please HELP - what have I gotten in to?

[Distantdrummer]

Well it well may be that he/she did get scared off. That would be unfortunate for both them and us.
I know I hate an unfinished story.
And Fat&Lazy will never find a better more receptive shoulder to lean/cry on than you guys.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly AISI (as I see it)

• You are anonymous (so far) on this forum Fat&Lazy so it would make advice giving alot easier if we knew what you paid.
• We also need to know the floor plan. Where is the bathroom? Where and how many the beds?

• Depending on the price you may still have gotten a good deal.

• The size of the trailer (Tradewind) is a plus for you.

• The year (1971) is ok = no plus but no great negative either.

Your woes may be less than any of us or you know. But it is gonna take some more revelation of the "basement" for us to determine that.
WARNING You must be careful removing the edge aluminum (rub rail-trim and banana wrap*). Why? Because you will play hell and pay well for exact replacement pieces. (Prob not find at all)
The actual belly (underneath) skin is no picnic to re-hang either. But is not as critical to find replacement for as the above mentioned items. Still do not remove any more than necessary. Start at rear obviously. Try to always remove any part in way to re-use and replace same part without finding replacement.
*if you don't know what these are...ASK NOW. Don't guess.

Additionally if you forum nickname "Fat&Lazy" is in any way accurate of you, you may really have problems. There is too little crawl space underneath already and you are gonna have to do alot of writhing around on your back and knees to get a good look, not to mention do the repairs.

WARNING If you plan to raise the trailer to get more work or looking room, be very careful how and WHERE you place any jacks or blocks or stands.
Come back here and ask how and where FIRST. Not only could it fall and kill you, more likely you will do more serious damage to the trailer itself.
It isn't hard or expensive to do the lifting right.

Lastly to pay us for all this good, great, and FREE information, just do us two favors in return:

• Tell us the whole stories, (truth)

• Let us know what the outcomes are. (don't leave us hanging)

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by shermantic

Our Guys here in WV @ Shermantic Service have done 2 now and would be happy to give estimates on doing the 3rd! We pride in quality work.

You should re-classify your info to read..

Commercial Vendor

[Distantdrummer]

By the Way the following WARNING is not just for your own savings as an owner, but IMHO if the rub-rail and the Banana Wrap is all "boogered" up or missing, the resale value immediately drops at least $1500 dollars.
Remember you may want to sell yourself out of this potential misery.

Also I know there are plenty of 'ol boys' in East Texas near you who can handle this challenge and might make good buyers. Course if ya misrepresent it to em in a sale too much, they may just "handle" a seller too.

Originally Posted by Distantdrummer

AISI (as I see it)

WARNING You must be careful removing the edge aluminum (rub rail-trim and banana wrap*). Why? Because you will play hell and pay well for exact replacement pieces. (Prob not find at all)
The actual belly (underneath) skin is no picnic to re-hang either. But is not as critical to find replacement for as the above mentioned items. Still do not remove any more than necessary. Start at rear obviously. Try to always remove any part in way to re-use and replace same part without finding replacement.
*if you don't know what these are...ASK NOW. Don't guess.

[fat&lazy]

i an still here just trying to take it all in i am still somewhat overwhelmed to tell the truth i have never backed down from a project this is just a lot more than i was planing to get into i paid 3200.00 for the trailer with the idea that i would be doing a lot of manly clean up work it is a rear bath stand up shower and toilet and sink the ac works do not know about the furnace or water heater to tell the truth i am leaning towards running but do not want to lie to anyone and just dump it my daddy rased me to be onist sometimes i wonder what i have done to desurve things like this well so much for crying thanks for all of your help and advice stay in tuch will still be here

[Gene]

I can understand your desire to stand by the deal you made. I think most people want to do that. But, when someone doesn't disclose something they should be aware of when they offer something for sale, then I think it's ok to get your money back.

Gene

[funkill]

hey fat&lazy - I felt much the same as you after I found a few problems with my trailer ... within an hour of proudly posting my picture of me & my A/S, I found that the axles were "shot". A couple days later I found that the original converter/charger had been removed. The window/door gaskets are also "shot". It has a couple leaks - which, when I started to investigate this weekend, showed a terrible mess on the roof - weeks worth of work to reseal. And lastly, that my tow vehicle is less than optimum - necessitating me finding/purchasing a new truck! I am a single gal, so all this work seems daunting. But, I've managed to wrap my head around it and plug away. HOWEVER, if I had the issues yours has, I probably couldn't do the needed work -- my skills an time are just too precious. So, if you decide not to tackle the trailer, don't feel bad. It is way more than you expected and you can dedicate your time/money/energy/mind to another worthy cause - which could be (or not) another less-deteriorated airstream! To me, it just wouldn't be any fun trying to fix those problems without the ability to camp in it as well.....

[Distantdrummer]

OK you paid a bit too much. So what? So have many of us. Myself included.
If you ever made it primo it would be worth 8-12 thousand bucks IMHO.
But why go that far? That would never happen if you are really Lazy.
Price you paid.....That's history Forget about that and decide whether now do you want to make up for it?
Are you planning on pulling this trailer for travel or parking it on Lake Palestine or some such cabin use?
You just need to CAREFULLY plan what you want and can afford to do to it and how much you can do yourself. That Lazy title though will have to go or you will lose.


