56 Spartan Refurb

Floor rot

2008-03-23T18:40:00.003-04:00

Quick post to show the progress I made yesterday on the front of the trailer and the floor. If you remember from an earlier post that we found the front roadside corner of the trailer and the floor was rotted. I have removed the bad framing and then cut out the rotted floor Tuesday I will be starting the repair of the main wood frame and laying the new floor so we can keep moving forward enjoy the pics

This is a view from the curb side across the front of the trailer. It is amazing to me that after 45 years the black underlayment is still in great shape only one corner needs some help as you will see

This is a close up to the of the road side corner of the trailer.
The whole that you see is where the water tank drain would have been.
You can see the main wood frame peaking out on the side.

This was the most troubling discovery that the main wood frame had water damage.
I have come up with a repair taken from a home repair I once saw.
More about that on Tuesday when I do the repair.

TTFN, Nick

Rear of trailer repairs

2008-03-22T20:00:00.003-04:00

Ok over the last two weeks I have removed the water damage in the back of the trailer this includes the birch panel and the wood frame. I was not happy with the way the trailer was originally put together. At the rear next to the bumper the inner birch panel and insulation was exposed to the elements so I came up with this fix.

I took a piece of aluminum flashing and attached it to the undercarriage of the trailer then wrapped it around the bottom of the trailer to form a seal to keep the road grim from soaking up into the trailer.

This is the underside of the rear trailer repair.

The cargo area in the rear of the trailer was rotted so we replaced it with new select pine and pressure treated lumber on the lower skirt

Here is a view of the new birch panel installed in the back.

I learned alot during the process and now am started on the front.

Damage

2008-03-08T21:07:00.003-05:00

Well things are really coming along. I was able to secure a large metal building on the campus of the school we teach at. With shelter overhead I was able to start taking the skins of the trailer and get to repairing the damage.

Typical water damage in the front corners. This is the curbside front corner I was not expecting this to be as bad as it was. Glad we took the skins off to find this damage.

This picture shows the front road side corner of the trailer. The old fresh water tank was here and must of had a leak the floor and the side wall are damaged and we will replace the front lower panel the subfloor and part of the side panels to fix this area.

This is a picture of the missing/rotted frame that once held the side dinette windows in place. Both sides are like this and I can say that this is a design weakness of this trailer. the glass does not sit in a frame but is sandwiched between the wood frame and the aluminum skin. There is a seal that goes between the window and the lip of the aluminum and we will replace that but I am still trying to come up with a better design.

I try to spend at least two hours a day working on the trailer. When you start you think this is a weekends worth of work but once you get started you begin to appreciate just how long this can take. In five weeks we have spring break and we hope to have the trailer back on the road to do some test camping.

In June we will be off to Newburg MO for the first annual Yahoo Classic Shasta group rally. Hope to have the trailer 95% done and maybe a fresh paint job the interior done and a new axel. We shall see. Spring is coming and we have work to do in the orchard of SC and about 400 feet of fence to still put up. Life is never boring....... TTFN.

Design Board

2008-02-25T20:33:00.005-05:00

We are at the point in this project that we needed to start creating our design board. A design board is simply a sample of materials shown in a way to help convey what the interior will look like when finished. This project falls under the KISS princible. Keep It Simple Stupid. As Holly reminds me often this project is not a show place but to create a functional trailer that we can enjoy on the road. We can go back later and add high end finishes and touches later. So keeping with that design principle we have decided to keep the existing Formica counter tops and kitchen table top. We will be adding a silver trim to the sides to give the counter tops a more vintage look. We will also be keeping the existing upholstery on the dinette. We choose a yellow with bumble bee detail for the main curtains. We both like Winne the Pooh. To add some character and pizzaz we are using a railroad motif material for the window over the kitchen cabinet. This is directly across from the entrance and should give some pop with out being to campy. We are replacing the existing stove/range with a three burner cook top and converting the lower space to accept a microwave or toaster oven. We will be using either a plain formaica for the lower shelve or maybe using some copper flashing from an other project to line the cook top area and the lower (microwave/toaster) shelf. We are looking at using a 12 inch square commercial grade vinyl floor tile which I will add photos of later when we make the final call. Hear is our design board as it stands right now.

