1957 Airstream

[Mitch54]

Hold that thought, looks like one of my friends said he would let me use space in his commercial garage just to store it and work on it as I go, I may pursue that path.. I mean, its better than sitting open in that field right?

[robwok]

Definitely.

[reinergirl]

My advice, hang onto it! That's a sweet trailer. They are only getting rarer as time goes by. Stored under cover, even if you do nothing to it , it will appreciate in value. Trust me, you let this go now ....you will kick yourself in the future.

[Rick56Safari]

First off, if you haven't already done so, give him the 1000 dollars. Second, Do not tow it put it on a trailer and carry it to wherever you plan on doing the restoration. The axle is probably fine but the brakes, being so old probably are all resting at the bottom of the wheels. New tires too, don't try to pump up the flats the rubber is so old they won't hold air. Buy it, put it on a flat bed and tow it home and enjoy. By the way, we have a 56 that I drove home from Ventura CA with no brakes and a defective dead man's switch. We still have it and just had it restored and we love ours.

[Becky B.]

Originally Posted by Rick56Safari

First off, if you haven't already done so, give him the 1000 dollars. Second, Do not tow it put it on a trailer and carry it to wherever you plan on doing the restoration. The axle is probably fine but the brakes, being so old probably are all resting at the bottom of the wheels. New tires too, don't try to pump up the flats the rubber is so old they won't hold air. Buy it, put it on a flat bed and tow it home and enjoy. By the way, we have a 56 that I drove home from Ventura CA with no brakes and a defective dead man's switch. We still have it and just had it restored and we love ours.

He already towed it home.....previous posts......

[Mitch54]

Quick question guys, where do you get aluminum sheets for fixing panels? And also what types of rivets do you use? Where do you buy supplies? I know I can get my plywood and sealants from out local builders supply store but what about the more airstream related things?

[Becky B.]

Vintage Trailer Supply is a great source for all things Airstream related. There are three kinds of rivets that are used in restoration work. Bucked rivets (that's what are all over the outside of your trailer), pop rivets (that's what are used inside, generally) and Olympic rivets. They are used when you can't get to the back side of a rivet to buck rivet it, but still want the appearance of a bucked rivet. They are not as structurally sound as a bucked rivet, since they are thinner on the back side. Use the google search button on the top bar of the site & google all three. You will find examples of all three. I got some aluminum for my trailer from Aircraft Spruce, but there are other suppliers that others may chime in about. Where do you need to replace a sheet? Inside, or outside....it makes a difference.

[Mitch54]

Inside and outside, it's not really necessarily that it's needed but I would like to use a few pieces on the belly to overlap some holes and I would like to maybe do the interior with a 1/2 aluminum modern look and the other half a thin wood look.

[Becky B.]

If you're just covering up holes in the belly pan, it doesn't really matter much what grade of aluminum you use....I got mine from an RV surplus store...it was extra from the exterior of a white box trailer (except it was grey, not white!). The new pieces I used on the interior were from Aircraft Spruce. It's more $, but you want it nice for your interior panels :-)

[Mitch54]

Thanks for the info! I removed the front floor last night after carefully removing the couch to ensure it didn't break, and guess what, found and old squirrels nest and a nest of carpenter ants,.. Bug bombed the Airstream hopefully. that will take care of them.

[Becky B.]

Your belly pan & wall interiors most likely have more of those treasures inside. That's a very strong reason to drop your belly pan & take your interior walls out :-). You'll have to rewire & reinsulate anyhow, and getting rid of all the nastiness is the fun part! Lol!


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[Mitch54]

Does anyone know what the thickness is of the plywood used on the floor in A 57 Caravanner? I've heard 5/8, 1/2, and 3/4, take a look at what condition underneath my front floor was in ...

[pbearsailor]

Originally Posted by Mitch54

Does anyone know what the thickness is of the plywood used on the floor in A 57 Caravanner? I've heard 5/8, 1/2, and 3/4, take a look at what condition underneath my front floor was in ...

Attachment 224437

My trailer which is just like yours had 5/8. I replaced it with 3/4.

If you have to replace the belly pan which is likely, you'll find that it will be wrapped over the C channel inside the walls. The factory put the belly pan on first with the frame upside down and then flipped it and dropped the shell on. It's one of the most difficult things to deal with on this vintage.

Cheers,
Steve

[57BB]

Please look up making a template before you rip up too much more of that floor. Making the floor template now will save you a ton of heartache later. Also they probably use .025 thick aluminum for the belly. It's a bit thin and wears out faster. Replacing the entire pan is wise, save all of the original pieces to use as patterns.

Check out this blog for lots of great tips:
http://frankstrailerworksblog.blogsp...inued.html?m=1

This is a current project just scroll through the archives and you'll see lots of helpful posts


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[Mitch54]

Added a few supports to the front frame, going to add an outrigger or piece of angle iron to the front left side due to the fact it didn't have one because of the water tank drain drop,

[Mitch54]

[Mitch54]

What do you guys think about replacing the old running lights with LEDs instead of the original type running lights

[m.hony]

Are the LED's available with a lens that resembles the original lenses?

[blkmagikca]

Originally Posted by Mitch54

What do you guys think about replacing the old running lights with LEDs instead of the original type running lights

Just about any automotive incandescent bulb would have an LED replacement, which may or may not fit. You might want to contact Dan at led4rv - LEDs 4, Recreational Vehicles He had replacements for all the lighting on my 1987 Excella.

I can tell you that having made the change to LED's, I have crisp flashing of signal lights and nice bright marker lights, plus I no longer have to run around the trailer tapping on the lights to have them make contact because of corrosion. As well, the current drawn is far less, so less stress on the TV's flasher and switches.

[Mitch54]

Progress on the floor, it will be treated with water sealer also, I screwed and glued the floor, and after using 3/4 plywood the floor feels as hard as concrete..