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Hello old and young tinkerers, wherever you
are...
I introduced myself recently with my first
question about door latch repair and got quite useful information right away
thank you very much!
Here are a few other glitches I've encountered
on the 1969 Globetrotter 21'er that you old hands might be able to help
with:
1) The slots in the windows that the open/close
levers slide in have factory installed fuzzy brush material sandwiched in
between frame parts. The fuzzy brush allows the levers to move but keeps
mosquitoes out. Except for the front window and the back window where it's worn
away. I think a previous owner found an inside surface mount replacement for the
original material but it's gone now. Can anyone point me to a source for a
surface mount replacement fuzzy brush thingy? I don't think I'm up to taking the
window apart to get the original trick back in place.
2) The water heater emits a sooty black smoke.
At first I thought it was because the pipe between the valve and the burner was
too short to allow any reduction of O2 supply; when I tried to slide the slotted
section of pipe to reduce the open area, it just came right off at the free end.
But now, after reading Dave Huffman's recent letter, maybe I'll get a cleaner
fire after vacuuming crud out of the stack.
3) After leaving the GT hooked up to the garden
hose for it's first two days in my posession I heard a trickling and followed
the noise to the back of the closet. Someone had put a piece of rubber hose on
the hot water line just below the bathroom lavatory faucet. This doesnt look
original; I'm guessing the original copper broke and this was a way to patch
without soldering. Moving and tightening the hose clamp has fixed the leak for
the time being. I'm concerned about the water that leaked which ran out of the
closet where the vent stack comes up through the floor deck. I also saw the
water trickling out the underbelly skin so I know it CAN get out. Is it safe to
assume the "basement" will dry out without inflicting serious damage?
Or should I prepare to remove decking and get into it?
4) Something is leaking behind the toilet. I
think it is right where the water supply connects to the fixture. There's a
valve between the wall and the toilet and the leaking almost stops when the
valve is closed. What kind of plumber/contortionist does it take to fix
this!?!?!?! Does the whole toilet have to come out and have the supply
reconditioned? Do I have to take it to an RV place?
5) The interior vinyl wall/ceiling surface looks
brand new. The seller, a credible guy, says it's original. It's kind of
sticky/tacky to the touch. Any ideas what that could be about?
6) What's a "clear coat"? I didnt see any reference
to such a feature of the exterior finish in the recent EXCELLENT account of
cleaning and polishing your skin (I can't believe I've put that in the wrong
file). The seller pointed out how the clear coat is gone from the top of the
Globetrotter. You can see above the shoulder the skin's oxidized; from the
shoulder down it looks great; and there's a splotchy area in between. I'm not
planning a big polishing venture, but IF I WAS... would I have to do something
special with what's left of the clear coat?
These are pretty minor glitches on an otherwise
pretty fine example of a 31 year old Airstream. New carpet, upholstery, and
curtains. Oven looks like it's never been used; it's said this was a spare
bedroom at a lakehouse, and then a writing cabin. There's a slight indentation
in the skin (right rear "haunch") about the length of my forearm where
somebody got too close to a tree. A few bumps in the bottom "rocker
panels". We're pretty happy with it and will install it at Quiet Valley
Ranch next Thursday for the duration of the Kerrville Folk
Festival.
Happy Camping..!
...jim.
75 Sovereign 31
69 Globetrotter 21
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