New Owner of '78 Excella 500

[Katiek3]

Hi Everyone!

Just recently purchased a 1978 Excella 500. The gentleman that I purchased her from kept her in great shape. She is already shined up!

The interior needed remodeling so I have gutted everything inside and am now left with a blank shell.

The front and rear sub floor needs to be replaced due to rot and I have to replace the fresh water tank.

I feel like I am at a cross roads, do I take all the interior skins off and redo the insulation and wiring or do I go with what is there? If I remove the interior skins I know that is a huge step.

It seems like the easiest way to get to the fresh water tank is through the sub floor.

Any comments or suggestions are great appreciated.

Photos attached

[Minno]

Congrats on having a shiny "new" trailer!
You will need to take off lower interior skins to redo the subfloor. Then you can evaluate what you expose, and decide if you want to redo all the insulation or not. You probably will want to spend some time figuring out what your new layout is going to be, and if current electrical outlets are adequate. You may want to run wire for future additions to electrical layout. If that's the case, then you will want to remove all the skins to run wiring. It's much easier.
It's one of those "while I'm at it" times....
It helps to do some quality forums reading on redo threads in the '70's section to get a sense for what is required to complete different types of renovations. It may help you to decide on what is important to you.
Good luck!

Kay

[Belegedhel]

The crossroad you are really at is "do I want to do a shell off or not?"

To replace the front and rear sheets of subfloor, you will need to remove the lower interior skins, but you will also need to remove the banana wraps and any sections of belly skin that wrap up and cover the bolts that secure the shell to the frame.

Once you see the condition of your frame (especially those rear-most cross members), you may realize that you have a lot of frame repair to do as well. At this point, you are so close to being ready to lift the shell, that you maight as well build the gantries and get on with it. At least with a complete shell-off, you can easily replace all of the subfloor and get rid of the old stanky plywood smell.

When you remove the lower skins you will see what shape the insulation is in. If is full of mouse tunnels, and the complimentary mouse feces, you are going to want to disinfect that and replace it.

You can check your wiring for continuity and insulation without removing anything. If it checks out, and you have no intention of moving outlets around, then leave it be. Some trailers during the 70's were made with aluminum wiring--that is something you might want to replace while you are there, then again, there are plenty of houses that were built with aluminum wiring that nobody has bothered replacing the wires.

It is all a slippery slope...or like they say, "a vintage Airstream is like an onion--the more layers you peel away, the more you feel like crying."

Anyway, in the 70's era, the fresh water tank is removed from underneath by sliding an inch thick piece of plywood forward, which allows the tank to drop. Again, if you are going to do a shell off, you may as well let this wait until the frame is out from under the shell, and you can use the gantries to flip the frame.

Good luck!

[dbj216]

Welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby and to these Airstream Forums. I think the Excella 500 was the top of the line trailer in 78 with all the bells and whistles.

I might suggest perusing the Airstream Trailer Knowledgebase, and then 78 Excella 500. This category of Airstream Forums is toward the bottom of the Forums page. It is the area where many vintage Airstream enthusiasts pose questions about their trailers (like your subfloor and fresh tank questions) as well as make "project threads" where they explain what they are doing and asking questions of other on the best approach. Take a look.

I am working on a 75 Overlander 27'. See photo below. I have a "project thread" linked below my signature. My trailer had all the classic 70s trailer's "problems" including rear end separation, rotted rear subfloor, bad axles, bad waste water tanks, lousy plumbing, stinky soft goods, and inadequate appliances. I've just installed a new belly pan and the new axles are next. My goal is a reliable, comfortable trailer the whole family can use. And a fun one at that.

User Minno has renovated a 31' trailer, and it is an award winner. They have a very good project thread in the 71 Sovereign section.

Jump right in. There are many vintage Airstream enthusiasts here who have walked the trail you are starting out on. I find them very willing to help me out with my project.

David

[Katiek3]

Thanks for all the advice!

I plan on taking the lower skins out of the rear this week, hopefully that will give me a good idea of what I need to do next.

The axles were replaced in 2005 by the previous so they are good but I am a little worried about the frame.

Thanks again for all the advice!

[dbj216]

When I'm assessing the condition of one of my vintage Airstreams, I drop the belly pan early on. Sure, it's a dirty job, but not terribly difficult. I suggest this as with the belly pan down, say from the axles to the rear, you can easily inspect what's going on with your trailer; frame, subfloor, water tanks and the like.

Taking the interior skins off at the rear will allow inspection of the rear subfloor and rear body plate, but not the frame. You will likely want to replace insulation, and belly aluminum isn't all that expensive.

Good to hear you have newer axles. The "design life", so I read, is about 30 years. So you should be good to go.

David