Marmoleum Sees the Light of Day

Planning.  Changes to plans.  
So goes any project, and this vintage trailer is no exception.
In January, we found out that we chose a now discontinued color.   Marmoleum Mineral 5714 is discontinued - we needed to start again.

Limiting my choices to sheet Marmoleum, not tiles, I ordered samples in gray and cream shades in the patterns Piano, Concrete, Fresco, Real, Graphic, and Straito.

New Marmoleum samples arrived last week
I'd hoped for something that I liked almost as well, but instead there were 3 choices that I liked!
Marmoleum Real - Color Eiger is a possibility.
Marmoleum Real - Color Slate Gray is really interesting.
Marmoleum Fresco - Color Eternity very nice. 

We made these our initial preferences - comparing each Marmoleum swatch with our other fabric, curtain, Zolatone, and wood swatches.  I used a cookie baking sheet, moving them from room to room to see how different light affected the colors.  I was checking them again and again.  And again.  Finally the weekend arrived so we could check the colors all together in strong daylight - to see if our indoor-lighting flooring preferences would hold up in "real" light.

While I've never had a new house built, we've worked quite a bit sprucing up and updating our home.  Restoration of our 1955 Flying Cloud restoration is much like a stationary house.  First the structure, then the details.  I'm so excited to be in the "details" stage!

Marmoleum Real - Color Eiger is our choice.

Warming Up - Insulating the Belly Pan

Reflectix reflective insulation is cut to fit under the plywood floor between the frame rails including above the water tanks.   It will also be used to insulate under the water tanks.
Note:  The step is painted with a UV resistant topcoat over the black POR 15.
The visible portions of the rails will topcoat painted soon. 

The portions of the frame that are cut out for the plumbing connections - all will be strong!  Each cross member will be strengthened at the bottom with a heavy steel bolt-on bridge.  The bolts will allow access to the plumbing if needed at a later date.

 









The dump valve is installed & valve handles extended through the main rail into an are that will be accessible through a flip down hatch.

 












 Gray tanks installed!

 









Fiberglass Insulation to really keep us warm! 

The end of the cross members have the added anti-chaffing strips.
First piece of the belly pan is cut!!!!  We are moving forward again!

Marmoleum Mineral 5714 - Help?

It is what it is....

We may need to start the entire interior color scheme over again.

Since we made the color selections in March of 2011 – some items have been discontinued.

The materials we choose were all based on the floor covering - Marmoleum Mineral #5714.

Marmoleum Mineral #5714 is no longer made by Forbo Flooring 800-842-7839.

We will need to start again with everything…unless Colin's flooring guys have stock there?

Looking for a small miracle.

Anyone have stock?

Floor to Frame - Details

Aluminum was used to protect the plywood floor at the spare tire.

Aluminum protecting the floor above the step.

The inside of the wheel well.

Floor Attached to Frame!

Construction!
No longer pulling things apart!
All the preparation work is complete, things are going back together again, and I could not be any happier!!

The old leaf spring axle is gone, white the new smoother riding torsion axle is positioned and the bracket is attached to the frame.

Glue is used to attach the plywood floor is to the frame.

Elevator bolts are used by the Airstream factory to attach the C-Channel to the outriggers only - so they are spaced widely apart, approximately every 2 feet.  Then the factory used (uses) self taping screws are used to attach the C-Channel to the plywood between the outriggers.  
Our 1955 Flying Cloud has Colin's added strength by using elevator bolts inside the C-channel - all along the C-Channel to more securely attach the frame to the floor and therefore lessen stress to the trailer.  The elevator bolts are attached to the outriggers and to the plywood floor.  Colin used self-taping screws to further secure the plywood floor to the outriggers and the cross members.
Improved again!  Even the curves are attached with elevator bolts - every 8" to 10".

Using the rotisserie, our Airstream is moved to comfortable positions for securely bolting the floor and chassis together. Shown with the hold-down plate welded to the front of the frame.  The extra elevator bolts are best seen in the photo from the under-side of the plywood floor.

Location, Position, Check, and Double Check

I'm so excited!  We are getting closer to putting the aluminum shell back onto the frame!

Wheel well is located close to the shower pan.  Both locations are finalized and the shower pan is checked to fit and be supported by the cross members. 

To keep water from damaging our new floor, the plywood is sealed or waterproofed.  Colin uses Smiths CPES Penetrating Epoxy 2 part epoxy.  The underside is soaked and the upper side is sealed at the outer edges of each board.

 













The C-Channel will hold the wall and provides the stability and contact between the wall and the wood floor and chassis below. 

