Looked at airstreams today.. Advice needed.

[mikeandnora]

Well, I've been reading the archives for the past couple weeks and have looked at a few. I'm off tomorrow to look at another that I think may be the right one!

I'm not sure if this is ok to request, but if there are any inspection experts out there I would love it if I could have you "walk through" the inspection via telephone tomorrow. I'd be happy to send paypal for your time and expertise. I'm looking at a 76 excella 500.

[DougZ]

My wife and I had a brand X and had no end to the nickle and dime problems. We bought our 1972 AS figuring we would have the same thing, but wanted to get into streaming without spending a ton of money. To our surprise the 72 is in remarkably good condition. There are many things that need fixing, but compared to our 1993 brand X they are minor. After getting everything ship shape on this trailer, I will feel like a true Airstreamer. I also won't loose too much money like I did on the brand X. I feel like we are going to school and paying our dues. Keep reading and soon you will be able to make a sound decision.

[Bill M.]

Do not have many nickle and dime problems with my Airstream. It is more like a hundred or a thousand problems.

[mikeandnora]

Well it ended well! We are one happy family! 89 excella!

[TouringDan]

FishandFly

Welcome to the wonderful world of AS ownership. It looks great. Whatever problems you may find, the Forum will help you work through them.

Dan

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by fishandfly

Well it ended well! We are one happy family! 89 excella!

No... it did not end well. This is just the real beginning!

And if I may say so, your unit looks pristine! Hope it's really as well cared for as it looks.

Many safe journeys and adventures, many happy returns!

Paula

[DougZ]

Boy, for a first timer you jumped in with both feet! Very nice! I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy ours.

[flynmike]

F & F! Congrats and welcome to Airstreaming! As with ANYTHING mechanical there will be problems. I'm on my 4th A/S...I've got a leak, I'm upgrading some stuff, I'm going to add solar....that's all part of the game. And it's a blast! We have an awesome community, a glorious history and you are now going to get a thumbs up from every 'Joe' on the road that passes you and wishes he was as lucky as you are.
Again, welcome and I look forward to seeing you on the road!

[blmitch5]

Congratulations! Your going to have a blast with her. Have fun and share your journeys with us.

[4RXLA]

Congratulations. The trailer looks well kept. Its sitting a little low though...probably needs new axles.

[LisaP]

Beautiful. How about some interior pictures

[flynmike]

F & F your axels look "OK" to me...but do a search on here for Inland RV (Andy) and send a closer pic of your axels to Andy. He's been involved with Airsreams forever and is "THE go to guy" for axels. He can tell you by the relationship of the top of the rim to the wheel well how much axel you have left.

If your axels are shot you might start experiencing rivets breaking and you could eventually damage the coach...but like I said they don't look too bad...i've seen worse but let Andy help you make a decision.

[mikeandnora]

Thanks for the advice. I began to search for knowledge on axles a couple nights ago and I will definitely send him a photo.


I will get some interior photos taken soon as well. We love it to death so far.

[4RXLA]

I attached a before and after picture to show the height difference with new axles. My trailer was sitting down a little lower than yours. I also had about 8 broken interior rivets and an overhead storage cabinet came loose from its wall anchor and had to be re-secured. All classic signs of bad axles. Andy installed the new axles. The blue belt line trim is now just above the top of the rims as opposed to a few inches below. I'm a good 4-5 inches higher in height. I actually need to deploy the 2nd step now. Also, the rear end never scrapes bottom anymore. My trailer was used once a year for years and did not move for 6 years before I inherited it. My experience is the less the trailer is used, the more the axles will deteriorate. If your trailer is in excellent condition and was lightly used, the axles could be prematurely bad due to lack of exercise.

[LisaP]

dougsale thanks for the pictures. We know exactly what to look for now!

[mikeandnora]

Dougsale, beautiful! Is that painted?

[4RXLA]

Yes it is painted. Andy painted it 21 years ago. The paint is like airplane paint and is very durable. It shines up nicely with a good coat of wax. I have a couple of panels that need touch up but am having a hard time finding a painter who will touch it up.

[bonginator]

Originally Posted by fishandfly

Thanks for the advice. I began to search for knowledge on axles a couple nights ago and I will definitely send him a photo.


I will get some interior photos taken soon as well. We love it to death so far.

Congrats on your new purchase. I agree with the post that Said you will find issues to address but that is the fun. We bought a used AS and have really enjoyed this forum and our learning experiences.

One piece of good advice we got from someone was to do your first trip close to home to figure everything out and find out what you are missing in terms of gear. That proved to be sage advice. We made a list and hit camping world the next morning to pickup some missing items - we were first time rv-ers so it was all new!

Your new rig looks very clean. Someone took care of it.

Sandy

[bonginator]

By the way, have to ask about "fishandfly"-flyfisherman?

[mikeandnora]

Sandy, thanks for the advice. We were thinking the exact same thing. In fact, I'm sure our first outing will be in our driveway As for the name, fly fishing and aviation That's why I love the aluminum and rivets so much.