Category Archives: renovation

New Battery System

As I noted last week, I have been looking at options to strengthen our electrical system for those times where we are not hooked up. I decided to install two AGM batteries and a new controller under our couch which would double our capacity and also give us room for further expansion.

So I went down to my friends at Vintage Trailer Supply and talked to them about converters. Steve, the owner, thought that my existing converter would probably work ok but I opted to buy a new INTEL-POWER 9200 which “monitors the battery voltage then automatically adjusts the converter output voltage to provide the proper charging voltage for fast recharge and long-term maintenance.”

I felt that the expensive AGM batteries needed a state-of-the-art converter.

I felt that the expensive AGM batteries needed a state-of-the-art converter.

I had pretty much narrowed my battery choices down to 105 AH units from Fullriver or Lifeline which sell for over $300 per unit. I went with Lifeline because they are American-made and I got a good price from Powerstride Battery who got them here in four days with free shipping.

The installation of the converter was relatively smooth with just two leads to change – but of course it wasn’t that easy – the grounding wire was almost too short because it attaches on the far end of the unit. I got it going and soon was testing it on my existing battery, which it brought up to full charge over a day or so.

The major project while I awaited the new batteries was to move all the wires into the trailer. First, from inside the trailer, I labeled all the wires since some stay as is (the solar lines) and others (the wire for the tongue jack) have to be extended to come inside.

I reluctantly the terminal clamps off (the new units don’t use posts) and used my torch and solder to attach two new leads. Since I did it outside right near the tongue, I disconnected and moved the two propane tanks far away. I pulled all the lines inside, brought my old battery inside, and hooked it up to test the new setup. I got it done on a sunny day just before a front brought an all-day rainstorm.

Testing out the new wiring with my old battery. The container will be under the couch - it's there for spacing. We are sacrificing the middle storage unit for the batteries.

Testing out the new wiring with my old battery. The container will be under the couch – it’s there for spacing. We are sacrificing the middle storage unit for the batteries.

The Lifeline batteries came UPS yesterday afternoon and soon I was moving them into place. They have a 6mm terminal and a positive 8mm one. I knew that but it turned into a hassle as all my positive fittings had holes that were too small. I reamed and drilled out a couple, with some colorful language but I wired them up in parallel and while several leads are too long, the system seems to be in good shape. The converter started polishing off their charge right away.

The two Lifelines in parallel with a wiring setup that could use some cleanup - although no one will see it under the couch.

The two Lifelines in parallel with a wiring setup that could use some cleanup – although no one will see it under the couch.

I need to build a containment system around the batteries to keep them from moving. I have the materials and then it’s just moving the couch back, fastening it down, and cleaning it up. I think that this is going to be a good project to give us more flexibility in camping sites – and it is nice to have it done.

Bumper Tag

Dear Mayor of the City of Laurel, Mississippi: "I’m sorry about the scrape marks and gouge my Airstream left on 32nd Avenue but you really need to make those gutter ditches a little shallower."

Yes, we had a little "issue" turning into the driveway of our friens, Jason and Kevin, when we stopped for brunch the other day. It was a narrow street and a deep rain gutter before the driveway and sure enough, I heard and felt the rear end scrape on the pavement as we made the turn. Our back bumper got adjusted a bit and now looks like this:

We had a wonderful meal, with no skimping on calories, and enjoyed seeing our dear friends. Then, it was off for Louisiana. I didn’t dare back up and do more damage, so they offered to allow us to drive over the lawn, saying that it was pretty firm. Jason got some 2x8s to fill in the ditch where we would cross and aside from one tire spin (I should have used 4WD) the exit was easy. We did leave them a tire track to remember us by. And we have a souvenir as well, a nice splattering of southern clay, thrown up by the truck tires on to the Airstream.

We are now in Texas, heading to Mission in the morning. It was nice to get off I-10 and through Houston. Temperature was 73 yesterday although the stiff wind made the wind chill about 55. Cooler today but nothing like our VT friends are enduring.

One-legged Polishing

My knee, injured on August 2nd, is bothersome but as I await surgery next week, I can do some polishing.  I pretty much have finished the top half of the Airstream and now can work, sitting in a chair, on the lower panels.  I take it 45 minutes at a time and rest a lot — but it’s good to see some continued progress.

I know I’ll be disabled again after next Tuesday’s arthroscopic procedure and lose a few weeks while I recover so I’ve been pecking away, keeping the weight and pressure off my bad leg.

It’s still very slow going.  There is a lot of residual flecks of clearcoat that have to be removed, slowing the process a lot.  Some are really stubborn — but I’ve learned to use solvent, even fine steel wool.  What I’m finding is that the lower sections are pretty dinged up — lots of road rash — but they polish up pretty well.  I have taken off the one protective panel on the front since the other is long gone on the roads outside Houston, and replacements are very pricey.

