Items left to complete

Things I'm working on:

• I'm doing the second cut of polishing (with a year in between). It's looking good.
• Running propane lines to H2O heater, stove, fridge, and fireplace.
• Install vent for fridge.
• Install vent for fireplace.
• Installing 12v Air pump.
• Installing grey water drain lines.
• I still need to install diamond plate (this is in my outside storage hatch - complete) and,
• Install the outside door seal on the entry door

I am getting there.

From here to Eternity

Well, where do I begin. I departed home on 1 April and returned last evening. In between, there was towing to Quantico, Va where I worked on the trailer each night after Reserves, then I flew down to Charleston, SC for a few days, then flew back to BWI where I towed over to Virginia's Great Falls National Park, worked on the trailer there, and then towed over to the WDCU Cherry Blossum Rally (CBR). CBR was great, with 43 rigs showing up, and tons of kids. Tim of theVAP flew in on Thursday and we taped theVAP on Saturday night live. After CBR, I towed the 600 or so miles to Charleston, SC where I stayed at the James Island County Park, just south of downtown. It was great. Zoe' and the boys came with me for the first week and on Thursday night, I started for home. In Santee, SC I met up with Sig and Dawn VanDamme (Airstreaming in NY blog) and we camped next to each other in the Cracker Barrel. I departed at 530am yesterday and drove the ~833 miles home with the SOTR in tow. It was a long day, getting in at 930pm. It's nice to be home. It seems like it's been a while since I was home last - it has!

Items left

Today I stopped here in Charleston at The Trail Center for parts - an did they have them! They used to be an Airstream dealer in the 70s. They hooked me up with my fittings for my black tank. I've got to find a 3" OD coupling to go from my fitting on the tank to a bayonet fitting.

Here is what is left of my list of things I wanted to get done:

Polish the trailer (next time)
Install fresh water tank (Tomorrow night)
Install Ogden water filter (Wednesday)
Complete fresh water tank (tomorrow night)
Run propane lines (Wednesday)
Install 12v Air pump (next time)
Install black water plumbing (Wednesday and Thursday)
Install dead bolt (next time)
Install diamond plate (this is in my outside storage hatch - complete)
Install outside door seal

I've bolted down the stove, the fridge, completed what I needed to on the gaucho, installed the H2O heater (need to cover the outside with original cover still), fix curtains, install radio.

I'll be at the Great Falls National Park in northern VA on Wed am from 9-11am and then will be heading to downtown for a short caravan. Only two more days!

At the Airport

Well, Sophie the SOTR is parked here at the Airport. I'll be flying back into here on Tuesday evening - late, and I'll just end up crashing in the trailer until Wed am and then tow down to Great Falls. I have to locate some plumbing parts tomorrow while in Charleston - wish me luck! Instead of Caravanning on Wednesday, maybe I should be installing some plumbing parts. Tim, you ready for your flight east? Frank - good luck! See you Wednesday am buddy. Thanks John for letting me borrow the shears - they worked great.

In the dark!

Well, I got the new hot water heater in tonight... finishing with the aid of a flashlight. So, I'm hooking up the PEX lines now. I'm here in northern VA and it's nice weather... but supposed to rain tonight through tomorrow afternoon. So, all I have left is to install the front fresh water holding tank - which has been one problem after another. My welder Daryl welded in a patch on the tank and while he did that (it's aluminum) he put in new fittings for the fill neck and exit point. When I got it home, I put it together (mocked up) and put it into place to make sure everything was going to work... well - when I went to take the fill neck out, the aluminum threads (it was hand tight) became buggered up and it stripped the threads on the way out... so I had to take it back over to Daryl's to get a new fitting put in (1" and a 1/4). So, on Tuesday late afternoon on my way south to here in Northern VA - I stopped by Darly's to pick up my tank. This time, when I install it, it's all going together and not coming apart again. Wish me luck.
We'll be Caravanning into downtown DC on Wednesday... CBR is here (almost!)

Trailer Access Hatch

People have asked where I got the access hatch. It was from Ebay - and they have 6 more available. Ebay: item number 140217741216. Good luck. They are 12" x 12" aluminum.

Cuttin the hole!

Frank called me a whimp the other night on the latest episode of theVAP - and said to "Just cut the hole!" - so, since the fridge access is the smaller of the two, I cut my first hole. So, here are a couple pictures. I borrowed my buddy John's electric snips and man do they give a good cut. It came out pretty well. Now I can bolt that fridge down and get the gas line run into the rear of the fridge. Now to the H2O heater hole on the other side of the trailer tomorrow. Thanks John.

Let the Flags fly!

I sold one of my flag holders to a West Coaster. He sent me a shot of it today. Thanks Jot for the photo. Glad you like it! Love the colors!

Been busy, been sick and been on travel

It's been slow going - I've been on travel alot lately and was sick on travel all last week, spending all day on Saturday in bed. Ugh! Here are a couple shots of where I am. The tub is in, the pex is 80% run, and I'm getting ready to CUT the HOLE for the water heater. Next is propane lines. I've got to get this fresh water tank in as well. Check out those LEDs under the galley shelf. It feels as if the trailer is an utter disaster. I'm getting there!

Win a 1964 Airstream

My town is doing an Airstream Fundraiser. The prize: a 1964 AIRSTREAM Trade Wind 24’ Travel Trailer w/ a new axle. As Wally said:

"Don’t stop. Keep right on going. Hitch up your trailer and go to Canada or down to Old Mexico. Head for Europe, if you can afford it, or go to the Mardi Gras. Go someplace you’ve heard about, where you can fish or hunt or collect rocks or just look up at the sky. Find out what’s at the end of some country road. Go see what’s over the next hill, and the one after that, and the one after that." This is the message and the legacy of Wally Byam – founder of Airstream.

