Hi Dave!!!
I can't imagine YOU of anyone with one of these trailers actually getting rid of it. While I was contemplating buying one everytime I searched the internet it was information from YOU that kept popping up everywhere...you should be the spokesperson for these trailers ha ha...
I like the orange-y colors you've chosen for your interior. I've gone with similar colors inside. They don't match the blue/silver exterior, but then again orange wouldn't match my truck.
You're moving forward with technology; I'm still in the stereo technology of yesteryear...I still use reel to reels and I fell in love with Sony's minidisc (that never really caught on) in the 90's and 2000's. I still mainly use minidisc to this day, so that's what will eventually go in my trailer. It's still weird to consider such a recent technology "old school" but I guess it is!!!
Here are a couple of pictures of my awning as you requested (and a couple more):
Quite a few people have been asking me for some pics and more details about the mods I've done...I opened a couple other threads, but I figured I'd copy/paste those posts here where the info is easy to find.
Copy/paste starts here:
I'm in the process of adding a little bit of blue to my 75th Anniversary Prototype to further match my tow vehicle, a blue over silver SSR...
I added a little bit of blue/chrome trim and some vintage Airstream signs to my A/C cover a couple of years ago, and it really made the trailer pop a bit...that off white giant cover just wasn't happenin'. Here is a thread I made back then about it:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f48/my-fancy-dancy-a-c-shroud-mods-on-my-75th-prototype-66018.html
Here is what it looks like:
I also at the time installed a 50's Airstream logo to my propane tank cover, which helped a little:
Well, I always have intended to do a little more...but work and time hasn't always seen eye to eye. I finally got around to adding a little more chrome and blue to the propane tank cover...my goal was to match the trim around the A/C shroud, and the goal for the A/C shroud was to pay homage to the 70's A/C units with their aluminum/blue trim around the beltline and to the 80's units with the Airstream logo up there. So, basically, I wanted the propane tank cover to tie in to that. I used "Cowles Products" chrome trim, which is the manufacturer of the beltline and rubrail trim on current Airstreams, and TrimBrite "Prostripe Medium Blue" pinstriping tape which is an exact match for the blue used on the vintage reproduction logos.
I used the 1" Cowles chrome trim around the bottom of the propane tank cover (exactly the same product that Airstream uses for the rubrail trim), with 1/4" Cowles chrome trim around the 1" trim (to be similar to the trailer's rubrail design). I used Trimbrite "Prostripe" medium blue pinstriping tape in 3/8" width (I would prefer 1/2" but couldn't find it in stock). I like the fact that this new trim is in the same place and style as the rubrail trim on the trailer, as I always loved those Airstream trailers with wide sidewall stripes where the stripe motif would also be continued on the propane tank covers...I always liked that attention to detail. So, I wanted to do a similar thing at the bottom of the tank cover, in the same place as the rubrail trim on the trailer...paying a little homage obliquely to the Airstreams of the past.
I wanted to continue this "blue stripes around the propane cover" idea but I couldn't on the main aluminum body of the propane cover as my trailer doesn't have any wide stripes that would correspond to such an idea. So, I quasi-sorta continued the "blue around the cover" idea by putting two "Custom" emblems from Vintage Trailer Supply on each side of the tank cover, centered in the middle of the "Airstream" logo on the front...kind of creating an "invisible" blue line ghost stripe around the cover where the logos are as they are all in-line around the perimeter of the cover. I think the "Custom" logos are effective in keeping with David Winick's "75th Custom" emblem on the side of the trailer in that he used these original 50's "Custom" emblems for the design of his logo. And, being the prototype, the trailer truly is custom...so the 50's logos fit the overall theme. And, they add a bit of blue...and I like the way they look.
I added the 1/2" chrome Cowles trim to the top gray plastic lid of the propane cover, which is 1/8" less wide than the factory beltline trim (which actually measures 5/8" even though Airstream lists it as 1/2") on the trailer...otherwise it is exactly the same chrome product but it fits better in the ledge area of the gray plastic lid. I used 1/4" TrimBrite "Prostripe" pinstriping tape down the center of the chrome, again in Medium Blue. It looks nice mounted on the dark gray top cover, which was just a bit drab. I also polished the front rivets.
I don't have any really good pics of it yet, and I haven't had a chance to go to my storage and put it on to see what it looks like on my trailer. But, I was excited so I took some cameraphone pics...
