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Old 04-21-2017, 11:25 AM   #1
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1974 Argosy 22
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Grants Pass , Oregon
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Airstream virgin... first question :)

Hello!
We have just bought an Argosy 22 and are so SO excited to restore it. First up is the exterior and we are wanting to fix this broken piece in the back and of course remove these dents (the previous owner had a goat that would ram the corners because he didn't like the reflectors haha!)

Heres a few photos. Any tips, sources for replacing lights, door handle & broken bumper panel where the 'argosy' logo goes would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
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Old 04-21-2017, 11:27 AM   #2
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1971 25' Tradewind
1993 34' Excella
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Estancia , New Mexico
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Make sure to check out the condition of the axles. Torsion axles this old usually get stiff and need replacing.
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Old 04-21-2017, 09:02 PM   #3
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1974 Argosy 22
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Thanks! I'll definitely check on that
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Old 04-08-2018, 08:39 AM   #4
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1963 28' Ambassador
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Northern VT , Vermont
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lumatic View Post
Make sure to check out the condition of the axles. Torsion axles this old usually get stiff and need replacing.
Thats certianly 1st. Dents do'nt look that bad from the pics. Smooth dents can sometimes be pulled with a suction cup puller. Dents with a crease often can't, think I see one w/crease on yours. My experiance with those is remove the inside skin and push the dent out by hand. As for the lights find a pic of the originals an start searching the net. Door handle is gonna take some finnese. Looks like someone added a "plate" to attach that one. Probably some skin damage behind that plate, then you have the extra holes to hide where the plate is attached. If thats the case here's where you learn creative work arounds. Can't hide the damage & can't hide the patch. Example, saw that same situation on one. They used a piece of stainless, had there family name & state engraved on it reset a handle / lockworks. Nice touch, solved the problem, looked fine. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand due to the front & rear end caps Argosys need a paint finish. Heck of a lot easier to hide blems with paint than polished aluminum. Had a ****billy goat when I was a kid, used to do the same thing to me. High point of his day
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Old 04-08-2018, 09:03 AM   #5
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1972 Argosy 20
Snoqualmie , Washington
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Absolutely check out the axles! If you do replace them, consider changing the "down angle" of the new axles to raise your trailer up. As I recall 3" is common and you'll be glad you did.
Next, have you checked for rot and frame issues? If these two items need addressing you may need to work on them first to make sure the trailer is in safe, towable condition. You don't want to be going 60 mph in southern Utah and have the frame fail due to rust through.
As for the dents, somewhere on this forum is a thread where one of the members took a tire inner tube, a piece of plywood and a shop vac to pop the dent out of his trailer. He cut a hole in the center of the plywood just large enough to fit the hose from the shop vac, then placed the plywood over a slightly deflated inner tube and turned on the shop vac. Reported to have good results.
Regarding tail lights, I bought a set of larger tail lights and used a heat gun to carefully soften the plastic. This allowed me to curve the new tail lights enough to conform to the curve of the Argosy. They fit nicely, work great and look good.

Good luck, and keep us posted!
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Old 04-08-2018, 09:30 AM   #6
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1974 27' Overlander
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Congratulations! How's the interior look. If you're going to be pulling the interior skins, it'll be easier to pop/roll out those dents from the inside.

Do you have those missing exterior parts, or will you be looking for or fabricating replacements?

Edit: Just saw the date on the original post in 2017, and no updates since...
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Old 04-08-2018, 08:15 PM   #7
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Dang! Good catch Greatleys. Now if I could only figure out how to edit my posts
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Old 04-08-2018, 11:00 PM   #8
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1974 Argosy 22
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Thank you all for your tips! We haven’t even started yet but she’s our next project for this summer. Can’t wait!
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Old 04-08-2018, 11:08 PM   #9
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Laura... you have “squawked your ident”.... you must now give timely updates!!!

Have fun!!! Do it right the first time.
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Old 04-10-2018, 06:23 AM   #10
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Springville , Alabama
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An argy with a rear door- love it. Post a few more pics. Plz
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Old 04-10-2018, 06:31 AM   #11
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2014 20' Flying Cloud
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Dang! Good catch Greatleys. Now if I could only figure out how to edit my posts
You have about ten minutes to Edit.