Cabinets get a facelift

2008-02-11T23:21:00.000-05:00

This is a great project to do over the winter.

The goal of this project is to bring new life to your drawers and cabinet doors.

Tools you will need
Screw driver
Painters tape (Blue masking tape)
Felt tip pen
Foam brushes
Foam rollers
Small painters pan
Palm orbital sander
150 grit sandpaper
220 grit sandpaper

Preparations:
Using the painters tape and the felt tip marker assign each cabinet door a letter and mark both the door and the opening with the letter (using the painters tape allows you to move the tag if necessary). Remove each door and drawer. Remove the pulls and either save them to reuse or keep a sample to bring with you to find new hardware. If you are reusing the hinges then mark the hinges with the letter and a number so they go back in the same place.

Work area:
We did the work in our garage.
Once all the cabinet doors are removed place them on 2X4s so you can work on them without moving them a lot. The drawers can be stood on their ends if you prefer

With 150 grit sandpaper sand the old finish down. If possible do this outside to keep the dust down in your work area.

CAUTION - The birch face is a thin layer of the wood you are refinishing just try to sand the old finish down till it is level. Try not to sand through the thin layer of birch.
Wipe down the sanded surfaces. They should be as dust free as possible.

FINISHES
This is were you will have to make some choices.
Marine spar varnish (this is very close to the original varnish - it is expensive).
Spar varnish from your home center. The big blue home center had spar varnish and it was 1/3 the cost of Marine grade. I am not sure if it has UV additives or not.
Polyurethane this is now the finish of choice for kitchen and baths today.

We choose to use Marine Spar varnish, mostly because of recommendations from others and the UV and solid additives that marine spar varnish contains. Since this is an item that receives abuse we wanted the toughest finish we could get.

Process:
Apply the first coat of finish. You can apply this one pretty heavy and in most cases much of it will be absorbed back into the wood. Brush/Roll the finish with the grain, against the grain, and then with the grain to work the finish into the wood.
Wait the required time to allow the stain to dry. It should not feel sticky to the touch.
Sand using 220 grit sand paper gently sand the finished surface, following the grain. Wipe pice down to remove all dust.
Apply a second coat. Make sure to do edges with this coat. This should take less time and finish.
If you notice bubbles on the surface as you apply the finish try using less pressure. If they still are present try running the roller slowly over the surface with as little pressure as possible (thanks Lydia) allow to dry to the touch
If the surface is not as smooth and glassy as you would like sand again with 220 grit sand paper with the grain
Apply a third coat of finish with the grain only. This should be the final coat.
Allow to dry for at least 24 hours before attaching hardware.

Notes:
Because the temperature varied so much during this project; I am sanding the cabinet doors and applying a fourth coat.

Because of our design plan we applied a chestnut stain to the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers (we want a high contrast) before applying the first coat of varnish.

The inside of our cabinets had a dark vinyl contact paper that we dislike. I have removed the contact paper and will sand and paint the interior of the drawers an off white to make the drawers lighter inside and to help seal them. Three of the drawers had big ugly red stains under the contact paper. I am also going to try some other finishes on the inside of the cabinet doors to see how they compare. More later. Nick

Restoration, Refurbishment, or Remodeling

2008-01-31T17:05:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that I wanted to take a moment and clarify my position of three words. I learned about the differences in these three words while listening to the Vintage Airstream Podcast,#12

http://www.thevap.com/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=82d

The panel of pros and guest Fred Coldwell really helped me see the differences and the subtly between the words. So my position is as follows:

Restoration = This is when you use only the products that were available at the time the trailer is built and only use authentic parts or appliances when replacing or repairing the trailer. This is rarely practical unless you are planning to only use the trailer as a museum piece.