Become a member of the WBCCI (you have to own an Airstream) and begin your dream of adventure and exploration – all in your own Airstream.

The how - tickets are $25 each. Once the town sells 400 tickets, they’ll draw a winner. So here’s your chance to win big!

New Axle, Polish has been started. This trailer will need to be restored, but it’s a chance to have a clean canvas for your own customized Airstream! Interior is all there and the outside shell is near perfect - so Start DREAMING now! I'll be posting the how to get tickets shortly so check back soon!

Working out the bugs

Mechanically, I lost the drive shaft to the rear end. So, that's getting fixed. The 454 is running great and the Buick runs down the road great! All new Michelins mounted and once the drive shaft is re-connected, we're in Business. I'll continue to cruise locally to work the bugs out. Only 1 month until CBR. I've got so much to do! I've been terribly busy at work too so it's been hard.

The final outcome

I like it. Now to get turned onto the plumbing. This weekend.

The Love Tub

So, what does everyone think of the tub? - we painted it last night. Thought Frank and Tim would like it.

270 miles yesterday, 461 miles today

We made it to the NC/VA border tonight. I'm beat and tomorrow is another long day of towing... but in familiar territory and the weather looks great! Here are a few pictures. The Safari is towing great! I have a picture somewhere with my grandfather's Airstream in front of a Stuckey's sign somewhere. Only 500 miles to go!

Some inside pictures

We're in Brunswick, GA heading North. The 54 is towing nicely thus far. Some inside pictures. The floor on this thing is REALLY bad - gone - Capute! The front is all there, but the rear interior is basically just an open canvas. That's a very old Fedders AC in the middle that is vented out under the bed out the rear - pretty professional job on it too. Enjoy!

The 54 Safari Recovery is underway!

The Recovery. Today we spent the day at Dinosaur World in Plant City, Florida. Then we went over to the Tampa Electric Company to see the Manatee viewing center. On the way over, we stopped at Bates RV - home of the Airstream Ranch. It was alot of fun, even though it was a short stay - most likely, the Safari will be stopping into Bates for a fresh packing of the wheel bearings and a tighten up before the 1200 mile pull home, all while we enjoy our Florida stay. The Airstream Ranch is pretty neat! Nice meeting you Mr. Bates!

Udvar Hazy

Today, while on the road, I had to stop and get an aluminum fix. Here's the trailer used to house Armstrong upon returning from the moon. Stanton, my oldest son at 6, took the picture of me standing in front of this customized Airstream - I've always wanted to see this trailer. And then the Clipper Flying Cloud plane... how cool is that. We'll be in Charleston, SC tomorrow, through Wednesday when we go get that 54 Safari, and maybe Florida State Rally in Sarasota for a few hours. We're definately hitting the Tampa Electric Company to see the Manatees. Enjoy!

And it moves

Here's a picture of the Buick... I took it for a test drive this afternoon. It rides nicely down the road. The Suburban chassis is gonna make a nice tow platform, with the looks of Vintage. I've got to let the valve job sit, and then I'll see if the 4 Barrel will open up on the 454... HANG ON!

Lights, Catches, Latches and a Buick too!

Things are going slow because it's only single digits out and it's cold in the trailer. Brrrr! Well, it's been a bit since I've posted. First, last week I mentioned the bunk latches. Well, on my fourth latch, as I was installing it, I noticed that the catch was the wrong size. So, I emailed Vandykes, and they promised to send me out the last latch in the finish they had.. they are discontinuing the polished nickel finish... and I got it, and it is the right size - phew! I've installed the fourth latch so now the bunks will ride in the up position during travel. They look good and it's amazing how much bigger the bedroom area feels with them up. I've installed the chrome paper towel holder in the galley and I have to find a place for the spice rack. I've been measuring and placing where I should be putting my Byam hooks. I have 6 original Byam hooks and they will work nicely for hanging keys, towels, a shirt, etc. A few months ago, I had ordered 4 12 volt LED lights that will be installed in the galley area under the galley overhead storage. I've purchased a toggle switch that will control them. They put off alot of light and will be perfect for our boondocking trips. Then, I've been working on the 12v lights that are in the bedroom area. A while ago I bought two 110v gray flexible lights from Ikea. I've cut the plug ends off, have found 12v light bulbs that fit them and have them wired into the 12v system. They will work perfectly so that we will have both 110v and 12v lights in the bedroom. Once these are installed, the bedroom will be complete, except for 6 drawer catches I have to install on the bedroom drawers to keep them from opening while in transit (I bought these catches at Ikea too). The Buick, our future Sovereign of the Road tow vehicle, a 1959 Buick Electra, is now mounted onto the 75 Chevy Suburban with a 454 that has just had a complete valve job on it. It's purring like a Tiger and is running perfectly. The Buick is all registered and will be driving tomorrow. I am excited!! Enjoy the photos.

Back home

Well, I left the house last Tuesday night and I got home last night. Wow... Frank might win if this time away keeps up. So, needless to say, not much has been done. Shark-bite fittings have arrived for the PEX, and VanDyke's has sent me a replacement latch for my bunk. This week I should be getting to the tub and pex. I also got a huge package of Ebay parts for our Magic Chef stove (I needed a burner). I'll be posting pictures of our Buick Electra on the Suburban as well; we drove it down the road today - the 454 is rebuilt and purs like a kitten - or Tiger I should say. So, stay tuned!