Basically I'm going to continue this "add a little blue" motif on the trailer in the same way. My plan is to use the 1/2" medium blue Prostripe pinstriping tape centered in the 1" chrome trim of the rubrail all the way around the trailer (pretty much the same as what I did to the bottom of the propane tank cover). I also plan on doing the same thing with 1/4" medium blue tape centered on the 5/8" beltline chrome all the way around the trailer, which will tie in nicely with the trim I installed on the top of the propane cover lid. The medium blue over the chrome gives a near optical illusion in that it doesn't look on "top" of the chrome but "inside" it, if that makes any sense. It really makes the little bit of blue pop.
The last blue mod I'm doing is the wheels. I'm adding Centramatics from Andy. I've purchased new 16" Dexstar steel rims, and I actually found stainless steel baby moons that fit those wheels (Phoenix USA 1309SS) that don't dent when putting them on. I'm painting the rims with Rustoleum Sail Blue (it pops a bit better than Royal Blue) and then I'll install ribbed stainless trim rings (that don't cover the rim edges; the outer 1/2" of the rim will stay blue) which are available nearly anywhere online, and they fit the Dexstar rims perfectly. I'm going with Michelin XPS Rib tires, 225/75/16, and I'm purchasing them through DiamondBack Tires where they will have custom blue lines and whitewalls added. I'm going with a 1 1/2" wide whitewall, but there will be 1/2" of black between the blue edge of the rim and the whitewall. Then, next to the outer edge of the whitewall will be the dual bluelines, which will be appropriately spaced with about 3/8" of black between them. The tires haven't come in yet, and I'm working on the rims now.
I'm going to be installing some "Airstream" logos centered over each of my wheelwells. I chose the logos from the Sport trailers; the all chrome plastic letter ones. I wanted the centers of the letters blue, and I wanted them to match the Prostripe medium blue color. Well, my local sign shop acted as if this was impossible to do...I figured they could just scan the logos and laser cut some letters to fit the on the chrome plastic letters, leaving the chrome edges. Seems like being a sign shop, this would be simple for them. But, of course not...they acted as if they never heard such a request. The owner even said, "That's a lotta cuttin'...I don't want that job." I don't get it...this is what they do. Anyhoo, after pleading with them to "try" they made me some letters. Of course they didn't have the exact color so I chose a Scotchcal color that's a bit brighter but it "pops" good. And, the logos are going to be mounted close to the ground, mainly to bring out the blue of my rims and bluelines on my tires...so it should work.
I installed the letters they made, and it was a *****. They didn't make me matching letters per se (I guess that was too hard) so they found a "close" font. All the letters they made fit inside the chrome pretty well...only the "R" is really off, the "M" is somewhat off, and the "S" isn't perfect. But, the others are fine. I had to do some trimming with a razor blade, but I got the blue vinyl installed and they look good. No one will notice the blue vinyl isn't perfectly shaped to the originals, but then again the sign shop only charged me $20 and gave me an extra set of letters. The letters will be close to the ground, and they do what I wanted...add a little blue to the trailer while recalling the 70's Airstream lettering of the past. I think it will look good. Here are a couple bad phone pics of the letters with the blue vinyl just installed...
I hope to have the "Airstream" lettering installed over the wheelwells sometime this week...although it's going to take a few weeks for my tires to be customized at DiamondBack. I'm going to paint the steel portions of the wheelwells while I'm under there, and I'll put a thin blue pinstripe along the flat area of the wheelwell trim.
I painted the rims today with Rustoleum Sail Blue spraypaint. Talk about "POP"!!! The color matches both the letters above in this thread (which are a tiny bit brighter) and my Prostripe Medium Blue pinstriping tape, which is a tad bit richer. But, with the baby moons and trim rings (and the fact that the baby moons are HUGE on a 16" rim...12" across the hubcap!) there isn't much blue at all on the rim that will actually show...so the blue I chose HAD to "pop" as I wanted it to stand out.
I have to say that the Rustoleum is amazing paint. It goes on very well, very consistently, and building up coats thickens the paint to look like you could swim in it...all without needing clearcoat or polishing. Of course this Rustoleum takes forever to dry, but fast drying paints that dry as you spray them turn out splotchy and are hard to get a consistent gloss without clearcoating, sanding and polishing. But, these are just wheels, and with so little blue that will eventually show in my case, who wants to put all that time in clearing, sanding, buffing, and polishing WHEELS? Not me...the Rustoleum was nearly foolproof. Of course an entire corner of my yard is covered with blue thick-ish overspray (one of the things that makes the paint work so well). I wish I could bake the rims (baking Rustoleum enamel turns out GREAT) but my oven isn't large enough for the 16" wheel to fit. So, it will have to cure for a few days. That's fine as my tires won't be here for a while...
Here are a couple pics of how the Rustoleum Sail Blue "pops" and coats smoothly, thick, and amazingly consistent:
Was this post long enough???
Jeff