78 Excella 500 31' Frame

[sheppard]

Hello all,
I bought a 1978 Airstream Excella 500 last summer. It knew the interior needed to be completely redone but I was not expecting the frame to be a complete write-off. I got a ok deal on the trailer so its not all bad. My question is, is there anyone on here that had to replace a frame? I have a price on new axles but not a frame. Any drawings or any reference material would be greatly appreciated.

[steve46]

Are you certain that the frame is not salvageable? While I have heard of some who have built new frames for their project, I do not know what goes into the decision to repair versus replace. In my own experience, the frame was badly rusted and deteriorated at the back, under the bathroom and around the gray and black tanks, necessitating a significant rebuild of that area of the frame, including new tank pans. I also had to replace several—probably seven—outriggers. Once that was all accomplished, and I had an extra piece welded into the front area to bolster the area in front of the gaucho, I was ready to rebuild the subfloor. Mine was a “shell off” project and I did install new axles. So, unless you are sure, I’d suggest reconsidering the idea of a completely new frame—if you have some photos to share, that may give a clearer picture of what you face. Below are a few photos of my shell—the orange outriggers were the ones that were replaced.

[Sylvain]

I agree with previous comment. If you have some pictures to share that would help a lot to get an idea of the condition. It might not be as bad as you think and --just-- need repairs

[dbj216]

Greetings from Colorado: The 1970s Airstream trailers are prone to frame rust for some reason. I've worked on 3 of them and in every case we were able to repair the frames by cutting out the rusted steel, and replacing it with new steel. We did two of these with the body still on the frame, and one were the owner had removed the body which made the frame repairs easier.

Find a good mobile welder, show him the frame maybe from underneath the trailer, and get his/her recommendations. There is nothing special about an Airstream frame except it is built light weight and has "outriggers" where the body attaches to the frame. New replacements are available and are just welded on.

Read how folks have done rusty frame repairs here on these Forums. Knowledge is power. You will sleep better.

David

[mrfixnow]

I agree with the above comments I replaced several outriggers and the rear frame member treated for rust and repainted using POR 15 looks brand new. Used a guy with portable welder in my driveway. I had a removed the floor and belly pan but not the shell. I did block the shell in the C channel before replacing sub floor
I don't know where you are at, but I have a brand new pair of Dexter axles complete with never adjust brakes shock bracket welded on ,32 down turn with 5 lug 10" drums with new lift kit. These are #10 3200lb axles for my 1986 29' Sovereign
I was sold the wrong axles and they have never come to get them. So after not being able to travel for five months and new axles had damage I had to fix before installing. I am selling the brand new axles and lift for a discounted price of 1800.
Good luck with your project

[hairyclive]

Originally Posted by sheppard

Hello all,
I bought a 1978 Airstream Excella 500 last summer. It knew the interior needed to be completely redone but I was not expecting the frame to be a complete write-off. I got a ok deal on the trailer so its not all bad. My question is, is there anyone on here that had to replace a frame? I have a price on new axles but not a frame. Any drawings or any reference material would be greatly appreciated.

Looks like your options are:

repair the rusted sections and rebuild as needed

find a trashed unti from a warm area like AZ with a good frame and do a transplant

have a custom built frame (cargo and boat trailer makers could do this)

[sheppard]

The frame is in very bad shape and I'm not sure what would be the easier or cheaper option. Its put away for the winter right now( I live in Canada) but ill have a better look in a few months.

[Daytonacoupe]

Originally Posted by sheppard

The frame is in very bad shape and I'm not sure what would be the easier or cheaper option. Its put away for the winter right now( I live in Canada) but ill have a better look in a few months.

If you can get the shell and the floor off, a welder / fabricator can do an accurate assessment and offer a repair strategy. Most will prefer to work on a bare frame with nothing in the way. We had a 34’ Limited frame redone for a reasonable price and it’s better than new in terms of heavier material. 16 outriggers, most x members, one entire side rail and axle plate, and a large piece of the other side. Proper metal prep and two coats of POR - it will last.
New axles are on.

I was super bummed with what we found when the trailer was disassembled but understated rot appears to be the rule via the exception when buying one of these.

The down side of redoing an airstream in Canada is our winters. Tough to make progress unless you have a heated building.

Good luck with the repair. There’s lots of great info on this site, and some good utube feeds as well. Be patient. You’ll know your trailer.

[coloradoup]

Check out atomic's 1968 tradewind rebuild. https://www.airforums.com/forums/f11...on-134984.html
He built his own frame and so did I, following his method. It wasn't too hard, and we have a pretty strong frame to build on. My frame actually wasn't that bad but I wanted to have a better product as well as being able to move my waste tanks around. PM me if you need info.
Mike.