Where to start - 73 Soveriegn

[damerritt]

I purchased at the beginning of March a 73 31' Soveriegn. My husband and I have been trying to decide what to do.

Here is the history on the airstream. This airstream has been setting for 10 years in a barn. During the 10 years something happened to the barn and it fell onto the airstream. I believe that someone used this as a storage area for all of there items that they did not want to get rid of. We have twin bed frames, and lots of other junk that we are going to be taking out and throwing away. Mice and Rats and who knows what else have been living in the airstream for the 10 years it sat in the barn. It has no couch in the front anymore. Side bath and double bed in the back. I guess my brother-in-law hooked up the electric and found out that everything works (I was not there to see it). I was very nervous that he did that because the the rat and mice problem. Not sure how good the floor is, the plywood is showing so we have to put some sort of flooring down. We have been thinking about it and think that we should just take everything out of it and start from there. Save what we can and replace what needs to be replaced. I think that the bathroom is in good shape.

Our main questions is where do we start? We do not have a huge budget to get this cleaned up. I am hoping that we can get it on the road to camp in next year. I don't think that we will be camping in it this year. I have already lost a month of fixing and cleaning because of other items that we have had to do.

We have a 5 1/2 year old son and we were thinking about putting a bunk bed above our bed to one side. Anyone done this before? This of course would be a temperary thing until we feel like he is old enough to be on the couch bed in the front of the camper. My husband and I don't like the idea of him being so far away in the camper. Any other suggestions?

[tphan]

The first thing most of us do is do any repairs it may need on the exterior, find any places rain may be leaking in, and eliminate them. This usually means new skylight lids, new window and door gaskets, and recaulking the skylights, windows, running lights, etc. Once you have made the shell absolutely weathertight and hopefully rodent-tight, you can do what you want to the inside and not be wasting your time. New axles may also be required. There are many, many threads that discuss these processes at length- click on the "Forums" tab, scroll down to the area of interest, click on that, and then start reading the pertinent threads. Have fun!

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by damerritt

I purchased at the beginning of March a 73 31' Soveriegn. My husband and I have been trying to decide what to do.

Here is the history on the airstream. This airstream has been setting for 10 years in a barn. During the 10 years something happened to the barn and it fell onto the airstream. I believe that someone used this as a storage area for all of there items that they did not want to get rid of. We have twin bed frames, and lots of other junk that we are going to be taking out and throwing away. Mice and Rats and who knows what else have been living in the airstream for the 10 years it sat in the barn. It has no couch in the front anymore. Side bath and double bed in the back. I guess my brother-in-law hooked up the electric and found out that everything works (I was not there to see it). I was very nervous that he did that because the the rat and mice problem. Not sure how good the floor is, the plywood is showing so we have to put some sort of flooring down. We have been thinking about it and think that we should just take everything out of it and start from there. Save what we can and replace what needs to be replaced. I think that the bathroom is in good shape.

Our main questions is where do we start? We do not have a huge budget to get this cleaned up. I am hoping that we can get it on the road to camp in next year. I don't think that we will be camping in it this year. I have already lost a month of fixing and cleaning because of other items that we have had to do.

We have a 5 1/2 year old son and we were thinking about putting a bunk bed above our bed to one side. Anyone done this before? This of course would be a temperary thing until we feel like he is old enough to be on the couch bed in the front of the camper. My husband and I don't like the idea of him being so far away in the camper. Any other suggestions?

Make a list of everything the trailer needs, along with the costs.

Being parked for a long time, would suggest that you will have a long list.

The beginning of the list would have gaskets etc, for the exterior, so that the trailer is leak free.

Andy

[DavidsonOverlander]

Welcome to the forums! You'll find a wealth of information here.

We're in a similar position. We bought '74 Sovereign in January. I started by pulling everything out so I could see where the floor is rotten. I've removed most of the belly pan, and will take off the rest soon. Right now I'm recovering from jaw surgery which has slowed me down a bit.

