Our Aliner Restoration: rainy day thoughts

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Rain Day

It's Thursday and it's pouring out, has been all day. We're tired from trying to work on the Aliner (she needs a name) and everything else we have to do (mind you we have a house, both work full time, 2 kids, 2 cats, a dog and a rat....). But we did go in and check for leaks, and nothing obvious. The corners that everyone warns of look dry as can be. My personal theory, especially after ripping everything out, about leakage and water damage is:

it leaks everywhere the weather stripping and caulking is damaged or missing.
it leaked at the hot water heater, not sure if it's the unit itself or at the vent (cracked caulking).
rain water sprays in to the fridge air vents, there are two, an upper and a lower. When anything goes down the road water sprays upward. I saw a mod where someone added screens to these vents to keep mudwasps out or something....but I don't know, maybe some snap on cover just for traveling in the rain?
the weatherstriping at the door looks like it was not put it right from the factory, so it was doomed from the get go.
and the obvious 2"hole in the vent did not help, but I think she was already rotten long befoe that happened (probably the December 2008 Ice Storm).

Mike and I are going to go check out Grossmans Outlet, probably this weekend, and see what they have for linoleum, plywood maybe some low cost cabinets (instead of rebuilding our own....or something we can mod out). We are also going to go to Harbor Frieght, they have sand blasters on sale for $20. This place is great for projects! I really, really want to get this solar panel set up....$40!

Everyday I add more links on the sidebar, there is a lot of info out there! Thanks to everyone else that has been there and done this and puts their information and experiences up, it helps a lot!

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.