Contemporizing 1976 Argosy D - opinions please

[dieterdog]

Hi Sergei,, long time no hear from,,, ,,, best,, donna

[SmokelessJoe]

Grant,

I haven’t listed the rig for sale yet but, yes, I have decided to do so.

The major reason is that there is so much else that interests me. The ARGOSY, once my passion, now competes for my attention. And my lessening energy.

For me, in the end, city dwelling and Airstreaming has also proved a difficult mix.

I guess that a few other people in NYC or Toronto might own Airstreams but most owners step out of their back door or mosey over to the barn when they take their rig out. For us big city people, trailer travel is a major undertaking.

(In the beginning, I thought that I wanted to get a country place but the years back and forth to Elgin County have proved that I am really a city boy. My several decades of inner city living and my urban travels attest to that too).

I also need to be in the city to properly look after my property management business. I once imagined that I could somehow do that long distance but it’s hard.

It may take some time to find someone who likes my set up as much as I’ve enjoyed having it - and decides to take it over. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the rig as often as I can.

I’m very happy with what was accomplished with the ARGOSY and so grateful for your help in realizing that. So, so many times I’ve sat (usually in unconventional stopping places like the campus of Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge on New Year’s Day or sea-side at the Shelburne, Nova Scotia Yacht Club, for instance) in the quiet of the lovely space that was created by all that hard work and thought “ Man, this is as cool as any little hotel room on wheels could ever be”.

The prospect of parting with the unit doesn’t bother me as much as I imagined it would. Part of the reason might be that I now realize just how much of my life has been lived in 7 year cycles: 7 years at the Ballet, 7 years touring artists and attractions, 7 years with the Circus, 7 years with oysters and beer as Smokeless Joe, 7 years with the trailer....

Nice to hear from you; thanks again for your contribution.


Sergei

[ALANSD]

I am just catching up on these last posts...we met at our Airstream Rally in Hiawasse, Georgia.
I was and remain so impressed with your whole set up.
Interesting you mentioned the 7 year cycles, I have experienced a similar thing over my life, though its been more like 5 years in a cycle for me.
Anyway- not sure if you sold your Argosy and all, but I wish you the best in whatever the next 7 year cycle brings you.
Alan

[SmokelessJoe]

Hi Allan, nice to hear from you and so sorry to have taken so long to thank you.

Yes, I decided - at least a year ago now - to sell my rig but hadn’t done anything about getting it listed until just this week:

1976 Airstream Argosy 24 for sale in Toronto, Ontario

Having time for my cool outfit has been a problem. Last year I was so busy in my other life that I saw the Sprinter and ARGOSY twice - on July 18 to take it out of the barn and again on November 8 to put away for the winter again!!

It’s a shame. That has played a large part in my decision to seek a new owner.

I was in Asia for a couple of months this winter- Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and South Korea- (I think I was in SEOUL while you did SPRINGSTREAM this year) but I am back and intend to spread the search more aggressively now.



Here I am pulling away from the FALLUMINUM that I attended at Hiawasse. I remember you and the many others I met there fondly. Please say hello to folks and stay in touch…..


Sergei

[Hittenstiehl]

Sergei, we followed your build and have wondered how have your Ikea modified cabinets traveled over the last couple of years. Any tearouts in the wood joining areas?

[SmokelessJoe]

Hittenstiehe,

The IKEA cabinets have held up perfectly and have never been a problem.

And they’ve been down to Texas and over to Newfoundland too.

Nevertheless, if I were to do it again I might opt for stick built. The reason is that modifying the Ikea modules for use in an Airstream might be as much trouble, and take as much time, as building your own.

When I started out I knew nothing about anything and didn’t want to tackle a job that would entail buying cabinet making tools and learning how to use them. Ikea held the advantage that I could see what I was going to get and I knew that I could assemble it.

It turned out that remaking Ikea for the Airstream was a lot more work that installing them in your kitchen.

Too, at the end of my project I realized that I had learned about a lot of things I formerly knew nothing of. So, if there were to be another time I might consider buying tools and trying. (Cheap talk: I’m not going to build another trailer ‘though I had fun building my prototype).

