Redecorating our 1977 26T

[bobbyg52]

The baby has new tires and a new A/C unit. She is roadworthy as soon as I get new shocks on her. Anyone have a part number from Monroe or any other shock mfg for them? I can't read any numbers on any shock. Has anyone redone their floors with TrafficMaster vinyl plank flooring and if so, what prep did you do and did you use any additional adhesive? My wife would like to replace the curtains in the front on the large window. Any one have any new way to do curtains there? If not, I need a source for the plastic slides that hold the curtains in place. Mine are so brittle from the AZ sun that they crumble when you touch them. Finally, what is the best source for light fixture lenses? I have all the fixtures working but no lenses survived the AZ heat.

Appreciate all the help and suggestions in the forum. My new tow vehicle is now a 2003 Durango, 5.9, full tow pkg and a 3.55 posi rear. I am seeing 12 mpg at 65 mph. Is that about what I should expect? My 2011 Nissan Xterra pulled it ok on the flat but the trailer often was controlling the Xterra, not the other way around. Can't wait to get the baby finished so we can camp again!

[Pulverizer]

Did you find replacement shocks for your 77? I have a 77 29'er and I think I'm due to replace the shocks... any tips or advise would be appreciated? Brand new on here today... Thanks!

[Argosy 7728]

I think you can get the shocks, curtain slides and lenses from Inland RV. If they are not on the website, call them because they don't list everything. I have Monroe Magnum 555003 shocks on mine.

[Argosy 7728]

Inland RV, Out of doors Mart and Vintage Trailer Supply are great sources for parts. There are a couple of places that specialize in airstream curtains, I cant remember their name but do a search here and you will come up with them.

[BentMetal]

I just purchased new curtain slides from Vintage Trailer Supply. They are awesome. They don't need to be sewn on like the old ones; it's a hook and eye configuration. Order the drapery hooks they sell to go with the slides.

[Ultradog]

Originally Posted by BentMetal

I just purchased new curtain slides from Vintage Trailer Supply. They are awesome. They don't need to be sewn on like the old ones; it's a hook and eye configuration. Order the drapery hooks they sell to go with the slides.

Bent Metal,
We need a bunch of slides for the curtains also.
I looked at Vintage Trailer Supply and found the curtain slides but am not sure which ones I need. I would like the ones that don't need to be sewn on like you mentioned.
Can you direct me to the right ones on their website?
Curtain Hardware
Thank you.

[rvb]

We just did our curtains. My wife used the old ones for a pattern. The slides came from Vintage Trailer Supply. There are 2 types for the 70's tracks. T-slides and G-slides.

The T-slides are for tracks that are mounted above the curtain with the track opening on the top or bottom. usually the end pano windows. The G-slides are for tracks with the slide on the side, typically the side windows and mounted on side walls. We didn't realize this and used T-slides thru out. They work ok but are harder to open and close because they are in tension.

We also learned that if you put a lot of slides on so the curtains look nice and pleated, they won't open too far because the slides stack up against each other in the track! I have pano windows on both ends but most of the pano side windows are covered when the curtains are open open and my wife won't take a panel out because she spent so much time making them.

[Bex]

One of the sites previously mentioned has a great video instructional for replacing the shocks, including a tip for splitting the rubber grommet or spacer.

[bobbyg52]

To all;

Got 4 new Gabriel shocks from Inland RV today for our 77 Argosy 26T. Went to install them but I have a problem. The inner nuts do not clear the trailer body when you unscrew them and even if they did, the shock would not clear the body and stud to come off or the new ones go on. What am I missing here? We continue with the updates. New tires, propane tanks recertified, new flooring and had the original SS Magic Chef range top and door black powder coated. Looks super. Waiting for an oven handle now but I need help with the shock problem. Anyone changed them themselves?

[Pulverizer]

Remove the top rubber bushing and cut it in half so it's split. There are several youtube videos out to help, but that's the secret to installing the shocks... no need to bend anything. By splitting the bushing you can put half the bushing on the stud, slip the shock on and put the other half of the bushing on prior to the big washer and nut.

New shocks made a tremendous handling improvement on my 1977 26 foot Ambassador.

Good luck!

[Pulverizer]

Here's the video link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRsBl4LHG7g

showing how to remove and cut the bushing in half to install shocks on your Airstream.

[bobbyg52]

Originally Posted by Pulverizer

Remove the top rubber bushing and cut it in half so it's split. There are several youtube videos out to help, but that's the secret to installing the shocks... no need to bend anything. By splitting the bushing you can put half the bushing on the stud, slip the shock on and put the other half of the bushing on prior to the big washer and nut.

New shocks made a tremendous handling improvement on my 1977 26 foot Ambassador.

Good luck!

Pulverizer;

Just started a new thread about this. I can't even get the nut off the stud as it bottoms out against the steel flange before it has passed all the threads. I don't have any room to get the nut off, much less the shock. Any Ideas? PS - the new shocks are Gabriel Part Number 610816 in case anyone needs the number. Came from Inland RV.

[Luke55]

I got the smallest curtain slides from Vintage Trailer and they don't fit into the track but I am grinding them down with a Dremel cutting wheel at the rate of about 3-5 minutes each. Got 10 done need 80. Sucks, so still looking for the proper ones.

[bobbyg52]

Luke 55,

Just got my rig back from the dealer in Tucson who was doing some work I could not do at home. He has clips for the curtains and told me there are two different ones. They are known as "C" and "G" clips. He stocks both at Oasis RV, Tucson AZ. Ask for Richard.

[rvb]

We did ours with sides from Vintage Trailer Supply. "G" slides have the guide on the side for a track mounted on the wall with the slot facing sideways. "T" slides have the guide on end for a track mounted on a horizontal surface (usually above) with the track facing up or down. I'm not use what "C" slides are. Vintage Trailer has pictures of each for comparison purposes.

Our '77 had replacement curtains with only T slides and we didn't know any better so we used those for everything and they work ok but bind up because they are under side pressure where G's are supposed to be. My wife made the curtains and used a lot of slides to get that nice pleated look and they stack up and will only open so far. Half of each side panorama window is covered on mine when open so don't use too many. If your wife is making them, discuss that before hand, mentioning it afterward won't go over well.

[paddle whisp]

We have a number of rental homes and use the Allure planks quite often. TrafficMaster is made by Allure. They are terrific. And I recently installed them in my 22' Minuet Argosy. We use the roll of plastic padding recommended by Allure on the old floor and let the new floor float, except for the edges of the trailer or room. There we add spray adhesive to the edges.
I ordered the curtain slides at www.adventurerv.com They are usually the lowest (by far) on rv parts.