What did I just buy?

[cuateacher]

Enjoy the Journey is a sign inside my 71 25' Tradewind. Her name is Frankie short for Frankenstein for all the "modifications" done to her these 48 years. I dreamed/researched/planned/budgeted for her the four years I was caring for my mother with Alzheimers (kept me sane). Now I have her and yes she's a lot of work and I'm a 65 year old retired teacher but if anyone tried to tell me I won't have her going down the road they've never met me. I just finished repairing a 60 year old house. We need dreams and a purpose. My AS is missing many things and so she will be modernized-not renovated. I am putting on a big solar package, an incinerator toilet and having to plumb her because her tanks are gone. She will eventually be my Alzheimer care facility if they don't solve it before I'm 80 (when we all get it in my family). Enjoy the journey means every part of getting there too. Good luck!

[Jekerrville]

tttaross?
You have ‘68 or ‘69 Land Yacht Sovereign 30 Foot.
Don’t let folks talk you down from this beast.
It will have a single black water tank, gray water was drained straight out of the back.
Univolt charging system with single battery. The furnace in the galley will be rotted out. The hot water tank will be full of calcium and there may be a leak or two in the copper lines for water.

If there are no broken windows your way ahead.

But as far as rot goes it may not be that bad if any. Depending on the previous owners, the tail section may not have any issues.

So don’t despair.

Don’t ask me how I know there things. Oh, and your missing the front rock guard.

All the best.

[silver wren]

About 10 years ago, I bought a 1953 17’ Clipper. The outside was in great shape but the inside needed everything new. Previous owner had added a funky bathroom and made some other weird modifications. It smelled like mice. I had no idea what was going to be involved but I was madly in love with it anyway. I was very lucky to find a guy in Birmingham who took the shell off, rebuilt the frame and axles, polished the outside and completely redid the inside to my specifications. It is not like the original but it is perfect for me and completely roadworthy. I admit that I have not taken it on the road and use it as my escape pod here at home. I am constantly asked by passers by if I want to sell it. Never! They would be shocked if I told them the trailer and renovation costs me about $35K but I don’t regret it at all. So don’t get discouraged if it takes you a long time to get it all done. If you love it, it is worth it.

[mrfixit51]

Originally Posted by tttaross

I've marveled at Airstream for over 10 years... Now we finally bought an old one in terrible shape with dreams of restoring to travel the US with our kiddos but before we can get started we need help figuring out what exactly we have! Any help would be appreciated!

I don't own a vintage airstream, because they are very rare up here in Canada, especially 23' tandem. I purchased a 1971 Travelux 23(made in Canada), which is close to an Avion. I am on year 6, because of restricted winter activity. My costs are at 5x the purchase price w/o any labour from anyone. I done it all. You gotta have aluminitis to keep going, and i don't regret doing it. I have used it about 15 nites in the last 2 years, that is why i would suggest doing the frame and anything else ,to first make it roadworthy, then use it as an aluminum tent. You are never really done, because you will become a vintage officiato and people don't have to see any interior look until you are ready. Make it roadworthy and weather tight and get out and use it. MY shine is not quite done ,but that's ok, heh they are looking at an almost 50 yr old trailer. This was good advice given to me by other site members and it has been very valuable, in encouraging me to see beyond the work . Keep us posted for any advice you would like. Take care and see you on the road. !!

[Aprilrrain]

Congratulations on your new project and I know you will have a wonderful time fixing it up. Sure, it may cost more than you planned but what doesn’t?
Don’t let anyone pee on your Airstream Dream!!

[az-streamer]

The point that I, and possibly others, was trying to make was that there is a bit of divergence between rehabbing a trailer that may take years and traveling the country with your family while they are still young enough to enjoy it.

No, a new trailer is not necessary. Nor is an expensive one. Even a tent if you enjoy it.

The idea is to travel NOW - not later.

A Reno is great but your kids probably won’t have as much fun as you will.

By all means, buy the AS, start the redo, but find a way to go camping at the same time.

[lemley]

I’m about 21 months in. Similar project. I’m up near Waco. We started camping as soon as I’d done the water, mattresses and the axles. We’ve camped every month since and we love our Airstream. I’ve rebuilt the propane system, rebuilt the gaucho, redone floors, refinished tub, new toilet and hot water tank, lots of other little stuff. I’ve just finished the first polish above the belt. I find the work therapeutic.

We never planned to own an RV period. But early retirement causes me to look for a way to get in more trout fishing. I’m retired, yes, but I don’t spend all my time on the Airstream. Grandkids, work at the church and the homeless shelter take up almost all of my time. The Airstream has to make do on leftover time. Retirement just means I have a very little bit of that.

