Worth fixing up or not?? HELP!

[rjmiester]

I have this lovely?? airstream and its been parked for at least 30 years. I need to know if it would be able to be restored --just at a glance.

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

That's a neat old Airstream, and the outer shell looks fairly intact. For this project to be worthwhile, all of the labor would have to be your's. Even then, you would end up close on a value basis.

If this is your dream Airstream, and you have the skills to do it yourself, then go for it.

Brian

[silverleeper]

It looks straight and mostly intact. I'll guess that if you don't want it that a bunch of other members will be more then happy to take it off your hands. Looks like a good find.

[mutcth]

I would certainly think so. The skin looks nice (under all of the green) and the windows are all there. I'm sure there is some floor rot, and the interior panels need refinishing, but there is something there worth working with.

Tom

[Shacksman]

Sitting like that it's propably full of mice in the walls, the frame may be rotted and the inside will propably need a total replacement. New tires, new axles, new insulation, new wiring, new plumbing and your away. But what a great looking body. Take it and give it a hard wash and you'll get a good buck on ebay.

[kennethowens]

Put some new tires under it, grease the bearings...and take her home!

[wkerfoot]

Anything can be restored, it all depends on the depth of your pocketbook and your enthusiam. What is the serial number? Thirteen panel, long Airstreams are cool and hard to find.

Bill

[ASwifey]

There's a beautiful trailer under all that, it will just take time, and money.

I don't think it has potential as a quick flip, but if you're looking for a trailer for yourself to use for years to come, then let your imagination run wild.

I would consider myself lucky to find that!

[kennethowens]

For a quick buck...get it home and wash it...I'll
bet you can double your purchase price including
the price of the tires.

[Kevin245]

In my opinion yes. As long as you understand that this will require more than some new paint, tires, and a wash job. But a labor of love this would be.

The cost of restoration is considerable, especially if you have someone else do the work. But this would be a great project, and this is not a model you see everyday.

Welcome,

Kevin

[easyride]

Great find,if the purchase price is right,it would be well worth restoring.Good luck with it.
Dave

[vinstream]

I go out of my way to find trailers that are in poor shape to "Bring life & Road to Vintage Custom Trailers" However you should know based on your pictures this trailer looks way past any type of bandaid repairs that other have suggested! It truly needs to be a frame-off restoration. There are only a hand full of shops that can even do this type of work! In the end you will have a "like-new" trailer but at what cost? If I was to put a price on this type of project that would produce a "like-new" safe trailer you would be no less than a starting cost of $20,000.... And that is for the basics with no upgrades! SO your question is "Is it worth it" This year and size can fetch a price in mint shape for $20,000 to $30,000 so I would say you would at best break even. Unless you want it for years of enjoyment?

Good Luck
'

[Xbob2]

Originally Posted by rjmiester

I have this lovely?? airstream and its been parked for at least 30 years. I need to know if it would be able to be restored --just at a glance.

A 13 panel twin axel overlander and you hesitate?
Bob

[hampstead38]

"Worth" can be a slippery notion. For us, it was "worth it" tackle a vintage restoration... but not because we expect to get a positive return on financial investment. I expect we'll spend more than we should. Hopefully, this will be nicely balanced by enjoying the Overlander even more than we expected. Honestly, we probably could have done more with less by picking up an already refurbished trailer, but we really wanted to tailor the interior to our specific preferences and sensibilities. Anything on a vintage Airstream can be repaired... it's just a matter of time and money. Here are the rules... it always costs more than you expect. It always takes longer than you hope. It always looks worse to you because your focusing on the flaws. It always feels good to make something better.

[Alwhisman]

That baby is ready to rock n roll, just needs the right home! The inside I disregard, the outside looks good!

My Christine looked worse when i got her! Wish I had taken pictures.......but. She looked so bad, I wanted her out of the way so I pulled her through a ditch just to get past her!


Al


lol, sorry....Welcome to the Forums, your reference and advice guide!

[adonh]

Its getting harder and harder to find these older Airstreams. This looks like it is virtually intact, all be it in need of serious work. But the fact that no one has messed with it makes it really rare. As others have already said, restoring /refurbishing an old Airstream is a long process that requires your own personal attention and dedication to do it right. You will need the time, work space, tools, resources (Air forums) and money and more money. But it can be very rewarding. Don't start such a project until you take some time to review the Air Forum threads and sub sections to get a feel for what you are in for.

Don
1976 31' Sovereign

[toastie]

What is the asking price?

[Minno]

Wow, that little lady looks like she was "rode hard and put away wet" as my daddy used to say! She'll take some work, but eventually you'd have a real looker. If you're handy (or willing to become handy), I'd say - go for it!
Of course I'm crazy and aluminum obsessed, so I'm not exactly practical about these things! And it IS an obsession!
Have fun, and do a LOT of reading on the forums (that's an obsession too, BTW). There's a bunch of knowledgable people here that can definitely steer you in the right direction.

Kay

[A-Merry-Can]

send it to me! I'll make room for it! I've only got 4 at the moment!

:-)

JP

[toastie]

I will give $50.00 for the vent..........