Putting the end cap back in!

Okay, before you all get excited at the progress I'm making ...these are not MY endcaps.  As some of you know, I have a twin sister that is restoring a 1960 Tradewind .  She and her husband are at the point of putting their endcaps back in and we promised to help them.  Lets just say they OWE us.  And the beers don't count!     I know this post is long and not so many pretty pictures but stick with it - there's a cautionary tale at the end...No NO NO...don't skip to the end.  Stick with me folks!

First off the cast of characters:

Peter (my BIL) :  Peter is the Mr.  "I'm going to figure out the worst case scenario for everything and have a plan in place for everything that could go wrong, so that if it does, we will be able to fix it!"

Susan (my twin):  Mrs " Why did you do that? What did you just do?  I can't believe you just did that.  Do you realize what you just did?  Can we just get this DONE!" 

Peter (my husband):   Mr Stoic,  He doesn't say much and at one point abandoned us to go read a book cause we were spending too much time talking about how we were going to do something.

Me :  I'm perfect ........enuf said

  First of all, having both of our husbands' named Peter was a bit of a pickle.    Sometimes that works to my  my advantage, but in this case it didn't.  It was very confusing ....  I'd say something like "Peter, lower your edge" and they both would do it.  Sheesh. 

First attempt!

Following Colin Hyde's advice we clecoed the front window in (took literally five minutes and I thought piece of cake!     Then we tried to work the skin back into its old position by pushing and shoving at it....  or as my BIL put it "massaging it".  HA! It was massaging us a heck of a lot more and I've got the bruises to prove it!  The best we were able to get was 2 inches away from the original rivet holes on the center line.  No way, no how.

So we stood back and discussed it a bit.....and a bit more....
and finally decided that it looked like it would be a lot easier if the center line clecoes were in (see picture below) , and we just had to push the end cap out far enough to get the window clecoed.   So out comes the first clecos and we start over.

Airstream: 1

Us : Zilch


But we did learn from the attempt and decided to cut a piece of plywood to use as a brace so every time we pushed we didn't lose ground, so to speak..   I bet it took us an hour to get that center line of clecoes in.  We were pretty pleased though and certain we were headed in the right direction.   Over the next hour,  we realized that just because we had 90% of the clecoes in doesn't mean that the other 10 % are going to follow suit.

No sirree!   No matter how much we "massaged it"  we couldn't get it done.  We blamed it on having too much insulation in the walls,  but I don't think that was it.  Now imagine how we felt when we realized that we were going to have to take all of our beautiful &*%$# work out and start all over again.  We had planned to put both endcaps in the same day and here it was rounding up the end of day one, and we were no farther ahead then when we started!  This sucked.  Out came the clecoes...Third times the charm right???? (Or for those of you in the UK...Third times lucky!!)


Airstream: 2
Us : Zilch - and starting to feel like the Red Sox when Lackey's pitching......

We decided to start....after even MORE discussion... back with the front window .  I swear when I get home I'm not going to say a single word for a whole day.... I haven't talked this much since I was in middle school and the new hot guy moved into town!

We also cut two more pieces of wood and covered them with rags.   Basically we'd brace them against the floor using our feet as blocks and with a rubber mallet we pound down on them.  This forced the fiberglass to get closer to the wall.  Another hour and we got everything clecoed in except for a few on the left side on the center line. It was now 8:45 PM and the light was gone.  We called it quits and even though none of us said anything (for once!!!!!)  I'm sure we all thought that maybe it wasn't ever going to fit.   Ever heard the expression putting a square peg in a round hole? 

I had brought a chocolate truffle cake and beer with me to celebrate..... we ate and drank them anyway.  Chocolate and beer makes anything better!


Day Two

With lots of coffee on board we started early!  It took plenty of trying but eventually we discovered how we needed to position the boards to get the endcap to move in the right direction.    It really helped to have  my BIL who's over 6 feet to be able to see what the rivet holes were doing. Hopping up and down on a step stool after each blow gets old, fast.