You'll want to start by making sure the floor and frame are solid. From what I've seen so far our frame is not too bad, but there are some outriggers that need to be replaced, and a couple of cross members. I'm going to weld them, paint the frame and then replace the whole subfloor. Then I'll at least know that I'm starting from a good base. It had recently replaced furnace and water heater, and I think the range can be fixed up. The fridge was missing but we bought a replacement on Ebay. I'm going to stick with the same basic layout for the bathroom and kitchen, except that we're going to add bunks in the rear bedroom and where the closets were across from the bathroom, and put in a permanent dinette up front. We don't want to have to be converting it to a bed as we've found that to be too much of a bother in the past, especially with some of us being early risers and the teenagers in the family wanting to sleep in. One of the things that I like about the '74 is that I can tear out the interior and not feel bad about it.

This is our second Airstream. Our first is a '64 Overlander. While we've camped in it extensively and hauled it about 30000 miles, we didn't really dig deep enough at the start to make sure it was fixed properly. We made a lot of cosmetic changes to it, built a dinette and replaced the appliances, but there was still a lot of work to do on it and with the four kids getting bigger we got to the point where it seemed to make more sense to put our time into a trailer that would better suit the needs of the size of our family, thus the move to the Sovereign. We're keeping the Overlander and will go back and do a more thorough renovation at some point. No regrets, it suited our needs for 5 years and gave us a lot of experience with Airstream repairs and camping.

So I would start by going right to the frame and making sure it and the floor are solid, then you won't be needing to go back later to fix things you should have done at the start.

[damerritt]

Thank you for the great tips and direction. We have discussed our strategy at length and your input is greatly appreciated. Our plan is flexible but I think ensuring the exterior is water tight is top priority. We do not have an enclosed space to complete the restoration so this will be number 1 (besides cleaning out). Then move on to the frame and figuring out this "grey tank" issue. I have had the pleasure of reviewing some threads with respect to investigating grey tanks and retro-fits. This appears to be a bit of a challenge but heck its only time and money. I have had my heart set on a Airstream for years and I finally got one. Luckily, we live near the RV capitol of the world and I found some great outlets for replacement parts. Now, I just need to clear my schedule for the forseeable future to get our Airstream on the road. You will hear alot from us as we will undoubtedly have tons of questions. Thank you kindly for the responses.

[damerritt]

Originally Posted by DavidsonOverlander

Welcome to the forums! You'll find a wealth of information here.

We're in a similar position. We bought '74 Sovereign in January. I started by pulling everything out so I could see where the floor is rotten. I've removed most of the belly pan, and will take off the rest soon. Right now I'm recovering from jaw surgery which has slowed me down a bit.

You'll want to start by making sure the floor and frame are solid. From what I've seen so far our frame is not too bad, but there are some outriggers that need to be replaced, and a couple of cross members. I'm going to weld them, paint the frame and then replace the whole subfloor. Then I'll at least know that I'm starting from a good base. It had recently replaced furnace and water heater, and I think the range can be fixed up. The fridge was missing but we bought a replacement on Ebay. I'm going to stick with the same basic layout for the bathroom and kitchen, except that we're going to add bunks in the rear bedroom and where the closets were across from the bathroom, and put in a permanent dinette up front. We don't want to have to be converting it to a bed as we've found that to be too much of a bother in the past, especially with some of us being early risers and the teenagers in the family wanting to sleep in. One of the things that I like about the '74 is that I can tear out the interior and not feel bad about it.

This is our second Airstream. Our first is a '64 Overlander. While we've camped in it extensively and hauled it about 30000 miles, we didn't really dig deep enough at the start to make sure it was fixed properly. We made a lot of cosmetic changes to it, built a dinette and replaced the appliances, but there was still a lot of work to do on it and with the four kids getting bigger we got to the point where it seemed to make more sense to put our time into a trailer that would better suit the needs of the size of our family, thus the move to the Sovereign. We're keeping the Overlander and will go back and do a more thorough renovation at some point. No regrets, it suited our needs for 5 years and gave us a lot of experience with Airstream repairs and camping.

So I would start by going right to the frame and making sure it and the floor are solid, then you won't be needing to go back later to fix things you should have done at the start.

What do you tow your Sovereign with? Our Uncle towed our 31' Sovereign to the place it is now for us. We are on the look out for a truck now. I think our uncle towed with a F250 and had no problem. My husband thinks that we need to go for a bigger truck F350. Any thoughts?

[damerritt]

Here are some pictures of our 1973 31' Sovereign.

