I have started the process of restoring an old Airstream lovingly named Olivia. I am new to the AS Forums and am still learning to navigate this site. I purchased her on an ebay auction. I had been looking for AS no longer than 24 ft as I planned on doing a lot of traveling in the next year. I wanted something easy to pull with my truck yet not so small as to feel cramped. I really liked the layout of the Overlander twin model. I also wanted the door in a door pre 64. When I saw this camper for a fare price I jumped on it.
I hauled it back from South Carolina on a wing and a prayer, as I really bought .......as my mother calls such things "A Pig in a Polk". The gods of Aluminum and rubber smiled on me as I camped and cleaned my way back across the south to my centrally located home in Natchez Ms. I traveled with Shawyn as my navigator and co-pilot. He has been on several Cadillac adventures as I call them Where we buy an old Caddy and haul it home to play with as a Hobby. This trip proved to be almost to much for Shawyn as it rained ....No STORMED all the way home. I took back woods roads home and traveled around 150 miles a day unfortunately there were no Star Bucks on the back roads and he got Cranky! After 3 days the GPS found a SB in Albany Ga.where it brought us to a location in Crack town on a small street to small in fact to turn around on and worse yet NO STARBUCKS.........This is where I had what is now known as "STARBUCKS RAGE" see picture.....
Ive had her home for 2 weeks and cant wait to go on an overnight camping trip. I'm trying to tie up all the loose ends of what works and what doesn't. I have been sorting through all the helpful forums on this site and have made some new friends I hope who will help me through this. This will be a long process I hope all will have patients with me for I have a lot to learn. I also have a lot of plans to make Olivia my own unique camper. I hope to make lots of money as I want to buy all the neat things my camper needs. I have sorted throught endless vintage rv stores and have wish list for all of them. What an adventure I have purchased $1325.00....Let the Reclamation begin.
Looks like a good find Natchez. Glad yuou got her home safely. Did all the lights, hitch etc function? If so you were luckier than some. I have a 58 26ft overlander. Very close in outside looks other than mine has hehr windows on the sides. I don't know how extensive a project you plan but be prepared for it to take much longer than you think. I have limitted time to put in on my major renovation and it seems to progress at a snails pace. All I can say is look at one step/component at a time and focus on that or the project becomes overwhelming. Best of luck. This forums is an invaluable resource, so post questions. Ed
This looks like an excelent start to a renovation thread. As you've already found, this is the best place in the world to obtain vast amounts of Airstream knowledge. You and I and several others are going through the same process on our vintage Overlanders, and I have no doubt we'll all be able to help each other at some point.
I think I mentioned this before on another thread, but I think the absolute best way to research your own restoration/renovation project is to read the resto/reno threads written by others who have gone before you. Here's a link to a thread that has links to all of the major renovations. They are lengthy, but I've read through each of them at least a couple of times already, because I think they are that valuable.
One other suggestion on renovation threads that I think works really well-- when you have a specific question, for example something related to the LPG tanks-- I think it is best to go to that sub-forum to ask your question, which will provide the maximum visibility to others on the AirForums who might have information to contribute. Then, when you have your answer and/or resolution, post a link on THIS thread, to the other thread where you asked the specific question. I hope that makes sense?
Also, a lot of the time your specific question might have already been addressed, so a quick Search of the specific sub-forum related to your issue will probably yield some helpful results. Then, if you don't find the exact info you need, you can post a new question to that specific sub-forum, and link it back here once it's resolved.
Anyway, that's just a suggestion, but I think that method will both allow for more information to be contributed to each question you ask, as well as keeping this thread less cluttered and easier to quickly glance through for project progress documentation and updates.
Good luck, I'm looking forward to following your progress. I'm VERY partial to the '58 - '63 Overlanders, and it looks like you found a very promising one.
Thanks Ed,
Yes all the lights worked except for running light in left turn signal and one red sidemarker light.My first stop was at a auto parts store for a new flatplug connector and she was lit up like a Christmas tree. The Hitch as the po said was some special AS hitch. I was not familiar with the snap on arms so I didn't use them . It road perfectly level with my Ford as my steed.
The sidemarker lights need replacing as the red ones are later and the amber ones are opaque. These I found for $5 a piece so I order two sets.Where is UPS at?The Hitch is solid but covered in rust so that will be one of the projects by itself. It does have a old hydraulic mechanism on it that I think is obsolete.
So far I have experimented with several processes of cleaning and preping the skin for polish. I found on another site an older man who uses wadding with polishing stuff on it, its cheap and it works very well, but is all hand applicated. I also have found some aluminum jelly that strips away the oxidation to leave a dull but polishable surface. I got a little shock when it was raining and I was rubbing so I stopped and replaced the electic outlets that were bad and the out door one next to door which was missing half the cover.My last picture here shows the two panels on the curb rear side need replacing. I'm afraid that will be beyond my experience and financial capabilities. I have thought about cutting a hole in the skin pulling out the dent and then installing a OEM clear lense porch light to hide the hole and add to my 12v system.
Luck is with me as that this camper after a few maintenance items are addressed is perfectly road worthy and set for local camping and the "Fun" can begin with out a long and involved restoration "Camp as you go" as it may be.
