We've all tackled the grey water/black water issue. I finally created a labyrinthine contraption of pipe that is not interconnected to the black water tank. The drawback is that the black water lines are not cleansed by the gray water. The advantage is that you can have more capacity. The construction is somewhere in the string - I see that 69 knows where his posts are located.
I don't have any experience with the anodizing issue except that I wish the surface was uniformly bright alumium. Unfortunately, it looks like spilled milk in some areas and spilled dark wine in others. However, the anodizing technique is very, very strong. The solution that I have leaned towards, and will probably do at some point, is to paint the exterior. There are some very high quality paints that will give you almost any look that you want without compromising the integrity of the anodization. I happen to like the Prius Green metallic. In my opinion it would highlight the use of conspicuity tape as well as led clearance lights. But, that is one idea out of thousands.
My largest error, I've decided, is that I did not alter the exterior for safety and aesthetics. I did that on the interior while being very careful to keep the look and feel of the OEM. But the floors are now waterproof laminate and not linoleum, the countertops are Corian and not old formica, and so on.
Think slightly outside the box. Make doubly sure that the systems are solid, however. On my last trip I did not have any water breaks in spite of very low temps - thanks to PEX. I did not have any electrical issues. Its on that foundation that we can attack the aesthetic dimensions of these unique coaches.
Best of luck with your partner. She is your most important consideration. Believe me, when mama is unhappy everyone is unhappy.
Hoping to have the fiberglass compartment off and have a good look at the tank arrangement in the next couple of days. That will help me to decide how to proceed.
Then I'll begin taking the plywood panels out and fabricating the aluminum framed panels to replace them.
Onward!
Pictures please! We love Pictures!!!!!!
D1trout wrote:
Thanks, all, for your thoughts on anodizing -or de-anodizing in this case. My C11 is in excellent condition on the outside. I have shared various opinions from this forum with my wife over the past month or two and she has developed a high regard for the accumulated wisdom here. I think she may find happiness in an updated, anodized camper. She's an active participant in this process and I'm keen to keep her engaged. Deanodizing is on hold.
Hoping to have the fiberglass compartment off and have a good look at the tank arrangement in the next couple of days. That will help me to decide how to proceed.
Then I'll begin taking the plywood panels out and fabricating the aluminum framed panels to replace them.
Onward!
Thanks, all, for your thoughts on anodizing -or de-anodizing in this case. My C11 is in excellent condition on the outside. I have shared various opinions from this forum with my wife over the past month or two and she has developed a high regard for the accumulated wisdom here. I think she may find happiness in an updated, anodized camper. She's an active participant in this process and I'm keen to keep her engaged. Deanodizing is on hold.
Hoping to have the fiberglass compartment off and have a good look at the tank arrangement in the next couple of days. That will help me to decide how to proceed.
Then I'll begin taking the plywood panels out and fabricating the aluminum framed panels to replace them.
Onward!
That fiberglass compartment is real "fun" to get off.
Ford F-350 4x4 Diesel
1988 Avion Triple Axle Trailer
1969 Avion C-11 Camper
with the caulking. It was gray inside, dull silver on the
outside and still quite well-adhered and flexible. Can you tell me
which type it is? Several have been mentioned here.
As for pics, I figure we don't need anymore rotten plywood pics
or disassembled rig pics. You may count on lots of pics when I start
Putting it back together in aluminum and fiberglass.
Dick
Please don't think that all and every disassemble and rotten plywood pics are redundant. We like to see the work at hand, and have noticed that restorers actually are more specific about their work when pix are attached.
D1trout wrote:
Yes. I'm starting to have fun already! When I took the trim strips off on either side, I was impressed
with the caulking. It was gray inside, dull silver on the
outside and still quite well-adhered and flexible. Can you tell me
which type it is? Several have been mentioned here.
As for pics, I figure we don't need anymore rotten plywood pics
or disassembled rig pics. You may count on lots of pics when I start
Putting it back together in aluminum and fiberglass.
Dick
Yes. I'm starting to have fun already! When I took the trim strips off on either side, I was impressed
with the caulking. It was gray inside, dull silver on the
outside and still quite well-adhered and flexible. Can you tell me
which type it is? Several have been mentioned here.
As for pics, I figure we don't need anymore rotten plywood pics
or disassembled rig pics. You may count on lots of pics when I start
Putting it back together in aluminum and fiberglass.
Dick
The sealer is Parr Bond. It comes in tubes and you can get it from Vintage Trailer supply, as I recall.
So, have you got the fiberglass off yet?
The PO had removed the factory toilet - and the holding tank along with it, apparently - and substituted a portapotti-type, covering over the hole in the bathroom floor with a piece of plywood. That would have taken care of the toilet function but there was no provision for graywater storage. Perhaps he just ran it out onto the ground..?? Or had his hose in a dump hole at a campground..?? Do such things exist? Or perhaps he just slept in the rig and didn't use the sinks or shower.
At any event, I'll spec an appropriate sized tank for my graywater, install it and plumb it using smaller drain hose as I'm not going to run any solids thru it.
Questions: have any of you installed or contemplated installing weep holes in your rigs? I see that Airstream has used them, in fact, has a fitting for them. Seems to me that it is worth considering as water intrusion is a fact of life.
And, 67, based on your recent experience in Big Bend in the blue norther, what's your current thinking about catalytic heaters?
And 69, thanks for identifying the sealer as ParrBond. I bought a couple of tubes from Vintage in October. It seems to be a very good product. I look forward to getting to the recaulk stage of this process.
Onward!
Dick
My experience in the "Blue Norther" convinced me that I need to take some real care with the heating issues. As I described in my post, the cat heater - a Wave 3 - did not perform well for me. The entire surface never seemed to ignite, perhaps as a result of several years of limited or non use. I understand that dust build-up can affect the combustion quality. I am getting in touch with Wave to confirm my observations and will act on their advice. I'll let you know what they say.
My set-up had been to place the heater on the counter-top or some other surface, and circulate the air with the fan I have mounted on the exterior of the bunk. That worked well, I thought, until several things happened. First, the CO/propane detector went off continuously. That really became a real PITA. But, it went off when we used our stove as well. So, I don't know if it was a combination of the cat heater and the stove, just the heater or the stove, or if the detector was bonkers. Like I said, I wasn't willing to disable the detector...and not wake up on a snowy morning.
I too have been interested in weep holes, but I'm not sure about the proposed locations or size of the holes. We didn't see water even though we plunged through sleet, snow, and heavy rains, not to mention that all three came down when we were camped. But I have learned that just because you don't see the moisture doesn't mean that the coach isn't leaking and seeping into the wings or cabover.
I've written to him about some of the issues we have found during restoration of our coaches. When I described the clearance lights that were inadequate, he said that he is willing to "spec out the best most authentic replacement for it in LED". I think that is a great source for us all.
He is very interested in people's experience with deanodizing their Avions. I directed him to a page to view some of the efforts at deanodizing. Steve wrote: " I'd love to hear more about de-anodizing if you ever hear of anyone trying it. That trailer looks pretty good but I can't tell how good the aluminum turns out after polishing it."
I think he would welcome inquiries from the Avionics about specific problems we are encountering. Here is his email address: Steve Hingtgen - steve at vintagerv dot com
* This post was edited 12/09/13 11:46am by 67avion *