Hello fellow Airstream fans. My wife and I recently purchased a
1968 Airstream Overland. It needs a great deal of work but that is okay because I bought it because I like to do projects. I am not daunted by the time it will take or the expense. I figure you start at the beginning and keep working till you get to the end, if there is one. I am prepared for this restoration to take years of TLC and thousands of dollars. When it's done I know we are going to have something special and that makes it all worthwhile.
In my humble opinion in the tow camper world the Airstream is as cool as it gets. It has a timeless quality and will never look dated.
Our tow vehicle is a 2003 Dodge Durango SLT with the 4.7 liter V-8 and full time AWD that can be switched to 4WD on the fly. She's got a lot of miles but has been sturdy and reliable, plus I don’t mind doing the maintenance. The Durango's curvy shape and Gray and Silver Paint job seems to compliment the Airstream somehow.
We purchased our Overland from my wife's dentist who had been storing trash in it on his farmstead. That is no way to treat a lady!
Problems: The plywood deck is trashed and I plan to replace it completely. The steel frame has some surface rust and may need some reinforcing here or there. For all the rust it seems sturdy and doesn't have any holes showing. The interior was gutted by a previous owner and nothing of it remains. No furnace, no water heater, no fridge, appliances, no shower or sink, no bulkheads, no AC, and the ventilators are all thrashed. Oh and I am pretty sure I will have to replace the tires.
On the bright side: The aluminum has terrific longevity and seems okay for the most part. None of the window glass is broken. Since I have to rip the deck up I am glad I don’t have to gut the old furnishings out. We wanted the interior to feel a little more contemporary so we were going to gut it anyway if it had any furnishings.
So basically I have the Airstream version of a blank canvas and that is just what I wanted.
I do not have any experience on campers per say. But I have done other projects that share commonality. I've helped my dad restore a classic airplane so I am no stranger to aluminum and rivets. I have restored a couple of classic cars, and I once built a wooden 18 foot live aboard sailboat. I hope whatever else I need I will get from sweat equity, experience, and this forum.
Thanks for reading this long intro and I am very glad to be here.
Jon