New to Airstream

[Espanolcor]

Hi, I'm new to all of this... I just purchased a 1973 24' Argosy. I know that there are issues with the kitchen sink, which may or may not have been fixed. I am planning to place this Argosy on my land to serve as my "tent" when I'm in the East Sierra. What things do I need to be concerned with.

I am planning to get a generator for power.
Dump grey water on the land.
No Poo or Pee in the Coach. I will have a Coleman toilet for that stuff outside.

What about pipes, sealing for insects (spiders and ants) and rodents

I am bringing the coach to someone who can look it over and give me an assessment.

[Belegedhel]

You have a ~50 year old trailer, so practically everything could have issues. If you are having a "professional" inspection, then see what they tell you. If you don't plan on towing it around, then you only have to make sure it is safe enough to get to where you are going. Trailers from the 70's are notorious for floor rot and rear-end separation. The rotten floor allows critters to get into the trailer and into the walls. So, at a minimum, you want it to be intact enough to safely tow to your location. You will want to check the integrity of the electrical system so that the thing doesn't catch fire, and the gas system. The rubber gaskets around the door and windows are likely shot, so plan to replace those. If you find holes in the floor, at least patch them up to keep the critters out.

good luck, and welcome to the Forums!

[Espanolcor]

Thanks for the input. I read in one of the posts that my purchase was just the down payment! I am bringing it to an Airstream specialist. Should I initially ask him to look for those things or not say anything and see what he finds?

[boliversr]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

You have a ~50 year old trailer, so practically everything could have issues. If you are having a "professional" inspection, then see what they tell you. If you don't plan on towing it around, then you only have to make sure it is safe enough to get to where you are going. Trailers from the 70's are notorious for floor rot and rear-end separation. The rotten floor allows critters to get into the trailer and into the walls. So, at a minimum, you want it to be intact enough to safely tow to your location. You will want to check the integrity of the electrical system so that the thing doesn't catch fire, and the gas system. The rubber gaskets around the door and windows are likely shot, so plan to replace those. If you find holes in the floor, at least patch them up to keep the critters out.

good luck, and welcome to the Forums!

I also just purchase a 73 argosy 24 double looking forward to other posts

[Belegedhel]

It is likely that a professional inspector will give you a laundry list of items big and small, critical and superficial, that could be addressed. I would let the guy do his thing, then ask him to identify the items on the list that are critical for safety/required functionality, and the nice-to-haves.

If he doesn't identify rear end separation as an issue, be sure to ask him if he checked. Inspectors that are not Airstream savvy may not know that this is a common issue, and how to inspect for it. If you step up on the rear bumper and bounce up and down on it you should not see relative motion between the body (shell) and the bumper. If you see a bunch of movement, then your rear end is probably separating, the floor in the back is rotten, and your frame is potentially rusting away back there.

good luck!

[Espanolcor]

If the framecis separating is this a metal rusting issue or a soft floor spongy issue. Thanks for your input.

[Belegedhel]

All of the above. The shell sits on top the wood floor, which sits on top the frame, and bolts are run through the assembly. What happens is that water gets channeled down the back of the trailer, and right into that wood sandwich. The wood rots, and eventually you have an extra 3/4" of air in between the shell and the frame right across the back. Now as you go down the road, the frame is able to move independent of the shell, this can cause damage to the aluminum shell where it bolts to the rear end of the frame. Water continues to pour into that rear area, corroding the skin and rusting the frame.

If the trailer spent most of its life in California, you may not have this condition at all. Or, you could have it extremely bad, in which case you have to replace the subfloor, rebuild the frame, and reinforce/replace aluminum panels. For your application, just parking the trailer and not pulling it around much, you could probably tolerate some rot and separation, as long as it is still safe to tow to your parking location.

good luck!