scared 73 Argosy newbie

[Chiquita]

Hi everyone,

We just brought home our 73 22ft Argosy tandem axle. My husband and I are very excited but a tad overwhelmed. The information that is available here is great, but we don't really know enough to even ask intelligent questions.

Is there a service manual for Argosys in particular or do we just use the airstream manual?

As soon as we figure out what is working and what we need to fix, I'll be posting all my questions.

Looking forward to this great (but scary) adventure
Carl and Katy

[overlander63]

Hi, and welcome to the forums!
For manuals, since Argosy is/was a division of Airstream, you would use the manual for an Airstream, as the trailers are basically the same, but different. For your Argosy 22, you would use the service manual for a tandem axle Safari (23'). Most of the features are the same, although the Argosy line has fewer "frills" than the same model Airstream. I think less is better, if it isn't there, it can't break.

[balrgn]

Welcome, sounds like a nice rig you picked up. You be experts in no time Overlander63 is correct, everything is prety much the same.

Ask away if you need help!

[sfixx]

Originally Posted by Chiquita

Hi everyone

Hi Carl and Katy! Welcome and congradulations! It wasn't that long ago I was in your shoes so I can certainly sympathize with your feelings of being overwhelmed. But with the help of the forums I muddled my way through a thorough inspection and have tackled a few DIY projects (check out my blog for the nastly details).

A reasonable plan of attack would be to first confirm your trailer will reliably roll and stop well, tail lights are a close second. Then go through the appliances, plumbing and electrics. The integrity of the propane system is very important too. Check the floor for soft spots and any evidence of water leaks (all water leaks end up on the floor). There are dozens of other nit-picky things that will crop up but most will not stop you from camping comfortably.

Use the search function on the forums and have fun exploring

Best wishes,

Steve

P.S. And listen to all the previous episodes of the VAP...

[wahoonc]

Hi Carl and Kathy,
Welcome to the forums! They did make Argosy repair/owner's manuals but they are very hard to find. You can buy the appropriate Airstream manual from Airstream The systems are similar enough that you can make it work, for everything else there is the forums.

Aaron

[Chiquita]

Thanks for the help so far, already. Just hearing from people makes me feel a little better; except when my wife told me how much Steve paid for his Argosy, now I am depressed again. Oh well, live and learn.
3 Questions---

1) What wiring diagram do I use for this? Only my right stop light and brake lights work currently.

2) Which intelipower converter do I use? There are different amp units.

3)What type of battery should we use?

Obviously you can see much is missing or destroyed and paid a pretty penny.
This is where I think we should start and then move onto plumbing.

The floor is in good shape, although some rot at the back of unit but no water leaks thus far. Have not tested furnace or hot water heater.. One step at a time....

Thanks
Carl

[Nuvite-F]

Chiquita,

Congratulations on your new trailer! Yeah, restoring an old Airstream (and an Argosy is an Airstream, by all accounts) is a life long project, but you'll get a feeling of accomplishment and meet a lot of nice people. Speaking of the latter, I hope you will join Vintage Airstream Club The Vintage Airstream Club and come to some rallies, where you can sit around with other old trailer fans and talk about how you met your particular trailer's challenges. (I myself, for example, have my Golden Plunger award for overhauling our trailer's dump valve--which, in 1960, was of all bronze construction.)

See you down the road,
Nuvite

PS You won't need to learn about Nuvite, since Argosies are painted, not polished!

[SnorkyII]

Welcome Carl & Katy!
I also have a 22ft, 73 Argosy. I had problems with the tail lights also, but I replaced them. There are some posts about replacing the tail lights. I was lucky, the previous owner had the owners manual for the trailer. I had to make a drawing of the electrical system for myself, using the owners manual and the trailer. My latest challenge is replacing the furnace. I hope to finish the installation this week. I had the cushions recovered, and used new foam. I am waiting for the new drapes. I will be replacing the floor, and then on to the paint work.
Do you have the front dinette? Again congratulations, and welcome.
Sam

[overlander63]

All your exterior lighting goes from front to back, on the curb (right) side of the ceiling, sandwiched between the roof and ceiling. You will probably find you have multiple bad grounds, and drilling out the old rivets, or unscrewing the old bolts, and poutting in new ones will probably work wonders for your exterior lights. The wire for the clearance lights goes to the rear, and crosses from right to left all the way in the back.

[SnorkyII]

I found two places where the grounds are connected to the frame. The first is up front on the LH side tongue where the 7 wire vehicle connector wires are attached to the trailer wires. The second is on the LH side, inside the rear storage compartment. The grounds from the AC, and power converter are connected here. I replaced the fittings, terminals, and fasteners in both places after cleaning the frame area where the connections are made of paint and rust. I used stainless steel fasteners, and coated all the exposed surfaces with dielectric grease to prevent future corrosion.

I also found an encapsulated circuit breaker in the power feed lead up front, which was not shown on the Argosy wiring diagram.

Sam

[rickandsandi]

Welcome Carl & Katy-
You will find lots of information and lots of friends here on the forums. You will find using the search funtion very useful. Welcome to the neighborhood!

[overlander64]

Greetings Carl!

Welcome to the world of Vintage Argosy ownership!

Originally Posted by Chiquita

Thanks for the help so far, already. Just hearing from people makes me feel a little better; except when my wife told me how much Steve paid for his Argosy, now I am depressed again. Oh well, live and learn.
3 Questions---

1) What wiring diagram do I use for this? Only my right stop light and brake lights work currently.

Obviously you can see much is missing or destroyed and paid a pretty penny.
This is where I think we should start and then move onto plumbing.

The floor is in good shape, although some rot at the back of unit but no water leaks thus far. Have not tested furnace or hot water heater.. One step at a time....

Thanks
Carl

The wiring diagram for the Bargman connector on the Argosy was wiried to same patter used by the same-vintage Airstream. Your '73 Argosy would have originally been wired according to schematic at the link found below:

http://www.airstream.com/airstream/p...lug1966-81.pdf

Your tow vehicle is likely wired to the current industry standard as found in the link below:

Marksrv.com 7 way wiring diagram page

Good luck with your electric gremlin!

Kevin

[mtnman]

Hello Neighbor!
Welcome to the forum.
mtnman
Mortimer, NC

[sfixx]

Originally Posted by Chiquita

...Just hearing from people makes me feel a little better; except when my wife told me how much Steve paid for his Argosy, now I am depressed again.....Carl

Don't be depressed Carl. I have easily put twice what I paid into it since I picked it up and it isn't near done. I don't have A/C, heat or an awning, the fridge is weak and I discovered this summer that the black tank needs replaced! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and feel sorry for me

Our improvements are on the installment plan. I don't mind too much if it takes time to get her back to 100% because it's still a big step up from tent camping.

BTW, try to post pictures soon...

Best wishes,

Steve