Quote:
Originally Posted by Foiled Again
HOLY SMOKE! The third picture sent me back through the thread looking at the rear segments. Did you replace the panels or is that the best job of straightening out a dent I've seen in ages?
Details girl, details. What big events surprises and upgrades have been done to get her to that much "shiney hiney"?
Paula
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Hi Paula! I believe two of the panels were replaced, another was popped. The large rear dent obviously bowed into the bathroom quite a bit, but popped right back into place. It won't be a perfect interior, but I don't expect perfection!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cwbiii
You owe somebody a big favor... that is in quite a bit better shape than it was when it was purchased. I'm guessing you have one hell of a dad.
I hope you remembered him well on his special day.
Chuck
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Hi Chuck! I owe no one a favor, because they were paid beyond fairly for their work. I should have clarified that, of course! We located a guy who does exterior work in Indiana and the trailer has been in his possession for the entire time I've been without updates. He's a bit of an artist - fantastic work, but not great at deadlines.
You are correct though, I do have a phenomenal father! We're in a very rural area of Wyoming so great "finds" like this don't really happen. He shares my love of rescuing old things and has facilitated the entire process from Michigan. I've since rescued a 1985 Jeep Grand Wagoneer for $600. My husband and I have been getting the old rig road worthy - my dad is hugely supportive of the project yet again. I couldn't ask for more
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbj216
...Keep us posted on your adventures with this thing. I'm curious about your trip from Michigan to Wyoming with the trailer. Sometimes pulling old Airstreams that have been long dormant causes all sorts of excitement, like doors blowing open, vents flying off, bearings failing, and lights not working.
It appears you have quite a museum piece there. Enjoy it, and enjoy Air Forums. I sure have.
David
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Hi David! Our trip wasn't without... complications. Honestly, it went far better than expected give the almost non-existent preparations we had time for. I'm not sure if I mentioned it up thread, but my husband and I own a powersports dealership. Since we're the only owners/operators, we had a VERY short window to get to make the trip, 24 hours
each way. I realize there's nothing smart about making a trip with almost zero preparation, but we had to get it done.
We know the trailer has a solid frame. It was exposed, inspected & painted from the guy who did restoration work. We mounted a new set of tires and picked up a stabilizer hitch (am I using the correct terminology here?) We own a 2014 Chevy 2500 Duramax and regularly use it to tow all manner of things larger and heavier than the Airstream. I'm thankful that we
knew we could trust the truck and only had to worry about the trailer.
The weather in Wyoming and Nebraska in May really can't be predicted - we've had flawless trips, we've been stuck in an ice storm with the highways closed for 5 days. We hit a blizzard on the way to Michigan and almost constant rain on the drive home. Not ideal, but doable.
Really there were only a few problems - the door latched but wouldn't lock.... zip ties to the rescue! We lost a vent roughly halfway through and someone warned us in time to get the second vent secured. My husband was inside trying to come up with a waterproof solution and opened the closet door. The mirror fell off the door and broke, grazing his face right next to his eye. It could have been SO MUCH WORSE. He was pissed (understandably!) but fine. I'm pretty sure we had one rear light out, but the brakes and turn signals worked just fine. Otherwise, I don't think we can remember another issue from the trip. It wasn't perfect, but it went better than expected.