Hehr Ventalation - Vintage Delight!

The rear Fantastic Fan is polished and installed.  In 1955, each Airstream was built to a customer's specifications.  And we are very fortunate to have on our 1955 Flying Cloud Airstream the "Very Rare Hehr Lid Skylight Panel" and Colin reconfigured it to work with the Fantastic Fan vent housing using a new gasket.  Someday I'd like to find the names of the original owners, and send them a huge thank you for their choices!

Fantastic! Fans Installed and the Hehr Vent is Ready Too

To keep fresh air moving in our Airstream, we've come to rely on our Fantastic Vent Fans.  Naming your company with a name like Fantastic Vent puts a lot of pressure to perform on your product.  These fans really are awesome to keep air moving and temperatures down in our trailer.  We use them whenever we can, preferring not to use our energy-hungry 30 amp air conditioning except on the hottest days and humid nights. Using very limited amounts of power, the Fantastic Fans keep us cool.  I'm even thinking about buying their portable fan for using in the Jeep.

The new Fantastic Fans are installed.

Our Airstream - the1955 Flying Cloud has three vent openings - that is one more than our 2008 Airstream International CCD.  We are keeping our original Hehr vent.  It will be installed back into the ceiling in the original position galley opening which is framed and ready for the reconditioned Hehr vent.

The plywood shown here is not part of the roof structure, but is used to distribute weight of the person sitting and working on the roof's ribs.  The plywood is backed with carpet for protection of the aluminum shell.

Air Conditioner - How Will it Fit?

We had Air Conditioner Plans.

The specification sheet measurements don't exactly match the condenser portion of the air conditioner.  Fortunately Scott and Colin are both working on possible solutions to fit the trailer.
Colin will be making a cardboard mock-up of the AC unit part, so help us understand the fit.  Being 1200 miles from the trailer, we can't just pop over for a bit.  So thank you Colin!

Photos with tape measure.
Measured within the condenser box as provided

So if we remove the condenser coils from the metal box, the dimensions are smaller.

Additional room is needed for the condenser's exhaust fan

With the box

Without the box

The third dimension is the same, with or without the box

Air Conditioner - Plan - Floor Plan

Looking at the Air Conditioner again - so I wanted to share Scott's detailed floor plan.

Vent-A-Lation

After removing our original vents, Colin called to check on where we wanted our vent and fan placements.  We are keeping the same vent hole locations on the roof, yet one of our vent covers is very special.  We've decided to place the solid vent covers at the front and back of our 1955 Flying Cloud.  And we are terribly lucky to have a Hehr.

The exterior of the skylight vent cover is polished and ready to install near the center adding light to our kitchen while we are boondocking.

Air Conditioner - Plan - PhotoShop Version

Scott's Air Conditioner Plan - Photoshop Photo of Location

Air Conditioner - Plan - Cross Section

Midwest summers are hot and humid and I've outgrown my childhood days of a house with no air conditioning.  At 90+ degrees and with dripping tropical humidity, I now need air conditioning to sleep.  So our restored vintage Airstream will have air conditioning.

At the rear of the trailer and under the floor, our air conditioner condenser will be out of sight!
Here is a cross section that Scott drew - looking at the rear of the trailer.

Air Conditioner - Arrives in New York

Our first photos of the new air conditioner.  While I understand the concept of how an air conditioner works, it does not look like much to me.  I look forward to Colin's installation!

The Air conditioner's condenser will fit under the floor at the rear of the Airstream.

Rotisserie. Rotisserie. Rotisserie.

The title is in honor of another great idea by Steve Dancin' Hansen...

This is the last Rotisserie use for our 1955 Flying Cloud, as Colin and his guys turn our belly pan down to the ground.

At the center rear, the belly pan will be fabricated after our air conditioner is installed.

Air Conditioner - Yes We Will

Sweet peaceful sleep.  I have a need to sleep.  And I can't sleep in our summers' overheated air that drips with humidity.  Not like the cool droplets on the outside of a beer bottle - it is more like living in a steam shower.  Water in the oppressively hot air condenses on the ceiling and rains down the walls as if all burners were boiling huge pots of pasta.  So we are adding an air conditioner to our vintage Airstream.

But.

No, we don't want a clunky roof air conditioner.  It would ruin the graceful line of the trailer outside.  Even with the new (cool modern) lower profile interior units the interior ceiling would not look "right".

Briefly, we looked at an air conditioner that would slide out of a new street-side drawer.  We were worried about someone outside walking into the open drawer.  Visually, we did not really want to add another access panel to the shell. And then there are reports that the units freeze up.  So we are trying something new!

Our choice is to work with Colin to use a Dometic Auxiliary Self-Contained Truck Air Conditioner.  The noisy compressor will be in a compartment below the floor with air intake and exhaust through louvers in the belly pan.

Kitchen Cabinets and Ceiling

Details