Enjoy the journey. Don’t get hung up on being perfect. Make it safe. Make it comfortable.

[TheGreatleys]

That rig looks like it'll clean up real nice. I don't see any major body issues. Yes it probably needs frame work, but it's a pretty rare 70s Sovereign that doesn't.

Enjoy your project. Mine took about two years of weekends, twice as long and far more money than I had planned. But we love ours.

[boondockdad]

Originally Posted by tttaross

I've marveled at Airstream for over 10 years... Now we finally bought an old one in terrible shape with dreams of restoring to travel the US with our kiddos but before we can get started we need help figuring out what exactly we have! Any help would be appreciated!

Love those Sovereign's... she just needs some TLC

[DavidsonOverlander]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

It appears to be a mid 70's 31 foot Airstream. Most likely the bath is in the rear and the bed(s) are in the middle. The VIN will give you more info. The longer (31') 70s had issues with rear end separation which you can search the forums here and find out more. To see if you have this problem you can jump on the rear bumper and see if the bumper moves away from the shell. If so, that will be your first project.

Based on the windows, I'm pretty sure this is a rear bedroom mid-bath model.

[tojimmiller]

What ever you spend to fix it up will be far less than the $150,000 a new one cost
Plus you’ll have a piece of history
Jm

[JWRII]

If you have the time it's more than worth the effort and expense. Enlist the whole family and get it on the road.

I restored the 71st Airstream built after WWII and lived in it for a year in the early eighties. My wife and I put over seven thousand miles on it in the eighties on a trip from Colorado to Florida, up the east coast to Maine then back through Canada, down through Illinois and back to Colorado. In early 2000 we pulled it to Missouri and it has sat there unused since, developing many cuts and abrasions. The two boys are out of the house now so will re-condition it again without hesitation. The big job will be getting the 1960 Suburban Carryall trustworthy again.

Am also working on a 1972 Airstream Tradewind and hope to travel in it pulled by a 1987 Suburban when it's done. Since I'm 75 I may have some time constraints but look forward to completing the projects with my wife's help.


Dream and go for it. Good luck, Joe

[Ky76Argosy]

Great fun don’t fret. Worry makes adventure more discouraging. I see first you are trying to find out what you got and then responses are for what to do? I agree with NevadaGeo, check out safety issues, wheels, brakes, tires, bearings and lights. Check battery and interior electrical. I thought changing to LED bulbs was a simple improvement for my Moby. Waterline leaks, black/grey tank leaks. Check condition of awning. Get a complete listing, and go safety items, and work on best bang for bucks fixes. You can accept some items that aren’t perfect, AC, heater, water heater, and change later. I thought replacing window, door and storage hatch gaskets an improvement.

Find out about frame if sag and separation, and simple DYI inspections to determine if really need further work. But clean and straighten inside, check for worrisome leaks and take on safe short trips. See how axles handle the road bounce. There are DYI ways to check axles, like raising one to see effects on other. Check for soft spots in floors, find and mark any leaks. And work to restore. Travel slow. Work on one system at a time. But since there is no photos and no inspection info it is hard to give directions, but you will get advice. Mitch

[nickclifford]

first off, don't panic ... i bought a '72 all original "left outside" trailer ... looked better than this as sat in the So Cal desert area .. power wash that crap off & it will look great ... to use with the kids ... replace interior bedding & couch etc, foam, anything will do .., pull out the old carpet & replace with easy to use lock in place flooring tiles, replace axles (expensive) & tires ... now, it's safe to travel with. Check if frame is shot though .. if this is rusted badly you might want to reconsider this project for family camping, that's BIGGY & would consume all your time & be very costly ... you'd be better off taking a loss and moving on ... hopefully ok. Your kids grow so fast, spend all your time with them, not working every weekend on a trailer project ..! Good luck

[Airwave503]

I'm one of the 1% that realized my dream with my '61 Spaceliner. I had no idea what I was getting into. She was a full shell-off restore. The only original things left is the trailer frame, shell, and the interior/exterior skins. I spent the first year getting to the "aluminum tent" stage. We spent that first summer camping all over the place with airbeds and folding tables, it was great. Then as I was deer in the headlights trying to approach the interior fit-out and cabinetry, I stumbled onto Silver Bullet Trailer up in Vancouver, WA. Sergey is the Airstream Whisperer and a true master. Now we snow camp almost every weekend on Mt. Hood in the winter and up and down the Oregon coast in the summer. This summer we're taking her down to Cali.

