A Progress Report

Not sure why, but silver clock faces (with no gold), are not widely available.

Yeah, yeah, we know. Not the sexiest title for a blog post, but we’re covering more than one project and getting caught up with the updates.

There are some good reasons to spring for one of these.

The unit operates as a ceiling fan when closed; has 10 speeds, a thermostat

and a remote control.

Last spring (2015), two new MaxxFan Deluxe ventilation fans replaced the original front and back ceiling vents. The center vent, positioned over the kitchen area, was replaced with a less expensive model of another brand. Unfortunately, it developed a crack while we were towing the Airstream. It has been repaired to keep out water, but we decided it will be replaced with something else. We did discuss the possibility of putting a sky light there. However, since we dropped our center ceiling by 2 inches, Karl is considering some ducting for the air conditioner. Instead of routing the duct around a sky light, we think it makes more sense to install a LED light fixture. Most LED fixtures have a thinner profile than incandescent lights, so it should be possible to route an insulated duct over it.

A section of our drop ceiling and an inside view of a MaxxFan.

There is a bit of finishing work still needed, but it made a big difference

in feeling like we are actually progressing to close up the wires and insulation.

Because the ceiling panels extend a bit to conceal what's above them,

it was easier to install the LED lights on the frame before they were put up.

The drop ceiling was installed in July. LED strip lighting was mounted on the outside of the frame. There are two sets of lights, one for the front half of the trailer and one for the back. Both sets are operated by remote controls that not only turn off/on, they also allow the lights to be dimmed. These LED strips are replacing most of the original lighting our Airstream had. As you can see from the included photos, these lights are installed all the way around the drop ceiling frame. When operating at 100% brightness they do a very good job of illumination. Additional LED task fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom will provide less intrusive lighting for those occasions when one occupant may not want to disturb a sleeping companion.

Just like a land-locked residence, don't skip putting under-layment beneath your new floor.

Alexa, our site supervisor, was on hand to make sure the job was done right.

A view with most of the flooring installed.

The flooring was also installed in July. RV flooring is usually installed before interior work is completed, and RV restoration/renovation should be done the same way, if you’re gutting and rebuilding the interior of your vintage RV. That way it will continue into cabinetry and closet bottoms without the hassle of trying to install after the fact. Do yourself a favor and spend a bit of extra money on heavy-duty floor protection paper and tape designed for construction. You won’t regret protecting your new flooring.

A piece of PVC sanitary panel was cut to fit the broken panel.

The plastic holders on either side of it (looks like silver trim) are also the hardware that keep

the tambour doors in place and make them operational.

The silver edges have a groove under them that helps to hold the center panel in place.

The front of this cabinet curves, so a replacement needs to be flexible and shouldn't be

thicker than 1/16" of an inch.

Don't forget to finish with a sealer around the edges.

On this entire cabinet we removed the old white silicone and replaced it with clear drying.

This piece of foam went behind the PVC panel and between the metal posts

that support the center front of the bulkhead cabinet.

The foam was included to provide a cushion for the clock.

It was part of the packaging from an electronic device we recently purchased.

Kristal trimmed it to the size she wanted, and since it was laminated in layers.

cut 2 layers out of the center to accommodate the depth of the clock back.

While the foam is glued to the PVC, the clock is not

so it can be removed to change batteries. 

If you do something similar, make sure the openings for your clock are snug.

Cut just a bit smaller than you think you should.

Otherwise, the clock is likely to come flying out while your trailer is bouncing down the road.

The tambour doors in the upper front cabinet have been painted silver and reinstalled. The center panel between the doors was accidentally broken, but it was probably going to happen eventually anyway. The old plastic was brittle.  While it was a bit disappointing at first, it became an opportunity to do something we liked better. Instead of keeping the tiny digital clock that ran on the house batteries, we’ve put a 3” quartz clock with a silver face in the new panel. A clock which runs on its own batteries was easier to install. No need to fuss with wiring in a tight space or hoping you have the correct wires in the first place.

Our current large project is replacing the dual axles on our trailer. It went to a repair shop 2 weeks ago to get the work completed. Replacement of axles is a rather lengthy subject, so we will address it in the next blog post.

While our trailer is in the shop, we will have them install the fresh water holding tank too. (Something we discussed with them prior to bringing them the trailer.) It is the largest of the three tanks and spans both axles. No better time to gain access to this spot while the axles are not in the way. We have the replacement tank so it’s not going to cause any delays. To keep labor costs down, we would prefer to install new the black and gray tanks ourselves. However, some things are worth paying for, so the repair shop is going to drop the old tanks and dispose of them after sending us photos and measurements. Once we’re armed with the info, it will hopefully be easier to find replacements. Until then, it’s kind of like trying to shoot the Invisible Man in the dark. (Getting tanks that are close to original makes installation easier, if your trailer still has originals. We don’t want to replace the belly pan and certainly don’t want to make major changes because fittings aren’t in the same place.)

To be honest, we had a short wish list by the time the trailer got to the shop. The 12V signal lights being one item. We had them resolved for last year’s state inspection, but since then we’ve finished installing the new Boondocker breaker box and changed out the old 12V glass fuses for updated blade fuses. That pesky 12V gremlin reared its ugly head. Vehicle headlights and trailer turn signals don’t want to play nice. At this point, it’s worth it to get professional help. A new door handle/lock is also being finished up by the pros. We got it installed to the point where we could lock the door again, but for long-term security we decided it was better to let the pros finish it up. One of many decisions you will be forced to make: how much are you willing to pay for reproduction parts specific to your RV? An exact copy of our original door lock is about $500. The replacement we chose was $70 and came with a dead-bolt, something the original didn’t have as part of the handle/lock. The latch locks with the key on both sides, while the bolt has a knob inside. The new lock required modifications to the door and frame. Still, even with shop labor, we won’t be spending $500 on it.

This is our new heat-on-demand hot water heater.

Once the trailer is back, we will finish the tanks and ramp up the interior work. That means finishing the bed platform; replacing the old fresh water plumbing with new PEX; finalizing the connections for the new hot water heater and rebuilding the bathroom; installing a new refrigerator and cabinetry. Then there will be the fun stuff (for Kristal), like window coverings & decorating. Kristal has been working on some of that stuff between other obligations. She’s made the blinds for the 3 largest windows and has 4 smaller ones left; for the kitchen, bathroom and 2 windows in the bedroom. She has also been painting or refurbishing original items we wanted to keep, like the tambour doors in the front cabinet and the globe light fixtures underneath. The top of the original cooking range and the tub base are getting the same treatment. Silver has been the accent color of choice for many of these projects.

Kristal recently had the realization that we need to step up the progress. Our younger daughter graduates from a college four states away from us in early May. One of the biggest reasons we embarked on this epic project was so we had a means to bring the fur kids, enabling both of us to travel together. Last August was actually our original deadline, but an unexpected event in late spring blew both our budget and schedule. The circumstances of this event meant we still needed to make our planned trip (which was no longer just for pleasure), so we did our best to finish projects with supplies we already had and make everything as safe as possible. While we were basically staying in a 31’ aluminum tent, working electricity and a pair of recliners made things tolerable. Modern campgrounds with flush toilets and hot showers helped, too. We were gone for 3 weeks and managed to enjoy ourselves for the most part. But it was a situation brought about by special circumstances. It wasn’t without its challenges. While we were reminded we’re more resilient then we realized, it’s not an experience we wish to repeat. Hopefully, we will have some time in the next 2 months to post some updates here. The post about axle replacement is almost finished. Otherwise, we will do our best to put photos of our progress on our “The Stellar Land Yacht” Pinterest board.