AIRSTREAM PADAWAN
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Episode II
A New Hope

Shocks, wheels, hubcaps, and subfloor

5/15/2017

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Shocks

Ratco couldn't (or wouldn't) install the shocks that I wanted. Fortunately, it was an easy job. The new axle (Hey Mike!) had a bracket welded in place to accept the shock and the wheel well had a bolt/bracket combo also. The shock (Monroe Gas Magnum shock #555003) fit perfectly and was easy to slip on.   
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The hardest part was that the bolt that came with the shocks was too long. It wouldn't quite fit between the brake drum and the bracket. A few minutes work with my angle grinder took care of the problem. I also needed to run to Ace to get another nut and washer for the top bolt, since the shock only came with one set.

Wheels & Hubcaps

On the day I was going to deliver Eisley to Ratco, I figured I should check the tires. One was flat, but since I had the trailer on jacks, there was no damage. It was good that I checked. I pulled Eisley to Costco and asked for new tires, just figuring the old tires needed changing.

​The tech took one look at Eisley's tires and said, "No way, not here." Apparently Eisley has split rims. Split rims can be dangerous to change, I learned, as the rim can rupture and kill the person inflating the tire. So sitting in the Costco parking lot, I started calling around.

Tire-Rama came to my rescue and had one technician who was qualified and willing to check out my tires as long as they were not "widow makers". Which is really a thing.

Tire-Rama was very helpful. The tech, I've forgotten his name now, checked over both tires and replaced an inner tube in one. He said that my tires, albeit old, were in excellent condition and would be good for at least a few seasons. He even thought it would be worth keeping the split rims, for the history of the thing. The tech also gave me some great ideas to powder coat the rims and use paint or decals to give the tires white walls.

Anyway, I may replace the wheels sometime, particularly for ease of fixing on the road, but I heard $$ savings for this season.

After the shocks, I decided to see how shiny I could get the hubcaps. This was purely vanity, and I'm running out of time before the summer camping season is upon us, but I'm not sorry. I used a little soapy water and fine steel wool. The difference was amazing - beyond my hopes.
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Before
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After

Subfloor

Next, I used a subfloor patch compound fill in the gaps in between the plywood and bolt holes. It was easy-as-pie, but the compound shrunk, so I needed two coats.  Other than that, it was probably the easiest single step of the trailer.
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Axel Replacement (part 1)

5/5/2017

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I'm pretty sure I babbled. That's the kind of thing I do when I'm nervous. I was turning over this baby that I've been working on for two years. Babbling is also the exact wrong way to communicate that I know what I'm doing.

Awe, hell. I don't know what I'm doing. 

​Eisley had a 55 year old axel. While many things are wonderful about a vintage Airstream, the axel is not one of them. I'm not an axel expert (which was abundantly clear to the folks at Ratco, more on that in a bit), but I understand that torsion axels have internal rubber rods under. The rubber rods flex as the trailer bounces down the road. Over time, however, the flex wears out. The torsion arm then sags and there's no flex in the system.
In order to get a new axel, I needed to find someone who makes axels for vintage Airstreams. Fortunately, one of the gurus I mentioned in a previous blog makes brand-new replacements. After a few emails determining exactly what I need, Collin Hyde shipped out an axel. I chose an axel that has a slightly higher clearance, for the tanks and for mountain roads.

However, buying the axel was the easy part. The old axel was welded on, so it needed to be cut off with precision. Next, a new mounting plate needed to be made so that the new axel has the right thing to mount onto.

Third, the mounting plates needed to be welded onto Eisley. If the rest of it wasn't tricky, this is the step that gave me shivers. If the plates are welded even fractions-of-an-inch incorrectly, the alignment would be off. If the alignment is off, then the trailer pulls down the road cockeyed. Tires wear out quickly, gas milage is off, extra stress on the tow vehicle, etc. Finally, the axel gets bolted on. Suffice to say, this one was beyond my skills.

So I had the axel shipped to Ratco, a local axel repair shop. Locally, they are very well known as the best in the business. Several people told me, "If you have an axel job; they're the best."
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Despite their high reputation, I was a bit of a nervous wreck. They were professional and cordial, but I kinda had the impression that they were hearing my instructions much like I hear parent suggestions for my classroom. They smiled and nodded and then disregarded most of what I said. Fortunately, it's pretty clear they know their business better than me. (My sorry-but-not-sorry apologies to any parent offended...)

When they called the next day, I was sure they were about to tell me about some problem (that's my story for all repairs on Eisley). Instead, they said I could come pick it up. Eisley was ready to roll.
When I picked Eisley up, they wanted me to know that Airstream was 3/4" off when it built the frame. If I noticed a slight difference in where each wheel sits inside its own wheel well, it was because Airstream got it wrong, they hadn't. Ratco uses a laser to measure very precisely each side of the axel to the hitch, to get the alignment perfect. One wheel well is fractionally closer to the hitch than the other. So there is an appearance that one wheel is further forward than the other, but in reality the are precisely aligned. To be honest, I can't see it. I love that kind of precision and it certainly gives me piece of mind. 
Perhaps the easiest way to see the difference between the old axel and the new axel is where the wheel sits in the wheel well in the old and new system:
Old axel.
New axel.
I'm a little behind in my writing, Eisley's been home for almost a month and I've been working on the floor, split-rim wheels, shocks, and trim. Next time.
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    I'm not an Airstream Jedi, yet.  Airstream Jedi would have sounded presumptuous, like I know what I'm doing. That couldn't be further from the truth. Padawan is a title I can hope to live up to.


    Favorite Links:

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    My friend Mike is building an airplane. Check it out.

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