1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod - 5. Propane
This is Part 5. of our 1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod, the subject of which is "Propane". Other parts are linked below. 1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod - 1. Acquisition & Evaluation 1968 Travel Queen Res...
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In many of the previous pictures, you might have noticed the high level of black soot on various internal oven parts. As most know, that is a sign of improper flame setting. I've seen this most frequently on a water heater door.
I can't think of the correct term for that slide (flame adjuster?), but you've all seen them. I'm sure somebody could step in and give the right term. The idea is to adjust it around the gas tube in such a way as to get the most efficient burn on the flame. It adjusts how much air is fed into the fuel stream coming from the orifice. Usually to get a nice blue flame with just barely yellow tips.
My oven burner was pretty rusted and corroded and the slide was wide open. I'm sure that's where my soot came from. Here you see it in the center of the shot, cleaned up on the wire wheel and displaying some actual pitting, that's how far it had gone. I think because the camper came from a wet state, Oregon.
I had cleaned the rest of the burner with a wire brush, then WD-40 soaked steel wool, and finally, the burner tube on the bench wire wheel. I also replaced the corroded screw. You'll see more of that issue (screw replacement) in a minute.
Also in the above photo, note the gas valve with thermo-coupler at upper right, the bracket and elbow with burner orifice as the final inline piece at upper left, and the pilot light assembly with its orifice piece screwed in place at left foreground.
Here it is with the orifice piece removed. Notice how tiny the pilot light orifice hole is (barely seen in the convex shaped steel center) in relation to the burner orifice on the left.
These three parts were soaked in carburetor cleaner, and then rinsed with hot water and blown out and dried with compressed air. Don't clean these orifices with anything other than air, wooden pick at most!
Notice the pitted corrosion on the burner bracket in the foreground. My copper color choice on the inside of the blue stove is not the best, but it is high-heat paint (1200 degrees), and the telephone tech called from the product label says it is designed for applying directly over rust. I knocked off scale and other loose, and painted these parts, mostly for preservation and to hold back on further rust.
Also note in the above shot, the cover plate upper right. Here it is unpainted. Appears to be some sort of heat resistant coating, maybe asbestos? I stood upwind as I touched it barely with a wire brush and then encapsulated it in paint. (Oh what am I talking about. In further thought, that's probably some kind of ceramic coating - I don't know).
Okay, here are the various clips and fasteners attached to the oven walls. The tall screws on the floor are new, for easier thread movement for the hold-down nuts. The screws are fastened tight in the panels with the little flat spring nuts, so whatever receives a lock nut on top of that, must remove easy, because you cannot get to the screw head once the range is assembled.
And speaking of screw replacement due to corrosion, bad threads, etc., here you see three replacements. New installed, old nearby.
And turned over to the opposite side.
Note in this upright position, the thermo-coupler tube hold-down screw has it's head aimed downward. There's no room for access. So I did modify this attachment slightly. I ran the screw in from the top (threaded hole in the little metal bracket) and then a nut on the bottom. The shoulder of the nut comes up against the thermo-coupler to hold it. In future I can remove it with an 11/32" wrench instead of a 90 degree screwdriver (which can be really hard to use).
And then also, new cotter pins were used for the burner mounting bracket where it fastens to the oven walls.
Now with the gas valve and pilot light, thermo-coupler assembly installed, along with the gas tubing from the valve to the burner elbow/orifice, and of course the burner mounting bracket installed with the cotter pins at either end.
Before beginning work on this range, that bracket was pretty bent, allowing the burner to sag at an odd looking angle.
And I guess I didn't get a picture next when I installed the burner. Of course it simply slides a tube over the gas orifice and fastens to the mounting bracket with a couple of screws entering from top down.
Then the burner cover plate, and wire oven shelf. I want to keep an eye out for a new wire shelf. This one has seen better days.
And from below, where you can now see the burner installed, and the cover over the gas valve.
The remaining holes are: lower right - main gas line, lower left - pilot light gas line, rectangle upper center - oven vent, small hole back right - thermostat bulb tube, and roof center - unused. I have no idea why the hole would be there if it is unused, or if that is even safe. I may check into that further and leave it alone like I found it, or plug it with a screw and nut.