Ikea is still a tasteful good choice for folks that find themselves were I was. Modifying the cabinets may take more time then you expect but the results will be nice.

Sergei

[Hittenstiehl]

Thank you for your feedback good luck on your sale.

[SmokelessJoe]

The last few paragraphs of my ad copy, below, are cut off.

No matter how many times I have used MANAGE AD and Edit they still won't appear. It says that if in difficulty contact the Site Administrator. There are no obvious links and I can't find out how this is done.

Does anybody know?





The whole splendid rig-

re-imagined 1976 Airstream ARGOSY
2006 Mercedes Benz SPRINTER Tow Vehicle/Auto Carrier
2005 MINI Cooper -

All 3 for less than the price of a new Airstream!

Stored inside for every winter of her Canadian life, bought at top price because of her immaculate condition but nevertheless stripped to the bone and imaginatively “contemporized”, this one of a kind beauty - which may be the world’s first DIESEL POWERED Airstream- is now available, along with her Mercedes Benz SPRINTER and MINI Cooper traveling companions.

HIGHLIGHTS

Interior: Open concept. IKEA kitchen cabinets, pull-out pantry, bathroom furnishings and central wardrobe-which features a pull-out desk - all weight-reduced and built in. Custom made solid birch bed frames with pull-out storage drawers. Slate grey MARMOLEUM flooring wall to wall, even under cabinets, beds, bath. Marmoleum countertops. Hardware, roller blinds, specialty lighting from Ikea. OCEANAIR windows shades, as in the latest Airstreams. Elkay round and deep kitchen sink. Modern glass vessel sink in bath. Contemporary
Euro-style Ikea faucets. Zee Puck xenon pot lamps on central dimmers throughout. Custom-built central control panel at entry.

Original vinyl coated aluminum interior scrubbed clean, sanded, refinished in 2 coats best KILZ primer, two coats OIL BASED Benjamin Moore flat eggshell in soothing Old Prairie colour. Bath redone wall-to-wall in two-part POR 15 Whitecoat for porcelain like hardness and brilliance.

Appliances: LG 7 cu. ft. frost free fridge, LG TV built in, LG DVD and tape deck, LG microwave. SONY radio/CD player. WEBASTO X-100 Ceramic Cooktop, diesel powered.

Sleeps four on two custom built pullout gauchos, highest quality 5” dense foam, upholstered in GM-Oldsmobile specified quality fabric in Dorchester Platinum.

Most everything new; layout largely follows original Airstream design.



Exterior: Iconic ARGOSY body taken to bare metal with aircraft stripper, washed, etched, primed and professionally painted three coats base, three coats clear to match MINI Cooper Pepper White and Black colour scheme. Crowd stopping!
All windows and door rehabilitated: new screen, fuzzy seal, rubber gaskets. New moulding, trim and rub-rail all around. New Black ZIP DEE awning professionally installed at Zip Dee’s Chicago factory. Custom made front window protectors. Custom made landing pads. ULTRA FAB electric jack. EZ Built adjustable shank hitch and weight distribution system. New YOKOHAMA 700x15R LT tires all around with stainless steel Moon Caps. New LED running lamps all around. New .040 aluminum belly pan. New, lockable bumper box.

Electrical: MARINCO inlet with 50 feet of power cords. BLUE SEAS distribution panels for both 110v and 12v systems. PARALLAX converter/charger. ODYSSEY Extreme AGM battery bank. BUSS shut offs. Eliminator 1500 watt inverter supplies fridge in transit. Sound antenuated SABURU Robbins RG 4300 Japanese made generator mounted on tow vehicle.

Heating and Cooling: Unique, quiet-warmth hydronic heating system. (Compact WEBASTO diesel furnace quickly heats and pumps coolant through stainless steel INDEL Isotemp marine style water heater -with auxiliary 1500w electric element -and three Cozy heat exchangers from Vehicle Systems Inc.) Tempo Industries diesel supply tank built into undercarriage. Large, German-made SEITZ Midi-Heki roof light.

Sophisticated LG Art Cool split unit air-conditioning! Almost silent, inside and out. Multi program, remote control. No ugly rooftop unit to ruin the iconic Airstream shape.

