1980 Excella II "Rio" project

[Michelle]

Hello All,
I am starting a thread here to document the progress on renovation work for our 1980 Excella II, which we have named “Rio”. I am hoping to not only share what we are doing, but to gather information and suggestions from all of you who have already been down this path. Why reinvent the wheel right? It has been a dream of mine to own an older airstream for quite some time and who doesn’t like seeing a shiny box, traveling down the highway?…. (Rio was sure shiny in her ad, which had me hooked from the get go)
I cannot get too far into this thread without first acknowledging a few members here on this site. What a goldmine of information this site is, with so many amazing people. I am pleased I joined prior to my purchase. Without the knowledge of others who have already done this; I would have surely purchased a DUD, and almost did!
“Bubba L”, you were the first person to comment on a thread I started here, and encouraged me to pass on a couple duds, before stumbling onto RIO. THANK YOU! I’m so happy she wasn’t the “polished turd” we were suspicious of. I appreciate all the valuable information you have shared with me, and especially grateful to you and Stephanie for meeting Dave and I once we returned to Texas with our girl. I cannot believe there are people like the both of you out there, willing to help newbies like us, and assessing the inner-workings of RIO. Thanks for educating us, sharing your knowledge and giving us the list of suggestions, and all because “you love to do it”……YOU BOTH ARE TREASURES! I look forward to our inaugural trip to Inks Lake, and we will hold you to that Sir! We are so happy to call you friends. AND thank you for suggesting that I reach out to the next member……
Thank you to “Alumaholic” for on a moments notice, assisting Dave and I when we spontaneously decided to drive to New Mexico and take a look at what could have been a “polished turd”, but turned out to be THE ONE. To think you spent collectively, hours on the phone with two strangers, with the constant call drops. You armed us with an amazing checklist of things to look at, a list of “walk away” factors and provided us with the confidence to know enough to make a knowledgeable decision. The virtual inspection you assisted with goes above and beyond what anyone could have expected. Thank you to you and Sue for all the kindness, for checking on us multiple times, making sure we made it to NM and back home safely. My favorite part of that whole experience is remembering the excitement in both our voices when we discussed the great deal we just made in purchasing our girl, what a wonderful day! I hope to someday meet you and Sue, I really do!
AGAIN, thank you to both of these members for their knowledge, kindness, and assistance, we are eternally grateful!
I will end this first thread with pictures of RIO, from the first day we purchased and a few from the trip back home. The next post will start with our experience driving back to Texas and pictures of the inside, to include the laundry list of To-do’s we know we have to tackle. We are so excited to be on this new adventure, and cannot wait until this project is officially started.

[Michelle]

We found Rio in a RV Trader ad, listed as a 1980 “Excella”, The listing price was 24,900. As newbies we had no idea what the trailer was really worth, and knew we would need to make the drive from San Antonio to Albuquerque to get her if we were serious. After much discussion (with our two new friends from Air Forum), a virtual inspection, and an in person glance over (in 100+ degree heat), to include jumping up and down on the bumper, we were very comfortable paying the 15,000 agreed upon price. We do not believe this gentleman truly knew much about the trailer, as he stated he had a friend who owed him money (was his friends trailer), and was just trying to recoup some of what he was owed. He did not know this was an Excella II, since the hardware on the outside of the trailer had been removed. Regardless, he had a clear title, and was willing to provide as much info as he could, to include obtaining, and providing original manuals, service reports etc. To our knowledge Rio, had 3 owners prior to us, and was originally purchased in Tacoma WA, by a gentleman in Seattle. This gentleman traded a “ 17 foot 1965 Airstream” to get Rio, and had her for the next 10+ years, before selling her (All found in paperwork, that came with Rio).

We said a few prayers that we would make our 700+ mile trip back to San Antonio without incident and hit the Road. About an hour and a half into our journey home, we were in for a rude awakening. To make a long story short, the storage box, which was stuffed with way too many items, had emptied its contents onto the road through the bottom of the trailer, including dragging the electrical cord behind us for a while. Our hearts immediately sank, thinking we may have made a mistake in purchasing the trailer. We pulled over after seeing debris scatter and since we had no tools (yes, you read that correctly, we had no tools) we had to make an “on the fly” decision to attach the pan back to the bumper by wrapping and tying it with the electric cord. After we retrieved as much of the scattered debris as we could we were on our way again, with the ticking time bomb. Another few hours into our trip, passing through Farwell TX, we drove over a railroad crossing. The bump was too big for Rio who again lost her bottom (at the storage area in rear), but this time dragging further and far worse than before. Thank goodness this occurred a block away from a hardware store. Shout out to Farwell Hardware…The owners were so gracious and kind, true angels, they let us use their parking lot, provided all the tools needed to attach the pan back to the bottom of the trailer. The pan tore through the rivets, so Dave had to remove the rivets then replace with sheet metal screws and washers to re-attach the bottom (see lovely pictures below). Dave was a trooper and completed this task in 100-degree weather, I was certain he was going to have a heat stroke. The events did wipe us out, physically and mentally, prompting us to find lodging for the evening and delay our trip home by a day. The rest of the trip was without incident and we made it home. I felt a little embarrassed relaying this info back to our friends Bubba L, and Alumaholic, thinking that maybe we missed a big issue in assessing our purchase. I felt much better when both of these men relayed almost identical stories when driving their vintage trailers home…..Needless to say, this area of the trailer will need to be addressed and is on the laundry list of “to-do’s”
SO I guess this is common? How about any of you, do you have similar stories?