Finally it was in!!!!!!!!

Airstream: 2
Us : 1  Finally on the board :)


But the other one had a palpable evil  presence in the corner.    Onward.

Actually,  this is where it gets interesting...And not in a good way.  

Hey Sis - if you are reading this its time to sit down!    And remember all's well that ends well!

Well, my sister took off to pick up their daughter at a friends house.   The rest of us figured we'd see how far we could get with the second endcap.  We all got in the trailer and picked up the endcap and held it up in place and my BIL started to feed the wires through,   and I saw him fall over to one side and I thought "HUH?"  And then I realized that it wasn't him.  THE TRAILER WAS MOVING!!!!   Yep,  we somehow neglected the fact that the trailer had a pivot point and by putting all that  weight in the rear we had triggered it.  The trailer started to roll backwards and of course fell off its leveling pads. I could see the front of the trailer starting to rise up in the air and all I could think was CRAP CRAP CRAP!  I ran up front and that brought the tongue down far enough that we stopped.  I wish I could say it was my excellent thinking that saved us,  but quite frankly I was thinking more along the lines of....  If we started to roll,  I'm jumping out the door and abandoning ship!  I've got a very good sense of self preservation I guess!


Regardless,  thanks to the chock on the other wheel, I don't think we would have gone very far, but boy did we feel STUPID.  Really all this happened in like 4 seconds, but it had that unreal "my life is flashing before my eyes" feeling. 

So we decided that come hell or high water,  we were going to have that trailer back in place like nothing ever happened before my sister got back. 
BIL ran to get his keys to the truck....
truck wouldn't start....
had a dead battery ...( of course it does)...
backed up our van up to jump start it with ....fastest jump start I've done in my life
backed up to the trailer.....
hooked up the battery to the electric jack....
got the  trailer pulled forward and lined up.... several tries
put the leveling blocks back.....
positioned the trailer back on them.
 leveled the trailer again.
Checked for damage...nothing..... PHEW!

I know some of you could do this with one hand behind your back, but my husband and I have never hitched anything and I don't think my BIL has done it a dozen times yet!  Just backing the trailer in a straight line is a challenge. 


I made my BIL promise  not to tell my sister (She can read about it in my blog!).   So Susie, DON"T BLAME PETER (your husband,  that is)  ....we were all so tired and we didn't want to confess how stupid we were.    And we still had another end cap to put it!!!!!   We had just enough time to look at each other and think "Did that really just happen?"....put a few clecoes in the window,  and my sister came home.   I  think she wondered a bit about how little we got done but now she's knows why!   And yes, as far as I know she's reading about it here with you. 

The last end cap took one try ....still not fun but 3 out of the 4 of us had adrenaline highs going on!  LOL About 3/4 of the way through my BIL started to whistle and we saw the light at the end of the tunnel.  One of the things that really helped was to leave the clecos on the vertical sides of the window undone.  Basically the order we used was:  cleco the top of the window and then start in the center of the end cap and work back and forth. a few clecoes to the rights then a few to the left.  Then finish with the sides of the window.

Airstream: 2
Us : 2   Final score haha 

So now you know the rest of the story!     And the moral of the story is three adults in the back of the trailer is not a good idea!

Can't believe I'm going to have to do this again on my trailer ...sigh



    
 

Almost there!!!!

Another roadtrip back to Vermont to continue stripping the interior of Moonraker.  It was good to be back to work!

We wanted to take the rest of the interior out, and I had promised my sister and my BIL  (Susan and Peter) that we would help them put their interior skins back together.  They have a 1960 Tradewind.  That will be my next post!

Anyway, Saturday, while my sister and BIL finished up on putting insulation in, my husband and I worked on Moonraker.

Here's what we started with!

