I don't know how many people I tell this too...........DON'T BUY A GUTTED AIRSTREAM!
Why not you ask? Because you're buying someone else's nightmare. They took it apart thinking it would be a breeze........and then reality hit home; this is a lot harder than we thought it was going to be.
Taking apart an Airstream will give you insight as to how they put things together. I lived by the moto; If I couldn't replace an Airstream part for a lighter one, the Airstream part went back in. If I really wanted that part, then I would have to take out weight somewhere else.
You will have an oportunity to weigh the trailer and lay out the interior into sections to weigh what comes out of what section. You need to know how much weight and where it is in the trailer, otherwise it will affect it's towing behaviour. Airstream also took into account where storage was and how much the average camper would place into that storage. If you change the placement of the storage compartment, will what you put into that storage affect weight distribution.
The cabinets I built for my 310 are face frame; no backs, bottoms; interior gables just long enough to mount the drawer slides; and the counter top is the top of the cabinet. That's how anal I was about weight; AND MINE IS A MOTORHOME! I didn't have to worry about weight distribution so much.
For every 100 lbs of weight you add, your tow vehicle would have to add 10 hp to maintain the same performance. Not to mention that more weight affects braking distances. Weight is bad!
Remodelling a trailer is far more science, than design. It is a lot harder to make something lighter.....which is the reason the lightest versions of supercars are far more expensive than their civilized brethren.
One more tip....don't throw anything away until the project is complete; because you never know.........
Cheers
Sidekick Tony
PS Weight is something that adds up over time, you add a pound here and a pound there; and before you know it, it's far too easy to add weight.
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