If you just make it water and vermin proof and make the systems work to some extent, it is not a bad price for a cabin.
If you are gonna travel with it your costs will prob be a bit more. Or just do it right the first time if you can. Then you can do anything you decide with it.
Remember to not throw anything away (cept for insulation and rat crap & so on) until you are sure you dont need it for patterns or replacement.
Oh and be extra careful with any glass (windows). Break one and you'll spend hundreds for just one replacement sometimes (usually).

Your black tank is apparently above floor which is a plus in this case.
If you are lucky then the rot and rust is confined to the rear section. Possibly due to leak from above or down vent or from leaking toilet or sink fixtures etc.
First thing you need to do is stop the leaking. Do not use silicone.

you are gonna have to fix floor and frame back there at the very least.
Can you weld? well?

[Frank's Trailer Works]

hold on a second... I have been lurking here, not wanting to comment, but I feel I should. Yes, your axles are probably bad and should be replaced but that is about as relevant as which grade of Nuvite to start with right now. I can safely say that your frame is a serious issue. That is not just simple cutting out and patching in. That is serious frame rot. Just seeing the amount you have shown does not bode well for the rest of it. Sorry man, just trying to be realistic here. It is fixable, as anything is... well not everything the leaning tower of Pisa is still leaning and short of a miracle will slowly continue to feel the effects of gravity. You have a major task ahead of you. The end WILL justify the means it takes I can promise you that. This project is something you can do, but will require a lot of dedication. You might even have to ask some help,but you will get there. As I said earlier, the end WILL justify the means.

[Melody Ranch]

Thanks Frank. I was hoping for someone to give some encouragement here.

Dig in there and look at what you really have on your hands....there's lots of good help available here.....You will probably be pleasantly surprised.

[fat&lazy]

well folks after a lot of taught and sole searching my wife and i have decided to move forward we looked for a while and this the trailer we want will keep you updated and send pictures showing progress ps. not really lazy

[utee94]

Well okay then, glad to hear it, so here we go!

My first suggestion is to go to this link to the threads on Major Renovations and read all of them from beginning to end. Some of them are lengthy and it will be time-consuming, but there is no better resource on this Forum for someone who is about to begin a major renovation, which is what yours will be.

This is your homework. The more of these you read, the more you will understand what will be required of you. Also, you'll see several different ways to do the same thing, you'll get numerous ideas on each step involved, and perhaps most importantly, you'll receive a ton of inspiration as you see people COMPLETE their projects with fantastic results (there are actually a few who don't, and those are great learning experiences as well).

After reading through those, many of the questions you have right now will already be answered, and you'll be able to focus your remaining questions in ways that will be more beneficial to you.

Good luck, and please do keep us updated on your progress.

-Marcus

[bullydogsmom]

Good for you! Lay out a plan, post it here, get some input from those who have walked in your shoes, and beleive me there are pleny! Some of us jump in with both feet. Other take baby steps.

Figure out your plan of action and go for it!

P.S. In case you have figured it out yet, Everyopne here LOVES PICTURES.

Annette

[hampstead38]

Here are a few of my thoughts. First, you'll never do a project where you'll have more support than doing an Airstream renovation with this forum in your corner. Do it right the first time. I've been involved a number of historic renovations... houses, vehicles, a police station and a school. It always takes more time than you think. It always takes more money than you think. Keeping a positive mental attitude is a key to a successful project. Nothing is more expensive than an unasked question. Outside in, bottom up. Almost anything can be repaired or replaced. Some folks have constructed entire new frames. A little progress today is worth more than a big push at some undetermined time. Visualize the project. The better you can see the final result in your mind, the more the work will make sense (and the fewer mistakes you'll make). Be curious. Everything in an Airstream does something, and it's important to understand the something. LP gas is a system. Heating is a system. Gray water and/or black water is a system. Water is a system. 110v and 12v are systems. Believe it or not, the frame and floor are a system. Even if you have done tons of other things, you're not going to figure out Airstreams in a week or a month. Airstream renovation is graduate school for tinkerers and shadetree mechanics. Good luck, Jim, and this tape will self destruct in five seconds.

We're pulling for you.

[Ganaraska]

May I suggest, the first thing you do is give the trailer a thorough cleaning. But be careful what you throw away. That odd bit of metal or rubber that can't possibly be part of the trailer, turns out to be some important bit that is nearly impossible to replace LOL. So if there is any doubt, put it in a box and save it. You can always throw it away later.

Then take a clipboard or notebook and go over everything carefully. Make a list of all broken or damaged parts, everything that needs to be checked and inspected, all repairs that are necessary.

Finally map out a plan and do everything in a systematic way. You will find plenty of valuable experience on this board to guide you.There are very detailed threads complete with pictures. Luckily, Airstream trailers were built more or less the same for a long time. So experience of other trailers from the 60s 70s or 80s will apply to yours as well.

[VIKING]

One more thing I found very handy. A digital camera. I took pictures of every detail of every part I could think of before I dismantled, and as I dismantled I took pictures of the bottom, top, sides and back of everything I removed. As I worked, I took macro pictures every 5 minutes to 1/2 hour, so I could document how it came apart and track my progress like a time-lapse movie. I'm in the process of organizing the pictures for the reconstruction process. I hope to be able to play a slideshow backwards, and watch myself putting it back together, for inspiration as I proceed!
You Can Do It!

Rich

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Bet you a buck you still come up with a huge pile of extra things that you have no idea where they came from....

[VIKING]

I have a special file for those things already ;P