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trashbag · 04-20-2018, 09:24 AM

my wife and I recently bought a 1972 ambassador. she has been wanting an airstream for a long time. over the last 5 years she has been sending me classifieds for ones all over the country. there was no way I was going to drive a long distance to look at something that might not be able to be towed back home. finally I got one from her that was only about 100 miles away and the price was right. we drove out to look at it. it was towable and the outside was in decent shape. our plan was to totally gut it and start from scratch so were not that concerned about the condition of the interior. we made an offer and it was accepted so we hooked it up and towed it home. we put our vw Westphalia up for sale as this would be our budget for the rehab. it sold fast and now the fun begins. I have been using this forum as a resource for the rehab since I have never worked on or owned an airstream. it is such a great resource that I have become a member and will share my progress. I'm sure I will get some good feedback and advice as I go through the process

trashbag · 04-20-2018, 09:29 AM

interior shots

trashbag · 04-20-2018, 09:32 AM

gutted

Belegedhel · 04-20-2018, 01:47 PM

Welcome to the Forums! Looks like y'all are going full speed ahead!

good luck!

trashbag · 04-20-2018, 03:08 PM

totally gutted

rugjenkins · 04-21-2018, 07:57 AM

Your frame looks great! Doesn't seem like it needs repairs. A good sanding and a coat of paint, unless your changing the layout and adding tanks .....

Minno · 04-21-2018, 08:18 AM

Welcome! It's a journey...
Looks like from the exterior pics that your clear coat is failing. We took ours off, and now people think we polished. Taking off the clear coat definitely improved the look of the trailer. It's a job, but not the worst that you will do. We did use aircraft stripper after trying all kinds of others with no results.
Good luck and keep us all posted!

Kay

**HiHoAgRV** · 04-21-2018, 07:11 PM

Good luck and try not to get discouraged as you move forward. I've found the 'gutting' (I find that term distasteful since it invokes images of a crowbar, sledgehammer and sawzal) to be fast. Rebuilding can be rewarding if it's done in small project steps, like eating an elephant in measured bites. Research what others have done, 'I have a better idea' can go very, very wrong in some cases.
Ambassadors are cool sized trailers!

dbj216 · 04-21-2018, 08:48 PM

A lot of the interior cabinetry looks similar to my 75 Overlander. It must have been a bunch of work to remove the subfloor with the body still on. Replacing the subfloor with the body on is also a chore, but it can be done.

I would like to follow along with your project. You have a great start.

David

steinVT · 04-22-2018, 05:33 AM

Welcome to the forums. Besides being a historical resource for what's been done, it's a great place to ask questions and get answers from folks that have been through it already. They have helped me tremendously. My trailer looks a lot like your's, except my frame does need a bunch of work.

Mark

trashbag · 04-22-2018, 07:28 PM

cleaning up windows is a pain. I have some heavy pitting. started with a 600 wet sand then switched to 400. still have it and I don't want to go to crazy with the sand paper. what has worked best?

trashbag · 04-22-2018, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbj216

A lot of the interior cabinetry looks similar to my 75 Overlander. It must have been a bunch of work to remove the subfloor with the body still on. Replacing the subfloor with the body on is also a chore, but it can be done.

I would like to follow along with your project. You have a great start.

David

it was so rotted it basically crumbled out.

dbj216 · 04-23-2018, 07:49 PM

I can imagine. The rear of my trailer was the same way. When the subfloor rots, the joint between the body and the frame gets real loose as you can imagine. As they say here, the body holds the frame up, and the frame holds the body up. The subfloor is that strength adding member between the two. You need all three for maximum strength.

I've had reasonable success with cast and extruded members with a soft wire brush, then polish with wet sandpaper. Scotchbrite is another effective way to get the dirt and oxide off. Not on the skins, but on the cast and extruded members like the door frame, door sill, window frames and the like.

David

trashbag · 04-25-2018, 07:32 AM

old gasket. what did they use at the butt joint?

trashbag · 05-03-2018, 12:11 PM

I have some pop rivets in the window jambs that don't seem to have a purpose. any ideas?

Aerowood · 05-03-2018, 03:51 PM

My 71 GT had some mystery rivets in the window frame too, I just shot some countersunk soft rivets in them.

trashbag · 05-07-2018, 09:41 AM

new axles installed. anybody know the recommended torque setting for mounting hardware? not sure why my photo is upside down

dbj216 · 05-07-2018, 07:21 PM

The new axles are easier to install with the trailer upside down. That's the way the Airstream factory does it.

Nice you new axles fit up okay. Did you have to drill new bolt holes?

What starting angle did you specify for your axles?

I would suggest you use the torque values for the size bolts you are using. Maybe they are 5/8" grade 8 bolts. Then 160 ft lbs sounds right.

Here is a table of recommended bolt torques for various size fasteners:

https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-i...ed-Torque.aspx

David

trashbag · 05-07-2018, 08:22 PM

thanks. that's what I needed. I had to widen for the axle and elongate the holes a little for the bolts. I used a grinder on the frame and a file for the bolt holes. It went a lot smoother than I had expected. got the axles from inland and went with their recommendation on angle. I would imagine whatever is standard

dbj216 · 05-08-2018, 06:55 PM

Glad your axle install went smoooothly. I hope mine goes as well. I'm quite a ways from lifting up the axles. I gotta finish my bathroom, test the plumbing and new tanks, then insulate beneath, new belly pan, and then axles.

Makes me tired just thinking about it.

David