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Old 07-18-2014, 08:49 AM   #1
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1988 32' Excella
Linthicum , Maryland
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Excella 88 31ft - Tips for Inspection

Newbie here! Hubby and I are going to look at a 31' 1988 Excella 1000 Rear Twin Bed model this weekend. I have read the messages in this forum and already know to look under the beds to check for water damage and to inspect the axle. Is there anything else particular we should look for?

Two weeks ago, knowing very little about Airstreams, we bought a 1978 Sovereign that had corner&middle segments/roof damage and then discovered rib damage when we took off the interior panels and end cap. Other than the $1500 dollars it would take to fix the segments, we have yet to do a full inspection of the belly pan and have no idea if any of the systems work. We may have bit off a little more than we can handle due to storage constraints.

So we're off to look at this Excella and would appreciate any advice. From the pictures, it looks clean except for one body panel repair and the interior looks in good condition as well. The current owner isn't the original one and says there are no leaks as far as he knows.
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Old 07-18-2014, 09:22 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moeller78 View Post
Newbie here! Hubby and I are going to look at a 31' 1988 Excella 1000 Rear Twin Bed model this weekend. I have read the messages in this forum and already know to look under the beds to check for water damage and to inspect the axle. Is there anything else particular we should look for?

Two weeks ago, knowing very little about Airstreams, we bought a 1978 Sovereign that had corner&middle segments/roof damage and then discovered rib damage when we took off the interior panels and end cap. Other than the $1500 dollars it would take to fix the segments, we have yet to do a full inspection of the belly pan and have no idea if any of the systems work. We may have bit off a little more than we can handle due to storage constraints.

So we're off to look at this Excella and would appreciate any advice. From the pictures, it looks clean except for one body panel repair and the interior looks in good condition as well. The current owner isn't the original one and says there are no leaks as far as he knows.
Other than body damage, or a rotten floor, the next largest cost would be axle replacement. The rubber rods last about 25 years, and a trailer that has been parked for a couple of years or more that was never towed, can have the rubber rods age out in as little as 3 years, unless the trailer was elevated on jack stands.

A smaller cost is the exterior gaskets, especially the sewer vent pipe cover gaskets that only last 2 to 3 years.

Andy
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Old 07-18-2014, 12:30 PM   #3
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1981 31' Excella II
New Market , Alabama
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They all say no leaks. There are leaks to be sure. The question is how bad and how long have they been there. Make sure you lift the bed tops and pull up any flooring or carpeting that is there. Mine looks fine and there were no leaks accept the ones that rotted the floor in the rear around the door.

Leak points that are biggies are the rear bumper plate (funnel plate). All 4 corners where the walls meet the curved sections. Also around the door is a common area to have soft spots in the floor. Jump on the bumper and look for relative movement between bumper and shell. Most trailers even damaged ones pass this test but some really bad 70's trailers won't. Mine passed this test but still needed the last 4 feet of floor replaced. You probably have OSB floors which means water will do even more damage in less time.

Perry
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Old 07-18-2014, 01:14 PM   #4
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1988 25' Excella
1987 32' Excella
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We have that model. It does have OSB floors. Ours had a rusted out A frame that we had to replace and had floor damage under the Vista windows at the front. The OSB deteriorates but seems to limit the damage to smaller areas than plywood floors. Check the A frame where it enters the trailer body and under the battery compartments. We like our trailer a lot after we fixed the vista windows and the A frame. Nice layout and lots of room.
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