Refurbishment = This is when you update systems to meet todays standards. This includes electrical, plumbing and appliances. This often is the only practical way to use the trailer as it was intended and that is for camping. A great example is what is called gray water. This is water that drains from a sink or other type fixture but not the toilet. In the early days of camping pre 1975,gray water was allowed to be dumped directly to the ground. Storage tanks for gray water were not necessary. Today the gray water can only be dumped in designated areas of a camp ground. So if you want to use your sink to wash dishes you most modify your trailer to capture the gray water so it can be dumped in a designated dump station..

Remodeling = Fred called this modernization but I feel that is misleading. It is not like refurbishment at all. Instead you gut the trailer to only the shell and the floor. Than completely redesign the trailer to meet your personal needs. I have seen vintage trailers used as makeup trailers and offices for individuals that work at various job sites. This means that the trailer is most likely not being used for camping its original purpose.

I hope this was not to confusing and helpful for anyone considering this type of project.

Stripped and ready for action

2008-01-31T16:50:00.001-05:00

Today's update is not as sexy as it sounds. I have stripped the interior so we could evaluate the structural condition of the Shasta. As expected we found issues in the front corners with some floor damage to the left side as you face front.

The fresh water tank was located in this spot but was removed at some point leaving an exposed hole in the floor. I will need to remove the damaged area but it looks like we can replace about a 3X8 section of floor and clean all the damage up. The sub floor will need patching but I can not tell how much until I remove the floor and the skin panel up front.

Other areas of concern are the back corners and under the rear window. I include a shot of the cabinets and stove area to show what the carcass of the cabinets.Before Stripped
It is amazing to me how RV's are always concerned with weight but not wanting to sacrifice strength. When we start the design phase it is important to keep that in mind as we move forward. Tonight I will summarize the design phase and the basic questions that need to be answered when refurbishing a vintage trailer. We will probably also briefly cover the differences between a restoration, a refurbishment, and a remodel.

Shasta clean out

2008-01-25T22:53:00.000-05:00

Spent the day doing some cleaning and removing all of the drawers from the shasta. Found an interesting book on the refrigerator, that is missing from the trailer, in one of the drawers. Found some more water damage in the front corners under the dinette seats.
I did not have my camera with me so no pictures tonight but I will catch up Tuesday when I get a chance to work on the shasta again.

I think we may build one of those metal canopy like garages to put the camper in while I remove the skins to do the structural wood repairs. That would make life much easier and allow us to use it as a garage when we are not doing restoration work. TTFN

A plan of action

2008-01-23T22:13:00.001-05:00

While I know that this is being published into a vaccum; our life is not that interesting. I will continue to journal the experience. I am posting a plan of action so that I give the impression that I am as serious about this project as I am. The Shasta is a test bed to see if Holly and I want to buy old vintage trailers fix them up and resell them. I doubt we will sell this one but if we get good feedback on the finished project then we will see what we can do in the future.
So here is the official Shasta plan of action

Disassembly
Remove hooks, fasteners, window treatment hardware, cushions, and any other items that are fastened to the walls or cabinetry.
Remove drawers and cabinet doors.
Remove all appliances
Refrigerator
Stove/cook top
Heaters
Other
Electrical system
Tape outside outlet with warning label
Set circuit breakers to off and label them locked
Remove light fixtures; label fixtures and wires accordingly
Water System
Tape outside outlet with warning label
Drain water system
Disconnect and remove water pump
Drain water tank and remove if possible
Remove water fixtures label lines accordingly
Propane system
Disconnect and remove propane tanks
Remove the propane tank platform
Photograph and sketch the current propane line layout
Remove lines, label routing as necessary
Remove as many interior lines, label routing as necessary
Remove propane fixtures not already uninstalled.
Store all fittings lines and hardware, in a dry area, to facilitate the remaking of the system
Design Phase

If I can find a way to keep the water of the trailer while I am at work I will remove the skins and start the replacement of water damaged supports and panels other wise it will have to wait for spring break or summer. TTFN

Not dead just forgotten

2008-01-23T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well it should come as no surprise that it has been a long time between posts. As usual we have run into delays and diversions. We bought a small house on two acres in south carolina and spent last sumer clearing the orchard and fixing the house. We love the house the orchard and the area and have decided to move the Spartan to South Carolina during the summer of 2008. In the mean time we bought a 1963 Shasta Airflyte that we will be restoring this spring.