[Aage]

I think that you will find that a F-350 is waaay too much for that trailer. The older ones were lighter, I think my '74 31' Sovereign is 5100 pounds.

I am looking for an F-150 with the tow package, which I feel will be plenty. Too much truck is hard on the trailer, it wants gentle treatment.

[DavidsonOverlander]

Originally Posted by damerritt

What do you tow your Sovereign with? Our Uncle towed our 31' Sovereign to the place it is now for us. We are on the look out for a truck now. I think our uncle towed with a F250 and had no problem. My husband thinks that we need to go for a bigger truck F350. Any thoughts?

I think an F250 would be fine, but we went with the F350 because we also want to use it with an Avion truck camper. We needed a full crew cab because we have 4 children, and a long box for the truck camper. We don't expect to use the Avion truck camper and trailer at the same time, although that would be cool to try.

I've read that the one ton trucks are more likely to cause frame separation. Our Sovereign already has signs of front frame separation (see photo), but that happened before we got it. I've only towed it about 400 miles. I don't know if the damage shown in the photo was caused by pulling with a one ton truck or not. A couple of lower panels have been replaced on the front curb side, that might have something to do with it. The axles also need to be replaced, which would put more stress on the frame.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Is a 350 too much tow vehicle???

First of all, your not trying to tow the Queen Mary, but you will be towing an Airstream trailer.

Next is a 250. It really is more than is necessary, a waste of money and equipment, at least to me.

A well equipped 150 provides all that should be reasonably expected.

Well equipped meaning a transmission oil cooler, a good rear end ratio, as well as a decent engine. Have it set up with a good load equalizing hitch, that has excellent ability to control sway, and your in business. Stay away from the high rating torsion arms.
Airstreams are very easy to tow, in part because of their aerodynamic design. You don't need a freight truck to pull it, or to control it.

Andy

[damerritt]

Thank you everyone for your comments on what to tow with. We have been tossing all of the factors on the airstream and the type of truck. But we have not made our decision yet. You all have brought up a bunch of good ideas for us to consider.

[somefun]

Welcome to Airstreaming! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with your project!

Originally Posted by damerritt

Then move on to the frame and figuring out this "grey tank" issue. I have had the pleasure of reviewing some threads with respect to investigating grey tanks and retro-fits.

I have a '74 Overlander, which was the first year with the gray water tank. FWIW, I almost never use it. I just leave the valve open and let the water drain into the common dump line. If I'm at a campground where there is no sewer hookup, and it's really obvious, then I'll use it. Otherwise, I hook up a garden hose to an adapter and run it into the bushes. I would definately use the gray tank more if it was bigger than 10 gals.

[Melody Ranch]

You can never have too much Pick Up/

(in this part of the Country)

[Dan@LED4RV]

Originally Posted by damerritt

Here are some pictures of our 1973 31' Sovereign.

I have done a fair amount of research and found one close to yours in year model but was not able to come to terms with the seller. I did look into a lot of things before I was going to commit and one thing I found.
You are going to want to get one of these before to take it on the road. You don't want one of those front wing windows breaking.

Tim

[memgrove2000]

In my opinion the need for the 350 ford is too much truck, if you are only buying the truck to pull the AS with. We have a 1998 Chevy z71 that pulls great! It is a 1/2 ton truck we have the weight distributing hitch with sway control and have never wish we had more. We haven't been through the mountains yet, may wish the truck was bigger then but might just be a gear thing. We are in Elkhart and travel the state parks in IN. and Mi. When you're ready we will meet you out there have fun! Mike

[damerritt]

Originally Posted by memgrove2000

In my opinion the need for the 350 ford is too much truck, if you are only buying the truck to pull the AS with. We have a 1998 Chevy z71 that pulls great! It is a 1/2 ton truck we have the weight distributing hitch with sway control and have never wish we had more. We haven't been through the mountains yet, may wish the truck was bigger then but might just be a gear thing. We are in Elkhart and travel the state parks in IN. and Mi. When you're ready we will meet you out there have fun! Mike

So I see you have a 1972 Sovereign. So what kind of restorations have you done on it? Did you find any of the supplies around Elkhart or did you have to buy online? I saw the picture of it. You have anymore pictures? Do you love camping in it? Is this your first AS?

