Today's blog post title courtesy of Mike! LOL

Since the weather was going to be nice all weekend, we decided to tackle the bigger project of manufacturing a new main door drip cap! Below, you can see the mangled old one complete with tears. (Apologies for the OLD picture! November 2019, to be exact! I forgot to take a new "before" photo ;) )

And here it is, in all of its disassembled glory! I got to clean where it butts up against Maude's skin. A little acetone cleaned it up, ready for some polishing.

In order to fabricate the new one, we had to figure out what-the-heck shape we needed to cut from some fresh aluminum. Mike flattened out the original so that we could trace it :)

Traced it!

Cut it out!

Aaaaaand foreshadowing! Here is where we made a mistake. We were worried about the rivets ripping out of the new drip cap, like the old one, since the flange (through which the holes are drilled) was pretty shallow. So Mike added on a little bit more material.

The drip cap is pretty tricky, in that it has a curve to it so that it wraps over the top of the door, but also that flange where it attaches to the skin and a rim so that the rain will roll off down the sides, not down the front edge of the drip cap. Above, Mike is working on bending in that rim.

While Mike was working the metal, I couldn't help much, so I decided to tackle the door latch! It's just a little latch that will keep the door propped open. UNFORTUNATELY (LOL!) the original holes don't line up with the bracket that it catches on the door! Ugh! So, I now either need to remove this latch (and probably redo the patch too!) to align it properly, or move the catch on the door, which will involve some patching. I decided that was a problem for another day. A little disappointing LOL

Also disappointing! After 4 hours of fabricating the new drip cap, we started trying to fit it to the skin and it tore. Remember that added material on the flange for extra rivet space? Yeah, that made it so that we couldn't get that curve to fit. We were DONE at this point, so we called it a day ;)

Day 2! We had a new plan. Keep the exact shape of the original. Also, start with the curve to match the shape of the door and THEN add the flange and the drip rim.

This second plan worked SOOOOO much better :)

Look at the progress! And that final drip cap!

Here we were dry fitting it and drilling the holes to rivet it into place. Lookin' great!

We added butyl tape (a material that we also used on the windows to help seal the drip cap to the skin). We caulk each rivet and push them through the butyl tape, making for a pretty darn good seal :)

And here it is all finished! Not shown, I also caulked the insides of the rivets.

Even though the first day was a bit disappointing, it's a good thing Mike and I are so stubborn! The new drip cap looks fantastic!

As an aside, check out that shine! Someday, Maude will be completely shiny and gorgeous!

​Until next time! <3 Becca

The update is going to a bit short this week - It features work we did in the middle of the week. We went camping last weekend instead of working on Maude, sorry ;)

To finish off the new seals to the baggage compartment door, we caulked the ends together to prevent water from sneaking in at the corners. Ooooooooh exciting! ;)

AND THE DECISION YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! (Alright, maybe not ;) )

We decided to go with the new version of the Land Yacht plaque. The original one would have been a TON of work, just to get it to look MAYBE ok ;) But don't worry, I haven't gotten rid of it! Maybe it'll get installed someday? Maybe I'll figure out another project for it? Dunno, but definitely can't get rid of it :) Definitely accepting ideas :)

And now we've reached the end! With some REALLY nice weather coming this weekend, hopefully we'll get some good work in :)

​Until next time! <3 Becca

Cabbage Door? Well, I seem to have a brain-block around the name of this stupid door. My brain CONSISTENTLY wants to combine carriage- and baggage-door into Cabbage Door! Don't ask me! LOL

This is where we last left off with this door. We'd removed the door and supporting framework, cleaned everything and then realized we didn't have the correct seals to finish replacing it. This was clear back in October? November? Since then, the hole has been covered with a garbage bag and some duct tape ;)

This weekend, we decided it was time (and that we HAD enough time!) to tackle this project :)

We removed the old lock, to which we had no key. Plus it was all rusty and nasty from all of the rodent urine. ;)

Then, we got rid of the gross insulation from inside the door. Mike used a bent piece of wire as a hook and then when he got the bulk of it, blew out the rest of it using the air compressor. (Yes, he wore PPE, 'cause this part was GROSSSSSSS)

While Mike was doing that, I was making a patch for the lock area. The new locks that we got were smaller than the old one and would have pulled right through. Doesn't make for a very useful lock ;)

Mike HAPPENED to have a drill bit that matched the size of the new lock, so we didn't have to make a run to a hardware store on Easter! LOL YAY!

