'74 Argosy oddities

[bkahler]

When I first got the little 74 Argosy 20' motorhome I just assumed it was the same as all the others. Well over the last several years I've been noting the differences between mine and others that I've seen.

So far I've found that mine seems to be the only one with an auxiliary fuel tank, the only one with an external access to the left rear under the sofa/bed and the only one that seems to have two exterior rear storage compartments below floor level.

I'm not sure but I don't think Airstream actually installed the auxiliary fuel tank although the installation was done fairly well. The tank itself seems to be made of something like 1/8" plate with the filler pipes being made from schedule 40 black pipe. The filler hatch does not match the typical filler hatch used by Airstream on the other Argosy and Classic motorhomes that I have seen. There is a switch on the dash to select between tanks and on the frame rail beside the original tank is a selector valve. The overall tank installation seems to have been nicely done. I think if Airstream had installed this tank they would have used either buck or olympic rivets on the access hatch installation.



The external access hatches seem to be unique as well. There is one large access hatch that provides access to the area under the couch where the water and electrical services are. I haven't been able to tell for sure whether Airstream installed this hatch but I'm guessing they did. I base that on the fact that the framework for the hatch looks like all of the others that I've seen in Airstreams. The main thing that baffles me about this hatch is the use of regular pop rivets instead of buck or olympic rivets.

The other two hatches are below floor level and provide access to a surprisingly large storage area. You can't put anything big and bulky inside because the hatches are so small but you sure can put a lot of small items in there



I'd be curious to know whether anyone has an aux fuel tank like this one and the exterior hatches. I believe this 74 20' to be one of the first Argosy motorhomes made but I could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time

Brad

[ViewRVs]

Brad,

Keep in mind that the Argosy motorhomes were basically the prototype units for the later Airstream units starting in 1979. I am sure there are all kinds of unique things that Airstream experimented with! Your 1974 was the very first year of the experiment!

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by 1985air345

Brad,

Keep in mind that the Argosy motorhomes were basically the prototype units for the later Airstream units starting in 1979. I am sure there are all kinds of unique things that Airstream experimented with! Your 1974 was the very first year of the experiment!

Fred, it definitely seems like a prototype in a lot of ways

Does your 20' have copper piping? I'm seriously considering replacing all of the copper piping with whatever the latest approved plastic piping is. All of the piping is along one wall of the motorhome and appears fairly easy to access. Basically I'd just like to start all over with the potable water system.

I'm also thinking about installing a larger fridge. The under counter one is just to small to hold much of anything. I would lose some counter space but that doesn't bother me as much as not having a decent size fridge.

Brad

[ViewRVs]

I have copper plumbing. My motto is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Not sure how big your fridge is. Here is a picture of mine.

[bkahler]

Fred,

I have never paid much attention to the pictures of the insides of rear bath 20' Argosies before. It sure looks like the cabinet that houses your fridge is taller than any of the cabinets in my front bath model.

My fridge was the under counter model (removed by previous owner) and I'm most likely going to redo the floor plan an little and lengthen the drivers side counter top so that I can slide the sink towards the rear about 3 inches or so and then install one of the 53" high fridges with a separate freezer. The 39" high units just don't hold much of anything.

Thanks for sharing the picture

Brd

[ALANSD]

Use PEX if you decide to replumb. Its great stuff. I bought the crimper and it paid for itself. Many threads on that stuff here.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

Use PEX if you decide to replumb. Its great stuff. I bought the crimper and it paid for itself. Many threads on that stuff here.

Am I correct in assuming 1/2" Pex is the norm for the trailers and motorhomes?