1969 airstream new owner; now what?!

[Marcello]

Last night I pulled the trigger on a 1969 Airstream Ambassador. Great shape, ready to haul it off 150 miles away. It's been sitting for some time, so the tires are the obvious first step.
Anything else I should keep in mind before I hitch it? What are some preparatory steps I should take before mobilizing it? Any thoughts, ideas, or stories that might help in avoiding damaging the beauty would be appreciated.

Cheers

[68 TWind]

Congrats on your new "baby" and welcome to the forums. You can search for lists of things to check as this discussion has been covered many times but the short list are the obvious ones.
1) Tires, new ones and a spare.
2) Pack the wheel bearings and adjust the trailer brakes
3) Check the trailer brakes and be sure the connector on your tow vehicle matches the trailer, the older ones used a 6-pin round plug. They make adapters but you will need to check. Can't run without brake lights.( take some spare bulbs)
4) Make sure when you tow you secure the door, if it comes open you have created a big problem that is hard to fix.
5) Check the axles when you do the wheel bearing. When you jack the trailer up if the wheels don't move then then the rubber in the torsion axles is shot (I'd bet a $20 that they are). If that is the case, drive slowly because your trailer has ZERO suspension and the vibration from the road will cause a lot of popped rivets inside.
6) Make sure the TV (tow vehicle) is up to the task.

Good luck and post pics as soon as you can, I'd love to see it.
Bruce

[Marcello]

Bruce
Much appreciated.
Thanks

[nick6930]

Tires, bearings and make sure you find out if the brake lights work. It not positive it may be worth your while to stop at Walmart and pick up a temp set that you can run to the bumpers, just make sure you have a long enough cord and some duct tape.

Oh yeh make sure the size of the ball. In 69 some are 2" and some are 2 5/16". This was a transition year and it would just depend when yours was manufactured on the line. My 69 GT has a 2" though everyone said it would be 2 5/16"

Good luck

[Marcello]

Originally Posted by 68 TWind

Congrats on your new "baby" and welcome to the forums. You can search for lists of things to check as this discussion has been covered many times but the short list are the obvious ones.
1) Tires, new ones and a spare.
2) Pack the wheel bearings and adjust the trailer brakes
3) Check the trailer brakes and be sure the connector on your tow vehicle matches the trailer, the older ones used a 6-pin round plug. They make adapters but you will need to check. Can't run without brake lights.( take some spare bulbs)
4) Make sure when you tow you secure the door, if it comes open you have created a big problem that is hard to fix.
5) Check the axles when you do the wheel bearing. When you jack the trailer up if the wheels don't move then then the rubber in the torsion axles is shot (I'd bet a $20 that they are). If that is the case, drive slowly because your trailer has ZERO suspension and the vibration from the road will cause a lot of popped rivets inside.
6) Make sure the TV (tow vehicle) is up to the task.

Good luck and post pics as soon as you can, I'd love to see it.
Bruce

Bruce.
Thanks again for the info. I have most if this figured out, the only unknown being the rubber torsion axles (5). Can you tell me what a good source to order these is? Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks

[tphan]

hi- if you search here for "axles", or anything else for that matter, you'll get more info than you can easily digest. I ordered my new axles through Redneck Trailers, in Dacono, Colorado. They'd be the second thing I would deal with, the 1st being to make sure your new AS is weather-tight. Have fun!

[dlb435]

Check the plywood under the fresh water tank. It's 3/4 plywood and covered with an aluminum skin. Ours was rotted out and I dropped the fresh water tank on the highway. Sounds worse than it really was. We limped into a Home Depot and made the repairs right in the parking lot.

[Marcello]

thanks dlb. I appreciate the input. I made it clear to my family (wife, 2 kids and dog) that this purchase will open up all sorts of unexpected adventure potentials.