Day 1: '72 Land Yacht

[1hippiechick]

My '72 Land Yacht made the 8 hour trip yesterday! Very excited to start on her, but I don't really know what to do first. She is in great shape for as old as she is. All original. Was thinking of starting underneath it first? What do you think? I have never had one. This is my first restoration.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by 1hippiechick

My '72 Land Yacht made the 8 hour trip yesterday! Very excited to start on her, but I don't really know what to do first. She is in great shape for as old as she is. All original. Was thinking of starting underneath it first? What do you think? I have never had one. This is my first restoration.

The best very first project is to make sure the shell is water proof.

Check the window, entrance door, access doors, and especially the sewer vent pipe cover gaskets that only last 2 to 3 years.

Once the trailer is water proofed, then you can take your time with other things that you may wish to change, repair or update.

Andy

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the forums!

I would start by downloading the "buyer's checklist" and going through a complete inspection. This will help identify the areas that need to immediate attention.

The next question is, do you want to camp in it as soon as possible, or do you intend to do some major refurb before hand?

If you want to camp ASAP, then fix the things you found wrong during the inspection, and go for it.

If you intend to do a major overhaul anyway, then start at the "foundation:"
- verify the condition of the floor and rear end (70's trailers are notorious for floor rot and rear end separation)
- replace the tires, if needed,
- determine whether the axle needs to be replaced (answer is yes, if it the original axle)

I suggest starting with the floor because the floor rot/rear end separation decision is the point at which folks usually have to decide whether to drop the bellypan, remove the interior, and replace the entire floor or just sections of it. If you end up doing a shell-off, then the axles, tires, and frame all can get dealt with after that decision is made.

good luck!

[1hippiechick]

Do you know where to get the "buyers list". ?

[Belegedhel]

The checklist is here:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f138...ist-43294.html

Making sure the trailer isn't leaking, as recommended above is good advice, to ensure that more damage isn't being done while you work on the trailer, but you can determine floor rot and rear end separation in a matter of minutes, and that will send you in a direction.

[EricJohansen]

My brother & I have been totally restoring my '76 Land Yacht. To see my progress to date go to www.76airstream. Best of luck to you, Eric