mobiltec
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1954 Jewel In Progress...
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Post by mobiltec on Jan 17, 2016 17:22:01 GMT -8
One of my very favorite trailers. wish I could find one to redo. As a 40 year high end woodworker I can see that you know what your are doing. Very nice job, by the way. The only problem with the "really cool" round windows is that they don't open, so an air conditioner is a requirement. But what a cool trailer. I would, very defiantly, build a new frame. They were build too weak anyway. Ones might go straight axles and raise it up a little too so it didn't need the drop tongue and those braces. (That might not look good though). I don't know what they were thinking on that anyway. I didn't work, they all take damage in the front. The Air Floats have lots of top vents. |
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Post by vintagebruce on Jan 17, 2016 17:57:06 GMT -8
I did. And it towed like a dream. The Cardinal ended up about 18" longer than original and 3" wider. It was a FUN build. When you made the swap what VIN# did you use? |
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Post by vikx on Jan 17, 2016 20:12:25 GMT -8
We used the original Cardinal VIN after having a chat with the DOL. Sometimes that needs to be inspected, depending on the State/Province.
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bmxovich
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1952 Airfloat Skipper
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Post by bmxovich on Jan 18, 2016 13:41:00 GMT -8
One of my very favorite trailers. wish I could find one to redo. As a 40 year high end woodworker I can see that you know what your are doing. Very nice job, by the way. The only problem with the "really cool" round windows is that they don't open, so an air conditioner is a requirement. But what a cool trailer. I would, very defiantly, build a new frame. They were build too weak anyway. Ones might go straight axles and raise it up a little too so it didn't need the drop tongue and those braces. (That might not look good though). I don't know what they were thinking on that anyway. I didn't work, they all take damage in the front. The Air Floats have lots of top vents. Elewayne, thanks for the compliment. I really don't have a huge amount of woodworking experience, maybe it's accumulative though, I do have some decades behind me  . As mobiltec mentioned the Airfloats have a fair share of roof vents. Our 16' Skipper has three. One near the front and one near the back, with third located in the shower/bath. I might add another in the middle of the trailer as I have three spares from a parts trailer. I'm not sure on the AC. We live in the northwest and it usually cools down enough at night to sleep well. And a cold beer will get me through the day. It's a possibility as we'd like to do some extensive traveling to CA and AZ etc. It would have to be totally hidden though. When I get to the frame I'll really be picking some brains on here. That and hunting down John Palmer for some input. I really want to maintain a factory appearance with the tongue shape and braces. Here's a roof vent pic. |
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bmxovich
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1952 Airfloat Skipper
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Post by bmxovich on Jan 18, 2016 14:32:47 GMT -8
Not a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks. Duplicated the front and rear window framing, and turned to the doorway opening. Again I just tried to duplicate the original design and use some better materials along the way. More laminating...  The attached plywood allows indexing on the table saw to trim the opening to the final dimensions.  I'll tackle the door next. |
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Post by danrhodes on Jan 18, 2016 16:43:10 GMT -8
LOL at "I really don't have a huge amount of woodworking experience". That is beautiful. What grade of plywood are you folks using for those bends (and the curbing curves)? The last place I looked for 1/4" plywood only had AC grade at $45 a sheet!
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Jan 18, 2016 17:19:00 GMT -8
Bmxovich... LOL ya. You don't have a lot of experience in carpentry. I wish I had 1/10th of your knowledge. Now I see how you do those archways and other radii... Took me a while to catch on. Love it.
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bmxovich
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1952 Airfloat Skipper
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Post by bmxovich on Jan 18, 2016 19:28:16 GMT -8
You guys are killing me, lol. What I lack in talent I make up for by being excessively compulsive. I guess it averages out . Danrhodes - the plywood I used is 3 ply 1/4" Marine grade with very close to even plys. I have a Windsor Plywood store in town and it runs $60 a sheet. Keep in mind I use a steamer box for the tight bends, and only long enough to get them to flex enough. I time some test strips as I really don't want to degrade them by soaking them longer than needed. Even at that I still snap a few so I plan ahead and have some extras ready to go. It's all trial and error. Once steamed, clamp them in the jig and let them dry in place. This will give them their initial shape. I give them overnight, unclamp them and they are ready for epoxy. And I only use the steam box for tight curves. The epoxy I use for this type of laminating or for construction purposes is System Three Gel Magic. Its simple to use, like a real thick honey consistency as is, no need to add fillers etc. great stuff. Here's a couple pics of the steam box I built. Again, real simple, just a box with a hole cut in it, and a hot plate with a pot of water.
 Mobiltec - Give it a try. Easy peasy, and pretty enjoyable |
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mobiltec
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1954 Jewel In Progress...
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Post by mobiltec on Jan 18, 2016 19:35:56 GMT -8
I'll continue to build my clamp collection. Thanks for the great tips. The steam box is great.
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TNwalker
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49 Main - Line
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Post by TNwalker on Jan 21, 2016 16:50:28 GMT -8
Awsome work....... I have a 50 Navigator...If you could pm me i would love to have any addition photots you may have. I have not started work on ours yet. Also I need a few parts, living in tennessee dsosen't lend itself to many parts trailers. Looks Great...
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bmxovich
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1952 Airfloat Skipper
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Post by bmxovich on Apr 18, 2016 18:38:24 GMT -8
Thought I'd pop in for a quick update and to peek about a bit. I finished up the door frame laminating and put the trailer on hold until August. My daughters getting married and they decided to have the wedding at the home they purchased in November. It's a really cool mid century home built in 1952 with a huge yard and pool. Downside is it's been badly neglected. So we've been working every weekend since the end of January to shape it up. Also cleaning up a little Boler to use this summer and hopefully hit the Lynden Wa rally this fall. And finally picked up the correct Marvel fridge for the Airfloat. The fridge was an interesting story in itself, too long to type, and a long 700 mi unplanned trip to pick it up. Here's a few pics of my slow progress, cause we all like pics
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kirkadie
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'69 Serro Scotty Hilander
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Post by kirkadie on Apr 18, 2016 18:53:56 GMT -8
Looks like you've got a bike-on-a-bench to get together too, so are you from somewhere with 36 hour days, or what?
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bmxovich
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Post by bmxovich on Apr 20, 2016 19:46:01 GMT -8
kirkadie, ya that's my son's early Sportster lurking back there. We just welded up a hardtail for it, and need to finish it up by mid summer. Yes, I'm getting stretched in all kinds of directions this spring but It'll all get done. 36 hour days? That would kill me! As I've gotten older it's harder and harder to keep motivated. 24 hrs is enough.
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ladywendolyn
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1964 Golden Falcon
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Post by ladywendolyn on Apr 20, 2016 20:29:53 GMT -8
Just read this thread for the first time! Its like looking at wood art! I will never be intimidated by my rebuild again after seeing this! Enjoy the boler, I'm from Winnipeg Canada where they were invented and built. We have a ton of them here and an annual rally called "bolerama". If you need any boler parts, my city is the place to find them |
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. As mobiltec mentioned the Airfloats have a fair share of roof vents. Our 16' Skipper has three. One near the front and one near the back, with third located in the shower/bath. I might add another in the middle of the trailer as I have three spares from a parts trailer. I'm not sure on the AC. We live in the northwest and it usually cools down enough at night to sleep well. And a cold beer will get me through the day. It's a possibility as we'd like to do some extensive traveling to CA and AZ etc. It would have to be totally hidden though.
