A large scale project like this is best broken down into manageable chunks so as to not seem too overwhelming both physically and financially. Since my trailer was purchased online and located in a city about 4 and a half hours away, some preliminary work had to be done in order to make it transportable especially on the major highways that I had to travel on to get it home.
This trailer had been sitting for about six years prior to me purchasing it and hadn’t done much traveling before that either so the tires were completely shot. In fact the tires that were on it were the original 7.00x15LT tires that have been discontinued. To replace these tires you will need to get ST22575R15 Load range D 6 bolt with a 5 1/2 off centre pattern. In most cases it is a better deal if you get the rims with them too. I was able to purchase each tire and rim for $189.95, but order ahead of time as these are not tires that many places usually keep in stock. Bearings may also have to be replaced, however in my case, just repacked. If your trailer has been sitting for long periods of time, axle replacement may be necessary too. I plan on doing that, but mine were in better than expected condition so I will leave that until next spring and will cover it in the blog then. Below is a photo of the cracked, worn old tire with a rusted rim just prior to replacing it with the new ones.
Make sure to check the dry weight of your trailer and have a tow vehicle that is capable of that. My car is a Honda Civic and the trailer weight was 4800lbs so there was no way that was going to happen. Fortunately, my friends dad had an F-150 capable of towing over 10,000lbs and he was very generous in lending his time and truck to help me out. That same friends uncle was a mechanic and gave me a great deal on actually accompanying us on the trip to pick it up in order to repack the bearings and replace the tires for the safe trip back. Sometimes these large scale projects require all available resources!
New tires & rims on. Check your hitch, make sure the welds are secure. The hitch size is 2 5/16 requiring a 2 inch receiver.
Above, the trailer is ready to transport. In our case, all the wires to the taillights were fried so we had to use a set of external tail lights on the back of the trailer and run a very long wire to the F-150. We also had to clear a lot of loose antenna, metal, etc…from the top of the trailer so it didn’t come off on the highway. If your windows are damaged like mine were, remove all the broken glass shards so they too do not hit others on the road when transporting. Make sure all the remaining windows or empty frames are locked so they do not swing loose on the road.
After successfully transporting the Airstream home we are ready to begin removing the old interior. We are going to strip it right down to the exterior aluminum walls and rebuild to our custom specifications.
The glass will clean up easily enough, however there are some surface smoke marks that escaped an open window. That will be removed with the exterior clearcoat, which will allow us to restore a mirror like shine to the aluminum. Luckily, there is no structural damage or damage to the exterior skin. If there were, that would be an expensive repair as entire panels would have to be replaced.
After giving the exterior a quick hose down and cleaning the interior windows, it already looks better. The interior is another story...
Those interior door panels will come off and the frame will come up flawlessly with some steel wool.
Start removing all the loose items. Surprisingly you may not need to rent a disposal bin. I just posted ads on kijiji for free junk pickup, scrap removal etc…and people came within the day to take it away. Note: Your old tires and rims might actually be worth some money! I put a “for free” ad up and had many replies, one person came within 15 minutes and before I could even delete the ad, I had a phone call offering $200 dollars for them despite the unusable condition.
Start the long process of taking out each rivet with a 1/8 drill bit. Remove sections of the wall but remember, prior to the mid 80’s asbestos was commonly used so wear proper ventilation equipment or better yet, have a professional remove it.
Keep this stuff off your skin too. Hard to believe this was common in houses, offices, etc…
There is our first interior wall panel and insulation removed to expose the exterior shell. That aluminum is in mint condition even after 42 years!
Underneath all of those outlets and covers, is the rusty old heater. It is tricky to get out as there are vents connected to the exterior. Remove them carefully so as to not damage anything and make sure propane is safely disconnected before removing. The heater is screwed into the plywood floor in several places and connected to a few hoses too. If you don’t plan on using it again, just cut them out.
This part was difficult and I should have planned it out better. There is a center strip of interior wall material running the length of the trailer on the ceiling around the fans, AC unit, etc. It is only about 18 inches wide but on either side there is a very narrow strip of metal that covers all the rivets you need to drill in order to remove that piece. It is very hard to peel back but if you start with that piece instead of the lower walls like I did, I think it would be easier and far less cluttered in your working space. Use a small crowbar or flat screwdriver to create enough space to get your drill bit in there.
By removing that one centrepiece I could have avoided having the surrounding ceiling falling on me all the time and having to work around it. That stuff looks pretty flimsy but its actually metal.
That black stuff on the walls is glue that held the old insulation in place. Not sure exactly what kind but I’m guessing its pretty bad to breathe even now. Try to remove it.
Sometimes your project might look worse before it looks better.
All the large pieces are gone but all of the remaining little insulation particles must be removed too.
I drilled several holes in the subfloor and removed the belly panels before placing a basin down to collect all the water and insulation and then pressure washed and scrubbed by hand every inch of the interior. Wire brushes work well in hard to reach places but make sure to get every bit of the old insulation out. The entire process of gutting and cleaning took about a week at 4 hours a day and full weekend days.