It's Faaaaantastic!

Big day today. I removed the first vent and did a rough installment of the new Fantastic Fan. Process? First, drill out about 50 rivets that held the old vent in place. Truth be told, the old vent was a superior piece of work back in the day, but the motor was shot, it leaked, the lid was über-repaired. In short, 45 years later, it was a mess. Oh, and did I mention an absurd amount of ancient vulkem? The only way to remove the stuff is with a scraper and heat gun. And patience. The original gasket (or what was left of it—we'll let the archeologists argue that one) was paper with an adhesive.  Clearly, the makers of these trailers weren't expecting them to last as they have. Hence the later addition of butyl tape, more vulkem, more silicon (and please, if you ever work on an Airstream, resist the urge to use silicon. Even after decades, it simply doesn't want to come off).

The process of installation was simple. Use the foam gasket provided, mark the inner diameter of the hole, cut with shears, place fan in hole and use a few screws to keep it in place until spring thaw. I'm unable to do any caulking as temperatures are too low during the day. So, I'm working ahead.

Marlene figures this installation marks a turning point in the renovation process. Me? Not sure. I see this whole experience as a process: I have no end date, no deadlines, and no idea when it'll be completed. One thing I do know: if I were working full-time, working on the AS would potentially become tedious because it takes a LOOOOOOONG time. Putting in this fan took a couple of hours.

Two more to go.

By the way, don't always believe what you read on the internet (how's that for a revelation....). A fellow suggested, in one video I watched, to use butyl tape around the edges. Upon reading the installation instructions, the manufacturer specifically mentioned not using butyl tape. I think they're worried it might stress and later fracture the plastic flange (that is screwed onto the roof). The original AS vent was entirely aluminum—butyl tape would have been the perfect solution. No problem. I have many tubes of Sikaflex 221, just begging to be used. Come springtime.

Hole before cutting for new fan. Notice I'm standing on ribs.

Voila! New look inside. Sky light and fan.

Out with the old, in with the new.
And no, I'm not referring to dialectical antagonism.

And it's snowing!

Yup. Winter is a-comin' in, as expected and right on time. Or so we think. I'm very grateful to SNP for helping build the trailer garage. Without it, it would be another winter with no work done.

Moving the frame

As you may have noticed, the Airstream is back in one piece. It was an 8 hour job but not because of the difficulty. It was the finicky nature of putting the body back onto the frame. (If there is a next time, I'll build gantries for the shell as well as the frame. That would have simplified the reattachment process.) Without an accurate fit, buck riveting the two together might have been a problem. A few weeks ago, my nephew Dan came up for a visit with his wife and kids, and we buck riveted the body back to the frame. Nothing like working on a project to get two guys talking!

SNP and I dropping the body onto the frame

Wing window with new butyl tape

I've begun reinstalling windows. The stuff from vintageairstreamgaskets.com has worked very well. Without the internet, this kind of rebuild would be virtually impossible. The Vista View windows and stackers are all clean and clear. The new caulking is fantastic and holds everything in very well. But, I did run into a snag today. As I was reinstalling the curb-side wing window I came to realize that the bucking bar from vintageairstreamsupply.com didn't work. OH NO! There's a 18mm gap between the frame and the sash, and their bar is too large. Enter SNP. He looked at the bar and then after a moment said, "I can make you one in 15 minutes." Which he did. It fits the gap perfectly.

SNP's bucking bar.

So, the rebuild is coming along. Will I be done by next summer? Doubtful. Marlene and I may just head out with an aluminum tent. But the winter will be spent doing as much as possible, most likely and including installing the new Fantastic Fans, run the wiring, finish the plumbing, maybe even start insulating. There's no end of work to be done, but it's not a 'race to the bottom' (one of SNP's favorite sayings). It's about learning new skills and seeing progress in incremental steps.

At least, that's what I keep telling myself.