GLORIOUSLY ISOLATED

That’s Savannah! A few weeks ago Tim and I met with our Canadian friends for a long week in Savannah, Georgia. The original plan was to meet in North Florida. Ground Zero for Hurricane Michael. Plans quickly changed as the storm neared. Savannah was the best choice that accommodated both our rigs. 

Skidaway State Park is beautiful. Isolated and surrounded by nothing but marshes and piney woods. In Savannah they have rules. “Rule number one: Always stick around for one more drink. That’s when things happen. That’s when you find out everything you want to know.” That for the most part holds true but it’s also a famous line from one of my favorite books/movies “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” that takes place in Savannah. Before your next trip to Savannah I would highly recommend watching the movie or taking in a good read. 

We revisited great places to eat, Bonaventure Cemetery and the town squares. Explored Tybee Island some but for the most part just relaxed. I needed a little brake from the project I’m currently working on. Tim and I had the best time with our Canadian friends and will see them again in February. 

The Panhandle of Florida has a very long recovery ahead of them. And we hope it happens safely and quickly for them as we have many friends there who lost their homes and everything they owned. We will re-visit the Panhandle when the time is right and when we can lend a hand. 

BELLY UP!!!

Today was kind of exciting! In preparation for an easier install of the holding tanks, plumbing, insulation and a new belly pan Tim and I flipped the frame today. The process was easier than I anticipated and no one got hurt.  

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C-CHANNEL COMPLETE

Over the last couple of weeks we have finished the subfloor epoxy coating and installation. The DIY sheet metal brake that Tim constructed several months ago was finally pressed into service with all of the required C-channel being bent. The C-channel runs the perimeter of the subfloor decking and is used to attach the wall ribs and both the exterior and interior walls to it. This weekend Tim was able to install the final sections of C-channel onto the subfloor. This upcoming week we hope to drop the axle and flip the frame to begin installation of the holding tanks, insulation and belly pans. Of course this will depend on Tropical Storm/Hurricane Michaels track. 

SUBFLOOR CUT ...

We have finally completed cutting the subfloor pieces this weekend and have begun to drill all of the panels for the elevator bolt and screws. We are going to do a temporary install of the subfloor and then remove it from the frame to be throughly coated with penetrating epoxy to help prevent future damage from any leaks that we may experience in the future. This will allow us to epoxy the bolt and screw holes as an added precaution. 

Safe Travels !!

Tim

WHEEL WELLS COMPLETE

We have had the Liner for three years waiting for me to retire and dedicate my time to it. It is nice having the time to work on it and be able to not rush to a stopping point with anticipation of going to work.  

The wheel wells are completed. The next step is installing the subfloor as weather permits. We were counting on our usual dry season this spring but that didn’t happen and have been contending with daily thunderstorms and rain. We have had about 45” so far this year. I think daily about how nice it would be to have a garage large enough to work in and not have to stop work because of rain. Maybe on the next one!

Safe Travels!!
Tim

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FIRST RIVETS SET

Since the frame has been painted, we have been working on gathering materials for the subfloor, holding tanks, plumbing, insulation and belly pan installations. We are still waiting on some of the supplies due to them being out of stock. While we are waiting for the remaining supplies the decision was made to cut down the wheel wells about 4”. This will provide us with additional room in the galley cabinet for plumbing and additional room in the wardrobe. This also provided us with a good project to improve on riveting and fabrication skills in preparation for the work ahead. 

We also fabricated a sheet metal brake that should come in handy for the fabrication work ahead. It has already seen service with the wheel well project. Above is a picture of the wheel wells side by side with one already altered and nearing completion.

FRAME PAINTED

Finally the frame is painted ... for the most part anyway. The remaining axle sections will be finished at a later date. We went with the gray Por-15 as the first coat and then black as the second coat to ensure everything was covered in both coats. 

On to the next task . . .

RAISING OF THE GANTRIES!

After three weeks of rain delay we have finally, sorta of made some progress. The gantries were built and raised! 

During and between rain showers this past week we did it! The first set Tim and I raised by ourselves. On the she second set I called in reinforcements and had my step-dad come help. Thanks Papa John! We could not have done it without you. Even though we didn’t actually touch the Liner this week at least we feel progress was made. Thanks to whoever posted the plans on the AirForums for the gantry build. It was a link to a thread to a thread to another thread. Now when time comes to rotisserie the frame and when it’s time to lift the shell off the old frame we will be ready. Vergie is still patiently waiting in the background. 

Forecast has drier weather ahead for us. Yesterday stayed dry but that turned into a yard day. The grass has grown really fast with all the rain that we have had. Tim should be able to finish painting the frame today. 

CONFESSION . . .

I can not believe it but I must tell. During the many, many years that I have lived in Florida I have never, ever been to Sanibel. So there it is ... my confession!

Several months back I decided to meet-up again with my group Sisters On The Fly. SOTF holds hundreds of events throughout the year, with vintage trailers, all over the U.S. Most events are no Misters, no dogs and definitely no kids. It allows for the group to focus on the event and to enjoy the time away. This event was titled Sisters & Seashells. I decided to go for several reasons ... first like I said I’ve never been, there are no dogs allowed at this campground due to a bird sanctuary there and lets face it Tim won’t just drive me the 3 1/2 hours one way just to go look at seashells on the seashore. So my thoughts were this might be my only chance to camp at Periwinkle in Sanibel. 

As my luck would have it work began to interfere. My last day of this shoot was the first day I was to be in Sanibel. Tim was kind enough to offer to tow the Airstream down there, drop it and come back so that I could go down early on Friday. The plan worked and I had a blast. The Sisters say ‘He’s a keeper.’ THANK YOU TIM!!!