If Habitrail ever wants to market a EXTRA LARGE habitat for mice, gerbils and such, it might want to study my lovely pictures! LOL .  Not to scare you all but if you haven't done a complete full monte,  and you own a vintage trailer,  this is likely what's in your walls YECHHHHHH!   There's a reason why some older Airstream's have a very distinctive smell! 

My kids growing up were allowed pretty much any pet they wanted.... but not mice or rats... My brother had a pet boa constrictor when we were kids and he decided to raise rats for it to eat.  We started with two and in no time we were overrun with rats.... that started interbreeding..... and having extra limbs and stuff.  Then the mother's started eating their own babies and SHUDDER.   I'm not sure which I hate more.... pink insulation or mice..... but one things for sure ...They're OUTTA HERE!   

 I never thought that the whole right lower side of the trailer was one piece,  but it was!   I really wish I could get the curbside/streetside lingo straight.  My BIL has patiently explained it to me on more than one occasion but I think it has something to do with my lousy sense of direction.  I am abysmally,  hopelessly, directionally challenged.  When I was 17,  I drove to high school for the first time by myself and I GOT LOST!   I had to explain to the principal that I was late because I got lost even though I'd been going to the school for more than 2 years!  Sheesh,  it went over as well as the whole "the dog ate my homework" shtick.   Anyway I digress (as usual) but I had to label all my metal panels "stove side" or   "refrigerator side"  Pretty sad , huh?

 

Okay here was something different?  On my sister's 1960 Tradewind there is a center panel that runs down the middle of the roof of the trailer.  The left and right long sides of the center panel are riveted (with LOTS of rivets) to the side panels but aren't attached to the ribs.  They were able to take out the long center section and both the side panels as one big piece.

I thought I was going to do the same but then I noticed I have a seam running directly down the middle.  No biggie,  I thought I can still take it out in one big piece.....  Well, not so much, things weren't budging and I decided that enough was enough,  and drilled the rivets out on that center seam too!  What I discovered was that when they built the trailer they had fastened these random sized backer plates (kinda like the wood floor cleats that stiffen the subfloor)  that they attached to the ribs and then attached the center seams to the backer plate.  In the picture it's the piece of metal with the 2 white rub marks.  Those are the "backer plates"   Darn, now that I think of it, I was so busy taking pictures that I'm pretty sure I didn't label those pieces!!!!    Good thing I'm a whiz at puzzles.... unless they are of maps of course LOL!

 My husband removed most of the pink stuff ...errr mouse bedding that is!.  I just can't stand the stuff and am ecstatic that we are replacing it with Prodex.  I do think someone was a little trigger happy with the spray adhesive!  

Actually,  in many spots the insulation had compacted quite a bit.  Must have been cold while hunting! 

End cap removal!!!!!!     Hope they go back in as easy as they came out! 
























All packed up! 

Only things left are the belly pan which I am soooooo looking forward to..... NOT!   And the tub removal which should be relatively straightforward..... if I hadn't just jinxed it that is!

It will be nice to get a good look at the frame.   I've had a few nightmares about that one!   We'll see....




My next post will be about the lovely time we had putting the end caps back in my sisters trailer...stay tuned cause it was a doozy!

I'm bored...

Okay, its been a while and I'm betting some of you are wondering what's up!  The truth of the matter is what with hatching baby chicks....

 My son's graduation from high school ...

And the family vacations we've been busy.  Even while on the beach - Airstream's RULE!!!!!!   This was my nieces creation..  I think the fantastic fans and the moon roof are nice touch, don't you? 

  So not much has been getting done - That will change this weekend as I head up north again to finish  ( I hope....)  taking the interior skins out as well as help my sister and BIL put the skins back in their trailer.  I'm supremely jealous of the stage they are at!!!!   But I'm also learning from all their mistakes and redo's!  

So, while I have been deprived of my Overlander I haven't been totally inactive.   Ebay and Etsey are my new best friends....wanna see?

