1970 New to us Ambassador reality check

[2002sheds]

Hi David, All,
It is amazing how thoroughly life can intrude on my plans. It has been a month, and the most I have done to the Ambassador is move it from the street to a spot at the end of our driveway. It will be nice to work on it without any fear of the occasional car driving by.
During the month "away" I sold a truck and bought another -- a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. I just installed a backup camera on it, and plan to do the same on the Airstream.
My hope is to install it in the belly pan. I intend to remove the entire pan (some was already removed by a tree stump or rock, or? before I purchased it), remove the mouse/rat/dirt nastiness underneath and replace with rigid foam. I would run a cable from the camera in the rear of the AS to the hitch. I would also make sure that the connections at the rear of my towing vehicle are accessible, so I could back up to the AS with the benefit of the camera, then switch the cable so that the camera was like a rear-view mirror while traveling (I can switch the camera from "reverse mode" to "always on" mode.
Does it make sense to run it in the belly pan? There would be no connections down there - just one length of cable...


Thanks,
David

[dbj216]

Vintage Airstreams are a hobby and a lower priority than other things. It's not unusual to take a sabbatical from the trailer project. I won't make good progress this summer either. Too many outdoor activities and the like.

There are several wires run under the subfloor in the belly area from the factory. Trailer lights, brakes, and the like come to mind. Running another cable under there won't hurt a thing in my view.

Your new pickup will come in handy.

Colorado David

[Jeremy9107]

Have been considering a back up camera too...have you seen the wireless ones that are available? Thinking that might be the way we go.

[ke6gkv]

hello David, yea, we all take some time off-now doing some finish work-put on new tires. checked bearings-repack with grease- brake shoes at 65%-and suprise suprise!; my axels were still about 17degrees- and still move up and down. now back to my punch-list. have fun. kurt

[2002sheds]

Hi Guys,
I looked into the wireless option, but was put off by reviews that stated that the aluminum might interfere with the signal. i am sure there are great options that way, though...

And Kurt, I think you may need to make a trip to beautiful Santa Rosa to have a beer and talk Airstreams :-)


Thanks,
David

[2002sheds]

Hi All,
Another month has passed, and the most I have done for my Airstream is to stare at it with longing while working on numerous other projects around here.

This is pathetic. I understand the need to complete these other things, but are they really more important than working on the Ambassador? The debate rages...

[dbj216]

Nice to hear from you. My Airstream project is on idle too. There is too many summer activities taking my time. We are so hot and dry here in Colorado that I don't really want to work on the thing in this heat. That slows me down too.

But our trailers are over 40 years old. We have time.

Colorado David

[2002sheds]

Hi David,
It is nice to know I am not the only one... It hit 97 here today, so everything was moving very slowly...

Take it Easy,
David

[ke6gkv]

hello David, don't give up! sometimes it seems like we will never finish, but our vintage will always need some tweaking here or there. i have 5 weeks to finish inside projects so we can go camping. have not done anything since doing my tires- packing bearings. still need to start major work on the bath, but can use my trailer now. keep on plugging away. kurt

[2002sheds]

Hi Kurt,
Thanks for the encouragement, and I hope your camping trip is a blast!

[2002sheds]

Hi All,

It has been a while, but I am finally clearing enough things to get back at this project. While I wrap thise other things up, I have been considering layout possibilities. The Ambassador is now cleared of all interior walls and cabinets, so now is the time.

I have searched on AirForums quite a bit, and have not found the layout I am considering: that isnathroom in the rear, as it was originally, and the same thing for the galley and gaucho areas. Instead of twin beds in bedroom area, however, I am considering a layout that reminds me of an old European rail car — sleeping “room” on one side and hallway that runs from front to back that is just outside of the wheel well on that side. The wheel well itself would be hidden by a shallow cabinet that would have a top at around 36 inches in height. This would give the 30” hallway more perceived width — as would using a curtain instead of a wall to create separation between the hall and bed.

Have others considered or done this layout? I am sure that I am missing something... what is it ?


Thanks,
David

[dbj216]

Hi, Colorado David here, welcome back.

Planning the interior of our Airstream project is always great fun. I think Airstream themselves are very, very good at it. Except maybe for my son's 69 Globetrotter which I've not liked very well.

Airstream does have a mid bedroom double bed layout, and has had one for years. They put wardrobe and chest of drawers on the other side. Usually the double is a pull out gaucho. Not the greatest.

I think a AirForums participant named Greatleys built an Airstream with a big double bed in the middle. It is a quite nice layout they created. Search for their thread.

Lastly, Airstream pretty much dropped the rear bath in the mid 80s or so due to customer preference of a rear bedroom, easier access to the bathroom, and better weight distribution for the trailer. New trailers have a shower room on one side and a vanity sink and toilet on the other. A big bed in the back is easier to design. No need for a walking aisle.