The squiggles are reflections in the morning sun — it looks ok with just the first pass of polishing. 

I’ll work on it a few hours more before surgery and then see how things go.  I can always head out this winter with work to do and polish the rest down south.  There are times where I question why I ever started this but all in all, it was a good move.  The injury has put a crimp in the schedule but the worst is over.

I have started to do some preliminary planning for our trip this year — reviewing places we like and places we’ll never visit again.  Now we have to get both of us tuned up and ready to travel.  We are keeping our doctors’ cash flow flowing — they’ll likely all take great winter vacations.  Safe traveling.

Slow Going

Between the weather, which has continued hot and humid with afternoon showers, and the persistent flecks and patches of clearcoat (which have to be removed with dabs of Strypeeze), the polishing is quite a project. As you can see, the top areas I have completed look pretty good. They will next get a pass with a finer polish which should remove most of the swirls and cloudy areas. Of course, I realized the other day that the two replaced panels in back did not have clearcoat, and seem to be a slightly different aluminum. They will polish up but not as shiny but who really cares?

You can see the contrast between the polished and unpolished areas here on the panel just above the buffer.

One thing this project has stimulated is my planning for this winter’s trip. I’m reviewing the dozens of campground where we have stayed and lidting the good ones, with sites we like, and also have a “never again list by states.

We’ve had a cold front come through so polishing should be a bit more bearable. It’s fun to chalk off one more section, but there’s always more ahead. Fortunately, we are in no big hurry.

 

Let The Polishing Fun Begin

After over 30 hours of prep (But who’s counting? I am.) I’m starting in on the polishing. I’m starting with F7 Nuvite, a rather coarse polish from Vintage Trailer Supply here in Montpelier. I’ll run a finer polish later if and when I finish this set of sessions, which will likely be 20-25 hours. The weather, hot and muggy, is not conducive to long periods of work. So I sit down inside with iced coffee and write about it.
Here’s how the front looked at the start – lots of oxidation from the peeled clearcoat.

Polishing involves smearing very small strips of polish on an area and using a slow-speed polisher to allow the particles in the F7 to strip off a minute layer of aluminum. You let the electric polisher do the work but it still takes a lot of energy to control it.

Building arm strength controlling polisher. It looks cooler out than it was – 80 degrees with high humidity.

It is a messy process – lots of small black bits of polish and I always wear a mask – even though it is tough in the heat. I decided to keep the initial session on the top front panel and will perhaps tackle another section this evening. If you are inclined to polish an Airstrteam or an airplane, Steve from VTS has a nice primer you can download here.

The polished area looks very bright, with swirl marks from the coarse polish. So far, so good.

Stripping Between Showers

We are, like most of the East, in a humid spell where days finish with showers and thunderstorms — and the air is heavy and Maryland-like. It’s not great painting weather but OK for stripping clearcoat — as long as I get five or six hours between application and rain.

I am using a new safer stripper that I bought from Vintage Trailer Supply. Here’s part of whart they say about it:

For many years, vintage Airstream owners have relied on RemovAll 220 peroxid-activated paint stripper to remove the plasticoat from their trailers before polishing. RemovAll is no longer available in North America. Fortunately, PPG Aerospace makes a paint stripper based on the same principles as RemovAll. It is called Eldorado PR-5044.

PR-5044 is a peroxide-activated paint and primer remover. It works well because it is designed for removal of polyurethane and epoxy paint systems in the aerospace industry. PR-5044 is environmentally preferred and worker-friendly. It does contain petroleum distillates, so it does produce fumes. You will need to read all safety information before using. However, it is not a hazardous material and is much easier to use and safer than traditional aircraft strippers.

So, it looks like vanilla pudding and paints on rather easily. Here is the first panel I tried it on:

That worked out pretty well so the next day, I applied it on the upper section.

After a thundershower rinsed it, I spent some time with water and rags removing the coating which tended to come off like Saran wrap. At times, whole sections several square feet in size just peeled off — other areas were more stubborn. Some will require more stripper.

The removed coating looks like cellophane and will be easy to clean up later on.

So, the upper right side is 95% done and after a break for the 4th, I’ll start on the lower. It’s slow going but I just realized, after talking with my brother, that the two new panels we had replaced are coating free. I figure I have about 14 hours in and another 20 to go – before beginning to polish.

The upper right side is about done – now to start on the decals and lower section.

 

Meeting Mr. Filiform

I have decided to tackle the peeling clearcoat on the Airstream on a casual basis – a panel or two at a time. So today I continued to use up the Stypeeze on some lower panels. I found that the top half came off fast – I could hear the covering crinkling up as I applied stripper below. The lower half was much tougher- I wonder if they put two layers down nearer the road.

stripped clearcoat
The clearcoat comes off pretty well after 15-20 minutes using water and a rag (and protective gloves.)