I've struggled with the restoration vs remodel question and think I have a good compromise.  I will be restoring the outside of the trailer but inside I'm rebuilding from scratch in a style I like .  Moonraker is a 1963 so she's not a legacy trailer and not one of the rarer models (Shhhhhhh, whisper that, I still think she's special and don't want to hurt her feelings!)  Since I don't intend to resell ever, I'm going to take her back to the fifty's.  Light wood, curved corners, and with more of an art deco theme than mid-century modern.

I digress but here's the reason for my post - I've gone shopping!.   If my poor husband sees one more package "for the Airstream"  he's going to lockup my Paypal account!  But what's a gal going to do when she's bored.... shop of course!

Melmac plates in my favorite shade...aqua!   I really like the cereal  bowls that have these little handles on the side.  One thing's for sure the size of plates and bowls have grown over the years!  These are petite! 

These are my new headboad lights...yes I realize the glass shades don't match.  I kinda like that and they have this beautiful art deco styling on the metal ends.  They need a little cleaning still, but will make pretty cool reading lights over the twin beds.

Isn't this detail gorgeous?   Sorry its so blurry...  I'm going to screw them directly to the wall and probably convert them to have a strip of LED's inside.   The bulb they have now has a large filament and I can't see it surviving bouncing down the road!!!!   Any opinions as to whether the glass shade will be okay?  I may have to rig some way of removing them "for the ride".   I don't care for the idea of glass in the trailer but these were freakin cute! 

A few more finds... A vintage paper/foil/wax holder in the back , very cool and streamlined o hang on the wall.  To the left is a vintage Ice-o-matic Chrome Buckeeter and to the right is a West Bend Hot/ Cold Server that is insulated.  It has bakelite knobs and cute penguins that march around it.  Straight from the 1950's.  It matches a cocktail shaker that I have that's shaped like a penguin too.   Cocktails anyone? 

 My husband thought I was officially nuts with this one...A VINTAGE FLASHLIGHT????...... YOU"VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!! 

Me: (in a small voice)  But it's a vintage Rayovac Sportsman that converts from nine batteries to... uh......never mind...

Seriously, I wish I had put something next to it  for scale as this picture doesn't do it justice, the light is huge.  Like a moon! Bigger than a breadplate.  With all the extensions its 19 inches long .... And it will have this cool leather strap... ah forget it, there's no convincing you....either you get it or you don't!  

 Continuing on with the lighting theme ...  and the aqua-liciousness LOL.  This is a ribbed plastic table light, very retro and will be  perfect on the dinette.  When I showed this to my husband he reminded me that he wants a sofa up front , OOOPS!   Forgot about that!  I'm sure I'll find a spot somewhere...  Love, love the Rocket shape.   Repeat after me....Mood lighting is a good thing... Hmmm wonder if I can convert this sucker to LED too?  

  My Darling daughter gave me this retractable clothesline for Mothers day.  Love it!  It's never even been used!











And I haven't even told you all about the legomatic chairs or the vintage fan (aqua of course) or the new Bargman L100 knob (stocking up as they have been discontinued)   I'll stop now... promise....putting away the credit card...


Hey this all isn't part of the budget right????  I think I'm doing this the wrong way.   If I continue at this rate I'm going to run out of money before I pay Colin!!!!!   Hey Colin,   if you're reading this you better get to my trailer sooner rather than later!!!  Just kidding :)  

By the way, for those of you that don't know.... Colin (aka  Colin Hyde's Trailer Restorations ) has moved into a brand new shop.  According to my BIL it's pretty neat setup and that's where the Moonraker will get her facelift.  Oh wait,  I think that's bottomlift! Can't wait! 

Okay I already broke my promise ...Look what was waiting in my driveway!  At least it's practical right?  But it was a buy one, get one free so I feel totally justified... so what if I'm months from using it!

Updates after thus weekend, Bye all!