Full details on the Diesel Powered AIRSTREAM here:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f287...ler-23048.html

Plumbing and Waste Management: New black and grey water holding tanks. New PEX lines and fittings throughout. CONCERTO all-china gravity discharge toilet by Dometic. Custom designed Waste Management Compartment features RV SANI-CON system by Thetford. Jabsco macerator empties tanks in minutes with no fuss, no mess. Retractable discharge hose ( 7 to 21 feet).100 foot supply and discharge hoses for travel. New WATTS back flow and pressure regulator. New SHURFLO water pump. Miniature marine shower mixer. Micro-Pulse systems monitor.



Tow Vehicle/ Auto Hauler: 2006 Mercedes Benz SPRINTER 3500 series Cab and Chassis purchased new in USA, built to order in Dusseldorf, Germany. JET BLACK. Only16,000 original miles to date. After factory additions: UPSCALE transmission cooler. DIESEL POWER control module, German made. Solid aluminum turbo resonator. ScanGauge ll. ISSPRO EV transmission temperature and EGT gauges.

Specially designed, custom built ALL ALUMINUM truck deck with pull out ramp system. Possum belly storage compartments below. Headache bar c/w tractor lamps for night lighting. Tie down rings with ratcheting web belts. Custom wheel wells and mud flaps. Deck mounted electric generator plant slides out for easy service.

2005 MINI Cooper. Pepper White and Black two door hatchback. One Owner. Meticulously kept service records. 158,000 kilometres. Immaculate condition.

*************

The whole 5-year long renewal/construction process is well documented/photo-illustrated here, in one of the most highly followed threads on AIR FORUMS, the world’s largest Airstream Community on the Web :

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...ase-18448.html

If you are looking for a late model AIRSTREAM, consider this: you might also need a tow vehicle, which may or may not please you as your daily driver.

If you’ve been thinking of an Airstream INTERSTATE, think of this: an Interstate may or may not suit you as a daily driver but it will make no quick getaways from the campground when you forget the milk!

Many miles between fill-ups ( rig averages 18 mpg ) but be warned about this: you’ll be held behind at every stop by admiring folks with friendly questions.





$87,000 for it all

[DKB_SATX]

I will have a look when I get back to the house. It is possible that you exceeded some maximum number of characters. However that is just a guess at this point.

[walk0080]

Beautiful setup. Sad to hear it is being sold.

Although I love Airstreams, I think (someday...) I may be going the opposite direction in a way... 2014/2015+ (4x4?) Sprinter Class B self-conversion towing my MINI JCW in a car hauler.

Good luck with the sale. Asking price seems pretty reasonable to me.

[SmokelessJoe]

Thanks walk0080; nice to hear from you again.

'Trust that your hoped for conversion doesn't take as long as mine did!

You're right about the price being reasonable; it's about half the actual out-of-pocket.


Sergei

[walk0080]

Originally Posted by SmokelessJoe

Thanks walk0080; nice to hear from you again.

'Trust that your hoped for conversion doesn't take as long as mine did!

You're right about the price being reasonable; it's about half the actual out-of-pocket.


Sergei

Attachment 212301

Hope you find a suitable owner for you rig. I am curious how much the whole Sprinter aluminum car ramp, bed/supports, headache bar and storage boxes weigh?

[SmokelessJoe]

Originally Posted by walk0080

Hope you find a suitable owner for you rig. I am curious how much the whole Sprinter aluminum car ramp, bed/supports, headache bar and storage boxes weigh?

Walk,

I don't have that figure but I have twice had the rig CAT scaled so I think we can work backwards to get a pretty accurate guesstimate:

The truck, front and rear axles, was 9240 one time and 9220 another.

So, the curb weight of the SPRINTER being 4533 pounds and the MINI 2557, we have 2130 pounds for the rest.

The aluminum deck will be somewhere between 1500 to 1700 I think. (From the figure above you have to deduct me, fuel, tools, etc. being carried).

But why re-invent the wheel? The rig will be right here in Toronto all summer. Come out to see and test it.