The curved C-Channel for the front and rear corners was made in 1955 by Airstream in small segments. Colin fabricated new C-Channels from 032 aka 50/50 aluminum "belly pan" aluminum.
Then the C-Channel is positioned on the floor, checking the fit again.

Rotted Floor Be Gone

Reid removed the plywood floor from the frame.

The frame is attached to the rotisserie. 

Below you can see the missing rear outrigger

And the frame is rotated!

Shell Off - Frame Off - Axle Off!!!

The shell is separated from the frame!

Although our vintage airstream is still being deconstructed, this seems like such huge progress!! 

 

 

Above is the top of the floor with the parquet wood flooring that covered all the floor rot.  Below the photo is of the bottom of the subfloor - with all the rotted edges.

 

 The old axle with leaf springs is coming off - to be replaced with a torsion axle for a smoother kinder ride for our 1955 Airstream Flying Cloud.

The great news is that the tire fits into the "A" portion of the frame.  The new fresh water tanks will not fit into the angled main frame rails.  The change will give us the 2 tanks at 17 gallons each - for a total of 34 gallons of fresh water up front and capacity for 34 gallons of gray water.  These are the new Vintage Trailer Supply tanks - item # VTS-851.

Color Color Color

Once inside Barry's 1955 Flying Cloud Airstream, one of the first things I loved was the light expansive space and the wall color.  I know green Zolatone is not to everyone's taste, but it made me so very happy!!

Scott and I spent hours upon hours looking through interior design swatches to find colors. 

• we like today 
• we will like for years to come
• will not show every speck of dust, sand, and dog hair
• are 1955 appropriate

These may not appeal to everyone, but we like these selections.
UPDATE 1/29/2014 - 
   - our Marmoleum Mineral 5714 is discontinued - we need to start again.

Soft and Gooey

Oh yes. The faux-wood-look vinyl covered a bit of floor rot. The entire floor is bouncy and the right side is not secure.

Being under the trailer myself, I am better understanding what I've seen in photos of other trailers. Below is my photo taken from the ground looking up into the area normally covered by the belly pan - the underside of the plywood floor. The step should securely attach to the frame here. The step on the right is photographed from the rear of the trailer and looking forward. The 3" deep (aka tall) C-channel frame shown on the left.

Below: As expected there is floor rot at the typical 1950's segmented C Channel. The first photo shows the C-Channel flat on the floor.

The photo below shows a small strip aluminum - remaining when the rest of the belly pan was cut off and removed. This aluminum belly pan strip was pulled down through the rotted floor to below the chasis frame. On the right side of the photo is the segmented C channel.

Party Time - No Sleeping Allowed

The bed frames with drawers and the night stand have been temporarily returned to the bedroom.  

The Previous-owner painted walls and added parquet flooring. It has to go!

One of the ways to hide water damage is adding a new flooring.  I understand that the new floor is often added without identifying and stopping the source of water entering the trailer.  Parquet flooring
And perhaps the previous-owner grew damaged the walls or merely tired of the green Zolatone, and painted the walls.  Either way, I want to see the very durable Zolatone finish restored to our Airstream. 
 
With the beds removed, there is enough room for dancing at a party.

Peeping Tom

Peeping into our walls - this is our first look - photos sent by Colin from Plattsburgh NY.


We expected water damage in the toilet room. And under the front jalousie window / water tank.

And as always the back floor. I need to ask Colin why the metal at the base is not one solid piece...
 
As usual my question has been asked and answered on the Vintage Airstream Podcast (VAP) 
I'll try to find the episode number, I think it is somewhere in the 190's....  
My understanding is that the early years Airstreams were made with the C-Channels installed in pieces.  Colin let me know that we would improving the trailer with a more water resistant solid C-Channel is is done for modern Airstream trailers.


More photos at Byam's 1955 Flying Cloud.

Naked

The walls are naked! Look at all the wide open space!

Looking to the rear of the trailer, and above the back hatch, this area behind the night-stand is the original Zolatone.  Beautiful green speckled Zolatone.

The original floor is muliple colors of what I think is lanoleumm tiles - 4" x 4" tiles.  The colors may have been nice with the interior, but I'm having a hard time seeing it in my mind.  The tiles are so worn, dirty, and discolored as is the small areas of unpainted green Zolatone.


Because we are adding a shower, the cabinet layout on this wall will be adjusted. Okay, here's the thing. I am not the handy one in the family. So as well as trying to learn to be more handy (I hope!) - my job is to document the process. So if anyone has any suggestions for how to improve this vintage Airstream blog, please do share with me using the comments feature below. Seriously, I'd like to think that I am not the only one reading this....