Creating an Exterior “Pass Through” Box

May 28, 2019May 28, 2019db 2 Comments

When I dry dock in the driveway, I usually run a Cat6 ethernet cable directly from the router for the television rather than rely on wireless signal (wireless sometimes drops out when I’m that far from the router). I also have a 12v wireless router set up in the Airstream, but I usually only use that when I’m traveling (it allows me to run a physical ethernet line directly from my host’s router, so I don’t suffer from signal drop when I’m parked in their driveway/yard or on the street). I’ve been passing the ethernet cable through the small window next to the door, but that’s a pretty inelegant solution to something that I do fairly often. I also don’t like that routing the cord that way will eventually deform the window gasket, not to mention it pinches the cable.

My original thought was to place an outlet box with ethernet and coax ports on the outside of the Airstream, but the more I thought about what the port could be used for, the more it made sense to simply create a “pass through” hole. Sure, the ethernet and coax ports would look more “pro,” but coax is pretty much obsolete already, and I assume ethernet will be there in the not-to-distant-future, so why not do something a little more future-proof? Plus, I can think of plenty of other things that I might want to pass through the Airstream wall from inside to out or outside to in (extension cord, gas line for portable grill or heater, 12v power, etc.).

So I started by cutting a heavy duty plastic outlet box down to size (depth) so it could fit snugly in the wall between the inner and outer skins.

Trimming an outlet box to fit between the skins.

I then drilled rivet holes, drilled to mark the corners of the opening on the exterior skin, and then cut a hole using a 4″ cut-off wheel.

: Marking rivet holes and cutout.

: Viewing marked holes on the outside.

: Wider shot to show location of pass through outlet.

: Hole after cutting with 4″ cut-off wheel. A couple *tiny* slips, but they’ll be covered by the face plate.

After cutting the hole, I put TremPro 635 on the back of the outlet box to secure and seal it to the inside of the exterior skin, then riveted the box from the outside (so the rivets look good on the exterior).

: caulking the outlet box with TremPro 635 to adhere and seal

: clecoed in place to rivet from the exterior

Finally, I used butyl tape around the outside edge of an aluminum weather-proof outlet face plate, and riveted the plate in place over the outlet hole.

: Sealing the edge of the exterior face plate

: Riveted in place

: Functions perfectly!

The inside will be finished with another spring loaded, weather-proof face plate, but could also be completed using a keystone face plate for dedicated ethernet, co-ax, etc. ports. The box is below the deck of the dinette seat, so it won’t be visible, thus I’m just going with the spring-loaded door for more universal use.

Mounted box ready for interior face plate.

1972 Airstream Entrance Door Lockset (KT Lock VTS-1318)

December 14, 2018February 14, 2020db 1 Comment

Recently my Airstream door froze shut, and the post that runs vertically through the “flap/lever” that functions to open the door from the outside broke off inside the housing.

The model of the lockset is a KT Lock VTS-1318 and was apparently used by Airstream from 1970 to 1977. You can get them for nearly $500 from Vintage Airstream. Other vintage parts sites have them listed for as much as $750. Seriously. As such, they come up almost never on eBay, and when they do, they sometimes reach nearly $1,000. It’s usually easier/cheaper to find a whole door with the lock still in it.

I still have all the parts, though the front housing piece is now damaged (from frustratedly trying to get into the Airstream at 11pm in below 0 cold), and the main post that allows the outside lever to function (VTS-1013 in the diagram above) is obviously broken. Also, the little piece that goes at the end of said post to make the bolt/latch slide internally fell off when the post broke, and is now inside the door, so I’ll have to drill out the rivets on the interior of the door to retrieve that little piece. Ugh.

To exacerbate the issue, the sliding latch (VTS-1014, the piece of metal that goes from the door to the jamb to keep the door closed) has had a groove worn into it from years of wear and vibration, so the door effectively remains “locked” unless you push in on the door and then pull the handle lever open. Embarrassingly, I was once locked out of my Airstream for several days thinking the lock was broken, when really it was just “stuck.”

