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It was 104 deg.! This guy earned his paycheck!
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| The view of the sanblasting through the tailight hole! |
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With the Floorplan design laid out and most of the structural welding done it was time to sandblast the frame and get busy on the reassembly!
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| The motor has gone back in |
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| View of the holding tank locations. Shower will be a 4 inch step down. The brown stripes are just colors from a donor piece of fibergalss that I used as a bonding sheet. Circle in the middle is the spare tire mount. |
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Moved the door rearward to accomodate floorplan
One major design change that I wanted to accomplish was eliminating the back window and mounting the spare "continental" style. The custom hub cap has not been polished yet.
Things should start comming together now. I have all new brake parts and backing plates are built up and ready to go in. All new exhaust. Gastank is reconditioned. Chassis will be finished and floor back in this year. Then, on to the Windows, Electrical, Insulation, exterior finishwork. Paint will be last. I intend on Dove Grey as the major body color with traditional secondary stripeing of a maroon. I will probably offend the travco purists. But the ugly "hood" will be gone. Not exactly sure what I am going to do yet but I am leaning toward a "Retro Redneck Truckdriver" look.
If you would likke to see something in particual about this project just ask, I will try to add it as I go.
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Wow! You have some serious skills the rest of us don't have! Will you not have a generator? I like all the extra room you created up front! Looking forward to seeing the progress!
ReplyDeleteYes, there will be a generator under the bed. Using the original Onan. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteIt's been awhile since I've checked in but this is amazing Mike! Can't wait to see everything done!
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
ReplyDeleteGreat find and nice job so far, reading this with great interest! I have a '63 Frank (before Travco bought it, but same basic design). A few questions/requests:
1. I see you've gutted it. What are you planning to do for flooring starting fresh?
2. What are you planning to do as far as insulation for the walls and ceiling? Are you going the spray foam route or regular insulation?
3. The door looks to have an aluminum skin. Did you reskin it this way?
4. What are your plans for wall and ceiling paneling?
5. You talk about a brake upgrade. Can you give us some details on this?
6. Did you do any work on the engine / trans?
7. Anything new suspension-wise (shocks, springs, etc)?
8. You mention you decided to re-use much of the furniture that came with the coach. Did you explore other options? What made you decide to mostly stick with the stock furniture?
Keep up the great work, and keep updating!!
Thanks,
Vik
Well Vic, I'll try to answer here.
Delete1. I am going to try to do marine grade 1/4 ply, high density foam then OSB. All laminated together equalling 1.75 inches. Floor covering will be glued on vinal tile.
2. Walls will be sprayed in but closed cel which will not sweat like the open cel. Much denser than the open cel that was used plus no formeldahyde!
3. My door skin has a small dent, no corrosion. It could be reskinned. Look for a truck shop that works on semi trailers for help.
4. Fiberglass end caps will be repaired and reused. Looking into a headliner material used in campers and motorhomes which is perforated, soft cloth covered. Motor home rated for fire and health protection. Walls will be light maple panel.
5. After much research and debate I have decided to restore original brake system. (mine has a dual cylinder master, your does not) I have all new parts. I am not an engineer and could not wrap my mind around 14,000 lbs and one mis calculation if I "remade" the brake system.
6. Engine ran good. Opened it up and inspected everything. Going with it for now. Transmission is unknown. Does work but I have not had it out on the road. I have a back up engine and transmission.
7. There will be new shocks. Steering gear rebuild for leaks. New king pins. Springs look good. However, after I am done They may be insufficent.
8. As this process goes on I have evolved my ideas. I doubt very much I will use anything from the original interior. You can see my floor plan layout. Most of it will be scratch made.
Thanks for the great questions Vik
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteThank you... very informative site you have here! I was wondering if you can tell me how much Por15 was needed for your frame. I am thinking to do the same and did not know if I could get away without buying a gallon. Since you have done this I felt you were the best person to ask.
Hope to hear back from you soon and have a Great Day!
Lisa~
Hello Lisa. Originally I had planned on just scrapeing and Por-15. However, since I spent the money on sandblasting it clean I instead went with a good coat of rustoleum primer then implement enamel. But to answer your question, one gallon of each made it over the frame and lower structure. Por-15 is an excellent product though. It is quite thin and very hard to brush in small areas. If you get it on something it will be there forever. This includes you. I still used por-15 on my brake backing plates, drums, fuel tank, Etc...
DeleteThanks for your intrest and good luck with Madeline Mae
Mike
Don't get that stuff on you...: )
DeletePor15 is nasty.
Mike what I used in one of my travcos on the ceiling was the plastic wallboard they use in commercial bathrooms. They sell it at home depot. it works great, easy to work with, waterproof and easy to clean
Mike, awesome job. You took it even further than I did. Stop by the forum...
ReplyDeletetravcoforum dot com.
We would love to have you.
I love to see thee old Travco's saved.