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Old 04-26-2008, 06:49 AM   #1
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New Guy says thanks

Hi All, My wife and I recently became the proud owners of a 75 soveriegn that needs a little more than some tender loving care. I have be lurking in the shadows and using the information you provide to get her ready to go. Thank you for the gift your forum has been to me. Not having to reinvent the wheel has been priceless. We are looking forward to attending some of the rallys.
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Old 04-26-2008, 07:26 AM   #2
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Welcome from the Florida Panhandle

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

Safe travels,
Brian
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Old 04-26-2008, 07:32 AM   #3
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Welcome Airdog!

This forum is the best place to learn and share. Speaking of sharing.....do you have any pics of your new Airstream to post?
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Old 04-26-2008, 07:32 AM   #4
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Welcome to the forums-- got any pictures?
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Old 04-26-2008, 07:55 AM   #5
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Welcome from Illinois ...

Welcome to the Airforums ! We're renovating a 1974 29 ft. Ambassador International. What a ride it's been so far! You are right, this is the place to find great resources, encouragement and help.

Nancy and Laird (maccamper)
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Old 04-26-2008, 07:59 AM   #6
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We have a digital camara, but I'm a little low tech. Let me see what I can do. My son is coming home from College this weekend. Maybe a lesson is in order!
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Old 04-26-2008, 08:14 AM   #7
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Check this thread.
And welcome to the forums!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f138...eds-31829.html
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Old 04-26-2008, 11:11 AM   #8
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Moraine View Rally

Here is something you may want to consider: there is a rally the weekend of June 14 and 15 at Moraine View State Park in Illinois. There will be about 32 Airstreams there, including 8 to 10 from the 1960's and 1970's.

We recently attended a rally in Branson, Mo, and a few people who are in the middle of remodeling their trailers came just to see what other folks have done and ask questions and take pictures. Their trailers were not ready for the trip, so they stayed in a nearby motel.

Part of the rally was an open house tour of all the trailers, several of the vintage (trailer) owners had lots of pictures of their in-progress work. There will be an open house at Moraine View as well, you can check out the rally thread from the Portal.

The park is less than 20 miles from Bloomington, IL, but Champaign/Urbana would be an option for lodging as well. Just a thought.

Laird
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Old 04-27-2008, 01:58 PM   #9
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This forum is the best place to learn and share. Speaking of sharing.....do you have any pics of your new Airstream to post?
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Will here goes, I hope this will work. I have a white film or crust inside of the fixed window panels (See picture). I have not been able to find info on this. Do you have to remove the window from the outside to clean this out?
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Old 04-27-2008, 09:03 PM   #10
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Talking Welcome

Hi and welcome to the forum! I too am a newby here I joined two weeks ago. You came to the right place! I have the exact same model as you.(I have a 1972) The vista view windows that you mentioned actually have a film in them. They are sealed double paned and the exterior piece of glass had a reflective film applied to its inside surface . the windows tend to become unsealed and moisture and condensation causes the film to deteriorate. On a 72 model which is what I have you can just remove the inner Vista -view pane and just clean off the damaged tent on the inside of the outer pane. Other years are different. Check out The Vintage Airstream Club FAQ section. There is more info on the other years. Good luck! Bethy Ann
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Old 04-27-2008, 09:15 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Airdog
This forum is the best place to learn and share. Speaking of sharing.....do you have any pics of your new Airstream to post?
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Will here goes, I hope this will work. I have a white film or crust inside of the fixed window panels (See picture). I have not been able to find info on this. Do you have to remove the window from the outside to clean this out?
Based on your photo's, the axles are bad.

You should see a couple of inches of the tires, above the top of the wheels.

The following article will help you check out your axles.

Dura Torque Axle

Andy
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Old 04-28-2008, 04:04 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In
Based on your photo's, the axles are bad.

You should see a couple of inches of the tires, above the top of the wheels.

The following article will help you check out your axles.

