Operation Belly Ache
Looking through holes in the subfloor last weekend, we noticed that Bertha had a belly fully of wet insulation and yard trash. Water in the belly pan means Bertha leaks. No surprise there - she's a 47 year old trailer in need of restoration. Yard trash and chewed up insulation means a furry resident (most likely a mouse) has been living in Bertha's belly for some time. All this junk inside Bertha was wreaking havoc on her frame, so this weekend we began Part I of Operation Belly Ache.
To start the project, we jacked Bertha up so I could move more easily underneath. We put two jack stands under the back axle and cranked the hitch jack to maximum height. This extra room made it easy to drill out several belly pan rivets attached to the back and sides of the frame. A cordless Makita drill, a freshly sharpened 1/8 inch bit, and the fact that the belly pan was very corroded didn't hurt either. Once the edge rivets were gone, the rear few feet of belly pan basically fell open allowing Bertha (for lack of a better term) to puke up what was ailing her.
After raking up the mess, I cut the rotted rear portion of the belly pan free with a pair of metal shears and crawled towards the front of the trailer to see where I should drill next. A grey water tank had been added to the trailer at some point (grey tanks were not offered in 1972). Just forward of the axles, a dropdown frame had been added to the main frame to accommodate the tank, and the back section of belly pan terminated where it began. I drilled out more rivets at the junction and more around the axles, but the remaining belly pan wasn't ready to come loose yet as several things were still in the way.
A long section of copper pipe that went from the refrigerator area to the back of the trailer needed to be removed. This was a propane line, so we unhooked the gas tanks prior to making any cuts. Next, I had to detach the existing brake lines from the axles and feed them up through the belly pan so they wouldn't get damaged during removal. I now had a huge section of belly pan loose, but it was pinned by the axles and pulling it free by myself was difficult. Scott took a break from shop work and together we were able to drag the belly pan over the axles and expose a huge section of Bertha's frame.
The mid-section of Bertha's frame looked pretty good, but it was still draped in torn pink insulation and covered in leaves. I set to work with a 5-in-1 tool cutting insulation loose then blowing it out with a compressed air. It was nasty work. I hate fiberglass insulation (makes me itch) and I got some trash in my right eye even though I was wearing eye protection. I avoided inhaling insulation dust by wearing a mask and wore gloves to protect my hands. It was a long hard day, but Bertha's lower "GI tract" looks much better, which makes us all feel better.
To start the project, we jacked Bertha up so I could move more easily underneath. We put two jack stands under the back axle and cranked the hitch jack to maximum height. This extra room made it easy to drill out several belly pan rivets attached to the back and sides of the frame. A cordless Makita drill, a freshly sharpened 1/8 inch bit, and the fact that the belly pan was very corroded didn't hurt either. Once the edge rivets were gone, the rear few feet of belly pan basically fell open allowing Bertha (for lack of a better term) to puke up what was ailing her.
After raking up the mess, I cut the rotted rear portion of the belly pan free with a pair of metal shears and crawled towards the front of the trailer to see where I should drill next. A grey water tank had been added to the trailer at some point (grey tanks were not offered in 1972). Just forward of the axles, a dropdown frame had been added to the main frame to accommodate the tank, and the back section of belly pan terminated where it began. I drilled out more rivets at the junction and more around the axles, but the remaining belly pan wasn't ready to come loose yet as several things were still in the way.
A long section of copper pipe that went from the refrigerator area to the back of the trailer needed to be removed. This was a propane line, so we unhooked the gas tanks prior to making any cuts. Next, I had to detach the existing brake lines from the axles and feed them up through the belly pan so they wouldn't get damaged during removal. I now had a huge section of belly pan loose, but it was pinned by the axles and pulling it free by myself was difficult. Scott took a break from shop work and together we were able to drag the belly pan over the axles and expose a huge section of Bertha's frame.
The mid-section of Bertha's frame looked pretty good, but it was still draped in torn pink insulation and covered in leaves. I set to work with a 5-in-1 tool cutting insulation loose then blowing it out with a compressed air. It was nasty work. I hate fiberglass insulation (makes me itch) and I got some trash in my right eye even though I was wearing eye protection. I avoided inhaling insulation dust by wearing a mask and wore gloves to protect my hands. It was a long hard day, but Bertha's lower "GI tract" looks much better, which makes us all feel better.
Until next time!
Looking forward to updates. I'm about to embark on a similar journey with my 1973 Safari. In looking around there don't seem to be too many of us with these years and model.
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