So for the next few months I guess this will be the Shasta refurb blog and not the Spartan Refurb blog.

Panels part one

2007-02-18T22:45:00.000-05:00

After carefully setting the birch panels for the rear bedroom and the hidden closet from the bedroom. on our back porch we prepared ourselves to refinish the panels. The trailer did not have that smoky smell of a chronic smoker but there was some evidence that a smoker lived in the trailer before us. From my days working maintenance for a major airline I remembered the tar and nicotine that corroded the skin in the smoking sections of the airplane before smoking was banned. So Holly and I thought it would be best to strip each panel and it lightly sand, then us marine spar varnish to seal the panels. We set up our work station in the hallway outside our apartment and proceeded to try various strippers with limited success. We needed to use a "green" product because of we were working in the dorm. None of the products we tried were very satisfactory. Although we were both impressed with the thickness of the varnish that was on the panels. If you refer back to the closing day post you will see that the panels themselves were in really good shape. We worked steadily on three different panels with varying levels of success. When we wet tested one panel the swirl marks and other residue of the striping process forced us to sand more vigorously. The original birch panels are not solid birch but a veneer. I was worried about sanding through the panels in places and Holly was losing her sense of humor about the project. This lead to a compromise that we will discuss next time.....

Delays, delays, delays.

2006-12-01T13:56:00.000-05:00

So, after more then six months why is this project no further along than it is? Good question, the answer is not easy but is common, life gets complicated. When we bought this trailer it was an answer to a long convoluted search. Holly and I had started a game years ago when we travel to look for other RV's on the road or the side of the road. This game caused Holly to become infected with "aluminitis" an incurable disease that leads the patient to break out in a sweat, loose good judgment, and purchase more aluminum.

This is how we became the "new" owners of a 1972 Airstream Excella 500. The fact that this trailer is towable and in great condition lead us to take a three week adventure around the south east (FL, AL, MS, TN, AR, NC, SC, and GA) so most of our summer was spent traveling not fixing. To add to the delays I accepted a full time position at the school we work out to be a dorm supervisor (read surrogate parent) to look after 46, 10th and 11th grade boys. The brick building behind the truck and trailer is our new "Home". So we now live in a cozy two bedroom apartment in the dorm. This move has been great for our family in many ways but the Spartan is taking it on the chin. I get one weekend (Saturday, and Sunday) off every 7 weeks so being weekend warriors on the Spartan refurbishment is not practical, besides if we get a free weekend we seem to want to get in the Airstream and go camping.

Living in the dorm also changed how we are going to deal with the birch paneling but more on that next time.

Demolation begins

2006-08-01T13:34:00.000-04:00

Well it finally begins, we start the demolition phase of the refurbishment. The condition of the floor forced our hands when selecting where to start. The bedroom in the very back of the trailer has the most floor rot so it made sense to start there. We started by removing the bed and then the "built ins", the book shelve and the shelving unit above the back window. Next came the trim and then the side walls and finally the ceiling. You can see a pattern to how every thing was installed. It is clear from the stain patterns on the wall that the panels were stained after they were installed and as you will see later that leads us to make a change in how we proceed with this project.

With the help of Sydney the original "Adventure puppy", we made good progress through out the day. You come to really appreciate the quality and attention to detail that they put into these trailers 50 years ago. The insulation looks pretty good and we think it was updated once since the original build. Unfortunately the silver backing is all that was left of the insulation as we moved it to check wiring. So it will all be removed and new put in its place. The plan is to seal the seams of the exterior aluminum, both inside and out. To replace the existing 110V wiring with a grounded modern system, after some thought I have decided to run new 12v wiring to the exterior lighting to allow us to have the exterior lights serve as accent lighting.

