After owning my 76 International for more than 12 years it has become a topic of jest among my inner circle. The project that will never be. The punchline to any joke or winning story told of failed weekend projects. In the time I've owned this trailer, I've built two houses, four millwork showrooms, and fathered two children. With each stage of life I have carried the burden of this project along for the ride, refusing reasonable offers, weathering ridicule, while constantly changing my mind on the future of the LuvCpsl.
I've decided this year will be the year I finally embark on the rebuild begun some dozen years ago....
A little background, I've forever found the airstream an iconic representation of America. Ingenious. Industrial. Engineered brilliance in design simplicity. During the real estate boom of the early 00's that we are all suffering from today, I found myself in the refinanced position to obtain my piece of the polished dream. I located my dream machine on the Oregon Coast, a cherry skinned 1976 International
Sovereign with a mid bath.
Sure the old recluse I bought it from had lived in it for three years, but through the filth, I saw a gem. Truth is I was young and dumb, enchanted with the possibility of owning an Airstream, and although the skin was excellent, that old hag had cooked with the exhaust fan broken, smoked, and nested in this trailer with a number of animals. I didn't care, I wanted it. I drove 500 miles to get it, and damn it, it was coming home with me.
I was counting out 100 dollar bills with a reckless abandon known by only women buying shoes.
Once I got it out from under the trees and into the sunlight, I realized I had my work cut out for me, so much so in fact, on the tow home, my buddy and I opted to sleep in the back of the truck rather than amongst the filth of a hermits reclusive past.
For the next year I was genuinely interested. I scrubbed and cleaned and actually used it a few times. Each time discovering another little bit of disgust that would have me ripping something out that just could not get clean enough. Before I knew it, the LuvCpsl was gutted.
Then other projects took priority. The first showroom, the first spec house, the new girlfriend. I had a place to store it that didn't cost me anything and before I knew it, I nearly forgot about it entirely. Time passed, jokes continued. Children entered the picture and life changed. The idea of the LuvCpsl being converted into a portable VIP Room for me and my DJ buddies faded with every diaper change.
Before I knew it, the life of a jet set bachelor morphed into that of an entrepreneurial family man. Throughout the change two things remained. I still owned an Airstream, and it was still the favorite joke of my friends and family.
So today while my life has forever changed, my love of the Airstream remains, as does my desire to build it out to suit my needs exclusively. Although those needs are now considerably different from the needs I originally envisioned a decade ago. I have decided that the time is finally here for silencing of the laugher and getting on with enjoying the great outdoors, indoor.
This is a major undertaking, to say the least. Not only has the trailer been gutted, it's been neglected for a considerable amount of time and I now no longer have the disposable income I once so frivolously pissed away. This will be a challenge to say the least, but I look forward to the journey and welcome you all to come along.
And so it begins, the LuvCpsl build.
Linear Mode
