New 65 Tradewind Owner

[Clapper82]

Howdy from Texas:
I am the proud new owner of a 1965 Tradewind. I'd say its in pretty good shape, the body is straight, the floor is solid and most of the appliances are working. One thing I'll need to do is to repair some of the woodwork where the veneer has come loose. So, my first question is: can someone help me identify the type of veneer in my trailer? I think I have attached two pictures if they come through. Thanks for your help.

Ray

[S C Streamer]

Welcome Ray,

Congratulations on the " new " trailer.

Take it by a local cabinet shop, they could probably tell you about the veneer and maybe where you could find it.

Any more photos?

[Sugarfoot]

Ray, Tradewinds are so wonderful! Congratulations. I'm not certain of the wood type by looking at the photos. Would LOVE to see more photos, though. Streamer is right, a cabinet shop should know.

[soldiermedic]

My 65 Tradewind is almost entirely covered in mahogany (Honduran to be exact).

Sugarfoot...any word on those keys?

Steve

[Sugarfoot]

Steve, I'm off work next week and should have them out by Tuesday. I haven't forgotten you!

[soldiermedic]

Thanks Dacia!

[Clapper82]

Soldiermedic

It looks like mahogany to me but I thought I had read that that was only used in the International Models.

Thanks for all the quick replies. I do plan on taking a sample over to a specialty wood shop this weekend, but you never know how experienced the person behind the counter is.

I'll try to post some more pictures when I get my son to get them off the camera.

[Sugarfoot]

Mahogany was my first guess, but exactly that . . . a guess. It could have been special ordered by the original owner. Airstream had lots of variations back then.

[FreshAir]

My '66 TW (BUILT IN '65) has mahogany wood. Unfortunately the PO stained it oak. He did an OK job but I prefer the mahogany. The PO did not stain the backs of the closet and cabinet doors so I can see that the wood was in good shape. It is dark...that is probably why he stained it.
Neil.

[47WeeWind]

Originally Posted by Clapper82

Howdy from Texas: I am the proud new owner of a 1965 Tradewind. ... One thing I'll need to do is to repair some of the woodwork where the veneer has come loose. So, my first question is: can someone help me identify the type of veneer in my trailer? ... Thanks for your help. Ray

Hi Ray:

For 1965, the Land Yacht trim level trailers used either Philippine or hand rubbed African Khaya mahogany (catalog and price list descriptions differ), and the Intertnational trim level trailers used hand rubbed walnut. Your trailer's trim level is stated on the serial number plaque. The 1964 & 1965 Airstream trailers are described in some detail in the First & Second Quarter 2006 issue [Q1-2 2006] of The Vintage Advantage, the newsletter of The Vintage Airstream Club. You might consider joining the VAC, details here:

The Vintage Airstream Club

We have a very active group of VACers in Texas, , and they are having a big Rally beginning on January 31, 2007, details here:

http://www.airforums.com/forum...=2007-1-31&c=1

There will be a lot of information and helpful hints available to you at that Rally, so git on over!

[markdoane]

My '59 had mahogany, although you couldn't tell by looking. The original lacquer had yellowed so much that the grain was barely visible.

I stripped everything, and the mahogany underneath was spectacular.

I needed to replace the outside skin on the side of kitchen base cabinet. It had been replaced by the original dealer to provide access to the aftermarket furnace. I bought a really excellent looking piece of Luan plywood at the local Home Depot. Don't try this. No matter how you sand and stain and rub and coax, it will never look as good as the original.

Go to a cabinetmaker, or a lumberyard that deals in furniture quality plywoods and veneers. You can't make a silk purse out of a piece of underlayment.

[Clapper82]

My Tradewind is a land yacht so Weewind47's comments confirm my first thoughts. The wood appears to be hand rubbed as I don't see any real evidence of a coating. Getting the cabinets back in shape will be rewarding.

Unfortunately a PO painted the inside walls and didn't do a particularly good job at it and I've been reading all about zolatone vs paint. I'm afraid that will be the biggest challenge for starters. The current paint is an oil paint that well adhered but sloppily sprayed on. This was sprayed over a hand brushed paint of unknown type at this time.

Another project will be to rebuild the slides under the front goucho which are broken and not salvagable. I have found some good information on that subject as well.

Then I need to refinish the bath and put in a laminate floor. Then . . .?

I am aware of the VAC meeting in January and will try to attend. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be in the Tradewind at that time. Perhaps they'll let me in if I paint my tent silver .

As a way of background, I spent 2 to 3 months per year in an Airstream between the ages of 8 and 19. First in a 65 Safari, then in a 72 Overlander, and so on. I'm thrilled to get back into this, I just hope I can get this operational in a resonable amount of time.

Thanks for all the advice.

[markdoane]

Originally Posted by Clapper82

Another project will be to rebuild the slides under the front goucho which are broken and not salvagable. I have found some good information on that subject as well.

I don't know if the '65 Gaucho is similar to the '59, but I think the design is stupid.

The center slide is supported by a very small piece of framing that is in the center of the opening for the drawer. It would have been a much better design to have either four slides, or four drawers, so that the slide would be supported.

In my '59, the frame was broken. You may want to beef up this area when you do your repair.

[soldiermedic]

The PO of my 65 Tradewind used solid MAPLE to create new glides. They definately are not breaking anytime soon. Not good for the added weight, but heck....they sure will last a long time.

[Clapper82]

My goucho is similar to your 59 goucho. The back ends of the slides on mine are attached to plywood that surrounds the water tank. I intend to make slides similiar to the ones found on this website.

The Project - Goucho Detail

[markdoane]

The 64 Globetrotter looks like a good solution. I can't tell from the pictures, but it looks like the base that the slides bear on is solid, not like the face frame construction used under my gaucho. Just be sure you don't have a concentrated load with no way for the load to get transmitted to the floor, or it will crack.

The slides on mine (still available, by the way) were in good condition. I did shorten them and do a few other modifications in order to squeeze the 28 gallon tank into the space where the original aluminum tank was.