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licoricewhip · 09-03-2018, 11:53 PM

Hey guys. My mom in law bought a 1977 overlander for $1000 and is asking me to renovate it in exchange for getting to use it as much as I want. I was pretty worried about what a $1000 airstream looked like. To my surprise it seems like it’s actually in pretty nice shape externally, but obviously needs a ton of work.

The first thing I plan to do is replace the axles with a full axle / brake kit.

Then I plan on pulling out all the cabinetry and prepping to tear down to the subfloor and imagine I’ll be replacing that as well. This is where I’m pretty worried.

I’m seeing a good amount of videos where people encounter enough rust to lift the shell off for major welding or complete replacement of the frame. I have a house with a 2-3 car driveway and no yard that would allow a monstrosity to cherry pick the shell off the frame, so if I encounter rusted frame, it’ll have to be something that can be fixed with the shell still attached.

I guess my question is, how often do you guys see situations that require completely lifting the shell off? I checked out a good portion of the underside of the frame and there is what appears to be very superficial rust and some gouges in the belly, but nothing that I’m seeing that looks cancerous.

I’m also in rainy, rainy Portland, Oregon so I feel like my chance at rust is maybe greater than average? I really know nothing about this RV’s history. Based on the inside it’s lived a hard life, but still came out pretty straight and looks like it has potential.

Just thinking out loud and hoping someone can post some thoughts.

TG Twinkie · 09-04-2018, 07:07 AM

The axles should be WAY AT THE BOTTOM of your list.
Sounds like there will be plenty of time for axle replacement.

kidjedi · 09-04-2018, 07:22 AM

You might consider renting a garage bay for one month (especially in the autumn in Oregon). Building a gantry to lift the shell is "easier" than one might think. Once you do that and can *really* check and fix and paint (por15) the frame, you will have that peace of mind going forward with your build.

licoricewhip · 09-04-2018, 09:43 AM

Thank you guys for the replies. I agree, sounds like axle replacement should be far down the list, and will be factored into overall project costs when discussing with my mom, but I'll assess this thing further to make sure it doesn't have any catastrophic levels of rust.

So can you guys tell me this... say I go in and start to gut this thing... all cabinets and panels removed, subfloor removed, and I look around and see only superficial levels of rust on the frame, but nothing cancerous. Would it be fair to say at that point, "I don't think I need to lift the shell off and I can work with this", or is building a gantry the only safe option?

I'm asking because I have two young kiddos and a crazy busy work schedule, and while my wife is encouraging me to take on this project for mom, I just don't see renting a garage and building a gantry an option if I want to avoid my wife leaving me for a better man.

rugjenkins · 09-04-2018, 10:27 AM

Pull the banana wraps on the front and back. This will give you a look at the frame where most of the issue that are common on these campers. If fine move on and start the interior.

licoricewhip · 09-04-2018, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rugjenkins

Pull the banana wraps on the front and back. This will give you a look at the frame where most of the issue that are common on these campers. If fine move on and start the interior.

Is the banana wrap the angle where the sides of the shell meet the bottom? I'm doing a google image search and see all sorts of photos. Thanks much!

rugjenkins · 09-04-2018, 10:56 AM

Banana wraps are the pieces at the corners where the shell and belly wraps or belly pan meet.

kidjedi · 09-04-2018, 11:14 AM

Banana wraps are the pieces of sheet in the four corners where the sides wrap down to meet the belly.

It's quite possible that you don't need to restore the frame, but you won't be able to tell for sure without looking at all of it from underneath. So if there are places where you can't see the frame, you will never know!

Belegedhel · 09-04-2018, 11:22 AM

In order to replace the subfloor, you will need to completely remove the belly skin (and banana wraps). You can do this in your driveway. Once the belly skin is removed, you will be able to assess the condition of your frame and make a decision as to how much repair work is needed, and whether you need to remove the shell or not. Do this before you start tearing out the interior, as you may want to reconsider the entire project.

My opinion is that practically every trailer of this age is going to need a floor replacement and frame repairs, especially if it has spent its life in a wet environment. Whether you do the work with the shell on, or remove it is up to you, but I feel like trying to do that work without removing the shell is doing it the hard way.

Make no mistake, rebuilding one of these trailers will take more money than you budgeted, and more time than you imagined possible. It is a major undertaking and could last years.

good luck!

adobehome · 09-05-2018, 09:29 AM

We bought our '62 GT gutted with most of the floor replaced and belly pan off. PO cut 4" of aluminum from the bottom of interior walls to replace subfloor. But, some steel supports under floor needed work. We pulled the newish floor, did the repairs, painted all of it with POR 15, put new Coosa panels in for floor and put 4.5" strip of aluminum along bottom of walls to cover opening. All of that is behind cabinetry, anyway. This method is a way to avoid frame/skin off repairs.

Lumatic · 09-05-2018, 09:41 AM

I have had about 6 70s Airstreams and they were all solid enough not to have to do any frame repair. But, I live in the southwest.

