'68 Vintage Airstream » leaks

A word about Texas summer…

Steve — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:43:18 +0000

I wish I could say that my lack of posting here was a direct result of spending too much time on the Airstream to have a chance to update the blog. That is definitely not the case though. Instead, I’ve been sitting in the air conditioning of my house researching Airstream parts and longingly looking out the window at the oven that is my Airstream. You see, here in Austin we’ve had over 60 days of 100+ temperatures so far this summer. Trust me, I’ve tried, but working in/under/on the Airstream in that kind of heat just hasn’t panned out for me. A quick list of items completed before the furnace blast arrived (or during temporary cold fronts in the 90s):

Removed awning rail
Cleaned gunk from the Airstream where awning rail was (22 feet is a long ways!)
Removed the old air conditioning unit from the roof
Removed all of the cracked/broken vent caps
Removed the remainder of the belly pan
Painted the front half of the frame with POR-15
Removed the lower 19-inch fixed window that was mysteriously broken

Next on the list is to order a new A/C and vent caps as well as a roll of new aluminum for the bellypan. Assuming it will start to cool off in the next few weeks, I’ll be back out there full bore with renewed interest because an Airstream sitting in the driveway for two years just doesn’t sound like my dream of wanderlust.

In a few weeks… (windows done!)

Steve — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:39:28 +0000

Yeah, so maybe a few weeks turned into a few months, but hey, we finally finished the kitchen in our house! So I guess it’s not all bad. Additionally, we haven’t had much rain here so window leaks haven’t been a problem. We finally fininshed the last window today. As mentioned in our AirForums post, we used Dow Corning 795 as adhesive in the window hinge. It’s been holding up great and seems to create a solid, waterproof seal.

So the first window (small) went in October 25, the second, January 3 and the final (replacing the window AC unit) on January 11. Each ended up taking about 4.5 hrs of scraping, cleaning, trimming, and assembling but they look great!

We also dug out the rotted seals around the fixed windows (above and below the forward windows) and re-sealed them with silicone. A set of dental picks work great for this application.

Alright, finally, we’ll be digging into the floor next weekend. We’ve danced around it long enough and now we’re going in. I see that a local, Austin Airstreamer has been having fun with his floor. I guess this is the Airstream renovation hotbed right now. Wish us luck!

Water leaks

Steve — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:04:01 +0000

We’ve had a few days of rain in Central Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday. I took the opportunity to assess the Airstream for water leaks. Several of the original windows have been replaced by plexiglass, which I assumed would be the primary leak points. However, it looks like most of the leaking is occurring around the original glass – probably through the rotted window gaskets.

The lower window next to the door has been collecting water on the inside sill. That explains some of the water damage I found on the floorboard near the door. It appears that the topmost window in that section may be contributing to the damage as well.

The stovetop vent also has a small leak towards the rear of the mounting which has probably caused the rotted plywood behind the kitchen countertop.

At one point the street-side bedroom window was retro-fitted with a window air conditioning unit. The remaining window opening was covered in plexiglass. The air conditioner sits on metal brackets on the window sill and around this lower edge there is a small gap. It doesn’t appear to be leaking, however there is water pooled in the metal channel below it.

All of the rooftop vents and AC unit look to be leak-free. I was worried about one of the vents as the aft handle is disconnected from the vent top.

Priority number one over the next few weeks will be to find replacement gaskets for the windows and door.