Maiden Voyage: April 28-30, 2017

Four years ago, we purchased this airstream and began the renovation process.  I never thought it would take four years to renovate, much less take four years before we had a maiden voyage.  There have been moments I thought we should just give up.  BUT, I refused.  I threw out timelines & deadlines at about the two year mark.  When it happens, it happens.  And it finally happened!!!  We were able to take a trip with the airstream: we slept on an air mattress, we had lights & fans thanks to our battery, and we had one solo curtain.  But I felt some kinda way as I woke up on Saturday morning & the ceiling above me was rivet-lined.  Me and the old girl, we had SURVIVED.

Heading north

Our first campground spot

The view from my sleeping bag

Summer 2016 update

When things move slow, it's hard to get motivated to write a blog post.  For that I do apologize.  The wiring is complete, and now we've moved on to reinstalling the interior skins (walls).  Because of several new outlets that we had installed, each piece has to be measured for those outlets & switches.  So it can take some time to address even one piece.  In this photo, you'll see that we've got the front section of wall back in.

And in this photo, we're moving down the streetside wall of the trailer--headed to the rear--I caught Cliff working, unaware of the photo op:

I've also polished the outside of the trailer.....all but the front and rear end caps.  I can't reach those with my ladder.  But I'm liking the way it looks!  Remy says hi & thanks for stopping by!

Update on progress

I realize it's been quite a while since I've updated my blog.  Things have moved slowly, but time flies...before you know it, six months have passed.  The wiring is 95% done.  The only thing left to do is wire the brakes, running lights and license plate light.  The trailer has been at Out of Doors Mart in Colfax for the past couple of weeks.  They installed two Fantastic Vents and a Dometic Penguin II Low Profile air conditioner.

Home from Out of Doors Mart

Dropped the Airstream off at Out of Doors Mart in mid-March and went to pick it up this week.  I am so thankful to be this close to Airstream experts.  I took the trailer in to have a door knob installed, shocks installed, brakes wired, 7-way plug installed, gaskets on the access doors, rivets replaced in the front panel and the beginning steps of the belly pan in the front and rear.  Sometimes these pieces are referred to as "banana wraps" but not for the '57.  These are the pieces that I will use to attach the belly pan when the time comes.  However, when I drove the trailer down to Colfax in March, I lost a vent cover on Hwy 421, so now I'm looking at replacing that.  I ordered a fantastic vent from Vintage Trailer Supply so I guess I'll be looking at addressing that when it arrives.

New doorknob!  Don't ya just love my Junk Gypsy keychain? :)

Banana wrap in rear section

Banana wrap in front

Detail of banana wrap--view from below the trailer

Daylight savings time saves the day!

Extra daylight=a super productive work day.  Cliff & Sara came over this afternoon and we worked on putting in two more pieces of flooring (the one at the door, and between the door and wheel well).  We cleaned off the old gasket on the roof vents, washed the screens for those vents, and addressed the rear end separation.
Admittedly, I didn't really know that the trailer had the dreaded rear end separation until I emailed Colin Hyde (with Colin Hyde Trailer Restorations in NY) to ask him why is my floor and C-channel not easily attached to my frame?  It seems like even though I put bolts in the floor and frame, I'm still seeing the frame relax away from the shell.  It was then that he gave me the diagnosis.  So, I invested in a cobalt bit and we were able to drill through the super duty steel that my brother-in-law had used to beef up the back of the frame last year.  We had success!!!!  Still a little bit more work to do back there, but better than before for sure.
I will be taking the trailer next week to Out of Doors Mart in Colfax to do a little bit of work that I just can't seem to get accomplished.

Cliff gettin' after a stray bolt on the frame

Sara snapping pics--can't remember if this was before or after I busted my knee on the frame

Hey there!

Elbow grease

Moved a few items from the farm over to my house this weekend.  Bed rail, kitchen cabinet, kitchen counter, the "walls" that create the doorway to the bathroom....I figured we might as well have them here for when we start planning the plumbing & electrical.

