New Member from ND

[phlegm]

I don't own one yet, I'm going to go look at a 1971 Sovereign 31ft twin on Thursday.
I'm assuming that it will need repair, so *if* I buy it, I will be looking for all sorts of articles on restoration and/or upgrading.

First things first of course..
Must.Buy.Airstream.

I'll post some pictures, probably Friday when I'm supposed to be working..

[ericpeltier]

Welcome!
Sorry about that user name. All others were taken?

[Wayne&Sam]

Welcome!
Really, how'd you come up with that name? Or maybe I shouldn't ask.

Good look with finding the right Airstream!

[CBWELL]

Welcome to the forums. There are several of us up in the north that have done a lot of work on the older trailers. Knowledge both on the forum and locally is easy to get. There are several members of the North Dakota Peace Garden unit of WBCCI that are doing restorations. Chris

[tsunami]

From ND, Notre Dame?.. Oh wait, I glanced at your avatar. Sorry.

[phlegm]

The name: not as interesting as you may think.
I've got a 1967 Mustang that is Lime Gold in color. I joked for a long time that it is the color of phlegm.

I don't like having to remember a million username and passwords. So I recycle it when I join a new forum. It *usually* isn't already taken.

ND as Notre Dame?
Must be an East coast thing (I kid. Because I can)

To date , I've only driven across the Mississippi to go as far East as St. Paul or Itasca State Park. We typical roam between here, Lincoln NE, Las Vegas, San Diego, and all parts North of there but south of the Canadian border. Although I have spent a few days on Victoria B.C.

A month ago we drove up to Kalispell and Glacier National Park. Stayed in hotels almost every night, with exception of the night in a cabin inside the park and another night with friends in Kalispell. In hated unpacking every night just to reload it in the morning. With a wife and two kids (5 and 6, wife's age withheld) there was quite a bit of "stuff".

I have flown into Florida to visit Orlando, Coco Beach, and Clearwater Beach. And I have flown into Ohio to Fairfield for work.

I recently acquired a 1963.5 Falcon convertible and I wholly plan on taking it leaf watching out east in the next couple years.

I like my old Fords and have quite a few of them.
But I also have GM's. My first car (poor thing) is a 1966 Malibu 4dr. I still own it, but I was young and dumber I unfortunately drove it very hard. But I have 3 of them total. Do you guys think they would tow a 31ft camper acceptably?

If yes, I would restore one and use it on nostalgic trips.
Otherwise, we have a 2005 f250 ccsb 6.0 powerstroke with the camper package. or my wife's 2012 Tahoe that will be used most of the time.

[phlegm]

I went ahead and agreed to buy it for under $1k.
The shell is nice, all the glass is there, the interior has been trashed by abuse followed by neglect and sitting abandoned for 2 years on a farm.
I'd post pictures of the innards, but its not pretty, the previous owner (my delinquent brother) basically abandoned it and didn't clean out anything. And I do mean anything, he left dishes in the sink, food in the fridge, carburetors in a box, a 2 stroke scooter in the living room area...

The outside is nice, but the inside.. not so nice.






It has a puncture in the front passenger (curbside?) front corner, missing a few things like tail lights, keyed locks, no awning, and the clearcoat is faded/worn off, and it looks like I need to find out why there is a brick on the roof holding.

My brother told me that the water heater and air conditioner work, he said that the furnace tried to work, but would not ignite. He said it didn't leak, and when I asked about the duct tape on the openings his response was "they were not made to be lived in during the winter in NoDak", but I am still going to assume that I need to replace all the seals in the windows.

I hope to pick it up this week sometime and get it cleaned out, afterward, I'll get some interior pictures. I'll also get a good look under it.

[phlegm]

Where do you guys let newbies ask all their new guy questions?
Like..
Is there any diagrams with names of the individual parts?
I was looking for aftermarket stone shield for the front of the '71, but I found something called a Segment Protector.

Where can I find full aftermarket awnings to add to the airstream?
Does there happen to be a visual dictionary that contains pictures and names of items, fabrics, or verneers?

