1977 31' Sovereign in Peterborough, ON

[northstream]

Hello y'all!

Thought I'd make it official with a post and a hello! Stumbled onto this project trailer last summer when eviction news came from our greedy Toronto landlord. Forget searching for a new house or apartment in this damned real estate market, the mood had changed - so why not dream big?

What's this? 0 previous views on an imageless Kijiji ad that called for removal within a two week period, as the overgrown lot it was parked on had been sold! Lucky me! The very next morning I jumped on my '78 Yammy and headed to the countryside to see whether or not this would be worth the time and or even feasible. The ride out to Trent Hills from Toronto is incredible, torrential rains or not, so I stayed on the throttle as steady as the rain.

What a lucky day, the sun rolled up on the overgrown site at the same time I did, so we dipped into the tall damp grass together ...

[northstream]

Yes it was buried and overgrown, but the bones where straight and the price was right. The following weekend I showed up with all the necessary tools to dismantle the overhead structure, clear a path and tow it out to the roadway. It took nearly 40 hours of slugging, but by the third night the trailer was roadside ready for a proper tow.

That same weekend a country music jamboree was happening not far down the way which brought a lot of traffic to this otherwise quiet country road. No way I was about to leave this beauty out by the road unattended for the night. Those passing trucks had thirsty hitches, so I rode down to the nearest town, grabbed some corn to roast and setup the best I could for what would be my first dewey sleep in the new Airstream!

[northstream]

The trailer needs a frame off restoration, currently I am working at better understanding what it will need as far as systems and appliances. Unfortunately the PO gutted the trailer leaving no trace of what went where etc. So this rebuild will be truly from scratch.

Definitely will incorporate wood heat into the project and aim to keep the interior as minimal as possible. Ideally this will be home from April to November here in Ontario, Canada. AC is not something I see as necessary, and paying $900 for a composting toilet that is essentially a bucket with a fan makes me nervous on how I will manage making this a rugged but comfortable, affordable life!

Cheers!

[dbj216]

Welcome to Airstream Forums from Colorado. It sounds like you are an adventuresome person. Good for you. I admit I'm too cautious.

You can learn all about your new 77 Sovereign 31 here on Air Forums, especially in the Knowledgebase section near the bottom of the Forums page. My friend and I are currently putting his 76 Sovereign back together after some extensive frame repairs and floor rot repairs. It will be a very nice vintage Airstream when we finish it. The links below will direct you to the Knowledge Base and our "project thread" for this Sovereign where you can learn all about what we are doing.

Last winter I finished my 75 Overlander 27' with essentially the same repairs and refurbishment as this 76 Sovereign. I enjoy working on these old trailers in my retirement. Crazy huh?

Here are the floor plans and specifications for the 77 Sovereign from the Airstream company website, then document archives. It may help you figure out how your trailer was built (e.g. mid bath or more common rear bath) and maybe give you some ideas on what you might like for a floor plan.

https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...rplans-293.pdf

Trigger warning: Starting from a gutted trailer will be costly to get it rebuilt. Doing all the work yourself (except maybe welding) you should budget about $15k in materials and about 1200 hour labor. This is from my experiences. Others have different experiences and are better at it than I am.

Here is a photo of my friends 76 Sovereign, and of my 75 Overlander.

David

[northstream]

Thank-you for the words David, good for you for keeping busy! Yes, the cost of a refurb has kept me on the fence about making the dream a reality. If I commit, this would be a near full time summer project where I would also attempt to construct the new frame if needed. For what these trailers represent I understand the valuation, but it is still a PILE of money. Are you modernizing the systems and appliances in your current project? A few years ago I built a small 16' x 12' cabin that I cook on and heat with a old Irish wood burning cookstove, theres nothing better than that! With the airstream life won't be as rugged, though hopefully simple enough.

Thanks for the .pdf link, there is enough remnants left inside telling that this was the double bed, rear bath model. I much prefer the idea of a bed in the back with the bathroom on the curbside.

This layout by Grace Kuhn is the direction I'd like to go, the sight line all the way from front to back seems like an ideal way to keep things airy and streamy . https://www.dwell.com/article/1973-a...inney-33e7a33e

[dbj216]

Hi: Oh yes, we are upgrading nearly everything in the trailer except the air conditioner, which still works. We tested the new furnace and it works. The new plumbing has been tested and ready to go. The new water heater works. The fridge was replaced maybe within the last 10 years or so. The frame is fixed and the subfloor is fixed. New axles are on order. Now we have all the cabinetry to overhaul and reinstall. It will look like a 77 Airstream when done and ready for another 45 years of service.

David