At the end of August, 2003, the Toaster—a 1961 Airstream Safari model—joined our family. Ever since Rick and I had met another young couple traveling and working full time from an rv in Utah nearly a decade ago, I have dreamed of hitting the road with total freedom. Getting our Toaster was our first step towards realizing that dream.

Last summer, Rick noticed a panel of the frame beneath the aluminum skin was almost completely rusted away. Closer observation while painting the trailer hitch seemed to indicate that a long ago battery leak had seeped from the front battery box down to the frame. Concerned, we cancelled our planned trip out West. We just didn’t trust that the trailer could take going over the mountains. Friends found this silly—the trailer looked great—and anyways, the previous owners had taken it to Florida the previous winter, hadn’t they?

The frame is the true utility trailer that the rest of our camper is built on. I started researching. First I played—and replayed—the Vintage Airstream Club’s DVD of old Airstream movies, focusing carefully on the scenes showing the old trailer. Eventually I determined that the damaged part we saw was the thin sheet of steel at the front end of the trailer that appeared to mostly serve to hold the skin out. But I did wonder how far the damage went back into the places I couldn’t see…

So, on a fine fall day after consulting with fellow members of my local Vintage Airstream club, the Washington DC Unit (WDCU) of the Wally Byam Airstream Caravan Club International (WBCCI), I decided to drop the aluminum sheathing covering the bottom front end of my trailer. Following the advice of other Airstreamers on the Internet, I attempted this by drilling out the rivets that attached the aluminum trim strip (better known as a banana wrap) that appeared to hold the bottom on to the trailer. At the end of the day, I was dusty and dirty from rolling under the trailer, the banana wrap was off, but the belly pan was firmly attached to the trailer.

Well, at this point I felt I had earned a tiny bit of street cred for removing the rivets, but that darn pan was driving me nuts! So, I called Stuart Natof, a fellow member of WDCU who had completely overhauled a similarly aged Bambi.

“Mary,” he said, “I had that problem too. There’s no way of knowing how high the rivets go to attach that belly pan. Do what I did, just cut it away. If you do it in sections, you can use the holes later as removable access panels.”

That all made sense, but I agonized over cutting into the aluminum. I bought flashing at the hardware store to get a feel for cutting with tin snips—and quickly decided I didn’t have the hand strength for it. A friend who works as a union metal worker suggested using a Sawzall—but the idea of controlling that kind of contraption close to my face and on my back didn’t appeal either. Then I thought of using a Dremel tool or possibly a Rotozip. Before I knew it, it was rally time again…

Cherry Blossom Rally time. This is annual early spring camping gathering that draws vintage airstream enthusiasts from all over the country to the Washington DC area. Fortunately, the Cherry Blossom Rally is only about 30 miles from our house. I pulled out a deep effort on interior finishings to prepare for the rally’s open house. I covered cushions, made drapes (ok, another epic, too), sanded the tub out and refinished the interior wood. After three weeks of effort, the trailer wasn't perfect, but the inside looked pretty nice. Last Thursday we finally got packed up and hit the road in two vehicles.

I followed Rick in a second car, so he could use it to drive back to go to work on the second rally day. All the way over, I was amazed by how much the rear end of the trailer bounced up and down every time we traveled over a rise in the road. Watching the trailer from the other car, I gained a new perspective on the trailer—and it added to my growing sense of dread that something was very wrong inside. “Honey,’ I said to Rick, “the Toaster’s suspension looks bad.”