That’s it!

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Old 04-10-2018, 07:26 AM   #12
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Morrill , Nebraska
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Don't spend the money on new axles until you are ready for travel.
I am sure you will have plenty of things to spend money on.
Look for my thread on dent removal using an inner tube.
Can't remember the title.
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Old 04-10-2018, 08:20 AM   #13
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Click on orange arrow in quote to go to that thread:

Quote:
Originally Posted by TG Twinkie View Post
Working from the outside.
Put 5'#'s or so of air in the inner tube. The tube in the pic is for a 15" tire. It is inflated enough to make it round and spongy.
Place the tube so that it encircles the dent.
Lay the plywood on the tube.
Connect the vacuum cleaner hose to the fitting in the plywood.
Press down on the plywood enough to get the tube to squash some.
Turn on the vac.
Picture the tube as the white filling of an Oreo cookie. The coach skin being one side of the cookie and the plywood the other side of the cookie.
I used a 16 gallon Craftsman vac with a clean filter. It has significant suction capabilities.
To test the setup. I laid the tube on the concrete floor of my shop (not smooth by any means). Laid the plywood flat on top of the tube. Connected the vac hose and turned it on.
The plywood sucked down, squashing the tube some. With the vac running I tried lifting the plywood off. It would not budge.
Thought to myself. "This might just work" and it did.
Hope this helps.
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Old 04-13-2018, 09:11 AM   #14
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Should be a fun project. Definitely address any rot/rust issues before dealing with body work. You want a stable platform or you will be doing things twice.
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Old 04-13-2018, 09:14 AM   #15
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Btw, come over to the Argosy trailer section and introduce yourself. We’ve got to stick together.
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Old 12-08-2019, 03:55 PM   #16
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1974 Argosy 22
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Thank you all for your replies. It has been a couple years since my first post and have finally gotten to the argosy this summer.

We ended up having to remove the entire shell with a gantry because the frame was badly bent! After the auto shop got her straightened out we have her all back together with new axels, tires and wiring! Hoping to be done by summer 2020

Right now I’m on the hunt for an ‘argosy’ name plate and a door handle and maybe an original oven! So excited and antsy to get her on the road!
Will head over to find the argosy forum
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Old 12-17-2019, 05:35 PM   #17
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1977 Argosy 24 Rear Door
Chesapeake , Virginia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laura88 View Post
Thank you all for your replies. It has been a couple years since my first post and have finally gotten to the argosy this summer.

We ended up having to remove the entire shell with a gantry because the frame was badly bent! After the auto shop got her straightened out we have her all back together with new axels, tires and wiring! Hoping to be done by summer 2020

Right now I’m on the hunt for an ‘argosy’ name plate and a door handle and maybe an original oven! So excited and antsy to get her on the road!
Will head over to find the argosy forum
I am doing an Argosy 24T Rear Door renovation also. I am just starting to built out the interior. I have been working on it since January 2019. Plan to be done in February 2020 Anyhow, I have the original Magic Chef range that I not going to reinstall. You are welcome to it but the shipping from the east coast may make it cost prohibitive.
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Old 12-17-2019, 11:26 PM   #18
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1974 Argosy 22
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Grants Pass , Oregon
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Originally Posted by ArgosyJeff View Post
I am doing an Argosy 24T Rear Door renovation also. I am just starting to built out the interior. I have been working on it since January 2019. Plan to be done in February 2020 Anyhow, I have the original Magic Chef range that I not going to reinstall. You are welcome to it but the shipping from the east coast may make it cost prohibitive.
so cool! I have not seen another rear door argosy besides ours! Thank you so much for you offer, I think we decided to skip the oven altogether since there’s not much space. I’d love to see photos. Do you have an Instagram? We have shared about ours a little on there @billyheartslaura
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Old 12-18-2019, 07:59 AM   #19
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Axles are the last thing to worry about. Many projects don't make it to completion so spending money on axles on a project you are not 100% certain you will complete is a waste of money. Good XL grade car tires will improve the ride a lot. Get the big stuff done then worry about the axles. If you are not putting 1000's of miles on it, chances are axles are not going to matter.



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