[travelfables]

Congrats on your Vintage Airstream. I hit this thread after seeing it my email summary, and after reading it, I had to pop in and say that I have no idea why some people in this thread say it will take such ridiculous sums of money to fix up a Vintage Trailer. They must just have plenty of dough, and just wanted to spend it on the fancy-fancies. I rebuilt a 64 Safari, I've enjoyed it for years. It was a lot of work, I did it ALL myself.

[John McHugh]

It is a Soverign. From the looks of the rear windows, it is a center bath, rear bedroom. I don't know the year, but it looks very much similar to my 1976. I think I see alloy wheels like those on mine

You probably want to start by cleaning the outside and the inside. Get a professional to check the frame. If it is reasonably sound, you can probably make it usable with a bit of effort. As you clean it up, check for signs of leakage in the seams. Resealing is probably a good idea if there is any leakage. There are several ways to go on this. If you want to go camping and the body / frame are sound check out the essentials, stove, fridge, furnace, AC and repair or replace as needed. You probably want a more up to date charging system and a new battery. Upholstery, etc. may need replacing. As I recall, the original bed is a 48" 3/4 full if there is only one. I built a proper 54" double but it is a bit of a tight fit. If you want a show piece, you will pay a lot in terms of both time and materials. It's your choice. Me? I just go camping.

By the mid 1970s, AS had stopped using the really lightweight materials like balsa core plywood for cabinets, doors, etc. and mine has quite a bit of flakeboard. If this has to be replaced consider other materials. Mine has tambour doors on the cabinets and these can be replaced with flat doors with a bit of work and they are quite serviceable.

I don't know if it is possible to send a private message via this forum, but I'd be happy to answer any questions that you have, if I can.

[baldrick]

Hi! We're Airstream newbies who number among the 1% someone quoted as those people who buy a wreck of an Airstream and actually have it restored.

Our 1961 Overlander was a wreck when we bought it. There was nothing salvageable inside. (Think burrowing animals, traces of a fire, vandalism...) Furthermore, it sat for FOUR years in our driveway while my husband dismantled the interior rivet by rivet and tried to learn how to restore it himself.

That didn't happen. Instead, after 4 years, we'd saved enough to have it taken to a professional, who kept it for another 1.5 years, working on it whenever we had enough money to take a few more steps. All the while we were pouring money into the Airstream, we worried that we were making a huge mistake. We'd only ever camped in a tent before. What if we didn't like "RVing"?

Fast forward to the present. We've had our Overlander back for almost a year now. We spent well over budget for an off-frame restoration, a swanky interior, and a gorgeous mirror exterior polish. We've been on 4 or 5 trips with it so far and WE. LOVE. IT. After our first night spent on the road, there was no turning back. We're hoping to someday make it our retirement tiny home (or at least that's what we tell ourselves to justify the cost).

The takeaway here? There's a reason that restored vintage Airstream owners are rare. We're by no means wealthy and yet we poured what funds we had into a dream we believed in. I'm here to report that it was worth every penny and every single sleepless night of worry. Hope you end up joining us!

[Muskie]

Yes I have been in similar shoes as you. My dream of restoration of a 59 tradewind came true, but it was a lot of work.
The way I soldered on, was help from this community, the VAP and a purpose that the trailer would supply. Also there are levels of standards that we individually have. Some restore to perfection, so much that they never finish and enjoy the thing because its always being worked on. Mine is still kinda beaten up, and I don't suffer from airstream pride complex [too much!] because of it. Its a completionist complex that i recognize also in myself. I got mine safe, comfortable and did away with plumbing, did a compost toilet instead, no sink, and use it with a camping boondocking mentality. So keep going with it and visualize how you want to use it.

[airstream 69]

We were in the same boat as you a few years ago. We have a young family and dreamed of travelling together in a vintage airstream. We first bought a 1965 17' caravel that needed extensive work and when we got estimates for repairs (including body work) we sold it (thankfully at a profit). We then bought a 1969 25' Tradewind. While it was ready to camp in, we just found that it didn't suit our needs and would have needed remodelling inside to accommodate us comfortably. We went to a lot of airstream rallies and realized that, while we originally dreamed of traveling in a vintage airstream, having something newer, wider and easier for all of us was the way to go. After a lot of searching, we now have a 2005 30' bunk model and absolutely love it.

We had to decide what our dream was. We originally thought it was to renovate an airstream for our family. But it turns out, that what we really wanted was an airstream that suited our needs and we could camp in right away.

It's just our suggestion, but with the money you will spend renovating that airstream you can find a newer one (late 1990s and 2000s) that will be ready to travel in and will accommodate your family better.