Hello and welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby. I always get buyer's remorse about almost anything. What was I thinking?
If you have a good body on that
Sovereign, and you don't find a lot of floor rot, I'd say you're real lucky. I see you are from the lush southeast, so it wouldn't surprise if your new baby will need some project work. Maybe your trailer was stored indoors out of the weather. That's a plus.
I recently bought a 75 Overlander 27' (two sizes smaller than your 31') in the deep southeast. I understand it was stored out of the rain for the last 15 years. The trailer looked good to me, but I discovered several areas needing attention during my presale inspection. Maybe you did too. My trailer's axles were shot, it has a mild case of rear end separation, the rear subfloor was mush, and the original appliances were past their prime. I bought the thing anyway.
Did you do the rear end separation "bumper bounce" test? Go stand on the rear bumper over the frame rail, once left, and then right. Bounce up and down like you were on a diving board. Watch the intersection of the rear body and the frame rail. If you see a gap opening up while bouncing, then you likely have "rear end separation". This happens due to a poor design of the rear body rainwater seal. Rainwater runs off the body and splashes on that decorative piece of aluminum sheet between the bumper storage compartment and the body. Rainwater tends to migrate into the subfloor and soak it, again and again. It also rusts out the rear body cross member and rear body hold down bolts. Rear end separation is common in 70s era Airstreams. Mine had it, I have just repaired it.
So enjoy your vintage Airstream purchase. Don't worry, be happy. Start your detailed inspection of every feature on your trailer and make a list of what needs attention. And then set your priorities on what to do next.
David
Linear Mode