And here's the backside of the new lock :)

Sooo.... that part about not having to make a trip to a hardware store on Easter? Yeah... it didn't last long. We didn't have any spray foam for re-insulating the door. LUCKILY, the third neighborhood hardware store that we checked was open! We taped off the holes in the door while the foam set up.

After the foam had a chance to set, we added sealing strips (only 1 side shown above, but I assure you, we did all four sides of the door ;) ) It turns out that we were able to use the same sealing strip that we used on the main door! 

And here it is, all reinstalled with fresh rivets and tons of caulk! (surprise! LOL) It took a little bit of work to get the lock to latch properly, but we finally got it and it looks great!

I'm sick of these emblems. Trying to figure out how to fix the issue has been a comedy of errors! LOL

​So the one on the left was the original. It had holes drilled in it by some previous owner who had installed a latch for a padlock. We've since filled the holes with a metal putty. I've been trying to avoid having to hand-paint it to restore the colors, because I'm just not confident that it will look alright.

Enter the emblem on the right! I found it on EBay! And for only $12.99! It's not tri-color like the original, but I was okay with this!

Then, on one of the sunny, warm days recently, we noticed all of the blue on the new one was super wavy! We looked at it and determined that it was just a vinyl sticker! UGH! I can't put that on my trailer!

So we went and got model paint so I could just do my best to hand-paint the original and hope that people don't look too closely at it!

Except that we got home with the paint and I was taking a look at the new one and noticed that there was a protective cover - OH. MY. GOD. It's not a vinyl sticker, it's actually painted! 

So now I have a different decision to make LOL! Which do I use? Was the paint a waste? Or was the new plaque? It's tough being a dumbass ;)

​Until next time, <3 Becca

Sorry Guys, I'm running out of puns for blog titles! They're gonna get weirder and weirder ;)

​This week, we spent some (more) time applying caulk to Maude! 

Mike caulked the tops of each of these gutter-things that are over the windows to direct the rain away. We call them her eyebrows. I'm not actually sure of the real term for them! LOL

While he was doing that, I was caulking the rivets for the most recent work we've done on the inside - On the left is the backside of the badges we installed most recently. On the right is the decorative patches of the tree and bear within the silhouette of Mt. Hood. Not shown - the backsides of Maude's Airstream Badges. But you're not missing out on that view. It's just more white blobs of caulk LOL

And there ya go! That was the progress that we snuck in before the rain came again! ;)

​Until next time, <3 Becca

The weather is starting to cooperate! With a few dry moments this past weekend, we chose some low-hanging fruit from our list of projects that need to be done before we can reinstall Maude's inner skin.

This is where all of Maude's badges/emblems once were. You've seen in more recent posts that we've been working on repainting them.

And here are all but one of them! We're still trying to figure out the best way to fix her big "Land Yacht" badge. It has really shallow, teeeeeeeny tiny little sections that need to be dealt with. And to complicate it further, it takes 3 colors of paint. It's not going to be as simple as the ones above, where we painted the whole front, then sanded the paint off of the high spots. We'll figure it out one of these days ;)

Next to tackle was the rivets on the front of the trailer that help anchor the shell to the frame. Behind the rivet holes and the aluminum exterior skin is a big thick plate of metal that is attached to the frame. The plate gives a nice strong point, in addition to the C-channel all the way around the trailer, to keep the shell in place during travel. Apparently, on Airstreams older than Maude, this plate wasn't included, and some shells went flying off! In even newer models, there is a second plate at the rear of the trailer. Maude won't be doing tons of miles, so we're not worried about her ;)

Sorry it's not a huge update this week, but at least some progress is being made! As the weather gets nicer and nicer, the projects that we can work on increase, as well as our motivation ;)

​Until next time! <3 Becca

Hey guys :)  We're in a bit of a holding pattern on trying to get Maude waterproofed until the weather gets warmer and the rain less frequent. Caulk won't cure well in cold weather, and we don't want to accidentally get water stuck somewhere it doesn't belong! We DO think we've put together a good plan for moving forward, so that's a win!

