It’s been a very long time since I posted an update. It is time I posted a couple of updates on repairs I’ve made.

First up, wall sconces. There are three, small wall sconces in the trailer. I believe the manufacturer was Grimes. They function as reading lights. One of the sconces was broken when we got the trailer. The shade was missing, along with the mounting swivel joint. I searched and searched, but could not find a replacement. I went so far as to have Trenton Sheet Metal recreate the shade for $100 (they still have the pattern if you need one). Even though I had a replacement shade I then struggled to find the right swivel mount and light fixture. I put the project on hold.

Several months later a friend sent me an email saying that someone had posted similar lights for sale online for $35. I bought them right away.

I stripped the paint off the exteriors and repainted using Rustoleum primer and Almond gloss spray paint. I think they turned out really well. Now we have functioning reading lights, instead of wires hanging out of the wall.

In 1964 the Bambi II came with a power transformer known as the “Univolt”.  It converts 120 VAC from the hookup at the campsite to two lesser voltages: 12 VAC and 18 VAC.  The 12 VAC is for the interior lights and the 18 VAC is for the water pump.  Because it produces only AC power it DOES NOT charge the battery.  You actually have to switch between using battery power and Univolt power because you don’t want the Univolt backfeeding to the battery!

Well, all of that is history for our little Bambi.  I have replaced the Univolt and switches with an AC/DC converter and fuse panel.  I also installed an “Electrical Management System” that protects the trailer from faults and surges coming from the campsite hookup.  I bought everything from http://bestconverter.com/  They were very helpful in pointing me to the components I needed.

After installing, my LED lights no longer flicker at an annoying 60 Herz (because they no longer run on AC).  And when my trailer is plugged in, the battery is recharged.  And I don’t need to worry about electrical faults at the power pole.

Now I just need to make a wiring diagram so that I don’t forget how all of this goes together!

The trailer has not had a battery since we bought it.  Last year I tested the 12v system by connecting a battery charger to the battery cables.  To my surprise, the lights worked.  Now that we have brakes on our new-ish axle, I thought it was time to make the trailer breakaway switch work.  If the truck becomes disconnected from the camper while we are driving down the highway, the breakaway switch will engage the trailer brakes to prevent it from rolling down the highway.  Also, with a battery, we will be able to boondock (remote camping with no electrical hookup).

Thanks to my neighbor, I was able to get a good deal on an Exide dual purpose marine battery.  It is a sealed AGM type battery which means little to no outgassing.  That’s good for us because our battery box is not sealed and I know that any fumes from the battery would make their way into the camper.  Maybe I should caulk around the battery box.  Hmmm, I will leave that for another day.  “Dual purpose” means that this battery has enough power to start an engine (not important in the camper but maybe important if my car battery dies) and you can recharge it after running it down (which is exactly what will happen if we go camping where there is no electrical hookup).

Next I had to replace my crusty old breakaway switch.  Vintage Trailer Supply sells one very similar to the original on my trailer.  I decided to go with the old-fashioned look.  One end of the cable that you see coiled up in the picture will be connected to the rear of the truck.

And then I had to figure out the wiring.  For the breakaway switch to work, it needs a 12v supply from the battery in the trailer.  It turns out there is a 3rd (red) wire going into the battery box that is dedicated for this, as you can see in the picture below.

You see the other end of that same red wire at the bottom of the picture below.  I used a butt connector to link it to the wire going out to the breakaway switch on the the hitch.  The black wire that returns from the breakaway switch (and will supply 12v when the pin is pulled) is connected to the terminal in the junction box (first one on the left) that powers the brakes.

We also ran a 12v line from the post on the fuse box in the truck back to the receptacle for the tow cable on the rear of the truck.  This 12v line will charge the battery in the trailer when the tow vehicle is connected.  (Unfortunately, the Univolt converter in the trailer will NOT charge the battery when plugged into shore power.  See here for explanation.)  In the picture below you can see the blue wire coming out of the left of the junction box and connecting to a 25 Amp breaker.  The breaker ensures that excessive power is not drawn from the tow vehicle.  The other blue wire connected to the breaker powers the 12v system in the trailer.

[Note:  I have no idea what the disconnected black wire pictured below the junction box is for.  I though that it might be the wire that receives power when the breakaway switch is engaged, but when I tested it, it did not work that way.  So I connected the switch to the brake power line in the junction box.  Given the age of the trailer, just because it doesn’t work doesn’t mean that it’s not supposed to!  I will ask my Airstream friends about that wire to see if they have any ideas.]

So, we now have a battery and a working breakaway switch for the brakes.  This weekend is the first Airstream rally of the season.  I will soon find out if it all works as expected.  Wish me luck.

The grates for the stove were in pretty good shape except for the bits that were positioned directly over the flame.  There the porcelain enamel was gone and the exposed metal had begun to rust.  I considered painting those parts with high temperature paint.  But that paint is not meant to withstand the temperature of direct propane flame.  Instead I decided to have the grates completely re-coated in porcelain.  The company I chose was Independence Porcelain Enamel in Missouri.  I think they did an excellent job.  The re-enameled grates look GREAT!  Should be good for another 50 years.