Greetings from rainy Oregon!

[zen_stream]

Hi everyone, and sorry for the corny username!

A bit about myself: I've been in the music industry my entire adult life. I make my income as an audio engineer mixing live music. I played in a band in my 20's and toured around the US a bit. I loved being on the road for long periods, seeing different places, watching the landscape change around me, and getting a feel for every town or city. I think this is why a home on wheels appeals to me so much.

My significant other is a landscape painter and printmaker. Her main media is oil. The inspiration for her art comes from hiking and backpacking. She loves nature, and our national parks are her favorite places to visit. She's also a bit of a road dog and a traveler.

I have a little background in construction from working summers with my dad growing up. He was a contractor that built/renovated houses. I would spend those summers as a kid swinging a hammer.

My only experience with metal fabrication was shop class in High School, and I'm not sure I was even paying attention. My S/O used to make metal sculptures and knows how to weld (or at least that's what she says, haha).

The project!

We are one month into a renovation of a 68 Ambassador we found on the side of the road 5 miles from our home with a for sale sign. She had to have it! She insisted, and we talked PO down a few grand because of the apparent issues with rear-end separation, water damage, mold, frame rust, missing window, etc.

Got rid of most of the old moldy interior, saved what we were able to save. We are now down to bare interiors. I have to say that it's been very interesting peeling back all the layers. Lots of bad repairs done by POs. Lots of head-scratching.

We know we have a lot of work ahead of us. I'm going to have to be open to learning new things, be patient, and thoughtfully present. And this is where the "Zen" in the user name comes from because this isn't only about restoring an airstream; it's about learning to be a better, more mentally well as a human being. So, in a way, I'm better myself in the process.

Thanks! Looking forward to being a part of the community!

[Bubba L]

Welcome the Airstream neighborhood. The 68 was the last of the Corning curved window. I’ve read somewhere that the 66, 67, and 68 models design were more of an Art Costello sleek design. Your AS appears to be in great shape from the pictures. Good luck with your project and enjoy the experience. Ask the questions if needed and they’ll be answered. Also post a picture of your S/O’s welds. Wish I knew how. Good luck

[zen_stream]

Thanks!

Yes, the curved windows are cool. We are lucky that the PO had the replacement window, he just hadn't taken the time to put it in. Unfortunately, it's only the glass. It's missing the thin aluminum frame that wraps around the glass itself - oof. I'm hoping that's something that Vintage Trailer Supply sells. Otherwise ill have to make it out of aluminum myself.

Also, the latching mechanism for the windows used to be impossible to find if they needed replacing, and they rust out super easy. Thankfully VTS started making a clone of the original Phillips Industries ones. Not sure where I'd be without VTS making all this stuff.

[dbj216]

A hardy handshake from Colorado. Welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby. You wrote a superb introduction. A+ on that one.

Your new old 68 Ambassador is a worthy project. It is the last year of the older body style. 69s were completely different. Some say the mid sixties trailers are a top vintage choice, me included. They have some unique design features that make them special, mainly the thin Corning curved glass windows. These windows were only used three years, were prone to leaking and breaking. They did look neat. These Forums has many participants who are experts on them. For example, search the forums for user Aluminuminum. He renovated a 68 Globetrotter and knows these windows very well. He certainly helped me with my windows.

Speaking of projects, you might enjoy these Forums more by doing a "project thread" in the Airstream Trailer Knowledgebase found at the bottom of the Forums page. Find your Ambassador and the model year range including 68. Read some project threads and learn all about your trailer. I might add that basically a 1966 to 1968 30' Sovereign, 28' Ambassador, 26' Overlander, or 24' Trade Wind are built basically the same except for length and floor layout. You can learn things from any of them. My 75 Overlander thread is linked for your quick review to see how a project thread might go.

I had a 66 Trade Wind 24' for several years. It had problems too. I thoroughly enjoyed renovating this old lady. It was a twin bed layout. I didn't do a project thread at the time. Here are some photos of the completed project. I traded it for the 75 Overlander three years ago.

David