4CU 004 : 2009 FCU Vintage Restoration Rally

[jimmini]

Was there so much shinny aluminum at the rally that you could not take photos?

[Ambie '64]

Kris and I thank all of the people involved in putting this great rally together! Like those above me on this thread, I learned so much in the seminars, but the most important thing about restoring an Airstream is to not be afraid. There are so many great, knowledgeable experts willing to show the uninitiated tricks and tips saving hundreds of hours of frustration and the wise use of a budget dollar. Although I'm not quite the photographer that Levon is, these are some more shots around the park. For all of you thinking about next year, start planning today. Ken and the committee, thanks so much for organizing this event. My Airstream was in danger of a flatbed farewell, but now I'm going to get after finishing what I started. We might be attending next year's rally in an aluminum tent, but I learned the main thing is to get it back to being roadworthy.

Thanks again!

[Zeppelinium]

I left my shrinker/stretcher in the tent. Please find some Colorado person to take it home and I'll pick it up in June when I get back from Seattle. Kip or Shari would be good bets.

Zep

[flyfshr]

Yes you did and I believe Kip has it for you.

Nice to hook up with you again but I never did get a tour of your Airstream.

Next time.

Brad
FF

[Melody Ranch]

I will take REAL GOOD care of it. No rust on it when you get it back.

[Sheridan]

I had a great time and met a lot of nice folks which is reason enough to attend this rally but I felt the larger theme was knowledge. "Knowledge is power", a phrase I used to use as a librarian, was exemplified many times by the professional presentations, hands-on experiences, and the detailed, well organized reference literature given to each person. I overheard many people say that they now feel empowered to tackle jobs that they once thought were beyond them. Personally, I feel I can replace a panel, zolatone an interior, build a cabinet, wire my trailer, add a solar panel, polish faster and easier, and when I screw all these projects up, I know who to call.

Thanks Ken and all for a great experience.

[flyfshr]

This was one great rally. I learned so much and I didn't attend but a few of the seminars. Sure met a lot of great people and took a bunch of pictures. Now if I could just find my camera.

Brad
FF

[jimmini]

Nice photos.
Brad I hope you find your camera soon.Sure would like to see more.

[LHall]

We made it home last night around 7:30pm, we wish we could have stayed for the last day but unfortunately, work gets in the way sometimes. As always there are many to thank after such a sucessful rally. Here goes:

Ken - incredible job with everything I did not think you could improve on last year, but you surely did and we learned a ton once again!

Uwe - thanks for your inspiration to tackle things I could have only imagined a couple of years ago, and for spending time with us during the cocktail hours... and the wee AM hours.

Levon - thanks for the laughs and your undying optimisim; it was a real pleasure to be your neighbor.

Richard G - Thanks for caravanning with us and as always the tons of laughs. I will always treasure our moments in the monsoon winds high above your trailer installing all of those RIVETS!

Ron & Mark - We could not have had better neighbors, good times, laughs and great cocktails!

Jim - great job in keeping everyone fed each morning and fueled up with coffee. We enjoyed spending time with you and Rod.

Zep & Kip - Thanks for making sure we were able to replace the missing rivets around our door and for teaching us how to do this for the future.

Brad - Thanks for stopping at Meteor Crater for T-shirts!

Vendors - Thanks for sponsoring this great event and for your generous contributions to all who attended.

Finally, a huge thanks to all of the presenters who brought their wisdom and passion for their areas of expertise.

[azflycaster]

I just arrived home from the rally. It was a windy trip across I-40, but I made good time.

Thanks to everyone who put on this fantastic event!

I wish I could have seen more, but the Air Conditioner swap out took a lot longer then planned. Being on the roof of the trailer during a 50 MPH sand storm is not a lot of fun. Zep really saved my bacon on this one, thanks Roger.

And a big thanks to Uwe for buying all of my gas on the way home! You will have to ask him about that one...

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

I left my shrinker/stretcher in the tent. Please find some Colorado person to take it home and I'll pick it up in June when I get back from Seattle. Kip or Shari would be good bets.

Zep

We have it Zep, no worries we have our own so we'll just hold yours for you or get it to Kip, just let us know.

