Friday, November 28, 2014

The Barber Shop

  
A trip to the local barber shop can keep one looking sharp with a fresh cut and keep you current on gossip and local news.  Such was the case on my latest visit.  My barber knew that I was obsessed with older Airstream trailers.  As I was being quaffed, my barber told me about a garage sale down the road where a fellow was trying to sell an "old Airstream trailer."  

The barber explained that he had been there only yesterday and had actually seen the trailer.  
"Oh yes," he said. "It's an old one."

  My eyes widened as I learned the details.  I had a hard time sitting still as he trimmed and chattered.  


I knew exactly where the trailer was located.  I would drive there immediately.


This is what I saw from the road !


As I pulled into the driveway my heart skipped a few beats !
It was old alright. And it looked like it was in good shape.


There it was. It had bee sitting there for several years.  
I was shaking with anticipation !


 On closer inspection I found that it was all there !!!
It was being used as a storage shed.
I had to have her.

1952 Flying Cloud.
(21 feet-California built)
I summoned the owner and immediately made my "deal of a lifetime."



Now to get her home.  I had to cut some tree limbs and change a tire to get her out.



Once I got her out she was good to go !



Here she is all cleaned up.


Her name is "Siri," a 1952 Flying Cloud-21 feet with single axle.
My wife said, "This one is mine."

"Siri" joins the family with 
"See-More," a 1959 Ambassador-29 feet with double axle 
and
 "Stella," a 2000 Excella-34 feet with triple axles.

Stay tuned - "Siri" will have a blog of her own soon ...

P.S. - Oh, I had to get a job to support this (aluminum) habit.

Vent Stack


This vent stack is located on the roof of the trailer in the kitchen area.  It is used to vent the fumes from the furnace. Modern RV furnaces are vented through the sidewall of the trailer making this vent stack and interior vent piping obsolete.  We will remove the inside vent piping but keep the vent stack on top of the roof to maintain the "vintage look" on the outside of the trailer.



The vent pipe was routed up through the kitchen cabinets and then boxed in on top of the counter top. It continued up through the overhead cabinet and out the roof stack.
Making the vent inoperable and removal of the piping will provide additional space.
   

The roof hole for the vent will be closed off and sealed.


This picture shows the vent stack removed. The area was then cleaned and shinned.


To cover the area a patch was fashioned from the same type aluminum .


The patch was installed using pop rivets and sealed with caulking.


The patch was made smaller than the vent base cover for proper fit.
The vent stack will be polished before being re-installed permanently.