We carefully loaded up our truck with panels and took them "home" to refinish.

More next time. We will really discuss the reasons this is taking so long and then talk about what we learned about panel finishing.

Your Doing What Frist?!?!?!?!?

2006-06-30T09:54:00.000-04:00

Ok so I know you must be asking yourself "why would you build a deck first, shouldn't that be the last thing you build?" On most projects I would agree that decks are last but to gut a Spartan on the top of a mountain is different. You need a place to work and inside the trailer is not always an option. Space is limited and in our case, floor that is not rotten is limited. So to us it made sense, besides it is our getaway and we bought the place for the views so why not enjoy them during the project. I can tell you that a cold adult beverage (beer or wine) sitting on the deck watching the sun set is one of life's little pleasures.

So on a warm June day My wife and I went up and started the process of leveling the spartan. We used the original instructions as our guide.

The trailer was sitting on it old tires and the tongue jack. So I filled the tires up as best we could to get a reference height and using the instructions placed 8 jacks under the trailer.

The following weekend we gathered up or kids and headed to the local big box lumber yard to load up on supplies and headed out.

My two boys turned out to be expert deck builders by the end of the adventure and we now have a deck that runs the entire length of the trailer and 12 feet out from the trailer (can you say deck party?).

On the next installment we will discuss why this project is taking so long.

Exterior Overview

2006-06-05T12:26:00.000-04:00

As a former licensed Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic, I am used to working with aluminum. I am concerned about working with aluminum without the proper tools. I will keep you posted on how that works it self out. Luckily I still have a few friends in the business so we will see if that avenue pays off. As promised here are a few exterior shots. From the curb side (the side of the trailer facing the curb if you were pulling the trailer down the road), this side of the trailer is in pretty good shape for 50 years old trailer.

The road side (opposite of the curb side) has more issues, the utilities hook into this side and the previous owner did not think the hook ups out just did whatever was easier so we have our work cut out for us on this side.

Two areas that will require the most work will be the road side front corner and the curb side roof which had a room attached to it before the trailer was moved to Bryson City. They basically cut the flashing between the room and the trailer leaving a mess behind on the roof of the trailer and the side of the trailer which is covered with sealant.

Next time we will talk about leveling the Spartan, stabilizing jacks, and the decision to build a deck before any thing else

Closing Day

2006-06-05T09:31:00.000-04:00

Holly and I closed today and got a chance to break out the camera and get some pictures. Here are a few interior shots.

The first bedroom is in the middle of the trailer which the previous owner converted into a laundry room. This will be converted back into a bedroom.

As you can see the paneling is birch and is one of the main reasons we love this trailer so much. The rear bedroom is a mess and the floor will need to be replaced. Next post I will do an outside survey of the trailer. Till then.....

Spring Break 2006

2006-06-05T09:16:00.000-04:00

Nick and I decided to explore the town of Bryson City, NC. We thought we'd ride the train which starts there and goes various places. We walk up to the depot and realize the whistle we heard five minutes earlier was our train pulling away from the station.
We head downtown to do a little window shopping from long standing tradition we always check out the local real estate market. As teachers in a boarding school we live a hectic lifestyle, so when we get time off... look out! We dream big. We quickly check the first couple of realtor’s windows for interesting properties when we notice a silver trailer in a picture. We keep looking Airstream, 1/2 acre, good price, this is getting interesting. Having an old Airstream trailer in NC has always been a dream of ours. We frequent EBay daily for new listings, crane our necks at used RV lots for silver trailers, and screams during road trips "Airstream".
We decide to go in ask a few questions and meet Gene, a burly jolly "Santa Claus" looking man. As owner of Prudential realty he had to laugh when we told him what we were interested in. He showed us the property and we discovered that the "Airstream" was really a Spartan Royal Mansion. A forty foot beauty... well to make a long story short we bought her and come Summer we will start restoring and modernizing our very own Silver Palace!! So sit back grab a cup of coffee or your favorite adult beverage and join us as we share the trails and tribulations of bringing a dream to reality.