[Bubba L]

Thanks for the kind words. We’ve always found Streamers to be willing to help newbies and the experienced as well. Everyone on Air Forums was a newbie in the beginning. We’ve all leaned on the experienced newbies to gain knowledge and confidence. I certainly did and still do.
Now, when time allows, please post your laundry list so the process of suggestions can begin. Take care

[Michelle]

The list of to-dos is pretty lengthy, and of course, some of the cosmetics are not on my list and should be (counters, sinks, possible cabinet fronts, or total cabinet redo etc). List next, and in no particular order. Pics of the inside of Rio below, along with what I hope to achieve later.....
1. Axels
2. New Power cord to include making sure J-box, has 30 Amp wiring (looks sketchy)
3. Propane tank valves
4. Tankless water heater
5. Furnace (maybe, but may do an AC unit that also has heat)
6. Though AC works, would like to replace
7. Refrigerator
8. Fan above stove needs to be fixed
9. Windows, (Windows have rivets and or screws that have fallen between panes, after much discussion, it has been determined, some work has been done before as there should be no reason for them there, and the tint has crystalized. Next post will cover window pics)
10. Converter
11. 2 Batteries
12. Screens for outside vents (all)
13. Hoses/dump hoses
14. Address plumbing leaks (3 total)
15. Vinyl Paint for inside
16. Excella II Plaque replacement (2)
17. Stabilization Blocks
18. Back up camera
19. Hitch Stabilazation Unit (replacement)
20. Electric Jack (replacement)
21. Patch holes in under belly (a few)
22. Address the underbelly near storage area in back
23. Replace section of subfloor in bedroom near window and bathroom
24. If keeping Cabinets, De-grease entire area.
25. Convert back to twin beds (with optional extension for making one bed?)
26. Front seating/bed/table area (still deciding on what to do)
27. Bathroom redo, but may keep sink.
This is what I can think of at the moment, and I know this list will surely grow!
I have been looking at many pictures of what I like, vs. what I definitely don't like, and I know for sure I want a white interior, to include silver window framing,(see pictures below). I am not sure if keeping the cabinet frame and structure, with new door fronts is the way to go, or redo all together. Pics below, show our current situation (except futon and bed has been removed, since we are taking her back to two twins, as she originally had), Three pics at the end show what I really like!

[Michelle]

The windows had us stumped, so Bubba put me in touch with Robert from Vintage Trailer Gaskets. https://www.vintagetrailergaskets.com/
What a great guy, took so much time with me on the phone, explaining step by step how to address my window situation. Which by the way, his website explains step by step, with pictures and all.
Seems that a previous owner decided to place a rubber strip in between the window panes, screwing or riveting them in. They are all falling out, to include the window tint has crystalized, leaving a mess. This will be one of our first projects after our safety issues are addressed (axels). Within the first few minutes of speaking with Robert, I thought there would be no way I could do this myself, but by the end of the conversation he had me convinced that maybe I could. He estimates 8 hours total per window. YIKES! But I will keep pep-talking myself through it!. See below Rio's current window situation, and a few pics of what I want her to look like. I am curious if any of you have replaced the window casings on the inside, I really like the silver, and the roll out shade. Can these casings be painted if I decide to go white, or do I need a replacement?

[Lance M]

Hi and welcome! Congratulations on being a new Airstreamer! Nice trailer you got there. It is lots of fun and Airstreamers are great people.

Have fun with the upgrades and hope to see you on the road!

[Michelle]

Originally Posted by Lance M

Hi and welcome! Congratulations on being a new Airstreamer! Nice trailer you got there. It is lots of fun and Airstreamers are great people.

Have fun with the upgrades and hope to see you on the road!

Thanks so much, Im very excited to be here!
Michelle