[Aage]

Originally Posted by TimTom

I have done a fair amount of research and found one close to yours in year model but was not able to come to terms with the seller. I did look into a lot of things before I was going to commit and one thing I found.
You are going to want to get one of these before to take it on the road. You don't want one of those front wing windows breaking.

Tim

Sorry to go off-topic, but thanks for posting that link to the video on how to install the rockguard! I just bought one from Inland Andy and was thinking I would have to get it installed at an RV place, but that video makes it look fairly easy to do. Especially the trick in removing the hinge from the roackguard instead of trying to install it while it's on the main part of the guard.

Thanks!

[Jared129]

Originally Posted by memgrove2000

In my opinion the need for the 350 ford is too much truck, if you are only buying the truck to pull the AS with. We have a 1998 Chevy z71 that pulls great! It is a 1/2 ton truck we have the weight distributing hitch with sway control and have never wish we had more. We haven't been through the mountains yet, may wish the truck was bigger then but might just be a gear thing. We are in Elkhart and travel the state parks in IN. and Mi. When you're ready we will meet you out there have fun! Mike

I agree with Mike,

a one ton truck would be overkill, I tow our 76 sovereign with a 2000 1/2 ton Dodge and have never had much to worry about- as long as the truck is equipped properly things will be great- good luck!

[DavidsonOverlander]

Originally Posted by Jared129

I agree with Mike,

a one ton truck would be overkill, I tow our 76 sovereign with a 2000 1/2 ton Dodge and have never had much to worry about- as long as the truck is equipped properly things will be great- good luck!

I agree that our one ton is overkill, we just got it because we also plan to use it with a truck camper. I think the payload of the F-250 was only about 600 lbs more than the weight of the camper, which could be exceeded by the weight of passengers. If not for the plans to use a truck camper we probably would have settled on a 3/4 ton truck. I'm not sure that we would have found a half-ton that seats six, has an 8' box and would still have enough of a safety margin to pull the Sovereign. Besides, with 4 kids in the truck I'd rather have the extra margin of safety.

[memgrove2000]

Originally Posted by damerritt

So I see you have a 1972 Sovereign. So what kind of restorations have you done on it? Did you find any of the supplies around Elkhart or did you have to buy online? I saw the picture of it. You have anymore pictures? Do you love camping in it? Is this your first AS?

The 72 was purchased by my Grandparents in the early 70's after attending a Rally (their first, I think) in a smaller Airstream (60's vintage). On their way into town they saw this one at Trailer Town on Indiana 19 (if I dig I can get the dates and address as my grandfather recorded everything that was done with this trailer in journals) and traded up for the Sov. The trailer sat for many years at the lake (we used it as a spare bedroom) so the axles were shot ant the tires. Both have been replaced. (when you get ready to do your axles I will help IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL just a few extra hands HELP!) We have done some minor floor repair and tackled a Rear end separation issue, took it down to Jackson ctr. and had the frame stiffeners put in. We replaced the Air unit (bought on E-bay picked up here in town) Again no big deal if you have a fork lift to put the new on up with. (I have access to one when you are ready) I fabricated a bunk over the curb side twin bed for our 8 year old ( had to remove the cabinets but there is so much other storage we wont miss them). My grandfather cut out the shelf over the pantry in the tambour door to put in a microwave (we just changed to a newer unit now the tambour door close in front of it) We are currently re working the couch in the front for new fabric and repair some cracked plywood (if you have a front couch be careful to put your knees where the supports are I learned the hard way). We are in the process of resealing the weather stripping on the doors and windows (Jackson Ctr = 18 cents a foot salvage shop heard I was putting it in an AS and the price was 65 cents a foot) I picked it up while I was there for the frame work. We also got tired of chasing bad sockets in the marker lights so we replaced them all (surplus store on Bristol street). I don't recall how many and where I have replaced rivets but there have been a few!! We have used this Airstream throughout the process and do a little here and a little there. Clean yours get the rock guard on and get it on the road, You will find things you want to change and things you don't the only way to know is to use it! We have a summer planned almost every other weekend, most are one tank weekends (Fill tank before we leave and need gas when we get home). We have a great list of state parks that we like and feel they are controlled well. When you are ready I'll shoot you some dates where we will be and meet you there!! HAVE FUN, Mke