Inside the Trailer

The wall inside the trailer received two styles of insulation.  Reflectix and fiberglass batt insulation. Reflectix is a brand name sold by Lowes stores and is readily available in various widths and lengths.  It is an aluminum double faced bubble wrap about 1/4 inch thick.  Reflectix is a thin layer of insulation applied to the inner skin to reduce intense heat transfer from the exterior hot metal skin to the interior of the trailer in the summer time.   The other type of insulation is an unfaced fiberglass batt insulation that is 1 1/4 inches thick.   The wiring will also be placed inside the walls between the layers of insulation so space is limited within the walls.

I sourced the reflectix type insulation for a long time and was able to find a good deal on an overstocked job site.  The roll was more than enough for my trailer.

I chose to purchase a big roll 48 inches wide.

Each cavity between the ribs was measured and pieces were cut using a utility knife and straight edge.

3M Super 77 multipurpose spray-on glue was used to anchor the material directly onto the inner skin.

Looking good!

After finishing a plan was needed for the installation of the wiring.  Rebuilding a trailer is much like building a house.  The trailer wiring system requires three different systems.  They include wires for the exterior vehicle lights, the 12 volt system service and the 120 volt service.

Very interesting!

Where do all of these wires go?

It became necessary to design a wiring schematic for the 12 volt and 120 volt systems.  I will include these in a binder with the trailer for future trouble shooting.

Labeling of these wires was a must!

Duct tape helps hold things in order.

Planning well ahead was necessary.
This is one of three 12 volt switches installed.

This picture shows an extra wire loop for a future installation of a kitchen fan.  Locating the wire inside the wall will be much easier.

The black wire is a TV cable installed for future connectivity.

All of those lights, plugs, fans and etc. require wires to operate.

The fiberglass batt insulation roll was purchased from the Airstream factory and is the same as installed in all new Airstream trailers.  It is 48 inches wide and as stated on the package is 2 1/4 inches thick.

The insulation unrolled two batts at a time.

Each batt is over an inch thick and fit in the wall cavity just right along with the reflectix insulation.

The fiberglass insulation used in the Airstream factory is much less "itchy."

It made my job much more enjoyable.

The insulation was meticulously measured and cut to fit each wall cavity in the trailer.

A utility knife and straight edge made short work of the task.  

Knee pads were very helpful on the cement work space.

Once again I turned to the 3M spray adhesive to help hold the insulation in place.

Careful placement filled all the spaces.

The total thickness was just right.

All tucked in and ready for the inner skins!

The process works very well.

The ceiling and end caps are all that are left to do.

Look at the Bling

Time to hang all of the pretty items back onto the shiny body!

  

Original but refurbished Bargman tail lights.

 New Airstream nameplates on the front and back.

Refurbished license plate light with new red lens showing to the rear.

New LED clearance lights from Vintage Trailer Supply.

A 30 amp Marinco Shore Power Plug was added to the left rear of the trailer.

A receptacle for a portable porch light was reinstalled near the door on the curbside of the trailer.

 This type of light is powered by 120 volts and only used when the trailer is 

plugged into adequate shore power.

Several styles of this type of light were used originally.

The aluminum propane tanks were polished and mounted back onto the front of the trailer.

Polishing the tanks worked best by following the grain in the metal 

which goes up and down instead of side to side.

A new tank rack and regulator holder was added to the front hitch area.

 Here is the trailer all "blinged up."

Great reflections.

 Sunglasses were helpful while taking these pictures!

The outside of the Airstream is basically complete and waterproof.

I can now turn my attention to the inside of the trailer.

Moving Forward

It may have been obvious that I was not very busy working on the Airstream.  Yes, life goes on and there are too many distractions.  

However, I have not lost my zeal to complete this monumental project .  

I have been doing some research and strategic planning to aid in the future tasks.

The goal of a finished project in mind requires one to plan a few steps in advance. 

The outside of the Airstream was stripped of every accessory for cleaning and repair.  The placards (like the one pictured above) were removed along with the lights and window drip caps.  

My aim was to repair/replace any broken or obsolete items with new parts.  All items would later be reattached on a "polished" clean surface using methods that would inhibit leaks.  As this process proceeded I must say that  "I was sidetracked!"

Let's face it -

I became obsessed with polishing the Airstream!

As I polished a little here and a little there it became apparent that the Airstream would look great once the surface was completely polished.  Anyway it would be easier to replace the items onto a clean surface.

