I would greatly appreciate any advice

[urb2165]

Hello everyone.
I would greatly appreciate all advice. I have the opportunity to buy two 1959 Airstream LandYatch's. Both will need restoring, no torn skin. One unit has black mold exterior front and interior front. How do I get rid of it? One was damaged by a grass fire--rear bathroom floor damaged. Belly skin on both drooping, especialy under the bathrooms. Rear frames on both have rust damage. Neither owner can tell me anything about the condition of the wheels (Split or solid wheels) tires are flat, axles, brakes. Can some one tell me what to look for to determine the condition of the axles,brakes and suspension. Suspension is Leaf Springs should I replace these and replsve with shocks? If I buy these I plan to gut, replace the flooring and windows,screens and rubber gaskets where windows are broken. Same for al vents.

I really need your advice.

Thanks

Rodney Boyette urb2165@bellsout.net

[flyfshr]

Hi Rodney and welcome. The one with the mold sounds like the better of the two. It would be a rare case when the belly skin on a '59 wouldn't need some attention. I replaced the axle on mine a few years ago and the leaf springs checked out as OK. Of course, pictures of each unit would greatly help. What models are these trailers?

Brad
FF

[NorCal Bambi]

My first suggestion is to go to this part of the Forum.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/

Read through several of the thread in this section to get an idea of what you will be into. You will need time, money,and space. Oh, did I mention TIME. These are great projects and they can be very rewarding. The research will help you get an idea of what you are in for. I 'm just finishing a full restoration on a 63 Bambi. My experience led me to buy a 55 Flying Cloud which will need even more work than the Bambi. I'm retired and have the time. Good luck on your decision.
Don

[markdoane]

Rodney,

Welcome, you have a real adventure ahead.

I agree you should pass on the one that was in the fire, especially if the fire was the cause of the floor damage.

The axles, springs, and brakes on these units were first class. Of course you will need to jack them up and repack the bearings before you move it. The springs, brakes, bearings and shocks on my '59 were in functional condition when I got it, but it had light use and was well maintained. I did eventually replace the axle and shocks.

You will need a large wrench or channel-lox to get the hub-caps off. They are screwed on, not press fit.

The belly pan in the rear will tend to be droopy because there is a large panel cutout for access to the septic tank. (They were called septic tanks back in 1959, before the term 'Blackwater' came into use)

My trailer came with solid wheels. Be careful about replacing the tires; I believe the wheel wells on this model are 30" long and will not fit a 7.00x15" bias tire. Mine came with 14.5" tires.

You can get glazing for the windows from http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/