[utee94]

Sergei, always a pleasure to see your thread pop to the top of my Subscription list.

Although I'm sad to see your adventure with the Contemporized Argosy coming to an end, I wish you the very best in your future endeavors. It's been fascinating to watch your journey and read your stories, thanks again.

-Marcus

[my3sonsdad]

Sergei,
I am a long time admirer of your renovation and set-up and I wish for you there were royalties collected for each thread view. I would have gladly paid a subscription to yours over time....I'm sure there are many others out there as well that gained tremendously from your experience. Maybe something for the administrators of the forum to consider.

If I remember correctly from your thread, the diesel system used by the Argosy runs off the tanks in the Sprinter. Is that correct? I'm sure somewhere along the way another Mini owner has posed this to you, but do you know if the Sprinter bed/ramp system dimensions support a Mini Clubman's additional length (I own a 2009 Clubman S)? I seem to recall reading you had some modifications spec'd to support the standard Mini Cooper length. Lastly, h
ave you considered pricing for the 3 separately?

I guess I was surprised the Sprinter only had 16K on it so far. All those gas station conversations must have slowed you down
Jim

[walk0080]

Originally Posted by my3sonsdad

Sergei,
I am a long time admirer of your renovation and set-up and I wish for you there were royalties collected for each thread view. I would have gladly paid a subscription to yours over time....I'm sure there are many others out there as well that gained tremendously from your experience. Maybe something for the administrators of the forum to consider.

If I remember correctly from your thread, the diesel system used by the Argosy runs off the tanks in the Sprinter. Is that correct? I'm sure somewhere along the way another Mini owner has posed this to you, but do you know if the Sprinter bed/ramp system dimensions support a Mini Clubman's additional length (I own a 2009 Clubman S)? I seem to recall reading you had some modifications spec'd to support the standard Mini Cooper length. Lastly, h
ave you considered pricing for the 3 separately?

I guess I was surprised the Sprinter only had 16K on it so far. All those gas station conversations must have slowed you down
Jim

Clubman has only 3" longer wheelbase (2nd gen cooper hardtop vs 2nd gen clubman - 1st gen I am not sure). Might not be an issue unless you have the car lowered or have the JCW Aero.

I remember the trailer has it's own diesel tank.

[SmokelessJoe]

Jim, many thanks for so many kind words. It is good to know how people appreciate my re-think of the way an Airstream can be.

Yes, the truck and trailer can be had separately. See my link to the classifieds below.

The Argosy has its own marine style diesel tank. Go to post # 105 on page 8 of my long re-build thread for details:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...e-18448-8.html

The Clubman seems to be slightly bigger than my MINI: wheelbase- 97" compared to 100"; thread 57.7" to 58", overall length 143" to 155" so 12" longer; 2557 pounds to 2723 so 166 pounds more.



The deck was built specifically for my MINI so whether the Clubman will fit is uncertain. It would for sure if the deck mounted power plant were removed. The Sprinter is available with or without the generator.

If you want a generator you can easily mount the smaller, lighter HONDA or YAMAHA models either on the deck or possibly in a possum belly compartment.

The fulcrum point, where the vehicle passes from the ramp to the deck, would need to be checked too. THis would probably not be a problem with only 3" difference in the wheelbase.

The Mercedes has only around 15, 600 MILES. I was driving it this week and it runs like new, of course. I had it polished and detailed and it looked like it had just rolled out of the showroom, shiny Jet Black

[SmokelessJoe]

Jim, others interested:

Here are some shots of the ramp system on the Sprinter:

[Jay Hawk]

Sergei,
Thank you for a wonderful inspiration. You have captured the essence of what is in my head for the design of the trailer. The re-imagined equipment and design is remarkable. I sincerely wish I had 87k in the AS fund because I would write you a check. I have read and understand that knowing the quality of a restored or rebuilt trailer is key to getting a great dream or a great headache. With your easy to follow 'soup to nuts' thread it is easy to see the high quality put into every step.

R/
John

[SmokelessJoe]

Hey Jay, thank you for all the nice words. Appreciate them.

You don't need 87K. How about 47 for the cool trailer



Do you have some way to pull it?