As I have cleared off areas, I am noting areas of so-called filiform. Filiform corrosion on Airstream happens at the cut edges, rivet holes, scratches, and fittings from moisture and ocean or winter road salt begins at the unprotected aluminum at those areas and spreads under the clear coat finish, where it flourishes because it cannot dry out easily. Various owners handle it differently – some ignore it, some try to recover it with clear lacquer, others wax the heck out of it.

filiform on edge
Here is some filiform along a seam.
filiform along rivet holes
filiform forms around rivets as well.

In doing some online research, I found that a combination of wet sandpaper and then polishing is the way to go. I only had 400 grit sandpaper (I need 800, 1000 as well) so I tried a couple of test spots. Here’s how it looks — not sure it is better but it is nearly gone.

I purchased a gallon of stripper from Steve at Vintage Trailer Supply and will start using that next week. It promises to be easier on the user.

I read somewhere that it takes 200 hours to polish an Airstream the first time. I may do half this year and the rest next. So it might look a little strange – hey, get over it!

 

Airstream Dermatology

It’s well known that the clear coat used on Airstream exteriors weakens and starts peeling after UV exposure. Some say it starts in five or six years, others seem to do a little better. We had a little peeling when we bought the Safari five years ago but it has gotten steadily worse. It is just cosmetic but as we consider options, I know that potential buyers won’t be too impressed. Here’s what it looked like from the front.

The clear coat and Airstream name was looking pretty ratty.

I decided to strip the clearcoat and polish the aluminum on the top front where the situation was the worst. Steve at Vintage Trailer Supply recommends an environmentally-safe stripper and I’ll use that down the road, but I had an expensive gallon of brain-frying Strypeeze so I used that. At least it was outdoors and with purple nitrile gloves, I painted it on the panel. It looked like this.

The Strypeeze wrinkled up the clearcoat, which then could be wiped off.

After several applications of stripper, I hit it with some lacquer thinner and got most of the remnants off. The peeled areas are oxidized and so the whole panel needs to be polished. That’s next week’s task once the heavy rains scheduled here soon subside.

The non-oxidized areas look pretty good giving me hope for good polishing results.

I have the feeling that this is going to turn into a major project, but at least it doesn’t all have to be done this summer. The softer aluminum used in later Airstreams doesn’t shine up like the older ones, but it should look fine. We will see.

Nearly Ready to Go

For the last several weeks, when it was not freezing or 8o degrees outside, I’ve been working away, polishing the inside of the trailer.  (Last Fall, I had taken off the grimy “mouse fur” lining the walls and fried a few brain cells getting the glue off the walls.) The polishing is just hard grimy work which requires removing the oxidation and rust with one compound, and then finishing up with another.  It looks pretty good.

The polished walls, with terrible reflections from outside, before I started re-installing beds and cabinets.

I had carefully marked most of the stuff I had removed and stored down cellar, putting the screws in small plastic bags and taping them to the item.  It worked pretty well although the rails to hold the curtains were a challenge.  I had multiple sets of holes in the walls but with Mary’s help holding the ends, and some retries, we got them in place.

Here is a similar shot after the bed, the cabinet, and the infamous curtain railing were installed.  Getting there.

Installing the curtains is a trick, especially with bifocals.  You have to thread little plastic holders into a rail while hunched over and working more by feel.  They are installed, the floor is cleaned up, and I only have Mary’s side to finish and the back end of the trailer is ready.

My side is about ready to go with mattress in place.  All it needs is the dog sleeping on it.

I got the rig de-winterized with fresh water on board — only one problem so far with a spray hose in the sink which sprays me instead of the sink.  I tested out the water heater and finally got the refrigerator going on gas.

Our game plan is to finish up the repairs this week and take a short trip over to Ricker Pond State Park next week for a few days of shakedown.  Feels good to get it this far.

Getting the Rig Back Together

The snow has melted, mud season is over, and the pinched nerve in my neck has been somewhat relieved.  It is time to tackle the many tasks needed to get the Airstream back on the road.  Recall that I finally got the repairs made to the exterior last fall but all the cabinets, beds, and accessories that I removed and stored down cellar have to be reinstalled.

The snow has finally melted and it’s time to tackle a myriad of projects to get the rig roadworthy again.

But first, I need to deal with the front jack whose motor and gearing failed last year, after several years of burned connections and emergency fixes.  It no longer works at all, which makes it a little tricky to get hitched up.

The jack has been on the rig since 1999 so the three bolts holding it on are rusted in place.  I suspect that I am going to have to cut them off so I borrowed my neighbor’s angle grinder and bought a cutting wheel.  Not sure how I’ll open up the three holes to bolt the new one on.

I ordered a replacement jack from my friends at Vintage Trailer Supply and since they are based in Montpelier, will pick it up on Thursday.  I’m sure they can give me a little advice on steps ahead.  Stay tuned — or if you have ideas, leave a comment.