I've been reading about axle replacements
The information from
THE DURA-TORQUE AXLE
page says that I can safely go 10% over the factory rated axle spring load rating. But it also warns that too stiff of a ride can cause extreme vibration or flex problems with the trailer causing rivets to become weakened and loose.

I've also read that people are recommending higher load rated tires (automotive vs trailer), higher load rated tires have stiffer sidewalls, effectively acting like higher load rated springs/torsion axles.

How does that affect the vibrations transmitted through the trailer?

I'm certain that I'll find them eventually, but are there any vendors that carry a lot of parts for these campers that I should be aware of, things like tumblers for re-keying the entire trailer, or weatherstripping?

There are some parts that I am certain that I am going to be missing, is there such a thing as an Airstream wrecking/salvage yard? (online or physical)

If I decide to keep my rear bath for a while, has anybody ever re-gel coated their bathroom units?

I'm full of newbie goodness, this opportunity to buy at the price I paid came up on me rather unexpectedly, I usually research things ad nauseam before I even consider adding one to my fleet.

[cwf]

Tons of questions... and you can get lots more advice..for free, surprisingly!

Ok.. to save your eyes and heartburn, do 'searches' using another search engine, not the one on this site.

Always 'search' a lot before posting a question.... or questions. Then, create a specific thread for each 'question'... and try to limit 'thread drift'... include pictures and some personal legwork like... "here is a pic of the part. I have not been able to find a name for it after 2000 individual searches on the almighty internet. But, from what I can tell, it looks like a faucet handle."

'Newbies' are considered 'fair game' by some... just follow good search and reading before 'asking'.

Learning all the 'parts' is a black art....and just plain work. You can check online at AS... there are some 'vintage' docs you can download for free, like 'wiring/plumbing' diagrams...

ZipDee has been the 'standard awning' on AS for a while. AS support line can get you some recommendations.

Anything you get/read from Inland RV, is Aluminum Gospel. AS are supported by the 'shell'... not the trailer frame alone. Apply too much weight in your 'redo' of the interior will 'stress' this harmony of shell and frame. Adding bigger axles will increase the 'stiffness' of the ride and transmit road bumps better to the frame, then shell... that shakes things up..

There are a lot of tire threads. The current thought is to go with an LT (light truck) tire... specifically a Michelin. That is a whole 'nutha world... go read RV Tire Safety by Ron Marble.

Parts... AS dealer... like 'Inland RV'... great folks! There are others as well, and fairly easy to find... like Vintage Trailer Supply | Parts for 1940s-1970s Travel Trailers

Originally Posted by phlegm

Where do you guys let newbies ask all their new guy questions?
Like..
Is there any diagrams with names of the individual parts?
I was looking for aftermarket stone shield for the front of the '71, but I found something called a Segment Protector.

Where can I find full aftermarket awnings to add to the airstream?
Does there happen to be a visual dictionary that contains pictures and names of items, fabrics, or verneers?

I've been reading about axle replacements
The information from
THE DURA-TORQUE AXLE
page says that I can safely go 10% over the factory rated axle spring load rating. But it also warns that too stiff of a ride can cause extreme vibration or flex problems with the trailer causing rivets to become weakened and loose.

I've also read that people are recommending higher load rated tires (automotive vs trailer), higher load rated tires have stiffer sidewalls, effectively acting like higher load rated springs/torsion axles.

How does that affect the vibrations transmitted through the trailer?

I'm certain that I'll find them eventually, but are there any vendors that carry a lot of parts for these campers that I should be aware of, things like tumblers for re-keying the entire trailer, or weatherstripping?

There are some parts that I am certain that I am going to be missing, is there such a thing as an Airstream wrecking/salvage yard? (online or physical)

If I decide to keep my rear bath for a while, has anybody ever re-gel coated their bathroom units?

I'm full of newbie goodness, this opportunity to buy at the price I paid came up on me rather unexpectedly, I usually research things ad nauseam before I even consider adding one to my fleet.

[mefly2]

Phlegm ...gasp!

[phlegm]

Usually its
hack... ew, phlegm...

I got right to work tossing garbage and cleaning up the innards.

Thread started in the '71 Sovereign section.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f251...gn-137958.html

cheers!