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Topic: Avion truck campers - Hundreds of photos

Posted By: ticki2 on 03/17/16 08:18am

Silver , those are some important observations about the condensation on the bare aluminum panels . I don't have a pat answer . The fact that the bare patch at the ceiling did not exhibit the condensation does not surprise me , it's the warmest place in the interior . What I can say is the aluminum I used is thicker ( .032 ) and has a vinyl coating . I have not noticed more condensation on the new end cap . When I did the repair I noticed that the spray foam did not completely fill the wall cavity . There was about an inch in most places which left about a half inch air space between the interior panel . When I spray foamed the back side of new exterior panel I left that same gap . As you mentioned , the foam in the end caps was originally very thin in places , less than half inch . That being said I cannot say that any of that made a difference for what you have experienced . I would definitely not drill holes and try to spray additional foam in the cavity . I found it was difficult enough to control coverage even with everything open . Now that your end caps are all riveted together you could probably remove them as one piece by just removing outer rivets that are connected to the ribs , still a lot of work . IF that is the route you choose I would spray a very thin coat of foam on the back side of the inner panels , I think it would do more good for condensation . One other thought on the headliner material . Some Airstream owners have reported trouble with this , not sure of the details . Hopefully with all of us thinking we can find a solution . '68 Avion C-11 '02 GMC DRW D/A flatbed

Posted By: 67avion on 03/17/16 01:03pm

Rasta said: Maybe we could start planning for November....when its warmer and nice in Florida ....67avion...how about it??? Rasta, I've been in touch with Silver about this. We were talking about Pennsylvania or the NE in the Fall and Florida in late winter/spring. Lets swap email addresses because I don't think the Forum rules allow us to do too much planning for meet ups. I'm at dgorton at dgorton dot com. Anyone interested in a meet up contact me there. Silver, your email address didn't work, please send it again. Silver, I wrote about the interior paint that I used which is OEM for Airstream as well as Avion. Its called Zolatone. I honestly don't know whether it would help in any way with the condensation issue. Finally, our article on truck camping in Northern Europe is the top of the front page of Truck Camping Magazine. Take a look at our adventures. http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/

Posted By: 69cayo on 03/17/16 04:59pm

I would suspect the front window leaking cold air between the panels making those panels cooler than the surrounding air. You also have an air gap in the portion that curves underneath the bed platform that has no insulation. If I remember right the curved "U" channel that holds the corners were slotted to allow bending. Start looking in these areas for infiltration. Dennis

Posted By: ticki2 on 03/17/16 06:20pm

Dennis , are you on the road yet ?

Posted By: 69cayo on 03/18/16 07:17am

No, I had a bad fall awhile back that put me out of commission for some time. I'm fine now but playing catch up, hope to be back on the camper this summer. Dennis

Posted By: D1trout on 03/18/16 09:07am

Dennis, as usual, your advice is right on! Filling all the gaps and spaces and places for air to intrude is logically the first line of defense for controlling the climate inside the Avion. My web search then suggests that cracking a window as well as an overhead vent at night will help. And running the fan when cooking. And not showering inside... It seems to me that eliminating cold and hot spots on the inner skin is a critical issue. I bought some broad plastic nozzles on eBay for the cans of commonly-available spray foam to layer foam on the low spots of my newly installed foil-faced rigid insulation board. I'm striving to get the inner skin and the insulation as close to each other as possible. Minimizing gaps should help equalize temps inside and will cut down on condensation. I'm going to put closed cell foam tape with adhesive on one side on the ribs. 67's pic of snow melting on the ribs was very instructive! Of course, all these measures might just distribute the condensation evenly throughout the entire camper... I'll report back when and if I ever spend a night inside... Glad to hear you're upright again, Dennis. You're doing such a masterful job, I want to see your Avion when it's completed! Onward!

Posted By: SilverPompadour on 03/19/16 04:49pm

Ticki2,69, now that the panels are riveted together, they are(were) easily removable as one piece. I had them hung with clecos for a while and took them on and off a few times. Before final riviting, I did apply some spray foam to the perimeter of the front window, bathroom window and entrance door behind the end caps. I did not foam fill the rest cause I didn't want to have to shave it into a compound curve for the end caps to fit. I know I didn't seal the bottom channel where the wood is inserted so that is working against me. I agree that a thin coat of foam on the backside of the caps would likely do the most good with minimal risk. Maybe on the next go round. The weather was humid/rainy but not windy nor terribly cold(40F) when I first noticed the condensation issue. Both the front and rear caps showed equal moisture coverage. We spent the last two nights at Promised Land SP here in PA and the end caps stayed dry the entire time. The weather was a little drier but it got down to 25F last night, wind cranking non-stop and my soaked wetsuit hanging in the shower, dripping. As a control measure, I kept the side windows closed and the roof vents open about 1/2" like the first trip. Somehow we were able to keep away from the dew point entirely? 67 The Zolatone should do it too, that was the only coating offered before the vinyl correct? Im just trying to keep the current look of the end caps if possible. Ill resend my email also. D1 I think even moisture distribution is the best we can hope for in a camper, especially one sealed as well as I suspect the Argo will be. As long as it has nowhere to condense, it can be easily vented to the outside. I should have used tape on the ribs, bet that makes a big difference. 1968 Avion C-11 1993 Dodge D250 LE Cummins

Posted By: ticki2 on 03/19/16 05:51pm

Hey Silver , that reminds me , you owe us a trip report with pics .

Posted By: SilverPompadour on 03/20/16 12:19pm

Indeed I do. Testing, testing, 1, 2

Posted By: SilverPompadour on 03/20/16 12:46pm

Ok, so I completely misunderstood the picture file size requirement. The not-so-Maiden voyage of the Silver Pompadour. First stop Cape Henlopen Delaware. You sure this place is open? Cape Henlopen is also the former site of Fort Miles, built to guard Delaware Bay during WWII. I feel like the Avion is safe, Putin can't touch us here. They have a 12" gun here also. A little farther south in Delaware Seashore SP. In addition to desert boon docking, she also doubles as a luxury surf shanty. I installed a hook in the shower to hang the soaked wetsuit from at the end of the day. The shower worked very well and was as spacious as I had hoped. The water heater gas valve needs to be rebuilt as it continues to flow a very small amount of gas when it reaches temperature. Sorry no picture! A misty night in the Delaware Seashore SP campground(north shore). The Hwy 1 bridge in the background. This was probably the first I ever actually stopped in Delaware after driving thru dozens of times. No sales tax. Clean, soft sand beaches. A great trip overall. 600mi round trip. 18.6mpg down, 17.7mpg back. Eastern PA fuel prices seem to have surpassed NY and are now about the highest in the east.

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