On top of all this, the way the actual lock in the KT VTS-1318 functions allows for road vibration to shake the lock closed, so you can get locked out of your trailer by simply driving down the road (and having the lock rattle shut). Since my key is no longer able to manipulate the locking mechanism from the outside (the internals have worn over time, and no longer slide the lock), once the lock is engaged (from the inside, or by rattling into position), there is no way to unlock the door from the exterior. Thus, disabling the lock mechanism inside the KT handle set is a necessary modification. I decided to leave the KT entrance latch in place for aesthetic purposes, but I removed the mechanism inside the latch/lock assembly that allows the door to be locked (not just latched).

After I disabled the lock part of the KT handle set, I needed a new solution to lock the AS, so I decided to install a dead bolt, but I didn’t want a clumsy looking replacement, so I searched for a while until I found the lowest profile lock still readily available. This Kwikset “Uptown” deadbolt (258RDT-15S) fits the Airstream aesthetic and costs around $35 at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Depending on how you install/mount it, the deadbolt may need to be modified, as the “throw” is not long enough to reach from the door to the jamb in a typical Airstream installation. I hope to post that modification and install in a future post.

Sources and assets:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227/door-handle-lock-on-argosy-157471.html#post1857395

Replacing the Front Windows in a Mid-Century Clipper

September 4, 2018May 28, 2019db Leave a comment

: They seem to work!

Bookmarked Airstream Articles and Information

May 29, 2018May 20, 2019db Leave a comment

Just some links I’ve found useful…

Boondocking

http://wbccicaravan.wbcci.net/boondocking-with-your-airstream/

Plumbing

http://vintageairstream.com/plumbing/

https://www.trekwithus.com/the-complete-guide-to-rv-water-filtration/

Propane Lines and Quick Connects

http://www.introductiontoeverything.com/2017/03/connecting-my-lp-generator-to-my-rvs-lp-port/

Tripping

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/campsite-pics-174884.html

My Homemade English Wheel

June 16, 2017May 16, 2019db Leave a comment

What started as a joke has become an indispensable piece of equipment.

I had been stalled for months with completing the belly pan, which meant I also could not attach the lower interior skins, since the C Channel on the floor/deck must be exposed in order to buck rivet the belly wraps to the Airstream properly (buck riveting requires access to both sides of the thing being riveted).

The original banana wraps (the curved pieces that go at all four corners of the belly) were extremely beat up. I had a lot of trouble finding new ones, as I didn’t want to use the black plastic ABS banana wraps that are now being utilized on new-build Airstreams.

I made several attempts at smoothing out the original banana wraps with rollers, sandbags and hammers, etc., but nothing was making them look like they needed to. I started researching English wheels to shape sheet metal, but they are incredibly expensive.

The aluminum banana wraps are quite soft (which is a huge part of why they are so banged up), so I knew I didn’t need a “proper” English wheel used to shape and form steel. Thus, I started thinking about what I had lying around that might work in a similar way.

I have these huge, ancient casters that came from my grandfather’s farm. I always thought they’d end up going on an industrial style coffee table or cart, but I realized they would be great for flattening aluminum. As a bonus, they are made from really hard rubber, so they don’t cause creases or dents at the edge of the wheels like hard metal might. I had an extra vice laying around, so I cobbled together this contraption:

It worked! And while it wasn’t perfect, I was able to get the job done.

For this job, I placed the weights in the following picture over the wheels to get the pressure I needed, but a second vice on the opposite side of the current one will obviously be a more elegant solution.

Removing the Old Air Conditioner

August 9, 2016August 9, 2016db 1 Comment

Every time I looked at the Airstream, I wanted to immediately take the old, rusty a/c off. I resisted doing it last fall (so there wasn’t a gaping hole all winter), but even though it’s now Spring and raining quite a bit, I just couldn’t hold myself back any longer.

Someone installed the a/c that was up there with about a million tiny screws (vs. rivets) and a WHOLE lot of goo. The installation included two aluminum “L” rails running the length of the a/c unit. I’m not sure what they were for (condensation?), but to me they were just more garbage to remove. I waited till the hottest part of the day and peeled back as much goo from where I could tell the screws were, and then unscrewed as many as I could. I think I got pretty lucky, ’cause there were only about 4 that didn’t back out. Those four I grabbed with a vice grip from below to turn, and once they were backed out enough, I grabbed them from above.

I probably should have waited and gotten some help from a friend to bring the a/c down, but I was on a rampage, so I just laid some old sleeping bags on the Airstream skin to avoid scratching anything, and then slid the unit over and down the rails of my ladder. That thing was heavy. I texted my dad a pic to show him how strong I am.

