New from Columbus Ohio! 1975 24ft Argosy

[clairecross]

Our story....we have a 1975 argosy 24ft. We're determined to renovate but not done anything like this. So far we've removed all the interior cabinets fixtures and fittings, most of the interior walls....insulation etc etc. planning on replacing the plywood floor parts of the belly pan....all electrics, plumbing.....etc etc but we're kinda at a standstill partly not exactly sure how to proceed and the weathers turned and we don't have a covered space to work on it. Wondering wether to hire out some of the work or try to tackle it ourselves but I'd really like the renovations in a good place by next June, it's a tall order I know. If anyone has any advice or knows of 'how too' links to tackle the job in the correct order or even how much roughly it'll cost to do this ourselves.....I'd/we'd be so appreciative. Anyways rekon I'll stop rambling on for now. Thanks in advance!

[dbj216]

Hello from Colorado and a big welcome to Air Forums and the vintage Airstream hobby. You have a classic trailer and live in a classic town. I bet there Airstream experts close by as Airstreams are built in Jackson Center, Ohio.

Well you have jumped in the deep end with both feet. The teardown goes five times as fast as the rebuild. Renovating an old trailer is a lot of work, and a lot of fun. My advice is to analyze your trailer from the ground up. Tires, brakes, axles, belly pan, frame, subfloor, body, windows, doors, then plumbing, electrical and appliances. Make a long list of all your trailer's needs so you can go traveling in it. Now you can develop a plan on what your trailer is going to look like inside. Every item on your list is dollars and time. I spent about $12k and about 1200 hours on mine over a three year period not including the price I paid for it in the first place.

I met a fella last spring who renovated his 75 Argosy, see photo. And I spotted a project Argosy in the back of a campground just sitting there waiting for the right guy wanting to renovate it, second photo. The Argosy line was a special Airstream venture to try out new ideas on a smaller volume trailer.

You will find Air Forums a great place to learn all about your renovation. Every aspect of the job has information posted right here. Soon you will be staying up into the wee hours of the night reading how others did their renovation.

Nice to meet you,

David

[clairecross]

Hey David nice to meet you too! Thanks so much for your advise!!! I'm obsessed with this forum already!!! It's for sure daunting at the moment...as you say the teardown seemed quick and easy for sure....got a long way to go!!! Sweet pics by the way!!!

[dbj216]

You build a house one board at a time. It is daunting at first, but you can make a little progress each week. The important thing is to develop your plan for what your Argosy will be when done. One aspect of your design can be very dependent on another aspect. For example, gee I'd like to install a shower instead of a bathtub, but now the drain lines won't work. The trailer systems are integrated. I certainly learned this during my project.

So read threads and start making your project list. Here is a photo of my project. And mine is average at best compared to some of the trailers shown in these Forums. You can see how the body style between a 66 trailer and a 75 trailer sure changed a lot.

David

[clairecross]

Hey David. I can tell that you speak from experience, I really appreciate that! I agree ....your exactly right....but trying to find those key threads is somewhat time consuming for me anyways....gonna keep searching tho. The goal would be to have this project finished in 6 months.....just not sure how realistic that goal is .....it's probably ambitious unless we get help. I called the airstream service centre last week....to see if they could help with some of the tougher jobs during the winter months....it's a possibility but of-course pricey. Still love love the dream and fulfillment this project could bring. I do have ?'s though like....is it worth it (not a question you can answer) but we for sure need to look at the pros and cons.... just being honest

[clairecross]

Thanks david again for your input!

[Mtmanor]

Welcome. It's amazing how much information is here. For me, I spent a year of looking and planning before I recruited a friend to help.

He's very thorough and is familiar with all the trailer systems. We did mine from the wheels up.

Having studied the forums and done the tear out myself I had already made many of the decisions on floor plan, systems, etc. That really helped to keep things on track once we got started.

We're just north of Columbus so if you send me a message I can pass along his info. I know he'd be happy to help. And I can completely recommend his work.
Plus, you could see my 67 Safari and see if anything we did would work for you.

The mothership is also a great resource. Do the tour as soon as you can.

And Vintage Trailer Supply is great, too. One stop shopping for most everything. Ask for gift certificates from them for your Christmas gift. You'll need all the help you can get.

[dbj216]

Six months is aggressive unless you can work on it full time. I have about 1200 hours of free labor (mine) in mine. That is about 6 months of steady full time work. Airstreams come apart much easier than they go back together.

You can "google" search on 25 Argosy Restorations and see what threads might come up. They are built similar to a 75 Trade Wind, but different of course. I followed "millertime" thread on his Trade Wind rebuild. This thread is applicable to you gaining a perspective of all that is involved. Here is the link. Stay up all night and read it. : )

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...ad-118881.html

I kept all the receipts of the stuff I purchased for the Trade Wind. I had it appraised for my "agreed value" insurance. The appraised value based on "comparables" was about equal to my expenses, but not any of my labor. I have about $18k in the thing. So I tell the wife I could sell it for what I have in it. She is skeptical. But she agrees I'm worthless.

So keep good records during your project. If you buy new axles for $1300, keep the receipt. Same for everything you put into your trailer.

Jackson Center is a premier service center. I've had major work done there before. And yes, they are expensive. I saw a 75 25' Trade Wind in their shop that they completely renewed while I was there. It was magnificent. The asking price was $65k. Somebody got a very special 75 Airstream.

David