Utee I’d like to hear more about your air stream. I skipped about 17 pages on this thread so apologies if I missed something. I love those things!
Heh, that's a blast from the past! (17 pages ago).
In 2008 I bought a vintage 1963 Airstream in "survivor" condition. It was campable, mostly original, but had all of the issues that an almost 50-year-old trailer should have. The plywood flooring was rotting away in the places you'd expect (under the bathtub, under the windows that eventually leak, etc.). The steel frame underneath was also rusting away in some of those some same areas. I knew when I bought it, that it required a complete frame up restoration. That's ok, I paid accordingly.
We used it for a season as-is, which was a lot of fun. But then I demo'd it, took out all the furniture, pulled up the rotten flooring, had a steel frame shop cut out the old rusted our framing, and weld in brand new replacement pieces. Then I put in new marine-grade plywood flooring, rebuilt most of the furniture, rehabbed more of it, installed a new freshwater tank and a new gray tank. Also put in a new A/C. I stripped about 2/3 of the interior paint and polished what I could, put in new aluminum to cover what still didn't look good. I put in a new water heater, and the old (but not original) 3-way refrigerator still worked, as did the old (but not original) 3-burner range with oven. I didn't mess with the electrical much, other than installing a new inverter and power center.
After the actual build was completed, I did a lot of cosmetic work, rebullding the bathroom vanity and beds from scratch, and repaneling the closets with African ribbon-striped mahogany veneers. Then I polished the exterior to a near-mirror finish.
That was all within the first year, but what I didn't do was attack the front salon portion of the trailer, which originally would have had basically a built-in futon type thing. I left it all open and the kids slept on air mattresses up there. My plan was to build and install a u-shaped dinette that would convert into a queen-sized bed.
But then, the kids grew up a bit, life got more complicated, and I never finished the reno. I love that trailer and Airstreams in general, but the layout wasn't working for us. Having to make up beds at night, and take them down every morning, is tolerable for a couple days, but doesn't work at all for week+ trips. Not enough counter space, no place to have breakfast or dinner when it's raining outside, etc.
So sadly, I sold it about 2 months ago. Got a very decent price for it, basically made back what I paid for it plus what I put into it. I bought a brand new, modern trailer with a large slide-out and a full warranty.
It doesn't look unique like an Airstream, it doesn't have the vintage-chic factor, but man it's new, it's nice, it's big, and did I mention the full warranty? Gotta say, I love the new trailer.
One day when the kids are grown up and moved out though, I'll probably buy another vintage Airstream, and do it all again.
anyway, thanks for asking. It was an incredibly fun trailer to own, to use, and to work on, for the decade I had it.