So what was left was a gaping hole and a lot of nasty goo (from the looks of it, silicone, latex, vulkem, and butyl tape). I waited till the hottest part of the next day and scraped as much off as I could with a dull chisel (to avoid scratches). Then I used Goof Off, a scotch brite sponge, a rough rag, and a brass wire brush on the end of my drill to remove a sufficient amount of what was left. I didn’t go to town getting it spic ‘n’ span because I still don’t know what I’m going to do up there to finish things off (bubble sky light? gunner’s touret? sunbathing deck?), so I’ll wait until then to make things pretty.

Once the skin was cleaned up, E and I buck riveted all the screw holes closed. I put a dab of TremPro 635 on each hole before setting the rivet, so I’m pretty confident that everything is water tight.

There were a couple screw holes that were actually “double drilled” (two holes right on top of each other, but simply putting two rivets right on top of each other seemed to do the trick (luckily you can’t really see this stuff from the ground).

Now I just have to decide what to do with the hole that’s left. There’s a tiny chance that I’ll put a new, smaller a/c back on the roof, but I really like the clean look not having the a/c on the roof, and I’m considering installing a split on the tongue. For camping this summer (in our friend’s yards), I’m actually just going to put a window unit in the access opening where the water heater used to be.

Temporary A/C Set Up

Oddly enough, the highly rated, *almost* EnergyStar (missed the mark by .1 points –so essentially EnergyStar rated without the upcharge) window unit I found is EXACTLY the same size as the hole that already existed for the old water heater. How lucky is that? I will be making a sliding system from heavy duty computer-rack sliding rails so the unit can simply slide out when we reach our destination, and then back in when we’re ready to go! I’m not sure yet if this will be just an auxiliary unit to cool the bedroom and complement a “whole trailer” unit or if it will work (in tandem with some fans and perhaps even some ducting) to cool the whole Airstream.

All Kinds of Goo (Poly Caulk and Other Seam and Leak Sealers)

May 30, 2016May 16, 2019db Leave a comment

There are SO MANY different kinds of stuff to use for sealing seems and leaks in an Airstream. The Original stuff used in manufacturing was called Vulkem 116, and it’s still available (either as Vulkem 116 or TremPro 626), but the original Vulkem company was bought out by TremPro. Vulkem 116 is gritty and will stick to EVERYTHING. It also takes FOREVER to cure (so cleanup rags will remain gooey for days).

There are a LOT of varying opinions about what’s best to use for what, so I am posting what I’ve learned from researching and using the various products.

The original factory “caulk” is Vulkem 116 (gray), and is now marketed as either Vulkem 116 (the original name) or TremPro 626. It’s a texturized (gritty, like it contains sand) poly that takes FOREVER to cure (which can be a good thing when you’re talking Airstream). The “official” cure rate is 48-72 hours, but it can take a lot longer than that, depending on the actual environmental conditions. Vulkem 116 also cures fairly hard when completely cured, and is thus best for exterior panel seals, a/c installation, setting window frames, etc.

Vulkem 631 is Vulkem 116 but in different colors.

TrempPro 636 (gray) has a slow cure rate (4 hours), has more solvent (better for exterior applications), and is non-textured (smooth).

TremPro 635 (gray) has a faster cure time (90 minutes), and is a low VOC/solvent free silane terminate poly. So far, this stuff is my favorite, especially for things on the inside. If you’re doing Airstream restoration, I recommend having at least two tubes of this stuff around, as it’s not available from a lot of places and often takes a while to ship and arrive.

Sikaflex 221 (black) has a fast cure time (60 min.), but seems to require a cleaner surface for adhesions, whereas the Vulkem and TremPro will stick to just about anything. Some people think it looks better (smoother, more like typical caulk) and is a little easier to work with (doesn’t stick to everything). It’s typically used for things like interior vent, window, latch, etc., applications.

The products above are for more “construction” type applications. There are several products like that can be used to seal tiny cracks and leaks around rivets, etc. These sealers actually wick into the cracks and crevices, whereas the products above are more for adhesion and filling larger gaps and holes.

Acryl-R seems to be a lot of people’s favorite for a wicking sealant, but it takes a special applicator. The “go to” product for sealing on the road seems to be Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure.

