Steppin' it up

Today I spent some time screwing the floor to frame. I also bolted the outside c-channel to the floor and the stringers. I spent a bunch of time searching around the plant looking for bolts and nylon locking nuts for this application. I bought some floor bolts from Out of Doors mart when I purchased all the gasketing for the windows and doors. I only bought 20 bolts and was surprised how fast I used them up. I guess I will be ordering some more. After the floor was completely bolted down and secure, I started on the steps. The original stringers were toast and I was not exactly sure how the steps were supposed to operate, but I downloaded a drawing showing how it goes together. I cleaned the steps up as best I could before I installed them. I took a scotchbrite pad to the bare aluminum and it shined them up pretty good. When I got my parts from ODMRV I ordered some small springs that keep the step holder tight against the steps when they are in the up position. The springs are fairly small and were almost non-existent when I took the steps off the Airstream. Everything worked beautifully. It is so nice to have steps to get in and out of the RV. When I bought new axles, I ordered them at a 45 degree down angle so I would have more ground clearance. It now is quite a jump to get into the Airstream. The steps are awesome, and they are solid.

Floorin it

Last night I started putting the floor back in the Airstream. All my welding, painting and frame work are now done. It's time to start putting the darn thing back together. I decided to start with the floor near the front door because I thought it would be easier to fit. Not exactly easy but by the end of the night, it was in place. I took some measurements from the side wall to the main beam in locations where I knew it had not moved. I then cut a piece of 1/2" plywood to 35-3/4 x 8'. I used this measurement because it would hit on the center of a support and I could bolt it to the frame. The wall close to the door was not supported and could be moved at least an inch inward and an 1" away from the trailer. Since my plywood was cut at a constant distance and my cut in the original floor was cut perpendicular to the trailer frame, I should be straight when it all gets bolted back together. One thing I remembered the next morning was that I did not install the aluminum shield that goes above the steps and under the floor. The aluminum protects the underside of the plywood floor because in the step location it is not insulated or sealed from the weather. I am hoping that I can just lift the plywood up and wedge it above the step stringers and I do not have to completely remove the floor.

Paint it Black

Today I bought another quart of POR-15, to the tune of $50. I bought the black paint this time because that was the only color that the dealer had. My first quart was grey. I painted up all the welding that Jeff and I did earlier in the week. I installed the step, just to confirm that I welded up the supports in the right place.... I did. The steps will be a nice addition when I get everything back together. The other thing I got done today was to fabricate up the rear floor. I saved the floor that I removed a few months ago so I could use it as a template. One problem was that most of the edges of the floor were gone. I made a template from some cardboard that I have been using as a mat for the past few weeks. After that I used my jig saw to cut it out. I sure hope I can slide this whole sheet in from the rear (thats what she said).

Its welding time

My buddie Jeff and I welded up the missing parts tonight. Jeff was not able to show up at my work until around 6:15. He had to stop by a gun dealer to buy a slightly illegal AK47. (I can't make this stuff up) Anyway while he was working his way to the plant, I moved the Airstream from deep in the warehouse to my other warehouse. I do not have a 50 amp circuit available in its usual location for Jeff's welder. This was the first time we used this particular welder. Jeff's old company moved locations and he was able to pick up this $4,000 Lincoln electric mig welder for a few hundred bucks. You could say he stole it, but that's not how he sees it. I temporally hooked up the welder to the electric panel and I was ready. The first piece we attached was the rear cross member that had the holes for the black and grey tanks. It went in fairly easy. I re-attached the rear bumper so that the main beams would be in the correct location. Next we moved inside the trailer to attach the 2 supports to the rear cross-member and to attach the middle stringer. I had a local fab shop make up these parts. I drew up the parts on AutoCad and emailed the drawings over to the shop. They fabed the parts out of galvanized steel. I don't plan on ever having to replace these parts. We also attached a outrigger that was rusted out under the tub. I bought all the outriggers and the step outriggers from out of doors mart. Great company to work with! When we finished the rear of the Airstream it was about 8:00, Jeff asked what was next and I said that we were only halfway done. The front involved welding up 2 stair outriggers, a single outrigger and 8 feet of 1-1/2 angle iron. The bottom of the main beam was rusted out in a few locations, so I decided to weld up some angle iron to beef up the beam. Not my original idea but I have seen a few people on the forums do the same thing. I notched the outriggers to accept the angle iron. The welding in the front went much faster. We finished up the 12 pack of Miller and started to clean up. I left the plant around 11:00 at night on a Tuesday. A picture that I see a lot on the web is the one with the crazy owner of the Airstream standing on the ground in the rear of of his unit. So heres mine. A friend pointed out that I only have one glove on... I was going for Michael Jackson look. I am so glad that all my welding is done. Now its time to put this money pit back together.