Great rally...thanks to all organizers & participants! We're still in Santa Fe...shopping & getting our fill of good food & 2-buck chuck.

Shari

[ArtStream]

What a great time!

Great info, great food, great time, great people...
Kudo's to Ken, Uwe, Jim and the complete cast of characters, thank you all!

I had a blast!

The scene at
Michael's Boondockers Cafe!

[VIKING]

I want to thank everyone for their hospitality and for all the great ideas. I learned a ton of things at the seminars and watching Uwe and the others working on the '58 in the tent. I will be making a much better Airstream because of them. All of my questions were answered to my satisfaction and I got to do some hands-on stuff like riveting. The Four Corners Unit put on a really well done event. Thanks to those who put out so much effort to make it happen. I had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing more of you next year.

Rich

[VIKING]

And a few more pictures...

[azflycaster]

With a rally this big, you get to see pleanty of other Airstreams on the road...

[Area63]

My 1958 Flying Cloud made the 900 mile trip home without a problem, all the work we did on it during the Rally held up well, despite the shell being held on with a handful of sheet metal screws. We did hit some hard head winds on I-40 in Arizona, and again near Palm Springs, CA.
I wanted to Thank everyone for coming and participating. And a big Thank You to Ken, Jackie, Jim, and all the rest of the organizing committee. We already have a few ideas on how to improve the experience for next year's event. One of them is to move it's time line out of the windy season into warmer and more stable May or June.
Another big Thank You to our corporate sponsors.
Bestconverter.com has sponsored the build of this Flying Cloud, and the FCU Rally with their new private label converter product, a fuse panel, Tri-Metric Battery monitor, and a pure sine inverter. The products were installed on a temporary board to show a typical RV electrical system including 12v and 120V circuits and wiring. later this equipment will be used and demonstrated in the Flying Cloud as part of it's permanent electrical system.
Fantastic Vent has sent me one of their roof vents to show installation and function of their product. We installed them during the Rally, and were able to show a typical application in a vintage Airstream. Ed showed pictures of how to adapt a true vintage aluminum roof lid to a modern fantastic vent during the installation seminar. Their low profile, flat lid models can barely be distinguished from an original Hehr vent at 10ft distance..
Airparts Inc. Sent us some Alclad to use during the skin replacement seminars. Thank you Airparts Inc!
Our very own Lewster sent us a battery for the demos, and a backup camera for the Raffle...Thanks Lew Farber and Master Tech RV Service!
Trailertiresandwheels.net have supplied 3 of their aluminum trailer wheels for the build of the Flying Cloud. Thanks to Scott and Sara! We travelled in great safety and style!
Vintage Trailer Supply sponsored the Rally with T-Shirts. Thanks, Steve!
I believe there was a free subscription raffled off from Airstream Life Magazine as well. Again, a big Thanks to all the sponsors, the committee members, and last but not least to the FCU for providing a great package for this fantastic annual event.

[Area63]

Originally Posted by LHall

Uwe - thanks for your inspiration to tackle things I could have only imagined a couple of years ago, and for spending time with us during the cocktail hours... and the wee AM hours.

Finally, a huge thanks to all of the presenters who brought their wisdom and passion for their areas of expertise.

Your Martinis simply rock! Who could resist...

I think that you summed up the presenters spirit best, describing it as wisdom with passion...Thanks!

[Area63]

Originally Posted by ArtStream

What a great time!

Great info, great food, great time, great people...
Kudo's to Ken, Uwe, Jim and the complete cast of characters, thank you all!

I had a blast!

The scene at
Michael's Boondockers Cafe!

Michael, Thanks for coming. Thanks for your generous raffle gifts! I felt that your presence and your Art has enriched the event tremendously. We hope to see you again next year.

[Area63]

I just realized that I was only able to take a handful of pics during the entire Rally. I would love for anyone that has pics of the events and happenings to send me pictures, large res, to my email address: salwender@sbcglobal.net
Or on a CD to the address on my website. I will gladly reimburse postage and cost of the CD.
With Your permission, i will use them in my blog, on my site and for my archive.
Thanks!!

[flyfshr]

Uwe ~

You have my camera so feel free to download the ones you like and use them at will. Thanks for being my traveling companion. Had an absolute blast.

Brad
FF