Alright, now I can move to the outside of the oven.
I can't think of the correct term for that slide (flame adjuster?), but you've all seen them. I'm sure somebody could step in and give the right term. The idea is to adjust it around the gas tube in such a way as to get the most efficient burn on the flame. It adjusts how much air is fed into the fuel stream coming from the orifice. Usually to get a nice blue flame with just barely yellow tips.
My oven burner was pretty rusted and corroded and the slide was wide open. I'm sure that's where my soot came from. Here you see it in the center of the shot, cleaned up on the wire wheel and displaying some actual pitting, that's how far it had gone. I think because the camper came from a wet state, Oregon.
I had cleaned the rest of the burner with a wire brush, then WD-40 soaked steel wool, and finally, the burner tube on the bench wire wheel. I also replaced the corroded screw. You'll see more of that issue (screw replacement) in a minute.
Also in the above photo, note the gas valve with thermo-coupler at upper right, the bracket and elbow with burner orifice as the final inline piece at upper left, and the pilot light assembly with its orifice piece screwed in place at left foreground.
Here it is with the orifice piece removed. Notice how tiny the pilot light orifice hole is (barely seen in the convex shaped steel center) in relation to the burner orifice on the left.
These three parts were soaked in carburetor cleaner, and then rinsed with hot water and blown out and dried with compressed air. Don't clean these orifices with anything other than air, wooden pick at most!
Notice the pitted corrosion on the burner bracket in the foreground. My copper color choice on the inside of the blue stove is not the best, but it is high-heat paint (1200 degrees), and the telephone tech called from the product label says it is designed for applying directly over rust. I knocked off scale and other loose, and painted these parts, mostly for preservation and to hold back on further rust.
Also note in the above shot, the cover plate upper right. Here it is unpainted. Appears to be some sort of heat resistant coating, maybe asbestos? I stood upwind as I touched it barely with a wire brush and then encapsulated it in paint. (Oh what am I talking about. In further thought, that's probably some kind of ceramic coating - I don't know).
Okay, here are the various clips and fasteners attached to the oven walls. The tall screws on the floor are new, for easier thread movement for the hold-down nuts. The screws are fastened tight in the panels with the little flat spring nuts, so whatever receives a lock nut on top of that, must remove easy, because you cannot get to the screw head once the range is assembled.
And speaking of screw replacement due to corrosion, bad threads, etc., here you see three replacements. New installed, old nearby.
And turned over to the opposite side.
Note in this upright position, the thermo-coupler tube hold-down screw has it's head aimed downward. There's no room for access. So I did modify this attachment slightly. I ran the screw in from the top (threaded hole in the little metal bracket) and then a nut on the bottom. The shoulder of the nut comes up against the thermo-coupler to hold it. In future I can remove it with an 11/32" wrench instead of a 90 degree screwdriver (which can be really hard to use).
And then also, new cotter pins were used for the burner mounting bracket where it fastens to the oven walls.
Now with the gas valve and pilot light, thermo-coupler assembly installed, along with the gas tubing from the valve to the burner elbow/orifice, and of course the burner mounting bracket installed with the cotter pins at either end.
Before beginning work on this range, that bracket was pretty bent, allowing the burner to sag at an odd looking angle.
And I guess I didn't get a picture next when I installed the burner. Of course it simply slides a tube over the gas orifice and fastens to the mounting bracket with a couple of screws entering from top down.
Then the burner cover plate, and wire oven shelf. I want to keep an eye out for a new wire shelf. This one has seen better days.
And from below, where you can now see the burner installed, and the cover over the gas valve.
The remaining holes are: lower right - main gas line, lower left - pilot light gas line, rectangle upper center - oven vent, small hole back right - thermostat bulb tube, and roof center - unused. I have no idea why the hole would be there if it is unused, or if that is even safe. I may check into that further and leave it alone like I found it, or plug it with a screw and nut.
Alright, now I can move to the outside of the oven.