In the meantime, we've changed course from freaking out about the leaks to things we CAN work on in the cold and wet! 

This weekend we added window locks (that we ordered approximately 6 million years ago ;) ). We may end up having to remove some to reinstall the inner skins, but it was an easy step to take in order to keep making forward momentum, when we're not feeling very motivated ;)

Not seen: trip to the hardware store for a new drill that can handle another project that doesn't involve caulk, and bolts to fix the window-opening hardware.

Sorry for the tiny little update, but hey, it's something! ;)
Until next time, <3 Becca

Mike and I always take vacation over the holidays, which gives us a chance to work on projects around the house, or as was the case for this year, get a little work done on Maude!

We're still working on getting the exterior all finished up, which means finishing up all of the badges.

Here, you MIGHT be able to see that I touched up the badge on the left. The right one has since been done, but in this picture, it's not touched up so that you can see the difference? Hopefully? ;)

Here they are, both touched up and clear coated! Ready to be installed :)

The above photos are the "befores" of the rear and front of the trailer, where the Airstream badges go.

And here's the after! Lookin' snazzy, Maude!

We saved the original "caution" badge, gave it a polish and reinstalled it.

These are the last of the badges we had to try to figure out how to refinish. Since their detailing was too small to be able to mask off cleanly, we tried a different technique - sprayed and then sanded the high points. It worked pretty well! These haven't received their clear coat yet, but we're pretty sure the little bit of haziness will look shiny afterwards!

Next, we moved on to reseating this baggage compartment door.

Here it is, all dismantled!

Scraping off that old foam-rubber seal was DISGUSTING. It had been raining, so it was VERY soggy, and smelled like mouse pee. BLECH. But I got most of it all scraped off and then Mike followed up with the grinder. Looks completely different!

Above, Mike got the shell all cleaned up and ready to reassemble it all.

UNFORTUNATELY *sigh* when I had researched "seals for baggage compartment doors for 1959 Airstream" I found seals for a different type of baggage compartment door. Remember the door that we decided to just patch over near the main door? The one that is now Mt Hood with a tree and bear? Yeah, I got the seal for that kind of door. APPARENTLY, the rear one is different. So we're waiting on the order for the correct kind now. The compartment is currently covered with a garbage back and duct tape LOL. Poor Maude, back to looking trashy for the moment!

And that's where we sit currently. We're still trying to figure out how to get her to stop leaking, and we're still trying to trudge forward. ;)

​Until next time, stay safe and healthy! :) <3 Becca

So last update was... depressing ;) But I've hit the bottom of that dip in the roller coaster that is working on Maude, and I'm back to being stubborn and we're forging ahead!

We think that a fair amount of the leaking from the windows could be coming from these corners in the frames, so we used some Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure and we'll see after the next rain if it made a difference!

I also went through and slathered more caulk on any rivets that looked like I had skimped a little. TAKE THAT LEAKS! ;)

Next, we decided that it was time to get rid of the vent that, once we start installing Maude's interior, would have been in the middle of the bathroom wall. While Mike was chiseling off the backs of the rivets holding it in place, a HUGE chunk of wasp nest fell out! I *THINK* this is the last of the yucky old stuff? LOL

Bathroom will be to the right of this vent, "hallway" back to the treatment room will be to the left.

Surely, by now you guys understand the procedure for riveting? ;) Mike made sure to be VERY generous with the caulk. Pretty sure this sucker won't leak on us ;)

And while Mike was up on the roof, I was working on these patches! They aren't patching anything, they're just to be pretty, but they sure add to the Mt. Hood silhouette!

And, finally, here's Thanksgiving in the Seitz household! Lots of yummy food with Maude the AcuTrailer projects that have been sitting on the dining table pushed aside! LOL

​Until next time! <3 Becca

Hey Guys! I know I haven't written much about Maude's progress lately, but that's because there just hasn't been that much progress made. We've been dealing with all of her leaks.