Looks like the dents are in 2 separate kinds of panels. The upper one in the photo is in one of your 7 panel end caps. That one is a little problematic to deal with. You either have to find a repalcement from a comparable year being parted out or leave it as a battle scar ( it is a 50 year old trailer) or try to work it out. I had a lesser sized dent in one end cap panel and with a dolly , hammer, slapper etc worked it out nicely and unless you look really hard you cannot detect it. Having said that I had my interior walls out and was able to work on both sides of the dent.
The other lower panel dent can be more easily replaced with sheet 2024 T3 .032 aluminum if you are so inclined. It is not a compound curve peice as the end cap panel is. Again you need some special tooling ie rivet gun and bucking bar if you wish to do it correctly (this requires the interior wall to be off). You could do what many think is a lesser replacement of that panel with olympic rivets. This is probably less stucturally sound but does not require the interior skins to be taken off. Or again leave as battle scar. What you do may depend on whether you want to polish the trailer etc. Keep up the good work. Ed
If you remove the lower panel for replacement perhaps you could work some sort of tool between the inner and outer skins to remove part of the other dent. A roller like Kip made might work.
Today my first shipment of Mail order AS parts came in. Vintage trailer supply is my new hero.Vintage Trailer Supply - Vintage travel trailer parts and supplies!
They have so much cool stuff for my ole' gal Olivia and at great prices. I ordered a new set of tear drop running lights that so badly needed replacing $5.00 each Yeah! and a latch for my much coveted door in a door. Now it will stay tightly locked down and best of all a new post and ends for my dinette table(missing) which I have located the right size for only $20 bucks.Last night I purchased a Pyrex globe for my Humphrey gas light for $10.00. I live in an ante-bellum house in Natchez and have many 165 year old gas and oil fixtures in my home But I'm scared of gas so many of them I have wired for 110 volts and still have the same look safely. I plan on wiring my Humphrey to be a 4 watt night light ...cool huh? I may need to change my name to Frugal Natchez Bear. I tell ya It was like Christmas morning on Pearl st today.
Vintage trailer supply is absolutely great. Well run company, always adding new things and completely honest. I have nothing but good things to say about them. She will look better with the old rusty running lights gone! Ed
Today my first shipment of Mail order AS parts came in. Vintage trailer supply is my new hero.Vintage Trailer Supply - Vintage travel trailer parts and supplies!
They have so much cool stuff for my ole' gal Olivia and at great prices. I ordered a new set of tear drop running lights that so badly needed replacing $5.00 each Yeah! and a latch for my much coveted door in a door. Now it will stay tightly locked down and best of all a new post and ends for my dinette table(missing) which I have located the right size for only $20 bucks.Last night I purchased a Pyrex globe for my Humphrey gas light for $10.00. I live in an ante-bellum house in Natchez and have many 165 year old gas and oil fixtures in my home But I'm scared of gas so many of them I have wired for 110 volts and still have the same look safely. I plan on wiring my Humphrey to be a 4 watt night light ...cool huh? I may need to change my name to Frugal Natchez Bear. I tell ya It was like Christmas morning on Pearl st today.
We have more original parts, including the metal segments, for you Airstream, than anyone in the country.
Be extremely careful should you decide on some substitute parts, especially gaskets.
Water leaking into an Airstream, because of bad gaskets, causes considerable grief as well as money.
Only Airstream dealers can purchase parts from the factory.
Non dealers must use substitute parts, or purchase the original parts, if they are still available, from a dealer, which usually increases the costs, to you.
Then there is the little problem of reproducing the original parts, instead of using an upgraded improvement, that even the factory changed to.
I've been happy with the stuff I bought from steve at VTS. The new running lights have a thinner base than the original fittings, but they are aluminum and wont rust like the originals.
I made a little modification to mine you may want to consider. I converted them to LED lights using some small running lights I bought at Northern Tool. I glued the new LEDs to the base with Vulkem, ran the ground wire back through the wiring grommet on the new base, and voila!
They are brighter than the original lights, and I don't expect to replace them or clean up any more corroded bases anytime soon.
I've been happy with the stuff I bought from steve at VTS. The new running lights have a thinner base than the original fittings, but they are aluminum and wont rust like the originals.
I made a little modification to mine you may want to consider. I converted them to LED lights using some small running lights I bought at Northern Tool. I glued the new LEDs to the base with Vulkem, ran the ground wire back through the wiring grommet on the new base, and voila!
They are brighter than the original lights, and I don't expect to replace them or clean up any more corroded bases anytime soon.
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I also have found some aluminum jelly that strips away the oxidation to leave a dull but polishable surface. I got a little shock when it was raining and I was rubbing so I stopped and replaced the electic outlets that were bad and the out door one next to door which was missing half the cover.My last picture here shows the two panels on the curb rear side need replacing. I'm afraid that will be beyond my experience and financial capabilities. I have thought about cutting a hole in the skin pulling out the dent and then installing a OEM clear lense porch light to hide the hole and add to my 12v system.
and a latch for my much coveted door in a door.
I live in an ante-bellum house in Natchez and have many 165 year old gas and oil fixtures in my home But I'm scared of gas 
so many of them I have wired for 110 volts and still have the same look safely. I plan on wiring my Humphrey to be a 4 watt night light ...cool huh?
I may need to change my name to Frugal Natchez Bear. I tell ya It was like Christmas morning on Pearl st today.
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