[VAL] 1960 electical wiring

["Scott Scheuermann" <s.l.scheuermann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ellen,

Welcome to Airstream ownership. May it be a pleasurable experience for you.
I am a long time owner of a 1960 Overlander (26 foot), so I may be able to
answer many of your questions now and in the future.

OK, for your electical questions--Does the electrical wiring from the
battery to the panel run in the floor or is it the walls?

--in its original configuration on the 1960 models the battery did not run
to a panel. There would not of been a univolt/charger or any type of control
panel. At best there would of been a small battery charger-an automotive
type thing. I have only seen this on one trailer with the International trim
level. All the other 1960's I have seen relied solely on the tow vehicle to
recharge the battery. This worked OK if your demands on the battery were not
great and you towed the trailer to a new location every couple of days. The
12 volt users in the trailer are not many. They are: the air pump to
pressurize the fresh water tank, an optional 12V ceiling fan, the furnace
fan, and a few of the lights (any light fixture with 2 bulbs in it would
contain one 12V bulb and one 110V bulb). All other electrical items were
powered by 110V (shore power). With the exception of the items with a
transformer (optional vent fan and furnace fan-which allowed for 110 or 12V
usage for these items) the 110 and 12V systems were completely independent,
seperate, with the exception of a common ground, which was just the body and
frame of the trailer.

The 12V wiring runs from the battery to between the walls. It goes to a
screw in fuse panel with 2 fuses located on the front wall behind the sofa
bed. From there it disappears back into the wall to power the 12V items. The
exact path is a mystery to me since I have not had the ocassion to remove
the inner wall to trace the route.

The wiring is not in any kind of conduit. It runs between the inner and
outer skin in the walls and ceiling. The wiring runs through holes in the
ribs, so do NOT pull on the wiring! If you do chances are you will create a
short. My trailer has seen lots of use and bumpy roads in its 46 years, all
without a problem with the wiring. It has had electrical problems, but none
of them have been wire related. So if you don't detect a short, I would not
be afraid to use it. That said, I'm sure that there are others on this list
that would disagree. Unfortunately the only way to access the wiring is to
remove the inner skin. There are NO removable access panels, and each outlet
box only contains the two wires leading to that outlet - codes were
different back then! My thought is that each of the 2 110V circuits (yes
with breakers!) has a main wire that runs the length of the trailer in the
ceiling, with a wire branching off of the main one to power each individual
item since there are only wires leading to the 110V items, none leading away
from them.

As for the flooring, the tiles are held down with some black goop-still very
sticky after all these years. The only place where it has failed is where
the wood floor beneath it has been soaking wet for long periods of time.
Depending on the number of tiles affected you might just want to repair the
wood floor and then just lay carpeting over top of the tile. Ed Emerick
pulled the tiles up on his '59 Traveler (the shortest model trailer made
that year) and he said it was a bear. He also removed the inner skin, so he
may have some insight for you.

The original style Fisher gas regulator is obsolete. However it was standard
equipment on new Airstreams at least into the 80's, and perhaps into the
90's. The ones that are commonly used on RV's today are junk and are
designed to be thrown away after a few year's use. My retailer told me 2
years ago that his supplier still had one of the correct model Fisher's on
hand. By the time I told him I wanted it, it was gone, so I had him get the
current Fisher model. But it did require some minor modifications to the
tank hold down assembly. After I made the modifications I located one of the
originals on Inland RV's website. Perhaps they still have them. However
buyer beware, while I have had no problems in dealing with them, there are
others on the list that have had major headaches. Don't be afraid to deal
with them. Just be absolutely certain that what you are purchasing is what
you want. And be certain to inquire about their return policy.

Scott Scheuermann
1960 Overlander