All that darkness under the window? Yep, that's water from leaking windows. A couple of weekends ago we caulked all around all of the windows. Didn't work. *sigh*

And more leaks :(  Every time it rains we try caulking more seams, but it's a super slow process, since we have to wait for the caulk to cure to see if it worked.

So when it hasn't actually rained, we've been hosing her down to try to search for more leaks.

​Our next step is to start using a product called "Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure" in all of the seams and rivets from the outside. Each. And. Every. Seam. And. Rivet. *sigh*  Now, I had known we were going to need to seal all of the seams from the outside, but it's really hard to do in the rain ;)

So, in between the disappointment of finding more leaks and trying to seal them up, we've been trying to keep up on some forward progress. We've now got the second Airstream emblem painted! We'll do touchups, a clear coat, and then get the suckers installed! Note: Some of our leaking has been coming from the holes where these emblems need to be re-installed.

Another project on our before-we-can-really-start-working-on-the-inside list was to fix the stairs. If you recall, because of the way the plywood seamed in the doorway, it had a LOT of bend to it. There's no way it would have stood the test of time (not sorry about that pun! LOL!) Plus the stairs weren't centered under the door. So we cut a hole over the stairs to access the work area. A month or more ago we had gone to a metal scrap yard to find a good support piece. Mike has already cut it to size and painted it in the picture above.

Mike drilled holes in the plate to not only secure it to the frame of the trailer, but to secure the stairs to the plate in their new, super-strong, centered position!

Yay! Centered stairs!!

And voila! The wood patch combined with the plastic (to prevent the door leaking) make it look uncentered still, but I promise you it is! ;)

It was really nice to have a bigger win this weekend in fixing the stairs. The leaking that we saw after the storm we had on Friday was VERY disheartening. Tears were shed. But Mike and I are both stubborn, and coming up with a plan for moving forward really helped.

Until next time! <3 Becca

After last weekend when it rained and we discovered all of our leaks, we spent some dry moments in the middle of the week addressing them. We started with the air conditioner, since it's on the roof. Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of it - I'm terrified of heights and Mike was the one up there (he also forgot to take photos!) ;) After we got the roof sealed, we moved onto the next big leak which was the door.

All of the white caulk that you see nearest the door frame is the latest addition ;) We caulked the entire away around. 

We also squished caulk into the seam seen above! Don't worry, we wiped off all of the excess and it looks fabulous!

And lastly, we caulked the edges of the window frames where they attach to the shell of the trailer. We *THINK* this should address all of the leaks, but it hasn't rained yet, and we haven't felt like giving her a shower to test the seams quite yet, so we're not positive ;)

On Saturday, we decided that we needed to get the emblems all restored so that we could rivet them back into place. This all needs to happen before we can put the inner skin back on, since the rivets will need to be caulked from the inside. The above photo is our "before" picture. They've been cleaned with soap and water and then wiped down with acetone. I kind of thought that the acetone would remove the old blue so we could start fresh, but it didn't budge! Not sure what the blue stuff is!

Next, we polished them. We had originally thought that polishing them with the Dremel would work well, but it was hard to hold onto them and was slow. So Mike broke out the big polisher! Made MUCH quicker work of it LOL!

Here they are all polished up! It's hard to see in the photo (it looks like nothing changed!), but the raised letters don't have huge nicks and scratches in them anymore :)

Pretty sure this was the most tedious part of the whole thing - taping in preparation for spray painting. UGH.

The taping TOOK FOREVER. Or rather, the trimming the tape with an exacto-knife and carefully removing the excess tape TOOK FOREVER ;) The spraying, however, took no time at all!

Here's a (sort-of) before and after - one painted blue, the other not painted yet! There are some touch ups that need to happen, and then we'll need to seal it with a clear coat, but it looks AMAZING! And then we'll have to repeat the process with the others LOL!

On Sunday, we decided to take the day off from working on Maude. I've been pretty grumpy about her, and it's not productive ;) In hopes of taking a REAL break (not just sitting around the house feeling guilty for not wanting to work on Maude) and doing something to recharge my batteries, we went mushroom hunting!

And I think it worked :) Getting some much-needed dirt time was lovely, we found some species that were new to us, and I'm feeling less resistant to working on Maude :)