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TomW · 10-09-2007, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wader

...Because '67 and '68 were unique unto themselves ...

I thought '66, '67, and '68 were unique Airstreams.

Tom

Aluminati · 10-09-2007, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomW

Add around eight inches for the AC.

Tires are "Load Range C" by today's nomenclature.

Tom

THANK YOU, THANK YOU , THANK YOU...YOU ARE DA MAN!!!

Aluminati · 10-09-2007, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomW

I thought '66, '67, and '68 were unique Airstreams.

Tom

small world...I've been to your website before I purchased my overlander and became a member of this forum

Aluminati · 10-09-2007, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomW

Add around eight inches for the AC.

Tires are "Load Range C" by today's nomenclature.

Tom

I have another thing I am trying to figure out. How wide is the door. Trying to find under counter refrigeration that will fit. Or I was thinking about taking the the back panel off (between the lights) and making an access hatch to fit the refrigeration through. Then...if a piece of equipment breaks down... I can move it out the back.

byamcaravanner · 10-10-2007, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomW

I thought '66, '67, and '68 were unique Airstreams.

Tom

Tom,

You are right... I mentally exclude '66s because they still use the pre-'67/68 bath fixtures. Just the way my brain works... No real good reason... '66 is also a good year.

BTW, it's also interesting that the interiors of the '69s are very similar to the 67-68 but the exterior changed dramatically... seems the A/S folks do their make-overs half at a time.

byamcaravanner · 10-10-2007, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aluminati

I was planning on rebuiding her but I am going open an outdoor cafe with her, So I am going to install a commercial kitchen.

I just ran into this story today... thought it might serve as inspiration.

Cupcakes Take The Cake: Austin's Hey Cupcake! - Cupcakes stand in an Airstream trailer

Aluminati · 10-10-2007, 12:52 PM

Someday soon...but It looks like Ive got alot of work ahead of me. First things first. Gotta get her home. Just being on the forum has saved me so much money...I was going to try and remove all of the vinyl clad aluminum...now I know I can just peel it off by using that Jasco stripper! I still want to take off all the panels to make sure that everything is clean and well insulated. I will need to run new electric wire anyway. So is there a market for the stuff I am going to get rid of...Stove...refer...goucho...etc?

byamcaravanner · 10-10-2007, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aluminati

So is there a market for the stuff I am going to get rid of...Stove...refer...goucho...etc?

You can post it on the classifieds here... or there is always eBay. Some of the "little" parts will likely get you the most money... cabinet latches and light fixtures etc...

Are you keeping the bathroom? I could use the plastic piece that runs along the back wall under the window from behind the toilet and over to the sink.

Aluminati · 10-10-2007, 01:35 PM

I am not keeping anything, stove, bathroom cabinets...nada.

Aluminati · 10-10-2007, 01:37 PM

At least how it stands right now....

InsideOut · 10-10-2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byamcaravanner

I just ran into this story today...

Sweeet!

Aluminati · 10-10-2007, 02:08 PM

I just uploaded some more pictures...The good the bad and the down right ugly!!

Aluminati · 10-10-2007, 02:38 PM

Hey...I posted some pictures of the inside of my trailer. Can someone tell me if the dark lines in the middle of the trailer are leaks? or can it not be detected from a picture.

Thanks

Frank's Trailer Works · 10-10-2007, 04:32 PM

I have to unsubscribe... cannot watch what is about to happen. Please send me the final photos because I will remain curious.

InsideOut · 10-10-2007, 05:47 PM

Oh boy!

Hard to tell if the dark lines are leaks or just dirt/mold/mildew from the missing windows. If they have been missing for more than a couple of days/weeks, my guess is you are going to find much more floor damage & frame rust than you may have originally thought. Might be tough to just patch the floor/frame, you may be having to replace the whole thing.

I would start with a good cleaning/stripping and see what's under all that...

Good luck ~

Shari

Aluminati · 10-10-2007, 06:14 PM

Shari...are you saying that this is not worth saving?...be honest. I dont want to throw good money after bad. I had already planed on replacing the entire floor and welding supports on the frame anyway. I dont know how long the windows have been missing, but I do know that it has been setting outside since 79.

InsideOut · 10-10-2007, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aluminati

Shari...are you saying that this is not worth saving?.

Can't tell from a couple of pictures. What I was trying to suggest is that you first see what is "just dirt" from exposure and thus cleanable and what is not. Exposure to moisture seems to be an Airstream's worst enemy - continuous exposure to moisture = floor rot & frame rust. A one-time spilled incident with water isn't so bad, but if it's been open to the elements for a couple of years that's a different story.

