Inside The 68 Caravel...

I know you all want to see the inside of the 1968 Caravel that is now front and center at FTW. Come on in, looking is free.

I am not certain but I think the fabrics are original. The interior is mostly all original. The angled dinette makes a double bed. The side gaucho makes a double also. There are bunk bed brackets above both sleeping areas but the bunks themselves are gone.

At some point someone laid 1/4" plywood on top of the original flooring. 

Spray foam was used to attempt to stiffen the floor being hidden by the 1/4" plywood. Both methods failed as you can see.

Looking forward...

The counter top was replaced at some point. It is kind of melting now. Particle board does that when it gets wet over and over.

All the important stuff is here and intact.

It is here, but very tired and worn out. I have a feeling I will make it look brand new.

I was hoping not to find this; aluminum wire. Legend has it that in 1968 copper was in short supply since the Vietnam War was raging. 

Due to short supply, Airstream used aluminum wire. Aluminum wire has been know to cause many short circuits and even fires. Luckily I found no evidence of it happening in this unit.

I began removing the entire interior in the reverse order it went in; front to back...

Notice the rubber hose clamped to the original copper line going into the toilet? I found A LOT of this type of repair.

Here is looking up at the back wall from the underside. Yes, that should be plywood where it is not. That my friend is a rotten rear end. 

From street side to curb side, it is all gone. 

The original copper line, rubber hose repair.

Numerous ruptures to the water lines.

Ruptures to the waste lines. It takes a lot of freezing to break ABS pipe.

Even the gas lines were ruptured.

All the traps were cracked. The plumbing system was dead. Flat and simple it is dead.

The interior skins show signs of years of dirt, mold, and grim. Water falls are a common sight.

Almost all cleared out.

Just a little more to remove.

The more I remove, the softer the floor gets.

The use of spray foam to stiffen soft floor was rampant. I just hope whoever did this thought they were doing the right thing. They were not, but I would like to believe they thought they were.

And now for the scary part...

A decorative cap...

... dresses off a rodent latrine.

That wall should be solid with insulation. The mice have put it to use for nests.

That too should be filled with insulation. It is not.

Remember the photo of the busted exterior rivets in the front. They are all sheared off. The hold down plate is doing absolutely nothing.

It is there, just not attached at all.

All gutted out looking back

Now, on to templating the interior c channel. It is actually done already but I will save it for my next post. Lifting the shell will be documented then also.