Which One Would You Buy?

[LittleA]

I'm looking for an AS from the 60's that has been gutted so that I can put some fairly heavy equipment in it and tow it around town. I don't have the time or skill to fix this up the way I want so I'll be paying for labor.

I know that you need to see these in person to really give a good opinion, but from these descriptions which one of these would you buy if you were in my shoes?

#1 $1500 Big Time Project

This 1964 Airstream Overlander is a total restoration project. The length of the trailer is around 26 feet. The outer shell is in good shape with no major dents. The inner skin is also in good condition for its' age. The under skin needs to be replaced from the rear axle to the back. The interior has been completely gutted out and the floor needs to be replaced.

The last owner did not have some of the roof vents, which caused the interior to be destroyed by the elements. All the vents have been replaced and I might add that they were very difficult to find. The solardome is ready to be riveted to the cranks. All windows crank open fine. The old A/C unit is still mounted but doesn't work. We bought a rear door access panel and installed it. It locks and we have the key. There is no furnace, waterheater, or water tanks. They were all beyond repair or use. Also, I would not recommend towing it without repacking the bearings, replacing the tires, and checking the axles. This trailer will need to be carried to its' new home on a flatbed trailer.

#2 $6500 Slightly Less Of A Big Time Project

The interior has been completely gutted and all wires have been tested and labeled. The outer shell was disattached from the frame so the frame could be inspected, cleaned, beefed up and painted. The shell was reattached over an entirely new plywood sub floor. The underneath has had new insulation installed. The wheel assemblies (brake back plates, shoes, adjusters, springs etc) are all new. The brake drums were turned. Original bearings were cleaned and repacked. Tires look old but there is no sign of dry rot. New wires have been run to the brakes.

The exterior shell is remarkably blemish and dent free and should polish up very nicely. All of the curved Corning side windows are in place and unbroken. The flat front window is plexiglas but it won't be difficult to fit proper glass. All work has been done under my supervision by an experienced rv mechanic.

[overlander63]

What do you mean by "fairly heavy equipment"? Guitars, amps, drums, shovels, tools, bulldozers?
Will all the equipment fit through the main door, or will you have to create a new opening for it?
Depending on how heavy this stuff is, you may need to beef up the floor, frame, and axles to carry that weight.

[LittleA]

Kitchen equipment. And I was assuming that the frame would need to be beefed up and reinforced and that I wouldn't need to put on an entirely new frame.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by LittleA

Kitchen equipment. And I was assuming that the frame would need to be beefed up and reinforced and that I wouldn't need to put on an entirely new frame.

Buy a utility trailer used - it will be cheaper and have a rear ramp/door. And you'll be using it for it's intended purpose.

Modifying an Airstream to do this will take a lot more time time and money.

[overlander63]

From what I see of the two ads, and assuming they are both as advertised, I would probably go for trailer #1. This is because you will have to redo everything that has already been done on trailer #2. Plus trailer #2 still needs axles, and you would be wasting money on running gear you will be throwing in the trash. You would have to take down the belly pan on trailer #2, to perform any frame modifications as well, so you would be wasting the time, money, and effort already spent there as well.
Are you planning to use the trailer as a mobile restaurant?

[LittleA]

Yes the plan is some sort of mobile restaurant.

[Stefrobrts]

I'd vote for trailer one as well. That way you can beef up or rebuild the frame to your specs, add heavy duty axles, that sort of thing. But it's really starting from scratch. Frankly I think it's a bit overpriced for a large gutted trailer, but it depends on how nice the exterior is.

Have you considered calling the Airstream company and getting a bid on a new shell for your project? Just thinking of all the old trailer problems people run across - mice living in the insulation, leaks, rusty frames. Seems like for the cost of building an old one up to specs for a restraunt you might be able to get a new one.

[bredlo]

Good idea on the new shell, Steph.

I suspect LittleA is after a nostalgic look, hence the 60's Airstream specification. If you're going to farm out some of the work with an established restoration company, you may want to solicit their opinion beforehand as well - they might have a preference of one over the other. My 2 cents, for what it's worth, is that a trailer that will be getting the amount of use, foot traffic, heavy equipment and food preparation inside it deserves nothing less than a brand new subfloor, insulation and anything else you can throw at it structurally.

The condition of the outer skin may be aesthetically important, but pales in comparison if you can't meet health dept. codes when you throw open the doors. (A basic hot dog stand may be another story, of course.)

See if you can track down the owners of a few other trailers that have been converted for this kind of thing - could save you a lot of trouble! Hey Cupcake in Austin, TX is one off the top of my head, but there are others - 4 just opened in Seaside, Florida I think -- field trip!!

[LittleA]

Yeah I'm definitely looking for the nostalgic look. I have zero interest in opening a roach coach taco stand or a BBQ stand out of a boring rectangular trailer.

[Shacksman]

Too bad your so far away. A friend here has a tandem axle, 1958, 26' Overlander with a great body. It has been gutted and has new insulation, new wiring, new plywood floor and the heavy "C" channel frame. He bought it to use as a construction trailer and never got around to outfitting it. His kids use it as an aluminum tent in the summer. He would sell it for $3000.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I strongly encourage you to contact your local health inspector. There are regulations you will need to follow in constructing your mobile food vending operation. There was a fellow here on the forum about a year ago that found out it was not allowed in his county and had to abandon the project. I know you live in the Republic, where there is a do as you please attitude, but even cowboys have standards and you will have to meet them to get a license to sell food to the public. Cutting a hole in the side in order to sell the food from is not as easy as taking shears to it. The skin is a part of the structure and you will need to add ribs around the area where the service window goes. Exhausting the cooking fumes is also a serious consideration. The energy used to cook your food must be considered also. A commercial fryer or griddle will suck down a ton of propane in a day of vending. Pizza oven will too. Most of those units are not going to fit through a 24" door. The weight of this equipment will far exceed the design of the frame and running gear. Will this be a stationary operation or a mobile one? Is this for your club to go tailgating?
I am in the early stages of working on a project just like this for a client. If you want to contact me off the thread through PM or by following some links below, I would be glad to talk to you about it.