1976 Avion Legrande Restoration

[mcoreyjones]

I appreciate all the knowledge on the site. It has been much help. Thought I would update my progress on restoring my trailer.

After purchasing the trailer in early December 2019 and getting it home I suspected there was more floor rot than I first expected. Details aside I started exploring and after two days all we had left were the bare walls and frame. There is no floor rot now...

If anyone takes a project to this scale I would recommend a few things. First make sure to brace the body properly when removing the floor. When I bought the trailer the door was dragging and did not close well. After gutting the floor and properly bracing the body the door fits great, no sag. On my 76 the floor does run under the body. Therefore I worked the floor out in sections and would add temporary blocks of wood to properly support the body during transition.

After getting the exterior rail off, supporting the awning, and a couple of careful days removing the floor I was excited to find the frame in excellent shape.

After spending a couple more days tracing wires and ensuring all the electrical was in great shape I began the process of rebuilding the floor.

I debated but decided to build the floor back by running a pressure treated band around the exterior of the frame connecting both the frame and body together. I felt the pressure treated wood would hold up better in the event some water is present in the future. Before installing I used thick tape to protect both the aluminum and metal that would come into contact with the pressure treated wood. After cutting each piece I screwed the frame to the body. What worked well were high quality decking screws. I used a 90 degree angel adaptor along with a 20 volt Dewalt impact to adhere it all together. This was tricky but worked well.

With the band in place and all the wiring now upgraded and properly connected I began the flooring. I decided to build the floor back in three layers. On top of the frame I used 3/4 inch plywood and fastened each piece to the trailer using self drilling screws. After completing this layer I then applied a layer of 1/2 pink foam for insulation and then 1/2 plywood on top to complete the subfloor.

Over all I am very pleased with how the subfloor came out. It is super solid. One area of concern I had was the span over the fresh water tank. After the 3/4 was down I cut a 6 inch wide strip of 1/2 the length of the spanned frame rails. I used wood glue and screwed the piece along the 3/4 seam. This really strengthened the joint and provided a solid bottom portion for the top layer of 1/2 to be applied to.

I will attach some pictures below of the progress. Prior to building the floor back I had found and marked all the places water was leaking. My next plan will be to address sealing the outside and then get the interior ready for paint. Does anyone have suggestions regarding seals for the windows? The rubber has shrunk away from the windows and is the primary source of water entry.

[DJ18]

wow! that's an impressively big job! I'll quit complaining about streaky windows now.

[KYAvion]

Nice job! Do you have a pic showing how you connected the band to the frame/shell, and how you used the 90 degree angle pieces?

[mcoreyjones]

I do not have a specific pic. Next chance I get I will shoot a pic of the tools I used.

[mcoreyjones]

Apologies for the delay. Times are crazy. The key tool I used to re-adhere the frame to the body was a dealt 90 degree impact extension tool. I will include a picture. The process worked well. It was tricky in some spots but I was able to compete the rebuild in what I feel will be a more solid structure than new. Thus far everything feels super solid after completing the subfloor and top flooring.

[mcoreyjones]

Since I last updated the progress on my restoration much has changed.


Floor:
I choose to re-floor with three separate layers. 1st, 3/4 plywood was applied directly on top of the frame. I used self tapping screws to bind the plywood to the frame. 2nd, I applied a layer of 1/2 foam on top of the 3/4 plywood. I was not satisfied with the solidity of the 3/4 layer span over the fresh water tank. My seem was directly in in the middle of the floor. What I did was cut a piece of 1/2 plywood 6 inches wide by 48 inches long. I then bound, glued, and screwed this piece on the seem. With this layer down and after placing a layer of 1/2 foam on the rest of the subfloor I was able to put a layer of 1/2 plywood on top. My span in the middle of the trailer above the fresh water tank now is rock solid and everything is insulated well. After finishing the subfloor I used a product called red guard on top of the plywood. This rubberized product works really well in keeping water from penetrating the wood. I felt it would add an in-expensive layer of protection in the event that water reached the floor from the top.

After completing the subfloor I decided before the finished floor was down I would put two coats of paint on the bathroom and rest of the interior walls. My wife choose a fun blue color for the bathroom and a light shade of gray for the rest of the interior walls. This was the easiest project with the most impact thus far!

I am detail fanatic and the fact that the wheel wells were partially covered in aluminum from the Avion factory bothered me. I realized that when everything is completed they will not be seen but still... Therefore I used some thin aluminum and spent an afternoon wrapping them. I think it was worth it.

With these projects completed I spent two days installing the finished floor. We used a vinyl plank snap in type floating floor. My designer/Wife wanted it laid in a cross pattern. After the instal I agreed with this design choice. Helps the space to feel larger. I was very much satisfied with how the finished floor turned out.

Plumbing:
There is no original plumbing left. Everything was reworked including the drain and vent lines. I pressure tested everything last weekend and no leaks! Finally. Plumbing thus far has been the biggest headache. Not that plumbing is that hard but it certainly is not my strongest area.

Bathroom:
We decided to reuse the original bath tub and while I was sceptical I used a product from Rustolem refinishing the tub bright white. It turned out great! It is now sit back into place and fully functional. Also a new bathroom vanity and toilet have been installed. The bathroom is coming along nicely. Note in the picture we used a larger vanity than stock. This required the toilet to move in a more square position verse the original angled position. While everything fit and functioned well the black tank vent line was in the way. I used a tube bender to heat and run this vent tube up the wall and to the original outlet on the ceiling. This provides much needed space to the bathroom.

Electrical:
120 Volt: The decision was made to upgrade the panel inside the unit to 50 amps. With this decision made I went ahead and added several more circuits. While everything was out I ran several new wires that will allow more options for usage when camping with solid shore power.
12 Volt: This past weekend we completed 90% of the wiring and finally got some lights on. I have reused the valence lighting in the front of the RV and also the bathroom lights. I cleaned and replaced the original bulbs with new bright white led bulbs. The difference was very much noticeable and aids the feeling of retro new inside. Also added were two led over head lights. I am debating at this point on adding two more overhead lights.

I am sure there are details I have missed but wanted to update the progress. So far this has been a hard but fun and family oriented project. My hope is to have the unit ready to camp before to long. Assuming the Covid-19 subsides soon. Everyone take care. I will update soon

[KYAvion]

Looking good! Not to obsess on the 90 degree angle pieces you used, but do you have a pic of one of the actual 90 degree pieces?

[mcoreyjones]

I apologize my wording was misleading on how I attached the frame to the shell of the camper. After sealing off the metal surfaces I ripped down pressure treated 2x4s to the needed heights spanning between the frame and the bottom of the shell. I then simply used a battery impact driver with the 90 degree tool to drive 3 inch decking screws bottom up. (I choose decking screws for their durability in making contact with the pressure treated wood. They worked well and penetrated the bottom band of the shell without needing to be predrilled.)

In short I drove the screws through the frame from the bottom side into the pressure treated 2x4's into the aluminum under rail of the units shell. I'll include a side by side picture of before and after. I was by myself so I did get a pic of me actually doing the install. There were no 90 pieces just the screws adhered through the frame into the wood into the bottom of the shell. The theory was simple it was just the installation that was tricky!

[KYAvion]

That makes sense to me now. Thanks for clarifying!

Your renovation is looking great BTW.

[Jrhunter826]

Your post was so helpful. We just began our restoration on our 76' La Grande. Did you order a special type of foam or were you able to purchase at a local brand store?