There are also a handful of other animals on property at Periwinkle RV Park - Spider monkeys, brown lemurs and the ring tailed lemurs pictured above. These and all the birds including a pair of swans were all within site of my campsite. Some of the ladies went kayaking the first day and had quite the adventure. By the time I caught up we went shopping in Sanibel and Captiva, sight seeing on the islands, enjoyed a potluck one night and had a fabulous dinner out at the Lazy Flamingo on another night. We even streamed the Royal Wedding from my campsite early Saturday morning while drinking mimosas from gold Solo cups! That’s how I roll. It was really nice hanging out with the sisters at this SOTF event. Some I knew and it was fun getting to know the ones I hadn’t met yet. I was as happy as a Flamingo in a trailer park! LOL

Florida has had an unbelievable amount of rain over the past week. Just over six inches while I was gone. Unfortunately no work has been able to be done on the ‘48 Airstream back home. Luckily the weather held out for us in south Florida until our last night. I had to get up early this morning to be able to hitch up and get on the road between showers. The drive home was a wet one. The rain was constant. I was comfortable during the drive but still considered it a confidence builder. I arrived home safely and now have another successful solo trip under my belt. 

SLOW MOTION . . .

Life keeps getting in the way. Between services, Birthday Parties, doctor appointments, galas, my work and now the weather ... progress has been slow. The metal prep has begun but WOW what a process. The metal degreaser was a breeze. Then came the metal prep. For those who have not done this it took much longer than anticipated. The painting was to begin today however we’ve had rain and there’s more coming. 



Even with all the delays we have still been moving forward on purchasing smaller items needed on future segments of this project. All the holding tanks came in. We purchased a nifty dent roller. Had custom taillights made in California and have even bought curtain material. 

Hopefully we’ll have drier weather by Monday. 

NEW TOW VEHICLE ...

Today Tim moved the Liner back about 65’ through soft sand and thick grass with our golf cart. It took a little bit to get her moving since she had settled in the sand but with a little rock back and forth it worked. The Liner had sat unmoved for just over three years. We had decided to use the golf cart to keep his heavy truck out of the soft unpacked sand on that side of the house. I had put the flames on the golf cart to make it go faster, seems it made it a tougher TV as well! 



I then used the golf cart to easily tow the new frame around front yard, on our gravel road and back it into the side yard like no load was there. The new frame currently sits where the Liner use to sit. The Liner really looks nice sitting in her new temporary location.

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ORDER UP!

No progress but progress has happened. Tim has spent a good part of the week measuring and re-measuring the new frame. There were a few critical measurements to confirm like where the door opening lands and cross member placement. So far it looks to be perfect! He seems to be sleeping somewhat better now. The cross members were spaced to where we would not need to special order holding tanks. Once the frame landed we confirmed those numbers so we could go ahead and order tanks from VTS and Plastic Mart. 

So this week we did go ahead and order the holding tanks. Even tho no physical progress we still feel that something was accomplished by placing those orders. VTS has given us a five business day turnaround. All they will do is insert fittings, to shelf stock, where requested by us. By not ordering custom tanks it saves some money but still an expensive purchase. 

This week we will order the metal needed for holding the tanks in place and begin prepping the frame for paint. Also on the horizon looms the purchase of the Marine Plywood for the decking.

WE HAVE A NEW FRAME!

The new frame for our 1948 Airstream Liner has arrived home! 

CEDAR KEY!

Tim and I just returned yesterday from four fabulous days at Cedar Key, Florida. We had a blast and I don’t even really like Cedar Key. The town is a bit too touristy for me. For me it’s all about Low-Key Hideaway that’s there right before you get into town and that dang Tiki Bar out back. It doesn’t help having your campsite only fifty feet from it! 

Once you walk in the door the place just swallows you up. All your cares and concerns are forgotten about and you begin planning how do I get back here again and when can I make it happen! Here is a few comparisons photos of what it was and what it has become ...

We always meet so many nice people there. The girls had a great time too. Jett and Mattie love all the attention they get in there. The last day there Jett even sat behind the Airstream staring at the Tiki Bar and whining waiting for it to open. Since we did absolutely nothing except hang out at the Airstream and the Tiki Bar I’m just going to end this post with pictures and let these tell our story of our amazing and relaxing time spent there ... 

FRAME NEARLY COMPLETE ...

So, so long in the waiting ... the frame is almost done! 



Since the beginning we’ve had conversations of do we build the frame? Meaning buy a welder. Learn good welding skills and hope the welds hold. Or just throw money at it, save some time and have a professional do the job? 



Thanks to our trip to Texas where we not only got the range and ice box, we also got frame plans used for another ‘48 Liner. THANK YOU TEXAS! Then once we found a welder, who is also an engineer - that we had confidence in, we gave him the go ahead and a set of frame plans. Tim modified the plans slightly to fit our rig. Our welder was excited to take on the project. He has been working in his spare time on building the frame over the past month in his shop. After seeing what he has done so far we know we made the right decision and anyway we by no means had all the proper tools and space like he has in his shop to accomplish what he has. 



Tim and I have been going out for visits to see the progress. Just this past Tuesday it had none of the outriggers attached. Today it is looking a little more complete. 



Tomorrow we take a short trip to Cedar Key in the ‘04 Airstream. By our return the axle should be attached and ready to tow home! Then the rest of the build should be all on us. 

I’m sure some are saying ‘over kill’ on the frame build. Yes. We agree. In order to accommodate fresh and gray tanks we needed the frame depth. In order to keep the look of the original deep belly pan ... we needed this frame depth. Tim will respond to any technical questions anyone may have about our new frame. 

Guess this will be the last outing in our other A/S for awhile. Once we return it will be full speed ahead on the ‘48!