Of course, they have been stored in a barn for over a year, but they were pretty dirty to begin with.  I wiped them all down, but I knew the sink and counter top needed some extra attention.  I'm not completely sold that kitchen cabinet won't need to be replaced (it's a little worse that I remembered).  Even after hitting the counter tops with some cleaner and scrubbing pads, there were a few stains that lingered.  It may have to be replaced too.  But that sink....it's BEAUTIFUL!

Before

Okay....let's do this!

A vast improvement

Ooo la la!

A "step" in the right direction

Thanks to a couple of 60-degree days in the middle of January, there has been a bit of work done on the trailer this week.  My friend Al & I worked for 4.5 hours on Monday and today the welder installed the steps.  Finally no more high-steppin' to get in the trailer!  So thankful for the people in my life that help me on my beast of a project.  I feel like this year is gonna be very productive!

Thanks, Daniel!

Thanks, Al!  Living riveted...

Gray tank has arrived!

So our gray tank has arrived!  The holding pieces were welded in today.  Little by little, the plumbing project is building steam!  (Yes, it's just in time for winter....but we won't go there).

4 custom fittings--woot!

Axle on--Airstream relocated

My brother-in-law installed our axle last week, and because of that, we were able to relocate the Wig Wam to our back yard.  Hoping that this relocation will enable me to get more work done before the daylight hours disappear & colder weather moves in.  That time is quickly approaching, so let's see what we can get done!  Ready to get to work....

Meet Axle Rose

It's been a slow few weeks in terms of Airstream work.  Between rain, work schedules, and various other inconveniences, I haven't been able to address any more windows.  However, my brother-in-law has removed the old axle, moved the new axle into place, had new steel plates cut, discovered the holes were a bit off, fixed said holes, and is getting ready to make sure the axle is aligned before getting the welder to come adhere the plates to the frame.  I have also ordered brand new shocks, grommets for the brake wire, and am currently waiting for the word to schedule the welder.
If there's one thing I've found, it's that you might as well not be in a hurry to do anything.  My ultimate goal is to move the trailer to my back yard for the next few weeks so that I don't have to include travel time in my work time.  With the days getting noticeably shorter, this will be key in getting as much done as I can humanly accomplish.  I even hope to have an airstream work day and get as many folks to help out as are willing.  (If you're local to NC and wanna help, feel free to contact me!)  I look back at my timeline for earlier this year, and it makes me laugh.  I don't think I'll be setting any more deadlines for myself.  Just roll with it.  Literally.
Until then, I leave you with a photo of Axle Rose:

Getting the A-frame in A+ shape

My brother-in-law is working on getting the A-frame in better shape.  He didn't like the way the hitch looked bent and as he's been grinding off the pieces, it appears that it was quite a welding mish-mash.  It will be nice to have it cleaned up and welded properly.  In these before and after photos, the coupler hasn't been welded on yet, but it fits perfectly.

Grinded off pieces & parts--BEFORE

The new shiny coupler sitting on the frame--AFTER

Window work, part 1

Thanks to the help of my good friend, Al, we are starting the process of replacing the weatherstrip gasket of the windows.  I had replaced the glazing back in the winter....but this job is quite a bit more involved.  The gaskets are actually riveted in behind the window frame.  Because these gaskets are several decades old, they are brittle, cracked, and no longer serve its original purpose. 
While I had initially thought that maybe this was a job better handled by the Airstream folk, Al felt confident that we could tackle it together.  And that we did.  Using the rivet removal tool from Vintage Trailer Supply (which I had ordered a few weeks ago....and he had one as well), we were able to tag team two windows and get them removed.  Unfortunately the gasket I need is out of stock, but we're at least making progress!  It's nice to have friends to help me with this project.

Rivet Removal Tool--aka, the silencer :)

Drilled out buck rivets, holding in the old gasket

Boom.  *drops mic*

Gettin' by with a little help from my friends

It's been a while since I've posted on the blog....but I have good news!  With the help of some dear friends, there's another section of floor in the trailer.  Not only that, but another friend has agreed to help me with the windows, plumbing & wiring.  I am so thankful for those that have agreed to take this walk with me.  I have a full heart & a wealth of gratitude for them!

My buddy stakes claim to the section he installed :)