La Deau And Pardon My French!
First, full disclosure there were a few expletives expressed in this project... and spoiler alert, remove the tube from the base of the bracket and remove the cover, with the lifters attached by rotating it and bringing it down through the opening. Wish I knew that at the beginning of my project, sigh, and "You're Welcome"! Now for the start of the this project...
The Astradome is a very unique skylight that vents hot air and allows some sunlight to the interior. The thing about a silver dome shaped trailer is that the interior can get hot in the summer so multiple fans and vents are needed to maintain comfort. There are horrible stories of pets dying in trailers that did not stay cool, usually now due to power failure of cooling systems. Now there are thermostatically controlled vents that open and close with a moisture sensor as well so they automatically close if it is raining. The Astradome is a very basic, very cool vent for the roof and the lifters are also a very unique and effective design. The dome was and is Lexan plastic and they have a certain life span being exposed to sunlight and heat swings.
The original dome probably cracked within the first 20-30yrs or earlier and I suspect that the previous owner came up with the designed dome that was on the trailer when I purchased it. It has a wood frame and contoured plexiglass to curve and a metal frame for the contour support. He also used a nice smoked, clear plastic so it actually had a view to the sky. I may rebuild this design using white MDF, Stainless Steel screws, and clear smoked Lexan. It could be a nice back up if needed in a pinch. It is heavier that the Lexan covers and weight is always something to take into consideration.
The lifters work like a cork screw design. You turn the bottom "T" handle and the post rises, then the cork screw insert rises. I gets about 6-8" of lift (I haven't measured the actual full height). One lifter worked fine but the other one was stuck and the inner cork screw section was frozen in the tube. The debate is always do we live with the "less than perfect" condition or do we try to get the original condition back. These parts are 50+yrs old so there is significant risk involved in trying to restore function but it is at the time of restoring each feature that I like to make that decision while I am focused on a particular small project.
I had to consult the blogs and others, even phone-a-friend to get some feedback and advice as I was stumped on getting the one lifter to work properly. I took several stabs at trying to get the lifter working and while I was distracted with my business work, my husband decided to use manly force and although he got the cork screw section out of the tube he may have discovered the real reason this lifter did not work. We thought he had successfully got it working until the "T" handle post kept falling out of the tube. It looks like it broke off at some point and may have been glued into place diminishing the cork screw lift. Let's just say that now I have two working lifters and two lifters that may be good for replacement parts!
Consulting the forums using videos to demonstrate when trying to articulate with words was difficult and time consuming. I ended up making 2 short videos (those were quick) to show my dilemma and got mixed input in the end, insert expletives here.
The two original lifters now getting greased before installing on the new dome plastic. I didn't know that the broken post meant that our efforts to free the cork screw were lost because it wouldn't function with a broken post. Insert more expletives here.
Be careful to watch and observe the way the hinge folds back on itself. Double check this so that you get the install and marking placement for the holes correct the first time.
I drilled the screw from the top and held the nut in a vice grip, being sure not to over tighten. Before fully tightening the screw I did put a small bit of silicone on the screw to seal the hole from water.
Check that the hinge is folded over and the tube is on the correct side, toward the inside of the dome.
Outside view of the locking nuts and silicone dots on the screw shaft.
New cover going into place. The removal and replacement was a puzzle until I got this tip from another blogger. To remove the original cover I painstakingly tried and successfully removed the three little screws with great effort in a tight awkward space up in the air. It worked with determination and a few expletives.
Snapping the lifter tube into the bracket, fairly simple but there may have been an expletive or two at this point too.
Screen is reinstalled and the "T" handles are popped back on.
The broken post...boo hoo, but it may be re-glued and available as a back up or for parts.
Full lift and now you can see the new cover and lifters working as they should be.
From the outside, this is what it looks like. It will be imperative that we make sure this cover is as low as it can go because you can only imagine the expletives that I will be spewing if this gets blown off in transit. This happened to a fellow Airstreamer after going through the same replacement work.
This is the old replacement cover that will go in my bin of AS parts for future need along with the two broken lifters that may come in handy down the road, literally.
