I'm an Airstreamer. the '73 TW is home

[moparjohn]

Well, she's a 73 not a 72, kinda thought a 72 sounded cooler, but what are the differences anyway. She pulled home with no effort or trouble. Tommorrow begins the cleanup/inventory/what she needs day. I hope the pic loads. MPJ

[moparjohn]

here is the kitchen

[Kevin245]

Glad to hear your trip was successful. The first picture looks good. Keep us posted on your findings.

Good luck,

Kevin

[moparjohn]

here we go

[moparjohn]

here's four more

[moparjohn]

some more shots

[wasagachris]

Welcome to the 73 club. Your model with the rear bath is often subject to rear end seperation because of the weight back there. Search in frames for this subject and read what has been done. The only way to know how bad things are is to drop the belly pan. My 73 excella 31' looks great on the outside. I just dropped the pan and found that the entire frame needs to be rebuilt. Both my main frame rails have rusted out. I now need to pull the shell off the frame and build a new one. It was not what I wanted to do when I started renos but can't leave it like this. Your A/S looks to be in great shape. You are very lucky to have original zip dee awning in good shape. I just spent $3000 for new zip dees all the way around (3 in total). Good luck with your new baby.

[wasagachris]

Hi John I have attached this floorplan for your trailer. Hope this helps you find everything.

[aircooled4]

NICE...very clean trailer..doesnt look like its going to need much done to it!

[blmitch5]

It looks like it's in great shape! Congrats!

[Tom Nugler]

Nice looking unit. Looks ready to go.
As wasagachris mentioned take a look at the rear end for a gap between the bumper cover and shell. If you can, check if you can see the floor behind the bathroom storage compartment. If there is any wetness or funky wood back there address that problem first.
Good luck, enjoy your new TW. We do,

Tom.

[Splitrock]

Looks nice!

[bolerama]

Let the camping begin! She looks great. Congratulations!
Lisa

[moparjohn]

Thanks for the kind words and welcome!. I had a chance to investigate more after she was home yesterday:

The Bad-
Small floor rot by entry door (6"x12")
more rot under new fridge
lil more rot under bath sin cabinet
2 tambour doors in bad shape
one front window has moisture trapped in between panes
one shylight/roof vent poorly sealed/patched (might have leaked)
dinner table has some rotted wood on the mount that attaches to
wall where hinge is
front pull out couch is loose from front wall, can not use with flip
over, looks like 2 srews hold it to front wall. will fix with better
mount to floor
Vista views have peeling uv coating
battery does not hold charge
little almn. "rot" just starting on rear over bumper 2 small specks
needs a door seal

[moparjohn]

The good

She is almost all original inside
New fridge/freez
found the original couch fabric on armrest (see pic)
hope to get something close to re-do couch in
no floor rot in front window area, or in front of toliet/shower
fiber optic side marker (driver side) works!!
full awnings, good sahe work good
body has fair shine, should wash up nice, till I get to polishing
all good glass, all windows work
no rips in screeens
oven clean, includes original broiler tray
all tambour door insert trays there, and in good shape
newer fresh water tank
new tires
stereo works
has a vintage CB, probably will remove
no oders/ bad stains, will clean up nice

[Chuck]

rear-end separation isn't a big problem in this model; its usually the much longer trailers (the looooong rear overhang from the axles). Then, later in the 70's, they added grey tanks (more weight) which exacerbates the issue. But you can still have floor rot along the back edge; its not what's in front of the toilet thats the likely problem--its what's behind it, and its really hard to see from inside the trailer.

The other areas of rot might be from leaking roof vents, or more likely, that old antenna. Check those thoroughly to find the source of your leaks. The non-aluminum base of the antenna corrodes, being in contact w/ the aluminum skin. The o-rings on the crank shaft deteriorate, too, and water comes pouring in right down the shaft. mine was too far gone to fix, so I just removed it and patched the hole.

[wasagachris]

John Welcome to owning a 70's airstream. They seem to be an aluminum can of worms. The more you open the more problems you find. Most is easily repairable but takes some time.

The Bad-
Small floor rot by entry door (6"x12")- You can try 2 part epoxy to fix google Rot Doctor to find info
more rot under new fridge Ditto
lil more rot under bath sin cabinet Ditto
2 tambour doors in bad shape Depending on problem they can be repaired or replace material
one front window has moisture trapped in between panes Replacements available repairs are very tricky and gaskets not available
one shylight/roof vent poorly sealed/patched (might have leaked)Parts available also reseal vent pipes on roof
dinner table has some rotted wood on the mount that attaches to
wall where hinge is Rot Doctor or replace wood
front pull out couch is loose from front wall, can not use with flip
over, looks like 2 srews hold it to front wall. will fix with better
mount to floor I used hollow wall anchors (butterfly type) to secure mine to wall
Vista views have peeling uv coating Repairable most people remove inner plexiglass pane I repaired mine and reinstalled inner pane
battery does not hold charge Check water level and fill fill distilled water and try again to recharge
little almn. "rot" just starting on rear over bumper 2 small specks If you mean aluminum rot on rear wall there will be more under lower beltline there is a steel holddown plate inside the rear wall and steel and aluminum mixed with water leaks cause major corrosion
needs a door seal Parts available
A lot of the parts you will need are avilable from Inland Rv in California or from Out Of Doors Mart on the East Coast. Vintage Trailer Supply is aslo good for parts.
I suspect that you have alot more floor rot than you think and if the floor is that bad the frame, crossmembers and outriggers will be rotten too. You won't know until you drop the belly pan and banana wrap. Don't ask me how I know.

[68 TWind]

Job one is find all the leaks and stop them. Check all the vent stacks for leaks, my TW had rotten floor under all 3. No need in doing a lot of work til you get the leaks stopped. There is a wealth of info you can search here on the forums about sealants, etc.
Inland RV or Vintage Trailer supply have replacement door and window gaskets. The areas of rot you found are "classic" so don't feel bad. Check your axles before any long trips.

[moparjohn]

Well, I've had her 5 days, It took me two days to properly clean the outside, washing and scrubbing the dirt, mildew off with a brush, she came out really nice. The only leaks I found (so far) is the door side Vista view, and the door itself. I started today on the interior walls/ceiling, with spray nine to see how it would clean up. It looks like all the walls will be a brighter white when done, only the curved bathroon ceiling did not "clean up". I am running the A/C when I'm in the trailer, it's hooked up to an outlet in the garage, and it blows the circut breaker every now and then, also the fan/light combo goes on-off-back on too! (not at te same time/ or in unison) any tips? MPJ

[moparjohn]

Another thought in my head is, to do it right, how much of the trailers insides come out to put in new carpet? MPJ