If you read enough restoration threads, you'll find comments about braces being "cut to size with a hatchet" and other assorted design flaws in even the hoariest of Airstreams. Wally is dead and has been for a long time.
Even while Wally lived he was in business to make a profit. Still, you can bet that any trailer he owned was better made than any he sold. The reality today? These trailers are still hand built - and hand built in a world where 21st century robots could do a better job of riveting than the best humans. Wally built trailers for people who drove 40-50mph. That isn't our world at all is it? Stuff does shake loose. And yes, there ARE a lot of inappropriate screws used too! Centramatics ARE probably a great idea to reduce vibration.
Everything takes maintenance. Take a look at the great pyramids of Egypt... and take a look at 100 year old photos of them... you'll see that their decay is accelerating - polution and vandalism.
I bought refrigerator bars... which BTW work in overhead cabinets too. I got the little childproof hooks at IKEA and put them in every drawer, cursed at them horribly for a week, then it became habit to use the thumb the same way I do on the refrigerator door.
Loose screws? The Elmer's glue and toothpick trick does work well, and if you don't have a wooden toothpick, saturate a little piece of paper towel with the glue, cram, and screw.... any wood by-product like paper should work on MDF shouldn't it?
Watch out for the Safari overhead doors - they aren't even MDF or chipboard. Its a foam core with some kind of plastic skin. I took one of the front side covers off because there was something rattling around by a speaker - it was rigidly installed with two screws (from the back) and three staples. I knew I couldn't reinstall it that way, so I velcroed it back on and that's worked perfectly. (If I were younger and less law abiding I'd probably hide my stash in there. Sorry, Cheech & Chong moment.)
I really wish all of the drawers and doors had come with the little push button release that's on the pantry. BUT have you ever seen an SOB that's had 30K on it?
Try to find one, then IF you do, try to find one that's even worth doing a frame off restoration on!
If Airstream decides to have another HOMECOMING why don't you all come and we'll take over the factory for a day or two and we can build ME a custom 27' CCD FB Okay?
Paula
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