Parbond from Parr is a sort of “in between” product that comes in a “roll-up” tube (like toothpaste) instead of a caulking tube. It is silver, so shows less than something like Sikaflex on exterior applications. This is a good product to have with you on the road when you don’t want to store a caulking gun and larger amounts of sealant.

Butyl Putty Tape is what you need to use when setting windows, a/c, vents, and other things that have a collar and set in to a hole in your Airstream exterior. This soft, flexible product is like a roll of flat Silly-Puddy that will seal two surfaces together and keep them that way.

Walbernizer specifically formulated for Airstream coated aluminum surface.

BAL Stabilizer Jacks for Leveling Airstream

January 11, 2016January 11, 2016db 8 Comments

When you park your Airstream, it’s rarely on perfectly level ground. Chocks and blocks of wood or rubber under and around the wheels can help even things out and keep the trailer from moving, but stabilizer jacks are best for keeping your home on wheels from wobbling all over the place while you walk around inside.

The Airstream part number for the original jacks is 400093-A, and the manufacturer’s number for the replacements (which are pretty much identical) is 20-8-T.

You can weld the jacks to the frame, but it’s much easier (and equally effective) to simply bolt each jack to the frame of the Airstream (be sure to bolt to the appropriate cross members). I used self-threading bolts and drove them directly through each jack’s 1/4″ holes and into the Airstream frame. The bolts are really only holding the jacks to the frame; once opened, the jacks stay in place because the weight of the trailer is bearing down upon them (gravity!).

You will want to be sure you are getting jacks with the extended operating arm, as it protrudes farther to the edge of the trailer than the “normal” operating arm. If you have the shorter arm, you will have to crawl under your Airstream every time you need to extend the jack. The operating arm is turned by a crank, but I plan on keeping a socket in my Airstream toolkit so I can operate the jack with my drill (manual cranking is for chumps).

installing stabilizers (they are on blocks because the entire Airstream is currently lifted for working on the tanks and bellypan)

I have heard many tales of people forgetting to crank up their jacks when they leave a site. As you can imagine, this could cause some pretty serious damage to your trailer’s underside, not to mention destruction of the jacks themselves.

Also, NEVER use your jacks to lift the trailer. They are rated for 2,000#’s (static load) each, but they are NOT meant to lift your Airstream off the ground.

Manual:
Deluxe BAL “T” Type Stabilizing Jack (20-8-T) mounting and operation manual via Norco Industries
http://norcoind.com/bal/downloads/manuals/T-Type%20Stabilizing%20Jack%20%2820-8-T%29.pdf

Purchasing options:
http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/BAL_Deluxe_Stabilizing_Jack_p/vts-739.htm

http://odmrv.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=369

Discussion:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f43/bal-stabilizer-jacks-7640.html

Rivets!

January 11, 2016db Leave a comment

If you’re going to work on an Airstream, you have to know about rivets. Here is some basic information to get you started.

You “pull” a blind rivet. You “buck” a solid rivet.

First of all, there really shouldn’t be any screws on an Airstream. Screws will back out of their holes with the constant road vibration that an Airstream experiences, so eventually a screw will no longer be holding whatever it was screwed into. Rivets are more “permanent” in that they stay put. But don’t worry, they are easy to drill out if you need to change something you’ve riveted.

Blind Rivets

There are two types of rivets on an Airstream: bucked rivets and blind rivets. Airstreams use only two sizes: 1/8″ and 5/32.” The 1/8″ rivets are generally used for trim on the exterior, and to hold the skins to the ribs on the interior. The 5/32″ rivets actually hold the Airstream together (panels and ribs).

Blind rivets get their name because you can install them in situations where you can’t see both sides of the surface being riveted (there is a blind side). So if you are fastening something to another surface without being able to see the back (like skins or trim), you would use a blind rivet.

There are two types of blind rivets, often referred to as “Olympic” and “pop” rivets.

blind rivet (pop rivet)

The pop rivet is a pin with a bulb head (the mandrel) inserted through a cylindrical shaft. The rivet is “pulled” with either a manual or pneumatic puller. The center pin pulls into the shaft which in turn expands and keeps the rivet in place. The pulling tool cuts the pin at the head once it pulls into the shaft leaving a dimple in the head where the pin has been cut off.

manual rivet puller

pneumatic rivet puller

You can get a manual rivet puller from Harbor Freight for under $10. This is pretty nice to have on the road, as you can pull rivets without needing an air compressor. The pneumatic rivet puller is a bit nicer, especially if you are doing a LOT of rivets, but obviously it requires a compressor, so it isn’t as portable for road repairs.

