Position the Plumbing and Narrow the Wheel Well

I need a shower and we also want to keep the living space as open as possible so we need to crowd the bathroom.  Before when we checked the fit, there is very little room between the toilet and the wheel wheel. 

 As new plywood is cut for a floor, the size and shape of the trailer can tweak a little bit.  Now our 1955 Flying Cloud final size of the Airstream is defined by the floor attached to the chassis.  With the wheel wells attached between the plywood and the frame, the bathroom plumbing needed to be double checked. 

Axle and tires on, the chassis is flipped over.

Great news!  The shell still fits on the floor/frame!

Next the plumbing parts are laid out in their approximate positions.

The mock-up wall is brought back into our trailer to check the fit.

With the new axle and tire in place, we could check that all would still fit, and as expected the wheel well needed to be slightly adjusted.

Sitting on the Coke Cans

Sheets of cardboard, and a printout to full size, and a stick of wood - now I can finally sit in my bathroom. The toolbox was too low for the toliet, but adding a 12 pack of Coke Zero made the height just right. I spent a couple hours checking out the fit.

Nested together, the 2 stainless steel bowls made a good mock-up for the sink that will be added to the wet bath.

We own a new toilet!! Good Bye Gopher Hole!

Some things vintage are worth keeping and restoring.  Other things, while historical are not worth keeping.  Well, the old toilet had to be replaced - our new toilet arrived and it fits. Good bye gopher hole! Hello black tank! The black tank (to hold toilet contents) will be located under the new toilet.  The decision is made - above the floor and under the toilet as shown by the mock-up box right next to the wheel well.  Approximately 13 gallons is the plan.

Bathroom - 1st Mock Up Ideas

With the toilet moved to be next to the wheel well, there will be room for the black tank above the floor.  This location fits the toilet and leaves leg room for my feet inside the future shower pan. Colin sent these photos so that we could decide on a location for the bathroom lavatory sink. The bowl shows possible locations for the lavatory sink.

We did not want a 34' trailer, as we like to travel to National Parks and other locations that may have trailer length restrictions.  Our travels with rented motor-homes and trailers helped us to really decide what we wanted.  A 22 foot long trailer will fit in almost all campsites, and still have enough room for us to move about inside the trailer.  We want to carry what we always use, and not bring burdensome extras.  Mutli-purpose usefulness is really important to me.

Designers of new products, including Airstream trailers, make decisions for their customers based on sales volumes, and feedback.  We wanted to make these decisions to fit our needs.  While some people must travel with all the comforts of home including a toaster (yes Scott J), we prefer to travel only with what we need.  And we make toast on a skewer right over the open flame - Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato sandwiches are a need, but not the toaster!

The second lavatory sink in the trailer is a luxury, not a necessity.  We could brush our teeth in the main sink in the kitchen.  I just don't like intermingling bathroom "dirt" with my food preparation area.  So to me the second sink is a really important.

Knowing our needs does mean a tight fit, but the bathroom door should work for height!
Bundled-up Colin Hyde, owner of Colin Hyde Trailer Restorations sent the photo to show me proportions of our vintage Airstream's new bathroom layout.

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.

Tiny Bath - Big Decisions

As we want our Flying Cloud to look period circa 1955, most decisions will be easy. The bathroom however presents challenges. We need enough room for a small shower. There is room for a wet bath. We did use the wet bath in our leased 16' foot Bambi but did not like drying it with a towel, it never was dry enough. I'm just hoping ShamWow towels will work well...

Proposed Floorplan Change:
The hole in the floor is the location of the original toilet as seen: Original Bathroom.
The toilet will be turned 90 degrees, and 
Of course this means changing the plumbing, which we knew was needed, as 1955 trailers did not include gray water tanks.  Back in the day all the shower and sink water would just run out onto the ground, if you weren't connected to a campground waste disposal.  Interestingly this does explain one soggy waterlogged site that I remember from my childhood....icky!
 

Of course this means changing the plumbing, which we knew was needed, as 1955 trailers did not include gray water tanks.  Back in the day all the shower and sink water would just run out onto the ground, if you weren't connected to a campground waste disposal.  Interestingly this does explain one soggy waterlogged site that I remember from my childhood....icky!
 

If I remember correctly - Colin is 5' 10"
So there should be room to shower in our slightly larger bathroom.

Bathroom as Found - Lots of Work to Do

Not shown is the drop to daylight "feature"
I'm really not ready to dig a gopher hole!
Notice the Previous Owner Added Shelf!

No Shower - I must shower!
We boondock often, and I need to shower.