Help!!

[Gildo]

Hi ladies and gents, Michael here from Melbourne Australia.
Im looking at purchasing the shell of a 196? Caravel as a resto/retro project and have no rescources in this country to discuss this with.
I have MANY questions, I need many answers...

Where can I find the factory specs /plans /advertising for this van?
Was there an owners manual , if so where should I look for it?
Basic stuff like how wide is it? How heavy/light is it? Can I tow it safely with my 84 CJ8?
Where can I find pics?

Airstreams are very rare trailers here and I need as much information as I can get. I love them already, now I just have to have one....
Cheers
Michael

[thenewkid64]

Michael,

Welcome to the forum!

There are a number of resources.

Pictures of that vintage would be here: http://www.vintageairstream.com/archives/index.html

Scroll down and there is a grid of most of the trailers with pictures. There are some model differences based on the year of manufacture, but they are minor. Being that you are going to import it I would recommend staying pre 1966. 66-68 had a special curved tempered glass that is currently referred to as made from un-obtanium, the only way to get them is to find a donor. Pre 66 had flat plate glass that was glazed with putty and a molding insert.

Weights will be in the attached PDF.


Owners manuals may be available off the Vintage Airstream site at www.airstream.net. They are building a literature library. Advertising materials may be there as well.

On the towing issue, it really depends on where and how far you are going to tow. Is your tow vehicle a Jeep? Short wheelbases can be problematic, but more would need to be known on the tow vehicle situation to offer an opinion, don't worry you will get feed back on the towing issue. We want EVERYONE to be as safe as possible.

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Gildo

Hi ladies and gents, Michael here from Melbourne Australia.
Im looking at purchasing the shell of a 196? Caravel as a resto/retro project and have no rescources in this country to discuss this with.
I have MANY questions, I need many answers...

Well, you've come to the right place! Welcome to the Forums!

Originally Posted by Gildo

Where can I find the factory specs /plans /advertising for this van?

You may want to check out the Vintage Airstream Club's "Archives" website...there are lots links that you may find helpful. A lot of them are for earlier models, but some will apply.

Originally Posted by Gildo

Was there an owners manual , if so where should I look for it?

"The first owners manuals were published in 1964. Prior to that, the owner received a brown envelope containing parts lists and other helpful information on the accessories in his trailer. The VAC has started making these available in the Members Archive section. A service manual with instructions for performing service operations did not exist until 1972.
You can get photocopies of owners manual (1964+) and service manuals (1972-1986) from:

Helen Davis Secretarial Services
PO Box 484 Sidney, OH 45365
(937)492-8885

Prices are about $33 and $70 respectively. After 1986 the Owners Manuals included available service information." quoted from VAC website

Originally Posted by Gildo

Basic stuff like how wide is it? How heavy/light is it?

Trailer Weights .pdf from Airstream.com website

Originally Posted by Gildo

Where can I find pics?

Photo Archives

This should give you a start...enjoy your quest!

Shari