Rust Everywhere!!

[dross85]

Hello everyone, new to the forum and also here with my new used 78' Sovereign. I'll keep it short and sweet as I know more questions will arise. I recently purchased the AS and have discovered a great deal of rot on the forward portion of the frame. The rear does have the bounce as you stand on the bumper as I've read this is another common issue. But as for the rust rot, how concerned should I be and should I be running for the hills? Or with a good welder, can this be repaired along with who knows what else is going on under the belly pans

[STREMN]

Hi - Welcome from New Hampshire! Glad to have you with us!

Looks like you've got a project in the works. Based upon the pictures you've posted those frame members look to be pretty eaten up. I don't have the skills to repair something like that, but putting it in perspective anything can be repaired. It all comes down to time, resources and determination.

There's some beautiful work that folks have put into restoring similar projects. So it can be done...just a labor of love. Only you know what skills or resources are available to you and that should guide your decision. There are examples here on the forum of others doing shell off frame rebuild/repair.

What does the rest of the frame look like or is this the worst of it? Whats visible in the photo's certainly needs more than a band aid to make it safe. If you plan on towing it down the road it'll need some attention.

You're in the perfect place for help! There are some really skilled folks who will probably share their thoughts with you.

I wish you all the best with your project!

Tom - S/OS #025

[dbj216]

Welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby. I am one who enjoys working on a dirty, smelly, rusty Airstream. While at it, I dream of how good I can make it.

I helped a friend renovate his 76 Sovereign a couple of years ago. It too had a rusty frame, just like my 75 Overlander did. The frames can be repaired good as new, or maybe even better. We evaluated our frame, we wire brushed it for a good inspection, we made notes of all the areas we needed to repair, we went and purchased structural steel like angle irons, channels, and flats. We also purchased new outriggers as needed as some of ours were quite rusty or broken. We hired a mobile welder and had at it. It took a day to complete all the welding. The total cost of our frame repair was in the $1600 if I recall correctly. Of course our labor was paid in "enjoyment hours".

Here is some scary pictures. But the Sovereign is as good as new now.

David

[dross85]

Thanks for the positive replies! From my first glance at the frame where I removed the rotten floor board, I noticed a few of the outriggers were also trashed. At the rear, its also sagging. As I start digging into it, I'll be anticipating more excitement After seeing the photos of your frame repairs, it gives me a sense of relief mine isn't junkyard bound lol

[dbj216]

Outriggers are rather expensive at about $30 each. There are left side and right side outriggers. There are forward and rear outriggers, there are wheel well fore and aft, left and right outriggers. And there are step left and right outriggers. We replaced about 8 of the outriggers on the Sovereign. I good fabrication shop with a CNC laser or water jet and a press brake can make them for less money I bet. We had a $15 quote, but the shop didn't follow through, so we cancelled and won't go back.

We cut the old ones off and welded new ones on in the same places.

Out of Doors Mart used to have a good description of the outriggers.

David

[dross85]

Originally Posted by dbj216

Outriggers are rather expensive at about $30 each. There are left side and right side outriggers. There are forward and rear outriggers, there are wheel well fore and aft, left and right outriggers. And there are step left and right outriggers. We replaced about 8 of the outriggers on the Sovereign. I good fabrication shop with a CNC laser or water jet and a press brake can make them for less money I bet. We had a $15 quote, but the shop didn't follow through, so we cancelled and won't go back.

We cut the old ones off and welded new ones on in the same places.

Out of Doors Mart used to have a good description of the outriggers.

David

From the outriggers ive seen in the forward section of the frame, only a few might be salvageable. Im cringing at the thought of removing the remainder of the floor board to see what waits for me there. Is there a template anywhere online for the outriggers if I decide to find a machine shop to fabricate the ones I need or are the templates what I have on the frame? Did you have any other major frame repairs to be made?

[dbj216]

I helped another friend with a 77 Trade Wind 25'. His frame was severely rusted in the front, which is rather unusual. He had two cross members we deemed unusable. We just replaced them with a 1x2 square channel at the top, and at the bottom (two separated pieces) and welded them to the frame. It seemed stronger than the original thin stamped cross members. He also had rust holes in the bottom of the frame channels, and we simply added a 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 angle iron welded to the bottom and to the sides of the frame rail.

My Sovereign friend had rear end separation pretty bad. And using the trailer unknowingly caused the frame rails to flop up and down like a politician's jawbone. This caused the axle mounting plate to buckle on the street side. The rear of the frame had about a 3" droop, or sag to it. We jacked up the rear of the frame rails and then heated the axle plate at the buckle and with a big hammer pounded it pretty strait again. We then welded a doubler to the axle plate to keep it stiff and strong. The frame rails stayed straight, and we welded in a new rear cross member, and made a new rear body hold-down plate out of aluminum. When we bolted and riveted the body to the rear of the frame, the rear end separation was gone.

We did this repair with the Sovereign body still on the frame. It is clumsy working underneath the trailer, but we got the job done. The fire extinguisher was at the ready at all times of welding. I believe there is nothing so severe on an Airstream frame that can't be repaired. But body damage is much more difficult and expensive to repair. If a tree falls on an Airstream, it is likely a total wreck.

Here is a photo of the street side frame sag.

David