Hello from New Zealand

[Road Chief]

Hi fellow Airstreamers,
My wife and I wanted to add something unique to our Airbnb so we started thinking, tiny homes, glamping tents, caravans… all been done before.

I should mention we live on the North Island of New Zealand. 5 million people and 63 registered Airstream travel trailers!

So I started looking for something different and within 2 weeks of serious looking an Airstream came up for sale, needs some TLC the advertisement said.

I’m one for a project, so I went and had a look.
Next minute I’m driving home with a 1966 28’ Ambassador, Airstream travel trailer in tow.
Must add I’d never seen one in real life, only in books and magazines.

Well the first thing I did once home was, of course.. dismantled the interior, removed the inner skin, removed all the rivets from around the floor area and lifted the shell off the chassis.
Welded some more steel into the chassis, sandblasted and painted the chassis, and replaced the floor with marine plywood, ran new gas lines, (NZ requirements) rebuilt the axles, replaced the insulation and replaced the sub floor. Then it was time to replace the shell.

Riveted the body back onto the chassis, filled the walls with R3.2 insulation, ran 230 volt cables and new inverter (NZ requirements) ran all new 12 volt system, fibreglassed up all the holes in the original end caps and fitted them back into place and replaced the inner walls with full length aluminium sheets.

I have made a new bed (island walk around) up front.
Made a cabinet for the switch board, fridge/freezer (full size) and a pullout pantry, made a set of 6 draws for under the 8’ long kitchen bench, and a shower wall with a cavity sliding door. The shower is luxurious 3’ x 4’ base, with rain head and handheld wand.
Oh and I had to replace the water heater, 3 way fridge, and gas hob to meet NZ standard.

I forgot to mention the 250 plus hours of cutting and polishing that I did while recovering from shoulder surgery.

In short I’m almost 2 years into the renovation and hopefully will be Airstreaming around New Zealand by August/September (this year)

Now that’s a lot to digest for an introduction but if you’re ever visiting New Zealand and need somewhere to stay, give us a shout and we’ll make you feel at home.

Of course I intend towing the 1966 airstream with my 1967 GTO Pontiac we picked up in East Texas a couple of years ago.

Cheers for now, Wayne and Donna.

[Bubba L]

Welcome Wayne. That is a lot of work completed. I really like the 66 through 68 Airstreams due to the streamlined design. We have a 66 Safari and it is super comfortable. I really like the bath layout. Anyway, hope you get out and enjoy your fruits of labor. Good luck and enjoy.

[STREMN]

Hi - Welcome from New Hampshire! Glad to have you with us!

You certainly have been busy with the renovation of your Ambassador. A labor of love and determination. I saw that you added some photos to the gallery of your project. I'd suggest that you start a thread on your rebuild project in the forum for the 1966-1968 Ambassadors: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f174/ You'd be able to share the rebuild progress you've made working through yours.

You can also add photos to a post on a thread. There's a "Forums 101" thread with tips to adding photos. See post #7 on this thread: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f13...ics-44928.html

Now for some adventures!

Tom - S/OS #025

[GCinSC2]

Wayne and Donna,

Greetings from South Carolina. That sounds like quite a project and pics would be nice. That's quite a starting project.

Gary

[dbj216]

Welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby. A lot of us are partial to the late sixties Airstreams and their unique look. The 1969 Airstreams were completely different.

I renovated a 66 Trade Wind 24', two model sizes smaller than your Ambassador 28'. It was my first Airstream project and I learned a lot from the fine folks on these Forums. I didn't change the interior much except for the bath, which was broken down and rotted out on my trailer.

I figured you would be interested in some photos of my trailer. And I would enjoy some photos of your trailer when you get a chance.

David

[GetawA-S]

Welcome to the Airstream world. It sounds like you’ve earned your chops.
To stay on our toes on long drives, my wife and I play “Airstream Alert”, where we watch for other Airstreams and guess the model and vintage. A good day is about one per hour. We rarely get totally skunked. I would guess the game is more challenging in NZ.
Enjoy your new home on wheels!