Our Aliner Restoration: WTF Rain?

Monday, July 20, 2009

Rain on the Way.

Lots of rain in the forecast for the next week. Kenzie's 10th birthday is on Friday and we are having a get together on Saturday.....hopefully the weather will hold out for that stuff at least. We closed up shop this afternoon, reinstalled the passenger side front storage door and put pretty much every thing away for now. Billy is here until the 30th and then we are off to camp on the 6th. We got a lot done this weekend, but I wonder how much more we'll get done in the next few weeks. I'll work on the curtains at night....not tonight though, so tired. I'm also trying to keep up with some detail work, like cleaning up the old faucet for reuse. Problem is though that I left it in the counter top out in the rain which swelled and now I can not get it out, grrrr. I'll get it out though, don't feel like spending much more on this project. Anything else really that I "want" to replace will be waiting till Summers future. I'm also going to clean up the old fridge and post it up on Criagslist. If anyone is looking for a Dometic LP/Electric....not sure of the model cuz I do not wanna get up right now....fridge, let me know.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

WTF Rain!?!!1!

It's still raining, something like 40 days and 40 nights now....maybe we should be building an arc. Either way, the rain is testing our patience, big time. Mike added some support to the frame and was able to lay the center piece of flooring. Yep, we put down CDX not marine grade, sorry to disappoint. If you are reading this because you are researching your Aliner floor rebuild, lay marine grade, okay? I am sure we'll make it seeing we are not laying chip board though. We are leaving for camp tomorrow and honestly, I need a brake. Hubby has been the one doing the work the last upate or two, but honestly without getting into it.....I am all set right now. Be it the endless rain or just the fustration that comes with a project like this or now. Some day Aliner of mine you will be so comfy and cute, right now.....I want to burn you, just to make a dry spot in my driveway. We're going to see a movie tonight, tomorrow we go to camp. It will be nice to have a break.
PS. the lillies are so pretty! See the yellow one in update #8 album on the right hand bar.

Future Plans

(Written shortly after bringing home the Aliner in June of 2009) I'm hoping at the end of the day to put together these blog entries and photos and publish some comprehensive notes and instructions that will help the next poor bastard out. There is a ton of knowledge out there, it's just really hard to find it in one place. We will most likely publish in google docs and link pdf or doc files here.

Our primary goal at this point is the floor. In our imaginations we can see the potential for this little unit and there is a lot of inspiration on the web. It's really hard (for me, I think Mike has his head on a bit tighter) to not want to look into the cool mods and daydream about crazy efficient cabinets and gadgets.

(May of 2011)

As of today we are working on getting into our second season of camping in the Aliner. Last year we only brought it local to Otter River State Forest in Templeton with plates off of our utility trailer and the old tires. This season after new tires we brought her to Myrtle Beach in April and have since removed the old decals and applied new ones. We love this camper, so don't ask to buy it unless you're looking to forkover 6-7k. It's pretty much a new camper now, even better it's made well....no stapled together cabinets or chintzy counter tops. It may not be the biggest thing but it is just right for the two of us!

Aliner Parts and Pieces

Aliner Owners Club on Floor Replacement

Here you can find the AOC write up on floor replacement with some helpful links, such as to the wood petrifier if you just need to fix a soft spot and links to pictures that show a floor replacement done by lifting the body of the camper and using the old floor as a template. We chose not to lift the camper and to replace piece by piece for a few reasons. The first was because the floor was so far gone it was pretty much dirt. There was no using the old floor as a template and no need to try to get it out in one piece. Second, we did not have the garage or other space to work on the camper and did all our work in our then gravel driveway. And lastly time, we didn't want to leave the camper up and apart for the length of time we thought this would all take. The main reason though was because our floor was so far gone. I think either method is fine but do realize when doing it a piece at a time you need to place the new floor in as you go or you will lose structural support. The walls are wrapped around the edges of the floor and stapled all the way around. When you remove the old flooring it will fall if you take it all off. Also doing it a piece at a time you will need to do the parameter first then the center of the floor rather than what would probably be three full sheets. We half lapped, used liquid nails and recessed bolts. We also did spray a rubberized undercoat and we added reinforcement to the rear of the frame.