Once I started I just could not stop!

One polish (first cut) was not enough so I had to do a second polish (second cut) to make it look better.  And of course a third polishing was necessary to satisfy the eyes.

Polishing is not for the faint of heart.  It is hard work.

The right tool for the job is necessary to achieve the desired result.
Proper safety equipment and clothing is also a must do.

I was very happy with the shine that appeared after a considerable amount of

very hard work!

I tried several methods of polishing.  

Airstream metal of this vintage does not polish evenly with equal effort.

Polishing the top was very rough going due to its constant exposure to the sun.

The end caps are stretched aluminum and were tougher to polish.

The sides were easiest to polish to a brilliant shine.

My Airstream was badly pitted, oxidized and scratched in places.

It is 59 years young and I am sure that it had never been polished since new.

The task at times was daunting but became a satisfying endeavor.

Several products and methods were used to successfully polish my Airstream.

I had the best experience using  Zephyr polishing products 

purchased from Amazon.

The shine is not perfect but I think it looks great.  

I have since added some additional polishing effort to satisfy the eye.

I did not count the hours but it took over 3 weeks work to make it shine!

Attention to the Door

The door was removed from the body so that several issues could be addressed:

First, the door handle was badly pitted and worn and needed to be replaced.  Second, the hinges needed to be reworked for better alignment.  Third, the door needed some metal work and cleaning that could be done easier while lying on a table setting.

When the door handle was removed, I discovered that there were broken parts inside.  

Replacement parts are not easily obtained. 

This view shows the multiple holes in the aluminum.

Outside view of the handle.

Inside view of the handle.

I decided to install a modern door latch with deadbolt that I had in my stock pile of usable vintage parts. It is in used condition, but it is in very serviceable.  It will function well, but it certainly is a sizable departure from true vintage.

Now to address these holes left behind by the old handle on the inside and outside of the door.

The one section of aluminum that held the latch handle on the inside of the door  was easily removed by drilling out several pop rivets. I cut a new piece of aluminum and re-skinned the inside section of the door.  The newly installed handle will look good against the new aluminum.  The new skin will later be painted the same color as all other interior panels.

I carefully measured, made the cut-out for the handle and drilled screw holes in the new aluminum. 

The new skin was fastened onto the door using pop rivets as before.

I also put new insulation into the cavity since it was easily accessible.  The old rubber seals on the door were removed while the door lay on the table. Three new rubber seals will be ordered from Vintage Trailer Supply. 

 

The two latches to the door-within-a-door were re-installed on the new skin inside the main door.

The outside of the door needed a patch to cover the holes and to install the new latch.

Buck rivets were easily installed here using a rivet squeezer.

I mounted the hinges onto the body.  I installed aluminum backer plates on the inside of the trailer behind the hinges.  These plates added another layer of strength to the wall and will stabilize the door operation.  My assistant with a bucking bar made it much easier to install buck rivets through the hinges. The hinges were then aligned for proper door placement within the body cavity.

Lots of fitting and adjusting were necessary here. The door now swings true and the latch works great.

 Outside view of the finished latch.

Inside view of the finished latch with incorporated deadbolt.

The door on the Ambassador has a feature known as a "door-within-a-door." 

The specialized hinges allow for the incorporation and the operation of this door-within-a-door, which allows a cool breeze to flow through while still retaining privacy.
They work very well.

After all that work both doors work perfectly!

The screen insert will be added later.

Two more conveniences were installed during this time.

One was a door "hand hold" that I acquired a couple of years ago.

It should work perfectly to assist one to "step up" into the trailer!

I also installed a 110/120 volt electrical outlet on the curbside front corner. 

I used the opportunity to re-purpose the odd opening from an previously obsolete electrical plug.

Exterior Priorities

Water Heater 

The opening for the old water heater was "Huge."

It was in need of a big "Patch" to plug the irregular sized opening.  A smaller opening will be created later for a modern water heater.  It will "look" modern and will not protrude three inches from the surface like the old one.

I cut out a patch from the same composition aluminum as the body to cover the hole.

I drilling and spaced rivet holes evenly which took patience.

Buck rivets were used here since the back side is exposed and accessible for a bucking bar.

A  horizontal brace about  five inches from the top was also re-installed on the back side to add strength.  (See the secondary rivet line.)

The old water heater was so large that this brace was "cut out" to make room for the install.

The finished patch looked great and blended right into the body.

When I install a new water heater here it will require a much smaller surface cut out.