My husband was talking to someone and they told him the 79 Airstreams had somekind of problem with the rivets. Has anybody heard this please tell me it's not so. We just put an offer on a 79 model and if there is a problem with that year I may need to withdraw the offer.
My husband was talking to someone and they told him the 79 Airstreams had somekind of problem with the rivets. Has anybody heard this please tell me it's not so. We just put an offer on a 79 model and if there is a problem with that year I may need to withdraw the offer.
Becky
Becky,
You need to be a little more specific, we have had our 1979 23' Safari for three years without noticing any rivet problem.
Bill
__________________
Bill Kerfoot, WBCCI/VAC/CAC/El Camino Real Unit #5223
Just my personal opinion
1973 Dodge W200 PowerWagon, 1977 Lincoln Continental
1979 23' Safari, and 1954 29' Double Door Liner Orange, CA
Never heard of that. 1979's are great trailers from this unbiased perspective.
Sometimes the interior screws have worked loose, we just tighten them up, a job even a mechanically challenged person like me can do righty tighty!
__________________ Steph in MI Air# 6996- I Hockeytown USA!!
Thank you thank you folks. I have been on Airstream forums night and day educating myself for a new old Airstream and had not read anything on a rivet malfunction. The quote from the gentleman that told my husband about it was the rivots were placed farther apart. Any way that's what he thinks so we will let him think that. You all have made me feel a whole lot better I just hope the owner takes us up and we get the Airstream.
Good luck Becky, hope you find an Airstream soon. As we know things can and will go wrong, age catches up with all of us, parts will need replacing--batteries, tires, hips.
Keep that sense of humor/adventure and the tools in the truck! You've found a terrific place to get help with anything that can need fixing. We have loved our vintage 79 and have been very happy with the purchase over the years. Can't begin to tell you how much we've benefitted from the kindness of the forum folks.
__________________ Steph in MI Air# 6996- I Hockeytown USA!!
I've dealt with countless rivets on my Argosy. It seems if they weren't bucked, so very many of the exterior and interior pop riveting was done with steel centered rivets... I've removed too many for it to have been done by the one P.O. my unit had. Now that's no fun! That's an observation -- any other Argosy owners seen that?
My husband was talking to someone and they told him the 79 Airstreams had somekind of problem with the rivets. Has anybody heard this please tell me it's not so. We just put an offer on a 79 model and if there is a problem with that year I may need to withdraw the offer.
Becky
The things I would educate yourself on is tail sag and tail separation and frame damage mostly attributed to running gear out of balance.
This is mostly problems with the longer coaches. The frame would pull free of the floor/body. Stepping on the back bumper (without any levelers under the rear of the coach) is the test. If the bumper moves down away from the frame it may have a separation problem. Honestly not a horrible problem to fix but it is something to check for.
The frame damage will cause a buckler or crack in the frame that is normally visible in the wheel wells. The weight of the rear of the coach bouncing due to wheels not running true will eventually fatigue the frame. Extra weight in the rear of the coach makes the problem worse Things like spare tires and bike racks on the back bumper of longer coaches is a no no.
Click on Inland Andy's name. Then in the drop down pick the part for reading more posts.
Andy has been a Airstream dealer for a long time and is a weath of information. Read back through his posts and you will find a lot of information about seperations, Running gear problems and some excelent towing information.
Good luck and post pictures when you get one!!!!!!
Welcome to the forums!
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1959 22' Caravanner
1988 R20 454 Suburban.
Atlanta, GA
You did not say what model you had bid on. The tail sag problems are caused by too much weight in the tail of 31 footers with the rear bath. no tail sag occurs unless the frame bends. Check for bending between the wheels by sighting down the web from that hanges down between them by looking from the front or back. If there is a wave (rather than straight) it has buckled because the frame bent. Unless you want to spend at least $2,500 to fix the problem avoid bidding on such a unit.
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Steph in MI Air# 6996-
I've removed too many for it to have been done by the one P.O. my unit had. Now that's no fun! That's an observation -- any other Argosy owners seen that?
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