Every Airstream is salvageable to one degree or another and this one looks like a good candidate for what you have in mind - a strip & redo into a cafe/diner. I would hate to see one that is pristine being gutted for that...your shell looks good - IMO, everything else should be assumed to be a re-do. Seems to me, to get this one (or any trailer) in shape for a commercial kitchen it will have to be stripped to the bones anyways. The gas, water, waste, electrical, exhaust, hood(?), etc. plus all the added weight for equipment - this is not a simple undertaking. I work with my clients designing restaurants, they are more involved than most imagine (but I'm sure you know that!) especially when food prep & the health department get involved ~

On the other hand ~ our '56 looked okay to some (if you like sponge-paint & flowers), but we've gutted it down to the frame....and it's going to remain a camper. They almost always end up taking more work than originally expected when the romance begins. But it is rewarding when the work is complete!

Shari

byamcaravanner · 10-10-2007, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aluminati

...are you saying that this is not worth saving?...be honest.

I'll let Shari add her own two cents, but here is what my thoughts are.

The good... 28 years of sitting seems to have left a trailer with a pretty unscathed, unmolested outer shell.

The bad... 28 years of sitting seems to have allowed huge amounts of water to reach the inside. This is especially evident by the think furry stuff on the accordian door between the kitchen and the bedroom.

The fact that you are planning on an alternate use and don't need the interior is working in your favor, but this trailer may need MAJOR structural reconstruction. If you can, take a good flashlight and cordless drill and drill out some of the rivets holding up the belly pan. It won't take that much rivet removal to get a pretty good peek at most of the frame. If the main frame rails look like Swiss cheese, you will likely need a new frame. If just the cross rails are bad you can likely just replace them... not too hard with the floor out. Take a close look because it is likely that things will look worse when you get things apart.

I see other trailers in your pictures... is this a trailer dealer... or the "elephant graveyard?" A dealer should be well aware of the likely condition of this trailer and should have been up front about it. Either way, I hope you got it REAL cheap.

Keep us up to date on what you find... keep an open but critical mind. When you get a list of what you'll need to do there are many folks here who can give you a good idea what it will cost.

Aluminati · 10-11-2007, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byamcaravanner

I'll let Shari add her own two cents, but here is what my thoughts are.

The good... 28 years of sitting seems to have left a trailer with a pretty unscathed, unmolested outer shell.

The bad... 28 years of sitting seems to have allowed huge amounts of water to reach the inside. This is especially evident by the think furry stuff on the accordian door between the kitchen and the bedroom.

The fact that you are planning on an alternate use and don't need the interior is working in your favor, but this trailer may need MAJOR structural reconstruction. If you can, take a good flashlight and cordless drill and drill out some of the rivets holding up the belly pan. It won't take that much rivet removal to get a pretty good peek at most of the frame. If the main frame rails look like Swiss cheese, you will likely need a new frame. If just the cross rails are bad you can likely just replace them... not too hard with the floor out. Take a close look because it is likely that things will look worse when you get things apart.

I see other trailers in your pictures... is this a trailer dealer... or the "elephant graveyard?" A dealer should be well aware of the likely condition of this trailer and should have been up front about it. Either way, I hope you got it REAL cheap.

Keep us up to date on what you find... keep an open but critical mind. When you get a list of what you'll need to do there are many folks here who can give you a good idea what it will cost.

Well, It is an outside RV storage yard. The PO I purchased it from was IMHO...on the up and up about everything. I am afraid to say how much I paid for it....

...$500. As soon as I get it home...I can do more assessment of the frame. I did get to look under the trailer through...the belly pan is clearing the ground by...I say 6 inches...and the belly "looks" untouched.

byamcaravanner · 10-11-2007, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aluminati

Well, It is an outside RV storage yard. The PO I purchased it from was IMHO...on the up and up about everything. I am afraid to say how much I paid for it....

...$500. As soon as I get it home...I can do more assessment of the frame. I did get to look under the trailer through...the belly pan is clearing the ground by...I say 6 inches...and the belly "looks" untouched.

If the PO was straight with you... that's good. $500 is not a bad price, especially if the frame is not too bad. As a comparison, a guy in the Toronto area who posts here had a '67 Overlander for sale "for parts" a while back that was in much better condition than this one and he was asking $1000.

If you can move the trailer out of the hole it's in, you should be able to get at the frame as I described. If it looks like the main frame rails are OK, you'll have done OK. If not, you may want to consider negotiating yourself out of this purchase. You won't know unless you take a look though.

Keep your chin up... just get it out of the mud and if things check out... home into your driveway.