Please help

[tailwag]

I'm new here and I'm looking at a 1966 22' safari this weekend and need to know what problems to look for. This would be my 1st A/S and don't want to be taken. They are asking $2800 and there is a dent on the front right corner. It looks to be about a 1 1/2' long, 8" wide and maybe 3-4" deep. I've seen posts about tall sag and frame seperation but wouldn't know it if it slapped me in the head. Any suggestions on how to identify these potential problems? Is this trailer overpriced?

Thanks Jess

[tailwag]

here's the dent

[tailwag]

[tailwag]

[boatdoc]

Hi Tailwag; I am not sure where to start with you, but first you need to chill out. I know what it means to be excited however, first you have to consider all facts stacked up before you. You should ask someone to inspect the trailer and undercarriage. It may entail removing piece of underbelly skins or banana wrap to chek the frame. In 1966 model chances are it may be rotted out. This is where your trouble may begin. First and formost you have to evaluate your ability and resources to be able to repair all that is necessary. The particulars of know how to, can be happilly shared with you by many members of this community. The phisical work will be on your wallet and you, therefore consideration of your available resources must be put forth first. We have just purchased 1973 Argosy 26' supposedly stored inside for past 15 years [great scheme to sell, and I fell for it]. After bringing it home to Norristown Pa, from Vermilion Ohio, we have stripped the belly skins and found many, many nasty things which we did not expect. My situation however is diferrent from yours. My boat shop which I own, has fabricating facility and tools galore. I have made my purchase based on the condition of outer and inner skin which is perfect. Second, Argosy,s are painted.
My weekly schedule does not allow me the time to up keep plished aluminum.
Frame and interior is a breeze for me. It been two weeks since we got it, and a new Stainless Steel frame is almost compleete. Came in early this morning to weld but I had to reply to your post. Reason for my bringing up my purchase is to make you understand that pending your ability the repairs can be very costly if you are forced to contract someone else to do it all.
At times it is wise to spend mor on unit that does not require major overhaul. Minor adjustments you can handle with the help from the forum community. So spend or waste a hundred bucks and have someone inspect it for you as a insurance policy. It is less painfull to loose a hundred than getting yourself to swim against current flowing faster than you can. Consider your resources and facts associated with your new purchase. This reply was not intended to put out your flame, it is only ment to have you take under consideration all that may involve. Good luck with favorable inspection. " boatdoc"

[pinkflamingoes]

I think the price is OK, but yes you do need to keep in mind that you will most likely have some frame and floor repairs to do, which is a big job and will cost you some money. Almost every single old trailer has some frame or floor damage and it's a lot of work to fix them. That is not to say that it's not worth doing, however. A lot of people buy vintage trailers thinking they can go ahead and use them right away and are disappointed to find they have to work on them. They sometimes feel they've been cheated but in fact, unless the previous owner lied about it or covered it up and charged a lot of money, it's "normal" to have those problems after so much time. So boatdoc is right; ask yourself if you are ready and willing to part with the time and money to fix up an Airstream and then go from there. There's a list on this forum of people willing to go look at a trailer with you or for you in a thread here, which I'll find for you...by all means go look more and ask more. Good luck!!

found it:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/57864-post11.html

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by tailwag

Attachment 26425

Check your axle.

From your photo, it would appear that the axle is out of specs.

Andy

[CaddyGrn]

Well, if it were me....

$2800 isn't a bad price. I would check the floor with an ice pick under the cupboards and in the bathroom... if you don't find any soft spots it will give you a good start. I would ask the seller to show you how everything works. Make them turn on the heater, have the refrigerator turned on and see if it gets cold, fill the water, run the water, flush the toilet, etc. Turn on the lights with battery and with shore power, etc. Consider spending a couple of hours looking at all you can. Find out lots of info, how old are the tires, do the brakes work?

Somewhere there is a thread or link on what to look for when purchasing a trailer... do a search and see if you come up with a list, I know I have seen them!

If you are handy and have time and a little cash you can more than likely fix what you need. The floor and electrical may be the big items. The electrical will be sub standard for today's needs more than likely. Looking at the pics of the interior it appears it has been taken reasonably good care of... the outside looks a bit like it has been stored near the sea???

Good luck!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi (traveling in S Tardis)

[tailwag]

I want to thank everyone for the replies. It's good info to have. I do know that there's going to be work involved and am ready to do it. My biggest concerns were the major fixes that would require outside contract work. I'll look at her on Sunday and if it feels wrong or can't get answers, I'll keep looking.

Thanks again,

Jess

[pinkflamingoes]

I have to admit that a big part of me wants to scream at you GO FOR IT!!!! It's really fun to fix them up (mostly) and you'll meet a ton of cool fun people who love Airstreams too.

But I think "feels wrong/or right" is a good measuring stick of what to do. Listen to your gut tomorrow and you can't go wrong.

[Waynon]

And keep us posted. I know I'm not the only one to want to know what you found out..

Waynon

[tailwag]

I passed. But not discouraged and still looking. thanks everyone for the input.

[pinkflamingoes]

You'll know what you want and don't want, the more you look. The right trailer is out there!!