1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Anything related to what's happening with your Avion
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FairAuction
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1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by FairAuction »

Im hoping this is a good spot to post a running list of the work I'll put into this trailer. Bought it for $1200. The real cost will come with the materials, and rust repair.

Serial #240173 its 140 Sq.Ft and at the moment, completely gutted. The brakes look to be in good condition, the tires are OLD, and currently being replaced. the wiring is cloth wrapped (original) and has been Tim Allen'ed together since the 70's.

This H24 was originally built in 1966 for the 1967 year. Sold and resided in MD by an unknown dealer, the original family toured yearly with the trailer until at least 1974. My hypothesis is that it sat, outdoors, with a large tree near the rear passenger side (evidenced by the giant dent at the top likely from a falling branch). it Leaks all over, has several retrofitted vents which I will close up, and a seemingly newer AC unit. It was neglected for decades until just recently when a friend of mine grabbed it with the intentions of making it a mobile furniture gallery. He is now going on a journey of epic proportions through Europe, so he will not be able to finish the job. Im also wanting to make it a clean, open, furniture gallery. In the end, all I need is a flat clean floor, white walls, and eventually a passenger-style van door in the back.

My idea for the rear overhead-hinged rear door came from the desire to sell items out of it at my vintage furniture markets. I sell some pretty heavy furniture and will want to make it easy to load and unload it. The re-engineering of the rear wall will undoubtedly be a challenge, and more of a long term goal. Added internal structure will be necessary in at least 3 directions.

Any positive juju you can send my way would be great- Im going to need all the moral support and good vibes I can get. I haven't had a day since owning it that I haven't asked myself, What Did I Get Myself INTO!
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FairAuction
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by FairAuction »

First post on what I did today-

- Pressure-washed the outside and used an incredible aluminum cleaner that took it back to OG in about 30 seconds. I'll be buying more this week and posting that info.

- Replaced the tires on the 15" wheels (may not be original to the can) I went with the Carlisle Radial Trail HD size ST 205/75R15. These are 8-ply Load range D and should be excellent tires for thousands of miles. Also, the upgraded height and load range will allow me transfer the weight of any furniture to the road. Cost about $250 out the door.

- Checked the wheel bearings, the inner bearing looks good but the outer bearings have some play, I'll probably replace those. Need to repack with grease and reinstall after the rust removal and painting of the exterior of the drum brake housing. Thinking gloss black on the brake housing just to make it look fresh but fade away.

- Ripped out the interior front skin as well as the front belly skin. Wanted to get an idea about how much of a challenge it will be to replace the floor. I wasn't excited by what I found. Almost all the interior floor-to C-channel screws were rusted so bad the heads sheared off. Now I have several dozen rusty screws to remove with vice grips. Im hoping to be able to save the original C-channel. Im not sure where to find that C channel unless I make it out of sheet stock. Notes for later- USE STAINLESS or ALUMINUM connecting fasteners. I used the rivet removal tool from Vintagetrailersupply.com and it worked great, although I lost patience in the end when the shoot kept filling up with rivet shavings and rings, preventing the spring from actuating.

This is when i realized the whole body relies on the floor to be attached to the frame. Since I towed it 2 hours to my house then 45 minutes to my workshop, Im glad its still even holding together as a trailer, and I'm mesmerized it didn't completely fall apart and kill somebody. The floor of this trailer was ripped out about a year ago, and along with it the whole structure of the thing. I'll be getting that new floor in PRONTO.
The project: topic190.html
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Razorback
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by Razorback »

This is going to be a great project!
Razorback (Paul)
1987 Avion 34W
1995 Ford F-250 7.3L PowerStroke
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KYAvion
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by KYAvion »

Thanks for posting about your trailer and look forward to seeing more. Please keep us posted on that aluminum cleaner.

Regarding tires, if you haven't done so already, I would really suggest a tire pressure monitoring system. I had a less than 1 year old trailer tire separate on me, and it could have caused some serious damage to the side of the trailer if I hadn't caught it in time. With three tires still operational, I didn't immediately realize something had happened, but fortunately a passing driver on the interstate waved us down. I now use a TST system and LT tires.

With your trailer having a single axle, any tire issue would obviously be more noticeable, but a tire pressure system would alert you much sooner to give you more of a heads up. Many don't mess with the pressure monitoring systems and do just fine, but I'd just hate to see you put all that work into your trailer and then have to deal with body damage from a tire whipping around.
KYAvion
1984 Avion 30R
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by FairAuction »

Thanks for the advice on the pressure sensor- Not sure these wheels will be permanent. I really want full or baby moons to complete the exteriors vintage vibes.