Dura Torque Axle

Andy
I love that... they all need new Henchens don't they.... Great find, welcome.
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Old 04-28-2008, 05:23 AM   #13
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Welcome...I'm the new owner of a 76 Sovereign 31ft myself. Your's looks good, you did a great job loading the pictures. While you may indeed need axels, don't just jump into it. Mine rides very high on the wheels in reality, but some of my pictures look like it's sitting on the rims. It's the angle of the picture that makes the difference. Again welcome, if you need help these people can give it to you. This is my second Airstream and I really enjoy all the room. By the way, I bought my Sovereign from a gentleman in St. Joseph, Michigan, last October. Oh yes, about those vista-view windows, they all look the same as yours and they are a bugger to fix, but it can be done. I'm trying to get up the nerve to work on mine, but probably will leave that till next Winter. I'm CAMPING now.
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Old 04-28-2008, 06:53 PM   #14
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Bethy Ann said "On a 72 model which is what I have you can just remove the inner Vista -view pane and just clean off the damaged tent on the inside of the outer pane. Other years are different."

How
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Old 04-28-2008, 06:59 PM   #15
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Sorry, I missed that up. Do you have to take the inner wall down to get to the screws in the Vista Windows out? I saw a very nice thread on replacing them with a patch last night and others about braking the inner pane. I would rather keep them, but it would be nice to be able to see out of them.
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Old 04-28-2008, 07:13 PM   #16
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Thanks Andy, I sure appreciate your advice. The article was very helpful. I will take a good look tomorrow after work when it is still light out.
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Old 04-28-2008, 08:01 PM   #17
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I'm sorry, I sure missed that up. Do you have to remove the interior skin to get to the bolts to remove the inner pane of the vista windows?
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Old 04-29-2008, 10:10 PM   #18
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windows

Airdog,
I am no expert. I was just trying to give you some information that I have found on these windows. I have owned my airstream for 2 weeks. We are planning on removing our inner vista windows when our airstream returns from the garage. We are having all the the shocks replaced (they are on order) the tires replaced etc. Our unit was very well taking care of so luckily for us we still have good axles and no rear end droop (which is common for the 70's rear bath models). Please don't break your windows! I think we will try doing everything possible before that. I wish I had my airstream here to look at it closely. Removing the panel is a possibility . I was hoping it would be much simpler.(from what I read) I will take my hubby over to the garage to look at it tommarrow he is really good at these kind of things (he always says it went together without breaking and it will come apart with out breaking). This is not his first restoration, but it is his first airstream restoration. Let me know if you find any thing that is more detailed in your research and I will do the same. Did you check out the Vintage airstream website?
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Old 04-30-2008, 01:14 PM   #19
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Wow!

Airdog,
We went over to look at our airstream and checked out the windows. It looks like if you remove some of the rivets on the inside wall panel that you could possibly take out just enough to work very carefully behind the panel and reach the bolts. If not .... wow, to remove the whole panel would be a huge undertaking as it goes the complete length of the camper! So when we finally get our airstream home we are going to try to work behind the panel very carefully first. My husband still needs to clear any rust from underneath the camper and undercoat it. So it will be a little longer before we get to that. Do you have a 72 or a 75 model? I have the owners manel to my 72 if you need a copy. It is not in the best shape but I could try to copy it and send it to you. I was thrilled that it still had one. Keep me posted on your progress and we will do the same maybe we can help each other.
PS. Your pictures look great I need to try and figure out how to attach pictures.
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Old 04-30-2008, 04:37 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Airdog
Bethy Ann said "On a 72 model which is what I have you can just remove the inner Vista -view pane and just clean off the damaged tent on the inside of the outer pane. Other years are different."

How
Did you put the inner pane back in after cleaning all the tint off, or did you leave it out. Also, give me a hint as to how you got it off in the first place and was it glass of plexiglass? I may try this after all if it's that simple. Judy
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