New to the forum

[MattMarshall]

Hi all... My name is Matt Marshall. I'm new to the forums here. My wife and I bought a 1987 Excella this past August.

While it came to us in decent shape, we have been slowly renovating it since we picked it up.

We started by addressing a small leak at the rear of the trailer and mechanical issues, after which we took it for a great two-week trip through New England.

Since then, we've been doing cosmetic updates as time has permitted.

I've lurked anonymously on this forum for some time. I now look forward to participating in discussions w/ the community here moving forward.

[Kevin245]

Welcome! Congrats on the new rig, and on making your first post.

BTW. We like pictures.

[Bubba L]

Welcome Matt. You’ve got a nice roomy trailer, at least compared to our 22 footers. We’ve helped a couple of friends this year on a 1980 and 1990, both Excellas and nice comfy trailers. Good luck, get it safe to travel in and stay healthy.

[MattMarshall]

Originally Posted by Bubba L

Welcome Matt. You’ve got a nice roomy trailer, at least compared to our 22 footers. We’ve helped a couple of friends this year on a 1980 and 1990, both Excellas and nice comfy trailers. Good luck, get it safe to travel in and stay healthy.

Thanks Buba! This is our first trailer ever. There has been a learning curve even for a serious DIY'er, like myself.

And I'll second, third, and fourth your safety first thoughts above.

I at least had the good sense to make sure my trailer brakes, wiring harness, emergency brake controller, lights, etc. worked before leaving on our first trip, but I thought the tires looked like they'd still have some life on them (i.e. a lot of tread left, no obvious cracking/dry rot of the side walls). Sure enough w/in 400 miles all four of the tires this old trailer came with started peeling apart. I got super lucky that the rural exit I pulled off on in upstate New York had a trailer service center where I was able to get the tires replaced same day!

Beyond that hiccup, our first big trip was great. It gave us an opportunity to figure what we really wanted to change in the camper before our next trip.

[MattMarshall]

Originally Posted by Kevin245

Welcome! Congrats on the new rig, and on making your first post.

BTW. We like pictures.

Thar she blows!

[sswanson15]

Good looking unit... congrats!

[Bubba L]

Matt, got a question. Is there a step stabilizer bar that you place from the backside of the lower step to a frame member behind the door threshold underneath? That friend of ours with the 90 Excella we helped with some leaks and electrical issues had one of those bars. Having double step treads made it kinda spongy when stepping on the first step. That bar made it really rigid. Just wondering if that was homemade or standard. Thanks

[MattMarshall]

Originally Posted by Bubba L

Matt, got a question. Is there a step stabilizer bar that you place from the backside of the lower step to a frame member behind the door threshold underneath? That friend of ours with the 90 Excella we helped with some leaks and electrical issues had one of those bars. Having double step treads made it kinda spongy when stepping on the first step. That bar made it really rigid. Just wondering if that was homemade or standard. Thanks

I do NOT have a step stabilizer bar on the lower step, but I like the idea.

I weigh about 210 lbs and I would call that lower step 'spongy' as well. It bears my weight well enough, so I'm not worried about it breaking yet. But there's definitely a fair amount of play on that lower step when I step on it. Enough so that I often don't flip it down into position, unless my kids are trying to get in and out.

[dbj216]

Hello from snowy Colorado: Welcome to the Airstream owner's community. We have a 1986 Limited 34 that was a family Airstream since new We took possession in 2005 and have enjoyed the Airstream hobby ever since. There are always projects on these old Airstreams to keep them in top shape. We didn't travel this year, but hopefully with the vaccine, we will be able to go next spring.

Thanks for the picture of your Excella. Here we are in an Arizona campsite. Falling lemons can cause dents in an Airstream.

David