Newbie / Rehab

[jwo9958]

HI,
I have a new Airstream as of today, it's 1972 I will be starting rehab soon. I don't know the model. It's 24' long. i have title, is there a way with the VIN number to get more detail on it. Love this site and can't wait to get going. In Rhode Island and would love to meet others who have done rehabs of AS.
Jim O'Connor

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the forums!

Yes, if you post your VIN and a picture, you will certainly be advised of the model, year, and plant of origin.

good luck in rehab!

[jwo9958]

Hi,
Im not sure if this is where I would upload pictures to. I'm trying to identify the AS that I have just acquired. I have attached some pictures and the Title picture. The Vin# is 127T3J2029 and the date of manufacture is 1973

[jwo9958]

I'm looking to find an owners manual for the above mentioned AS. Any ideas on where I can get one. Another thing I wanted to ask, are there any people or companies that could come out and evaluate my trailer to help me assess where to begin the rehab project? I'm located in Rhode Island. I also could bring it somewhere. Any help would be great.

[65will]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. It looks like you have a 27 foot overlander. you can go to the Airstream.com and look at document arcives to learn more. again welcome. and your journey is begining.

[jwo9958]

Thanks for that 65will. Im excited to get started, a bit overwhelmed. I can't believe how helpful this Forum is.

[Belegedhel]

I was able to buy a combination owners manual and shop manual for my 70's vintage trailer in pdf format off of ebay. You should also be able to order these manuals from Airstream.com, but it might take a little more hinting to find them.

good luck!

[jwo9958]

I ordered owners manual and service manual from Airstream. Should have it by the end of the week. Getting started soon. Still hoping I can find someone who has done a rehab on a classic Airstream that would be able to come and give me some pointers and advice. I would be willing to take the trailer to show it to someone. I'm taking it to a dealer in Stoughton, MA next week to have them look into it. Maybe this is what I will need to at least get a good evaluation of what I have.

[65will]

Hello, You have to decide what you want to do with your trailer. Use it showing the age and patina? or make it perfect? The first thing you want to do is make it safe, see if you have any floor rot, or rear seperation. This is very common in rear bath units. What is the condition of your axles? have they ever been replaced? do your appliances work? When you take a vintage trailer to a shop the estamiate may shock you. I took mine to a shop that was $80. an hour, that was a resonable rate but the hours add up quick. The estamiate on mine was $30000. I took mine home reavalueted what I wanted done.Then did the work my self for about $6000. in parts. The hours they quoted me were very close I kept track.
In the end we love our vintage trailer. We travel with it and enjoy every trip. Fix things as they need it. It will always be a project! So evaluate make it safe and enjoy it!

[KCN]

Also try VintageAirstream.com as well for lots of good information/pictures/resources.

Welcome!

KCN

[webspinner]

We renovated our 1971. We have some pictures on our blog, in my sig line, to show how we changed the interior materials without changing the essential look and layout.

Your trailer is newer and has less of the aluminum channel construction that let us simply replace the old laminate walls and cabinets with real wood. We have a few pictures of the floor repair.

Your first concern should be safety, as was mentioned before. The axles will need to be replaced, otherwise the old, hardened rubber will give such a hard ride that all your subsequent work will be damaged by shaking when you pull the trailer. Floor rot needs to be removed and repaired. Leaks need to be sealed.

While you're doing all that, comb the forum for examples of what others have done and get a feel for what you want and what you can do. Have a great time!

[jwo9958]

It seems that everyone has mentioned replacing the axles. I'm guessing that is what it will need, I don't think they have been done. I don't really think that is something I will try to do. The shop in Mass that is an Airstream dealer told me it will probably cost maybe $500.00 for them to go through and evaluate all the systems and equipment on the trailer to give me a base starting point to begin. Any suggetsions or experiences on the axles would be very helpful. How much have people paid for this job. Unless I have a really badly rotted fram. I think I am going to try to tackle the renovation of almost everything else. One thing of concern now is the door. I think it is sprung. It doesn't seal on the top or the bottom it seems to have bowed out at both ends. Should I be looking for a replacement or is there a fix? Thanks again. I can't believe how helpful everyone is. What great community!!

[mccrosti]

Reach out to Colin Hyde for Axles. You will also need to replace the rear floor under your bathroom and possibly need some frame repair. Shoot me a pm and I will share my photos of my 1972 Overlander restoration. Do the hard work and save the fun stuff for later.



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