Today:

- Cut off all the old bolts and nails attaching the previous floor to the C-channel. Not a single bolt on this thing is able to be rotated. I'll have to cut almost all of them.

- Started cutting subfloor to fit from the front to the back. I was Reminded about a fun thing called geometry. Thought I would cut a radius made from a 24" square, then "cut it down if didn't fit" then I realized, the bigger the square, the wider the arc. So, Im making a grid on my new piece of ply and going to start at an 18" square arc and cut down to the size that works best. Since the front driver side exterior panel was replaced at some point, the curve of the arc is not the same on both sides. Im guessing the passenger side is going to come from about a 20" arc and the driver side is around 18.5". this just based on my measurements of how the mis-cut piece fits.

the old flooring was around 1" thick. Im going to use 3/4" exterior grade ply on the bottom (POR-15 coated on all sides) Then, attach 1/4" ply to get up to the full 1", staggering the seams to make the floor all one unit.
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KYAvion
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by KYAvion »

That's quite a job. Keep the pics coming!
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1984 Avion 30R
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by FairAuction »

Haven't posted in a while, because I've been busy digging my self out of the cluster I got myself into.

Ripped off the 1990's AC unit that was WAAAY to heavy for the roof. After popping about 5 rivets, the whole roof almost caved in. Most likely the kitchen and cabinetry inside that once existed added some structure that wont ever be there again. Im going to add some aluminum channel of some sort to the roof for lateral support (keep it from rolling over). Since theres no more walls and never going to be, Its a little sketchy putting my 200# rear on the roof. The added support will come in handy when I add solar panels, go sunbathing in a speedo, etc. :D

Also removed 5 other vents and patched them with 5052 .030" sheet stock. Scored a 4'x8' sheet of aluminum from a supplier 25 minutes from me for $37.

I cant believe I waited so long to buy electrical metal sheers. SOOO much worth the money- clean straight cut, no dust or sparks, keeps the metal from bending accidentally, and very little waste.

Cleaned off the roof crap someone put on the entire roof. It took the Dremel vibrator cut off wheel, and Lacquer Thinner (note- soaking the grey crap with LT for a few minutes made it very easy to scrape off. Then I used an abrasive sponge (purple Scotchbright) and was able to get down to the aluminum pretty quick.

Got the roof sealed and patched. used Silka Pro construction sealant- widely available for cheap and they have a Limestone color which looks OK with the aluminum. This stuff has been used for years, and Im hoping it will work at least for some years on the trailer. Mostly I didn't want to wait for the good stuff everyone recommends to show up in the mail. When it comes to work, I have no patience, Im a creature in need of instant gratification- its the world we live in.

Re-packed the inner wheel bearings and replaced/ packed the outer bearings ($12 each at the store 2 blocks away) The bearings had been re-packed before, but Im not going to NOT re-pack them just because Im lazy, it only takes 20 minutes and doesn't cost hardly anything. But it gains you peace of mind, esp. on a single axle trailer. Thought I would toss the 1970's wheels someone found, but I kind of like them now.
The project: topic190.html
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KYAvion
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by KYAvion »

Lookin' good!
KYAvion
1984 Avion 30R
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by FairAuction »

Well, its been awhile. The trailer is near complete. Vertical strand bamboo floor came out amazing. Exterior I went with paint instead of the ugly, uneven polishing job I was getting. About two days after I painted it still with some hesitation and mixed feeling about painting an aluminum trailer, I met an airstream that had been anodized then striped and polished, and it looked terrible! the finish was mostly dull, very uneven, you could see sander marks, it just looked bad. Glad I went with paint. I like the way the 3-tone came out, certainly looks classic. Im debating now whether to remove the belly pan altogether, since Its in really bad shape. Both options carry a lot of work. Sure I could reinstall the old mangled front section of belly pan and call it good, but Ive come this far, spent this much, so whats another couple hundred hours of work in waterproofing the subfloor/frame after removing the rest of the belly. Im really avoiding the thought of buying all new belly pan and cutting/ installing it.
The project: topic190.html
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FairAuction
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Re: 1967 Avion 24' Holiday Restoration Thread

Post by FairAuction »

Next on the list is to replace the axle. I want it to be perfect if Im going to trust is across country. Anyone have any recommendations on a new axle/suspension kit? Hoping to keep the wheels if possible, I didnt like them originally, but they are growing on me.
The project: topic190.html
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