Overwhelmed by Rear End Separation Evidence

[dennis3751]

Another good place to have your unit checked is C and G in Bellflower. Rod and his crew can give you a good idea of what may be needed.

Dennis

[xrvr]

What's a one star review? How reliable is someone else's opinion on social media.?

[J. Morgan]

I have done business with Andy twice, both times were exemplary.




Brevi tempore!

[Hittenstiehl]

Andy has lots of solid valuable knowledge about Airstreams.

He is not everybody's version of customer service. We have been to his shop 3 times and always gotten good service and advice.

When he did not have what we needed he referred us down the street to Aircraft Spruce which worked out great.

[Diogenes]

Originally Posted by avionstream

What's a one star review? How reliable is someone else's opinion on social media.?

Well, airforums is a form of social media too. But I agree that Yelp can be unreliable. Still, many depend on it as word of mouth can be hard to come by, especially for those of us whose jobs move us a lot. That's why I asked here to get the other side of reviews.

Maybe some people from the airforums who have had positive experiences with Inland RV could give yelp reviews? That might be helpful for new Airstream owners who are not as familiar with the Airstream community.

[JCWDCW]

Older units usually have some sag; I think more so if they have had a rough travel history. The fix for the early '80s was to double up the rear frame by welding additional channel. Any good welder should know what to do if the frame is exposed. Dropping the Belly Pan is the first step.

JCW

[car34]

If you are headed North soon there is a business that does beautiful word and restores AS. I have used them for numerous jobs on my '78 Avion. It is called Mel Trailers, Inc. they are located in Orange near Disney Land. The address is 1040 W. Hoover Ave. Ph: 714-639-8471 they also have a web site, just type in Mel Trailers. They are VERY HONEST!! and safety is their first concern for the customer. They can look at your situation and give you suggestion or fix the problem. Call to let them know when you are coming and get directions.

1978 Avion 7.0D
2001 Chevy 1500
McKinleyville, CA

[dannydimitt]

Check out the posts on this thread . Frame Failure - 22 foot International , It will shed some light on the cheesy frames that a lot of Airstreams come with . I posted several photos on this thread as to how I fixed the problem in our frame

[Belegedhel]

The problem described in the initial part of this thread sounds a lot more like a frame failure than the typical rear-end separation common to the 70's era trailers. Good news is, that your frame probably can be repaired/strengthened (which will only require digging into the belly pan) without as much labor and trouble as repairing a separation (which would require removing the interior furnishings and skins in the back).

The bad news about frame droop/failure is that towing for hundreds of miles to a place to have it looked at could cause even more severe damage. Another option may be to look on the "portal" page and see if there is a forum member who volunteers to do pre-purchase inspections in your area. If you could get someone with the properly "calibrated eyeball" to check you out, at least you may have a better idea of what the real issue is and how safe/unsafe it is to tow. Then again, most RV places ought to be able to spot a broken frame--you probably don't have to take your trailer to the mother ship to get this repaired.

You might also contact Area 63 Productions (http://www.area63productions.com/). They are a custom Airstream repair/rennovation shop that might be closer to where you are.

good luck!

[wvstreamer]

Interesting thread. You have a lot of people who are rooting for you. Keep us posted. We genuinely care.

[Diogenes]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Another option may be to look on the "portal" page and see if there is a forum member who volunteers to do pre-purchase inspections in your area. If you could get someone with the properly "calibrated eyeball" to check you out, at least you may have a better idea of what the real issue is and how safe/unsafe it is to tow. Then again, most RV places ought to be able to spot a broken frame--you probably don't have to take your trailer to the mother ship to get this repaired.

I have attempted to find pre-purchase inspectors in the past without much luck. User error navigating the site probably. Can anyone offer me direction on that?

I also have had "join WBCCI" on the to do list for awhile, so will try to check it off the list ASAP. Maybe I can find someone local through that as well.

Thanks everyone!

[BFSSBN]

Rear End Separation -
Talk about losing your A$$.
Sorry had to say it.

[LaCoonass]

I just purchased a 1975 Sovereign and drove home about 500 miles. I did the bumper test before and everything looked good. Got home and decided to gut the rear bathroom. I'm down to plywood which needs to be replaced. Now I see daylight in the rear end, had my 110 lb wife do t h e bumper test and definitely movement.
Question 1...Can I do all repairs from inside instead of taking everything apart on the outside?
I don't mind doing the work, looking into the alternative.
Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
LACOONASS

[redthies]

You can do repairs from the inside. I do frame repairs all the time with the belly pan on, assuming you are ok with cutting out subfloor to gain access.

[Foiled Again]

THIS THREAD WAS REVIVED FROM 2016
Since then, Inland Andy sold the business and died. The business no longer lives up to its old reputation.
Check current references ALWAYS. Ownership changes may not hurt the business practices... on the other hand? Buyer beware.

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by LaCoonass

I just purchased a 1975 Sovereign and drove home about 500 miles. I did the bumper test before and everything looked good. Got home and decided to gut the rear bathroom. I'm down to plywood which needs to be replaced. Now I see daylight in the rear end, had my 110 lb wife do t h e bumper test and definitely movement.

Question 1...Can I do all repairs from inside instead of taking everything apart on the outside?

I don't mind doing the work, looking into the alternative.

Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

LACOONASS

From inside is ideal. What you’re doing is the best way to fix rear separation. You will need to remove portions of the inner skin the bolt the shell to the new plywood floor, but drilling pop rivets is much better than disturbing exterior rivets.

I managed to do what I considered an interim repair from the outside on our 1975 Overlander. I thought it would be good for 5 years. Ten years later it was still ok - but it wasn’t as good as what you’re doing.