You could get hold of a fiber optic scope to check out the frame condition without any disassembly. Surface rust is normal.

licoricewhip · 09-05-2018, 12:40 PM

Thank you guys very much for the replies. It's all stuff I'm going to relay to my mom to prep her for what may be entailed in getting this thing serviceable.

So I'm going to attach a bunch of photos and I hope you guys can give some feedback. There was a person living in this thing before my mom bought it... What I'm curious about is if you guys can get a sense of how severely wrecked this thing is. Some things I'm seeing:

The door is crooked, which I think I can fix based on tutorials
Only one stabilizer is functional. One is bent, one is halfway torn out, and one is completely torn out.
The stair leading into the cabin is halfway torn out
Lots of exposed pex, plumbing, half assed cabinetry and ghetto mods

I know that this is going to be a major gut job, and my plan would be to remove all the skins, tear out all the electrical and plumbing and redo it. But can this trailer reasonably come back from the damage that it has underwent, or is this likely to be a disaster?

Scale of 1-10, 10 being extremely challenging to fix, how bad does this thing look on the surface?

licoricewhip · 09-05-2018, 12:43 PM

And some more photos...

Belegedhel · 09-05-2018, 01:04 PM

Doesn't look so bad--I've definitely seen worse, and for a much higher asking price.

At a glance, I would say your biggest challenge will be getting the door straightened out so that it seals all the way around. The door frame is an aluminum extrusion and has probably been broken.

The stair step will be similarly challenging, as you won't be able to fix it without a bunch of disassembly of belly skins in that area, and the reason it is likely so jacked up is that the outriggers that the stairs mount to have likely disintegrated and will need to be rebuilt. You will have to disassemble all of this to do the floor replacement anyway, so do all of that at the same time.

The stabilizers are superficial. Just buy new ones. its and investment of $100 or so, which is pocket change compared to what the total renovation will cost.

Don't make the renovation any more difficult than it has to be. It is easy to say "as long as I'm here..." So if the floor is mostly in good shape, then replace the rotten section rather than the whole thing. If there is nothing wrong with the wiring, don't rip it all out and replace it.

good luck!

Lumatic · 09-05-2018, 01:07 PM

The rust that shows in open of the photos looks kind of average.

Someone has done some work on the interior that looks pretty good to me. Obviously there are other areas that need attention.

The door can probably be taken apart and straightened.

New stabilizers are available.

The 10K price would be high for a trailer to be gutted. 10K would be typical for a trailer that had some restoration.

From the photos I don't see a total rebuild is necessary, unless you want to. If you do it is going to cost you thousands and adding the purchase price you won't recover your "investment".

You could buy a separate entry step from Camping World, or other sources.

licoricewhip · 09-05-2018, 05:07 PM

Thanks guys. I'm happy to hear that what is currently being seen isn't catastrophic appearing. For what it's worth, this was a $1,000 buy, not $10,000. I will only replace what needs to be replaced, though one of the appeals about removing all the interior skins and subflooring is replacing the insulation since I hear the stock stuff is no bueno.

Thanks again guys, and if anyone else has any feedback on the jalopy as a fixer-upper, I'm all ears!

Lumatic · 09-05-2018, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by licoricewhip

Thanks guys. I'm happy to hear that what is currently being seen isn't catastrophic appearing. For what it's worth, this was a $1,000 buy, not $10,000. I will only replace what needs to be replaced, though one of the appeals about removing all the interior skins and subflooring is replacing the insulation since I hear the stock stuff is no bueno.
!

$1000 got it. I misread.

What makes you say " I hear the stock stuff is no bueno"? Airstreams are 3 season trailers and you can only get so much R value in a 2" wall no matter what you use. You might do a search on "reflectix" insulation as an add on along with paneling or fabric covering. I did this on my 71.

Why are you considering replacing the subfloor? Are there large areas of rot? Sounds like you are talking about a lot more than "only replace what needs to be replaced" You are talking about doing a complete interior disassembly.

Joyflea · 09-05-2018, 05:46 PM

Looks like a nice trailer . Strip off the belly pan after you strip out the inside . When you get it stripped look for rot in the floor , bath , door area and any where there might be a leak . You can go to my tread below . I’m doing exactly what you are doing by my self . Had to fix the frame and axels and replace all the floors . It’s a lot of work but very satisfying. Good luck and have fun . Ask anything you need help on . Blue

57Vintage · 09-05-2018, 09:35 PM

Using a scope through the existing holes in the belly pan would be a start. I'd also recommend taking down the belly pan/supports for any under floor tanks to check their condition and the frame in those areas. The rear separation check will also help you. (Have 2 friends stand on the rear bumper and see if the frame moves away from the rear skin.)

See what needs repair, prioritize, see where the budget takes you.

More photos as you go will help.

licoricewhip · 09-06-2018, 12:41 AM

Fortunately I do have a flexible scope that I think might work (an $80 Rigid cheapy from Home Depot, but might do the trick?). So it sounds like I should put this into any of the belly holes and look around, and also remove the banana wraps to view from there as well, yes? The banana wraps should be as easy as drilling out the pop rivets from below and bending the skin back a little?