Hi everyone...
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/...ype-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 may add some small blue "Airstream" lettering centered over each wheelwell, but I haven't finalized the design yet of how I want to do it...
It's always fun to customize your custom Airstream!!!
Jeff
My Fancy Dancy Blue/Chrome Mods On My 75th Prototype Propane Tank Cover
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