Newbie with lots of questions?

[hardwoodjdc]

Well, the wife and I done it tonite and bought an Argosy. Center bath, rear twin beds , fold out bed in the living room. At the risk of sounding very uneducated since we don;t know how to identify the model. I think it is a 30ft. model according to the seller that is. How do I determine the model, I do know that it is a 79 model. The good news is I see no evidence of leaks and it looks like the previous owners took very good care of her. I began checking systems tonite and have not yet found any systems that didn;t work as intended. We have been looking for an airstream for sometime but usually to expensive or to bad a shape. Any way does this make me a member of the elite 'airstream owners group or have i made us outcasts Will we be allowed to participate in club functions or are those activities for the true airstream group leaving the
Argosy owners on our own.
Thanks, Jeff

[DKB_SATX]

Hey, congrats... that's the sort of thing I'm looking for.

The VIN that's stamped into the A-Frame and should also be on a metal plaque on the front exterior wall (often near the fresh-water fill) will say start 30A or 28A for a 30' or 28' trailer, respectively.

It looks nice. Lots of awnings! Look into something to protect the front clear panoramic windows, they are very hard to find (they're not manufactured any longer, so you can only get them from a trailer being parted out, or you have to go with a new smoke-tinted one.) The regular Airstream rock guards will fit. I and several others use soft guards made of Sunbrella canvas with high-density foam inside.

[newsgauger]

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to you and your family!

By the pictures you have posted, it looks like you found yourself a good one.

The key places to look for any floor rot/damage are where the water pump sits, front and rear corners and where the battery is. Water penatrates through the openings around windows, stacks/vents, etc. and then runs down to the plywood flooring.

As you will find out, Argosy owners are welcomed on the forums and many have participated in AS rallies.

Welcome and keep the pictures coming...
Chris

[hardwoodjdc]

I checked the ViN and it begins with 30A so I assume this is the 30 ft. Model. I have done a preliminary check and haven't located any rot as yet. As it turns out I knew the owner and he bought it from an elderly couple in Canada in about 1995, they bought it new, so it is nice to know a little bit of the history. The biggest negative so far is that the previous owners smoked in the camper and it has left a stench. I expect to have to change the carpet to get rid of that smell but I currently have it airing out and have used almost a full can of Fabreze. There must be a product that will get rid of that odor but I don't know what it is? So far, all of the systems seem to work and I ran the fridge last night and it got good and cold. Thanks for your comments and help. Today I hope to get into the brakes and bearings etc. and see what I have there. Jeff

[DKB_SATX]

Smoke enough in that small of a space and you can get to a point where the only way to really clear the air is to change out all the textiles... carpet, drapes, upholstery. I don't know if your new trailer is that bad, of course, and re-doing upholstery and drapes is spendy.

[saburkha]

Cleaning the glass will get rid of a lot of smell too. You can also use scrubbing bubbles on the walls.

[Jim Clark]

Wipe down every square inch inside and outside of draws and cabinets. Soak the soft goods. Spray inside and out with Fabreze, then heat the interior as hot as you can and let bake for a few hours. Don't forget the duct work. Use some electric heaters.

[Bex]

Originally Posted by hardwoodjdc

There must be a product that will get rid of that odor but I don't know what it is? So far, all of the systems seem to work and I ran the fridge last night and it got good and cold. Thanks for your comments and help. Today I hope to get into the brakes and bearings etc. and see what I have there. Jeff

Welcome!
You can hire a carpet cleaner to clean the rugs if they are worth saving (thats what I do for a living) you can also get this (linked) product which does work. You just use it as an aerosol or crack it fully open and let it rip, stand it uporight on the floor on some paper, it will flood the unit with the fog. I have used them to fog an office following a fire inan adjoining restaurant.

I would stter clear of the febreze products, they can leave a residue which has to be washed off too.

ZEP 19 oz. Smoke Eliminator (Case of 12)-ZU018719 at The Home Depot
Alternative is to rent an ozone generator but these are not too friendly when it comes to plastics

[Bex]

....and if you cannot get the cans of fogger, call a restoration Co and ask them if they will fog it for you if you bring it to them. Offer them a case of beer rather than a price! That would work for me.

[TG Twinkie]

I used Simple Green on all of the hard surfaces in our coach. The PO was a smoker as well. I sprayed it on full strength and rinsed it with clean water. Used those micro fiber cloths.
The results are great. Now, there is no sign that anyone had been smoking in the unit.

[loudruff]

Once you get the walls clean and sticky free, you should give them a good coat of Acrylic Future floor wax. Makes them nice and pretty, and that lasts a good long time.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

I used Simple Green on all of the hard surfaces in our coach. The PO was a smoker as well. I sprayed it on full strength and rinsed it with clean water. Used those micro fiber cloths.
The results are great. Now, there is no sign that anyone had been smoking in the unit.

^
X2

The SG worked well on our 63, the MF cloths are a must!!

GREAT looking Trailer!!

Bob

[hardwoodjdc]

We have decided the carpet in our Argosy 30 needs to be replaced anyway and we want to recover the couch so we are going to tear out most of the soft parts in the camper. We are going to go ahead with the tear out then wash everything that is left down and use the zep smoke eliminator as suggested in an earlier post. I am seriously considering a coat of paint on the entire floor area to both preserve what seems to be a very solid floor and help keep the smell down as well. Then our plan is to use a Pergo type laminate floor through out with the exception of the bathroom. The carpet that is in it is not original so we are not compromising originality by changing this carpet out and the hard surface floors will be easier to maintain when the grandchildren are along. As I follow these blogs folks seem to be doing what they want to with their trailers and not worrying too much about historical preservation. Is that a fair observation or have I misread what seems to be happening? Any comments regarding my approach to this project? To those who have provided direction and suggestions so far I want to thank you. You are a wealth of information!! Jeff