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TxDave · 07-18-2017, 06:06 PM

You're making great progress. That's quite a vacation trip. My wife and I renovated our 1971 Sovereign 31' last year. We just finished a 6 week stay in the mountains of northeast New Mexico. Loved it!

Please be careful with your driving speeds. I was stupid and drove at 70-75 on our way back to Texas. I ended up with tread separation on 2 of my ST tires. Fortunately, no damage to the trailer.

Researching tire and wheel upgrade.

phlegm · 06-01-2018, 01:29 PM

Just checking in.
I paid the Photobucket ransom when they dropped it to $100/yr.
I can live with that for how many pics I have hosted on their site.
But as I went to post this, I see that management feels differently..So welcome to the world of disjoint posts

I got lucky and found a window that isn't quite right, but work, its from a newer AS that has dual pane glass. I had to change over the window hardware to the older style, but it seals the cold out. I got it from a forum member named Chris out of Canada.

Late last Fall we did go to General Sibley Park down in Bismark before winter shut us down.

Winter in NoDak took a long time to get over.
Last week we took a trip down to the Minneapolis area and stayed in the Jordan KOA.

No problems hooking up and taking off, there was a small hiccup in the travel plans.

I thought we would try the 2012 Tahoe since it would be a relatively tame/flate/straight drive down the interstate, then 3 days of driving around downtown MPLS..

But that proved to be uncomfortable even for the 20 mile trip into Fargo, so while I heard some complaints from my wife about needing to go back home and swap vehicles, it was for the best.

It rained like crazy while we were down there and that exposed that I need to climb up on the roof soon, and get to work stripping, cleaning, and resealing everything. Most items up there have not been touched since we bought it.

On the way home, all 6 lug nuts on the streetside front tire came loose and it destroyed the studs and rim, that will have to get fixed, new wheel studs and another rim. Added to the list.

Now the repairs and prepping start for our August trip to Colorado.
My wife put in a request for running water and a sink!
Let the gentrification begin!!

Before CO. we will be taking at least one more trip into Minnesota over to Itasca.

I really should have started a mileage log when I started pulling the AS.
So far, that I remember.
Home -- 80 miles one way (2015)

The rest are round trip.
Travel 2017
Jamestown -- 260
Oregon -- 4400
Jamestown -- 260
Minneapolis -- 510 (last fall, Renaissance fest 2017)
Bismarck -- 440
Travel 2018 (so far)
Minneapolis -- 510 (Spring)

Looks like I am up to 6,460 miles so far, not bad, time to rotate the tires I think

chadvocate · 10-06-2018, 07:50 PM

Hey there!

My wife and I likewise have been renovating (and for the past year full-timing) a 71 Sovereign. I was just skimming your thread and I think there must be some kind of weird lug-loosening elves attacking vintage airstreams. When my wife and I drove from FL here to CA we got just outside the stateline of Cali when all the lugs somehow came off and the wheel holes were all stripped from bouncing around I assume? o_O We replaced the original axles and had new tires on (and a spare on hand fortunately), but at the time I was, and continue to be, quite perplexed on how it happened... Needless to say we'll be checking/tightening our lugs before we leave this spot, but thought it was too strange a coincidence not to share...

Cheers!
Chad

phlegm · 07-29-2020, 09:20 AM

Not a whole lot has happened though really.
Last year we built some sitting/sleeping areas for the kids up front.
I plastic welded the cracks over the outer fender liners, black PVC usually, but my wife painted ours grey.
I built some wooden inner fenders since my AS didn't have any when I bought it.

We took it on 2 trips
Pactola Lake/Resevoir in South Dakota (1100 miles round trip)
and
Relatives house in Jamestown ND (260 miles round trip)

This year I bought a set of GM truck rims that I've sandblasted but not had tires mounted on yet.

And it has finally been decreed that we need running water inside the AS.
So I've ordered a pump and expansion tank, I already have the old sink that I'll reuse, so I started building a curbside kitchen counter/cabinets. I'm going to do as much plumbing as possible using PEX since I already own the crimping tools.

For now I'm hoping the original clear tank is usable and I'm looking at options to repair the original black tank to use for grey water. *if* we get a toilet this year, its going to be a composting or cassette type. The decree was for running water, not a flushing toilet

I've got to redo the bed frame, the one I built a couple years ago is super strong, but WAY too heavy, also we are turning the rear bed 90 degrees so its under the rear window to make room for a shower/bathroom on the streetside between the bed and fender.

Pictures will be on their way soon

David Mock · 09-17-2022, 06:30 PM

Have read your step by step renovation of your 71AS. We have a 71 like yours also that we are semi updating. Have looked at Walmart Mart site for the one wire LED clearance lights, no luck! Do you by any chance have the part number for the ones you installed? All the ones I have found are 2 wire and as you know, AS are 1 wire and grounded by an attaching screw. Can't read PNs on your pics. Are going to do some of the things you have done. We have a 2003 Dodge Ram Quad Cab 3500 Cummins 6 speed Allison for towing, it doesn't even know its behind us. Gets 21 MPH and has a PAC brake system on it. GOOD THREAD, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!! THANX DAVE!!

phlegm · 09-17-2022, 06:55 PM

Not much had changed on my airstream.
I bought black and grey tanks with aspirations of getting a shower and commode installed this year.

I guess I did build my own 3” lift kit… so that’s something people might be interested in.

I’m regards to the lights these are what I used for amber.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Blazer-In...cks-4/19853233

CaCraig · 09-17-2022, 07:14 PM

I bought mine from http://led4rv.com

phlegm · 09-17-2022, 07:22 PM

Originally I bought a lift kit for my trailer because it sat too low

But I bought 2 single axle kits for the wrong axle style (dammit)

I have a small cnc plasma table at home now, so I measured the oblong holes in the kit that I ordered and made my own out of 3x3x0.25” square tubing.

We did take one camping trip and they worked perfectly.

However I will be taking these out and making new ones because I need a little more space for the black tank and I’ll make them out of 3x4x0.25” next time.