Interior Walls

Putting on the interior walls has been challenging, particularly because I do not have the original walls to use as templates.  Everything has to be measured precisely, cut and riveted securely.  In this post I’ll explain the simplest method I’ve found.

For the size of my Airstream, I needed 18 sheets of 4 x 8 .032 aluminum.  Buying in that quantity should provide you with a much better per sheet price than individual sheets.  I was able to get all my aluminum for under $1,000.00 CDN with delivery.

You will need:

– a grinder

– several metal cut off disks

– WD-40

– Tin Snips

– All the usual airstream tools – riveter, drill, rivets, measuring tape, etc…

Below: First panel installed.

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Once you have made your measurements, place the full sheet of aluminum on something flat, clamp it down, and drawn the lines you intend to cut on the side that will not be exposed.  Spray the lines with WD-40, but only do one window at a time as the spray will distort your lines.  The WD-40 helps the cut off wheel slide along and prolongs its life.

I would advise using the grinder to cut straight lines only.  The curved edges of each window should be done by hand with the tin snips.  The cut does not have to be perfect since your frames will cover the edges.

The metal fragments from the grinder can slide under and easily scratch your aluminum so be sure to brush them away often.

Installing the sheets inside the Airstream is really a two person job.  Have one person hold the sheet in place, while the second drills and rivets.  Apply quite a bit of pressure to the aluminum so that it follows the curve and does not create spaces between your next sheet of aluminum.  Measure accurately, from one support gusset to the next as that is where the rivets should go.

Here is the first wall panel on inside.  As you can see, the top vista window frame is the incorrect size, fortunately you can still order these from Silver Trailer Supply.

Don’t forget to make holes for all your electrical.

Although aluminum is lightweight, any extra weight that can be excluded is beneficial.  I have decided not to run the aluminum sheets from ceiling to floor where there will be cabinets that will cover the wall anyway.

This is a useful tool for cutting hard to access areas.  Its called a rotary tool and has dozens of uses, you can put different attachments on, use it as a cutting tool, grinder, polisher, engraver, etc…

I will do a second post on the walls when they are completely finished.