Well, thanks for hanging in there for this long post that is mostly filled with technical details and swearing for punctuation. In the end it is a very simple project but what I find is that it took several blog posts to really get an idea of what the finished result should be and how to get there. I never found the reference points with measurements mentioned in any blog so I took the time to document them here in case I am one of the three post out there that a future AS restoring finds when they are working on this project for their trailer. Perhaps it will save a few swear words for someone else. Now onto the next project in the trailer!
My 1965 Tradewind has many original parts and as I work through the trailer and get familiar with it I can now see where modifications have been made due to things that broke over the years. Early on it may have been difficult to get replacement parts but I need to remember that my trailer's two previous owners were Mainers to the core. I think thrift and ingenuity played a bigger part in the modifications I see.
The Astradome is a very unique skylight that vents hot air and allows some sunlight to the interior. The thing about a silver dome shaped trailer is that the interior can get hot in the summer so multiple fans and vents are needed to maintain comfort. There are horrible stories of pets dying in trailers that did not stay cool, usually now due to power failure of cooling systems. Now there are thermostatically controlled vents that open and close with a moisture sensor as well so they automatically close if it is raining. The Astradome is a very basic, very cool vent for the roof and the lifters are also a very unique and effective design. The dome was and is Lexan plastic and they have a certain life span being exposed to sunlight and heat swings.
The original dome probably cracked within the first 20-30yrs or earlier and I suspect that the previous owner came up with the designed dome that was on the trailer when I purchased it. It has a wood frame and contoured plexiglass to curve and a metal frame for the contour support. He also used a nice smoked, clear plastic so it actually had a view to the sky. I may rebuild this design using white MDF, Stainless Steel screws, and clear smoked Lexan. It could be a nice back up if needed in a pinch. It is heavier that the Lexan covers and weight is always something to take into consideration.
Not the original dome cover but a fine and clever adaptation.
Underside of wood dome cover with metal framing.
The lifters work like a cork screw design. You turn the bottom "T" handle and the post rises, then the cork screw insert rises. I gets about 6-8" of lift (I haven't measured the actual full height). One lifter worked fine but the other one was stuck and the inner cork screw section was frozen in the tube. The debate is always do we live with the "less than perfect" condition or do we try to get the original condition back. These parts are 50+yrs old so there is significant risk involved in trying to restore function but it is at the time of restoring each feature that I like to make that decision while I am focused on a particular small project.
Stuck Lifter
I had to consult the blogs and others, even phone-a-friend to get some feedback and advice as I was stumped on getting the one lifter to work properly. I took several stabs at trying to get the lifter working and while I was distracted with my business work, my husband decided to use manly force and although he got the cork screw section out of the tube he may have discovered the real reason this lifter did not work. We thought he had successfully got it working until the "T" handle post kept falling out of the tube. It looks like it broke off at some point and may have been glued into place diminishing the cork screw lift. Let's just say that now I have two working lifters and two lifters that may be good for replacement parts!
Stuck lifter and implements for tiny detailed work had to be purchased! Insert expletives here while working with an oily, greasy tube and tiny, stuck parts and unknown end game.
The two original lifters now getting greased before installing on the new dome plastic. I didn't know that the broken post meant that our efforts to free the cork screw were lost because it wouldn't function with a broken post. Insert more expletives here.
Ready to assemble lifters to the new plastic Astradome cover. A supplier specializes in making reproduction parts for people like me but these new covers come with a $150 price just for the cover.
I used masking tape to mark where to predrill the holes for the screws. The measurements I used on the flat section, the holes are 3/8" on center from the corner contour and 3/4" for the hinge end. I marked the center and put the screw plate down to mark the 3 screw holes needed.
Stainless steel screws and locking nuts. I used clear silicone to put around the screw shaft and also on top of the screw end on the outside of the dome, just in case the locking nut fails and to also keep the threaded screw end clean and protected.
Both ends marked for predrilling those holes with a bit just big enough to accept the #6 size screw.
Outside view of the locking nuts and silicone dots on the screw shaft.
Well, thanks for hanging in there for this long post that is mostly filled with technical details and swearing for punctuation. In the end it is a very simple project but what I find is that it took several blog posts to really get an idea of what the finished result should be and how to get there. I never found the reference points with measurements mentioned in any blog so I took the time to document them here in case I am one of the three post out there that a future AS restoring finds when they are working on this project for their trailer. Perhaps it will save a few swear words for someone else. Now onto the next project in the trailer!
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