1972 27' Overlander Overhaul

[btasked]

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone is safe and well during these times!

I've been following these forums for about 18 months - about the amount of time that I've had my Airstream Overlander 27'. I purchased it and wanted to dive into right away, but got distracted by other house renovation projects. I'm finally starting to build a plan to tackle on the weekends in the coming months and wanted to kick off a thread to track my progress. Pre-work pictures are below.

A bit of background:I purchased the Overlander stripped down, but have all of the parts for templates as we (my husband and I) rebuild. The previous owner (or owner before that) also put new axles on and at the time said there was no rear end separation or if there was, it has been fixed. If you look at the pictures, you can see there is new wood in the back. We've also tried to check by doing the bumper test and looking at it, but have limited visibility without taking the bottom apart. The interior also hasn't been stripped down past the panels.

Initial plan:
- Do a final check for rear-end separation, at the back and also closer to the axles... even if it means lifting it and getting under it.
- Take down/preserve the panels (for cleaning and repainting) and re-do insulation and wiring for a solar set up. It feels like now is the time to do this if there ever was a time.

Does anyone have any advice for a first-timer and any "wish I would've known..." tips you could share?

Thank you,
Becky

[57Vintage]

I'd suggest dropping any access panels/tanks in the belly pan and get an idea if there are any frame issues to deal with. If part of the sub-floor has been replaced you want to make sure any frame issues were dealt with then. If only for your own piece of mind.

[Wall.E]

Hello! I had someone do a check over my Overlander and he suggested that the first thing to do is check underneath. So, remove the bellypan and see condition of everything. If it's in rough shape you will need to remove everything and fix this first otherwise you are wasting your time. So, my guy won't look at it until Spring so I am on the hunt for some one else. We have no room to do it ourselves (I am in a townhouse with tiny garage. ).

[Hittenstiehl]

Welcome.

18 months of reading is a great start. I voraciously read here also. Even threads I know nothing about hoping some of it will stick.

Your floor looks pretty good and looks like it's seated under the shell/channel. As 57 said you may as well drop that dirty belly pan before you start the interior. You will be able to clean out critter condo habitat, assess your frame, your tanks, some plumbing, your 12 volt circuit breaker, the insulation and the bottom of the floor.

Wear the big over goggles to keep your eyes safe as well as long sleeves. Drive it up on some 2 x 10 ramping to give yourself some working space underneath.

[Camper Crazy]

Welcome, and nice to see the pics of your exciting project. It looks like it's in pretty good condition; hopefully the frame is in good shape throughout. I recoginze the same lovely wall covering in your bathroom area that I had in mine. When I removed the "wall paper" I used orange oil to take the wall covering residue off of the textured wall in that part of the trailer. It was extremely effective and made short work of that job.
I look forward to following your progress and good luck.
CC

[OilnH2o]

Looks good... from the pictures!
If you already don't know...
- the long pieces (the panels on the ceiling, etc) usually have to come out/go in through either the front or rear windows.
- if you have cloudy or compromised seals between your double-pane windows, especially the two curved windows on the front... don't break them! The curved front ones are hard to find and usually a hefty price (100's, even more) if you can find them. Plus, single pane will result in more condensation in colder weather.
- while you should modernize your wiring/electrical - adding USB/C ports, etc - try to avoid the newer stuff that adds parasitic drag. Sure, you can add extra batteries, but I'm amazed at how few days of boon docking newer Airstreams get because of all the stuff that is always "on"
- if you can figure out how to keep (refurb) your cooktop/oven and dual propane/electric fridge you will be able to go anywhere, longer (with one or the other power source) off the grid.
- I haven't done it but there are others who have added/increased capacity in tanks - black/grey/fresh - while "you are there." And if you are in the back end, take the opportunity to replace your dump valves even if you don't replace tanks.

Good luck! Take us along for the ride!

[dbj216]

WhoooWee, what a project. Maybe you've been working on it this last year. I have a 75 Overlander 27' that I renovated. It had all the well known problems with these seventies trailers, but that all can be resolved making the trailer into a quite comfortable travel trailer. See photos below.

The advice given here is right on. Jack up the trailer, remove the wheels, and inspect the axles, then remove the old belly pan. Rake out the stinky old insulation. Drop the waste water tank pans. I doubt that your trailer has a grey water tank. My 75 did, but it was a whopping 10 gallons. Not near enough. Now inspect the frame from front to back. Identify any rust outs, cracks, bends and the like. Figure out what is needed to repair it.

Repair any rot outs in your subfloor.

With a good foundation, you can start planning and completing the renovation. It all takes lots of time.

Press on regardless.

David