Schatzi
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1959 Shasta Airflyte
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Post by Schatzi on Apr 19, 2015 17:14:02 GMT -8
We have started the restoration on the Holiday House. It has an aluminum belly pan. I would love to hear what others think about them. Good and bad. Thanks!
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Apr 19, 2015 17:31:13 GMT -8
It's a pain in the butt to work on a trailer with a full belly pan. It will likely need to be removed for the restoration. It's your choice to reinstall, or replace it when finished. They are just flat metal, and very easy to replace. Many were just cheap galvanized metal.
In our mild So. Cal. climate, I see no reason for one, and do not plan to replace mine on my 1948 Spartan. However, people living or storing their trailers in cold climates, would likely choose to insulate the floor, and reinstall the belly pan.
To each there own.
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Apr 19, 2015 17:49:00 GMT -8
I'm with JP, however depending on how your floor is constructed, it may be necessary to keep it or replace it with a different material. The 65 Aloha I'm restoring has a 3/4" plywood sub floor and aluminum belly pan sandwiching a layer of 1/2"asphalt impregnated fiberboard.  I feel this is a bad system as it traps water in the fiberboard, saturating it which in turn rots the plywood. All of my floor rot is due to this. |
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John Palmer
Senior Member
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 574
Currently Offline
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Post by John Palmer on Apr 19, 2015 20:20:48 GMT -8
I'm with JP, however depending on how your floor is constructed, it may be necessary to keep it or replace it with a different material. The 65 Aloha I'm restoring has a 3/4" plywood sub floor and aluminum belly pan sandwiching a layer of 1/2"asphalt impregnated fiberboard. I feel this is a bad system as it traps water in the fiberboard, saturating it which in turn rots the plywood. All of my floor rot is due to this. That's the same system they used on the 1957 Deville that I'm currently working on. I agree that it's like a sponge, sandwiched between a ridged steel frame, and a soft plywood floor. Not the best design (IMO), but they were able to advertise that they were insulated, and it was a cheap labor way to do it. However, it's not what I would consider as a "belly pan", since the entire frame, and all plumbing is left exposed.
You can buy 4' by 8' by 1/8" sheets of black ABS plastic from the plastics stores. I used it on a tear drop trailer as a underlayment for the plywood flooring.
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Apr 20, 2015 6:05:28 GMT -8
I'm with JP, however depending on how your floor is constructed, it may be necessary to keep it or replace it with a different material. The 65 Aloha I'm restoring has a 3/4" plywood sub floor and aluminum belly pan sandwiching a layer of 1/2"asphalt impregnated fiberboard. I feel this is a bad system as it traps water in the fiberboard, saturating it which in turn rots the plywood. All of my floor rot is due to this. That's the same system they used on the 1957 Deville that I'm currently working on. I agree that it's like a sponge, sandwiched between a ridged steel frame, and a soft plywood floor. Not the best design (IMO), but they were able to advertise that they were insulated, and it was a cheap labor way to do it. However, it's not what I would consider as a "belly pan", since the entire frame, and all plumbing is left exposed.
You can buy 4' by 8' by 1/8" sheets of black ABS plastic from the plastics stores. I used it on a tear drop trailer as a underlayment for the plywood flooring.
What they didn't tell you is the only real "insulation" was from noise, and that was very minimal at best. My 57 Jewel has a 2x2 framed floor with a 1/8" Masonite belly pan, I am planning to replace the Masonite with the ABS sheets. |
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Post by vikx on Apr 20, 2015 21:05:57 GMT -8
Every trailer I've had with a metal belly has had SEVERE floor/joist rot...
If I had a choice, I would replace with Celotex (sound board at HD) or masonite with a water proof coating underneath. (YES, GOOP IS ALLOWED ON THE BELLY!!)
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