I've always liked the Ambassador and Sovereign side front gaucho layout. It was an option back then. It provided more sleeping in the front of the trailer.
The fold up table was mounted under the window. Here is a photo of a trailer I looked at some years ago.

Colorado David

[2002sheds]

Hi David,
Thanks — I love that pic!

I will search for the posts by the Greatleys. So many original features are in great condition that I hope to “resto-vate” the coach instead of doing a full scale remodel....


Thanks,
David

[ke6gkv]

welcome back David, glad to hear about your plans for your interior. just finished my shower- pan and plumbing. i'll test it wed and button everything up if no leaks. head out friday for the hills to chase the great-horned beast.look forward to see more of your remodel. kurt

[Minno]

Some of the newest 2018 Airstreams have a bathroom in the rear: we have Club friends who bought one this summer that way. Bathroom is HUGE.
Our layout is mid trailer bedroom with a double bed against curbside wall, cabinetry on opposite wall with about 16 inch depth to keep hallway area open enough to move in. Bath is still in rear for us. Layout is in our thread: Little Girl Refurb in 70's section. I found this layout but with a gaucho that pulled out to a bed instead of a fixed bed, in the Vintage Airstream section of Airforums. This layout works very well for us, and we would do it again. BUT, it's all in what you want.
Happy Hunting!

Kay

[2002sheds]

Hi Kay,
Thanks -- that sounds just like the idea I had. I will look for your thread.


Thanks,
David

[dbj216]

Hi Kay: I did not realize there were still rear baths. I think they can be prone to put water weight well behind the axle. And I think if anyone was using the front gaucho or dinette for sleeping, they would have to walk through another bedroom to get to the bathroom. But like you said, to each his/her own. I stand corrected. Thanks

Many years ago we had a Coachman 29' white box camper. It had a front kitchen, mid sitting area, and a rear bedroom. I think the little bath was in the middle somewhere. I rather liked the front kitchen area.

David

[TheGreatleys]

Originally Posted by 2002sheds

Hi All,

It has been a while, but I am finally clearing enough things to get back at this project. While I wrap thise other things up, I have been considering layout possibilities. The Ambassador is now cleared of all interior walls and cabinets, so now is the time.

I have searched on AirForums quite a bit, and have not found the layout I am considering: that isnathroom in the rear, as it was originally, and the same thing for the galley and gaucho areas. Instead of twin beds in bedroom area, however, I am considering a layout that reminds me of an old European rail car — sleeping “room” on one side and hallway that runs from front to back that is just outside of the wheel well on that side. The wheel well itself would be hidden by a shallow cabinet that would have a top at around 36 inches in height. This would give the 30” hallway more perceived width — as would using a curtain instead of a wall to create separation between the hall and bed.

Have others considered or done this layout? I am sure that I am missing something... what is it ?


Thanks,
David

Hi, sounds like you're describing our layout, as @dbj216 pointed out. We have a rear bath, full bed in the center with the shallow end of the kitchen counter opposite, and living area up front. Suits us nicely for full time use. Originally, our coach had convertable bunks in that area, but we opted for a permanent bed so we could have more storage underneath, and so we didn't have to pull out the bed every night to sleep.

We don't have a curtain around the bed, but I suppose we could add one for privacy. It's just the two of us for the moment, and the dogs, so it hasn't been an issue.

Rear bath is original to our model, though I moved the shower to the center so I wouldn't hit my head on the ceiling.

[TheGreatleys]

A few photos of our interior...

[2002sheds]

Hi Greatleys,
Those are great photos! I especially love the barn door and hope to go that route in the back of the coach.

You are correct that the layout I will pursue is along those lines. I had a chance to read quite a bit of your blog, and it is fantastic -- thanks for publishing it! I just read Kay and Chris' account of their work on Little Girl, and that layout (while very similar to yours) may suit us best -- at least while we still have our son traveling with us.

Although I am a fan of open concept in our home, I like having a separation between the galley and the bedroom, as Little Girl has. In our case, as in Little Girl, I hope to have an offset hallway that passes the bedroom on the way to the rear bath. To tackle the height issue in the shower, I hope to lower the tub while retaining enough slope to drain -- wish me luck :-)

The biggest difference between my plan and the layout of Little Girl is the cabinet over the wheel well on the street side (I plan on locating the bed on the curb side). I plan on creating a 36 inch high, 12 inch deep cabinet along the street side, which will (hopefully) give the feeling of a wider hallway. At least that is the plan for now :-)

I asked this question of Chris and Kay (Minno) as well, but it would be great if you could share (again, maybe the detail as to how you attached the interior walls that you made to the coach. I was going to try to reuse the track that was used for the original, but now I am not as sure that it will be part of the design.

Thanks again for your response, and also your blog. It really helps to see how others have tackled the tasks that are coming up in front of me.


Thanks,
David