The Olympic rivet operates on similar principal to the pop rivet, but the containing shaft splits into three arms that hold the rivet from behind the sheet being riveted (like a drywall anchor). You can machine/shave a blind rivet to make it look like a bucked rivet with a smooth head (see photos below).

Here is a good thread on Airforums containing the photos below regarding how Olympic rivets work (the photos are from user flyfshr).
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f381/olympic-rivet-removal-and-installation-23.html

expanded Olympic rivet	rivet shaving tool
unshaved Olympic rivet	shaved/machined Olympic rivet

For the record, Olympic is actually a brand name, not a type of rivet (like Kleenex is synonymous with tissue). There are many types of rivets made under the Olympic name. Only one type is originally used on Airstreams. They’re called Olympic Bulb-Tite Shaveable Head rivets, either 1/8″ in size or 5/32″.

Bucked Rivets

buck rivets

Bucked rivets look like tiny metal mushrooms. There are no moving parts. A bucked rivet is hammered with a pneumatic riveting gun, and the soft aluminum mushrooms out to hold the rivet in place. Buck riveting usually takes two people, because someone needs to hammer one side while someone else “backs” the rivet by holding a small anvil (the buck bar) against it.

Advice on rivet length from this thread:

Always try to use the correct length rivet. It should be long enough to penetrate the parts to be riveted and still protrude to a length approximately 1-1/2 times the rivet diameter. In other words, a 1/8″ diameter rivet should stick out about 3/16″ (certainly not less than 1/8″) before it is bucked.

buck riveting gun

bucking bar

The rivets on my Airstream aren’t all perfect (some are far from it, in fact). There seem to be a lot of factory rivets that were skipped or at least skimped on. Below you can see some examples of what I’m talking about.

Before (through the holes, but not really mushroomed and holding anything together):

After (mushroomed out and actually holding the two pieces of aluminum together):

Clecos

clecos

I love clecos. Mostly just because they look cool. They are like clamps for riveting. Basically they are temporary rivets. You place clecos in rivet holes using a special cleco tool (cleco pliers) that makes the spring-loaded cleco grab and release by pushing on the end of it.

cleco pliers

vista vue window clecoed in place

Removing Rivets

Rivets are removed by drilling them out.

Sometimes you will see/hear people using a number instead of a size (inches or millimeters) for a drill bit.

5/32″ is .15625 and a #21 is .159; thus the #21 drill bit gives a 5/32″ rivet a little clearance to slide into the hole.

#40 = 3/32”

#30 = 1/8” (which is the shank size of the rivets used most extensively in assembling the interior of an Airstream)

#10 = 3/16”

For removing Olympic rivets, Andy from Inland RV says:

An Olympic rivet is 5/32 which is .15625 inches

#20 is .161
#21 is .159
#22 is .157

The best drill bit size to use is a #21, since a hole will not be perfectly round, unless using a drill press.

Andy also says:

Olympic rivets for Airstream usage have always been 5/32 shank, but with the same size “brazier head” as the 1/8 buck rivets.

That is so the looks do not basically change and the strength of the shank was maximized, so as to be similair to the buck rivets shan strength.

For what it’s worth, I have just been using 1/8″ and 5/32″ drill bits to remove rivets and to install rivets. I simply use the bit to route out the head, and when that pops off (sometimes you might want to use a sharp chisel to carefully shave the head if it’s being stubborn), I make sure to be centered and drill out the old rivet body.

Exterior Running Lights

November 16, 2015July 14, 2016db Leave a comment

Our Airstream came to us with the exterior running lights already wired (a mixed blessing: they don’t look as cool as I’d like, but I didn’t have to do anything with the lights to drive it home). Some (not all) of the lights had been replaced with LED, but the housing on those new LED lights doesn’t have a gasket at the base; rather, it looks like it’s missing a gasket around the base of the light.

Evidently this is how they are supposed to look, but I wish it looked a little more integrated. I’m going to leave them as-is for now (they work and they don’t let water in), but maybe someday I’ll make them a little more “fancy.”

Beahm Stream

airstream advice on the road to adventure

Category: exterior