Restoration project to begin from newbies-northwestern PA

[K9endgame]

So many questions but for now just Hello from PA.

Glad to have a site like this for the help with advice and knowledge. We will be asking for a ton as we chug along here. Full scale shell off restoration to come.

My wife and I have been wanting to do this for a long time now. We are in the process of pulling this thing about a half mile out of our woods. The rafters have been ordered for an overhead roof to hoist shell and cover the project. Cleared a path, built a bridge, so here it comes.

This has been sitting there for 42 plus years and is in pretty bad shape. (our opinion) Neither of us are shy to a days work or a mess so it will be an adventure with all kinds of emotion I'm sure. Nothing a tall drink or some cold beer wont fix.

[Bob Blarney]

I see mention of my hometown in one of those pictures. And I think Cook's Forest is a very beautiful place.

There's certainly a long way to go, and a shell-off restoration is really the only way to go. Once the shell gutted and lifted off, the frame & suspension will be evaluated, repaired, and painted with a rust-converting paint. So far as the subfloor goes, a product called Coosa board is probably best, but it might be beyond your budget. The alternative is plywood, and in places where I patched mine I treated it (and the rest of the subfloor) with Timbor borate solution to inhibit rot.

But to start, I'd pressure wash it, just to get a good look at it and provide encouragement.

Oh, and I believe there is an 'Airstream Park' campground very near to you.

[Bubba L]

Congrats on the decision to take on a reno project. Looks like it still has all the original overhead locker doors, stove, cabinetry, and fridge. Hope you have room to store all the interior stuff until you’re ready to rebuild the inside. Like mentioned, pressure wash to see what’s below the algae. Makes me want to head out into the woods across our creek to see if I maybe missed an AS back there. Great looking project. Ask the questions if needed and get a game plan. A lot of work, but well worth it. Take care and good luck, Bubba

[OTRA15]

You know about the risks from Hantavirus? Not sure how much rodent mess you have to clean up.

https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/index.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=hant...com&gws_rd=ssl

Great trailer, good luck!

Peter

[dbj216]

Wow! What a guy might find in the woods. Unidentified Aluminum Object, or UAO. Welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby. You will find all kinds of information on the various aspects of this big project ahead of you right here on these Forums. It will be worth it.

Now the guessing game. I'm thinking it is a mid fifties trailer of about 26' long. You will have to tell us the year and model of this UAO in the woods. Start a contest and pass out cupcakes to those who guess right.

Welcome to Air Forums.

David

[Bob Blarney]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

You know about the risks from Hantavirus? Not sure how much rodent mess you have to clean up.

https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/index.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=hant...com&gws_rd=ssl

Great trailer, good luck!

Peter

Hanta virus is uncommon in Pennsylvania.

https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/surve...ing-state.html

[OTRA15]

The 9 folks who had it in PA might have something to say about that IMO . . .

If they survived!



The map shows only 2 cases in NY, but I am fairly certain that the number is higher. Indeed, two fatalities occurred within a 10 mile radius of our location in the last decade. Somewhere in the search results linked in Post #4 is a longer post of mine going into some detail on this.

In any event it seemed worth asking the OP if they were aware of --or ignorant to -- the risks.

Measure twice, cut once!

Peter

[K9endgame]

Had some issues with all the rain here. Had to get some help from the neighbor with a bigger tractor....great people!!

Here it is in front of our 24 foot garage(just to give you an idea of the size)
..pressure wash will come soon
..then the removal of the "stuff left inside"
..then begin removing fixtures stove,furnace, couch,beds etc.. all the attached(saving everything possible for future patterns)
..(any videos to look at?) I guess just start on the right of the door and head left nabbing all on the way?

Any special tool or anything to remove items?

Hantavirus-we did not know about this(do now, thanks) but did feel we needed something. We did order good filtered masks, goggle and gloves.

Frame.. I do not weld. I assume any reputable local welder can do this or would one suggest getting on a waiting list at an air-stream restoration shop? We want to do this thing right the first and last!! time so to travel is not an issue. Suggestions? Shops?

Thanks all...very anxious to get started yet know not what the heck I'm doing

[Rocinante]

Wishing you the best of luck, it’s going to be one heck of a project to save it. Lots of great full monty restoration threads here on the forum, definitely read through plenty of those before you get started inside!

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the update and photos!

Re Hanta, if you find any rodent nests, spray liberally [drench] with strong bleach solution before doing anything. CDC site has more.

Here is one good thread, especially for his sense of humor as he dug deeper and had to face the prospect of unexpected work -- at least you probably don't suffer under any delusions in this regard!:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...ck-183431.html

FYI the new search function in the blue box above works great:

"shell off" -- https://www.google.com/search?q=shel...=airforums.com
"full monte" -- https://www.google.com/search?q=full...=airforums.com

Good luck!

Peter

[Mansderm161]

Good luck. I hope I live long enough to see you in it at a rally some day. It has a lot of potential. Stay safe and healthy during the process.

[Bob Blarney]

When you have the shell off, then you'll be able to assess the frame. If repairs are needed, then I think you could contact the AS factory and ask who does work in your area, or you could contact a truck repair shop. There should be many along I-80. For springs, I recall that there is a spring fabrication shop on 422W just east of Rte 19 (between Butler and New Castle).

[Bob Blarney]

Hmm, since you're at the very beginning, it might be a good time for the basic decisions - a fork in the road. What degree of restoration or renovation do you want to do?

Do you want to restore it to the original construction? As it is with antique automobiles, there are folks who like to do this and there are folks who buy them. But this can become a long long project.

Do you want to keep most aspects of the original, with modern safety features and a few modern conveniences and comfort upgrades?

Do you want to keep only the exterior look, and go total 'imagineering - artful' on the mechanicals and interior decoration?

For myself, other than installing modern safety features, e.g. axles, brakes, lights, and hitch, to start I would consider installing a hydronic (hot water) system to heat the floors rather than the noisy hot air furnaces. After the shell is off, and the frame repaired and rustproofed with rust-converting paint, then this could be done.

[OTRA15]

A new thread?

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...ry-187976.html