newbie advice

[snakeman]

Hello to all and happy easter,
I'm new to this forum and excited to be part of the airstream community. I have wanted an airstream since i was young after seeing them flow down the highway. I'm now in the position to get one. They are however rather scarce here in Alberta, now I think I found a likely one. Its a '69 Overlander thats been to serveral continents. it looks rather good on the inside, which i will renovate later in the year. My main concern is the exterior. the bottom front skirt? seems rather dented up and needs replacing. there doesn't seem to be any major dents anywhere else, just a few small dings. I should cut to the chase: what should I be looking at on the exterior to judge its condition? how about underneath? I look forward to all advice.
Thank You in advance,
Snakeman:

[moosetags]

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

If you could post some pictures, we might be able to be more helpful.

Brian

[snakeman]

Thanks Brian, will do
Snakeman

[bullydogsmom]

Snakeman,

Nobody would want you to run from a vintage unit but you need to do a lot of research on this forum as to what to look out for. You probably should be most concerned about what you can't see as opposed to what you can see.

Unless the belly pan is removed you really can't see the most impostant part of an AS, which is the frame. On older units this is usually there weak spot. Look for weak spots in the floor by see if any of the floor flexes under your feet. This will be most likely just as you go through the door and under the bathroom floor.

Take and ice pick crawl under the cabinet stick it into the floor around the perimeter of the trailer see if it's solid. Slide out the beds check along the floor there too. check the floor directly under the air conditioning unit and ceiling vents, they can leak and soak the carpet and the leaks can go undected for years.

Go look at the trailer armed with knowledge and then came back and ask more questions. Your Airstream is out there waiting for you somewhere.

POST PICTURES

Annette

[snakeman]

here are some pics i received showing the outside.
snakeman

[ROBERT CROSS]

Looks like it will need the axle's replaced.

Outside looks pretty darn nice.....

Welcome Aboard

Good Luck & Sweet Streams

[snakeman]

hi all,
well since i posted the pics of the '69, i found another AS. A '74 24' LY. its mint original on the inside and well cared for. However, the outside has been painted silver and black on the belly pan. not sure what this was all about. Thinking I my be able to strip paint off or go really modified and paint in a cool colour scheme. Do many people ever paint AS? I hope no one throws eggs at me for even thinking it LOL.
Any advice on stripping the silver paint?
Snakeman

[ROBERT CROSS]

Hey Snake....two Streams already? You are going full speed ahead!!!

[snakeman]

hey Robert, shouldn't be full stream ahead?LOL
Snakeman

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by snakeman

hey Robert, shouldn't be full stream ahead?LOL
Snakeman

Which ever Airstream or Argosy trailer you may decide to buy, checking out the axles, could save you a lot of money.

You can check them out in 30 seconds by reading the following article.

The Dura-Torque Axle

Andy

[juel]

There are a couple of painted Argosy trailers on this Forum. I know the Argosy comes painted; however, these have had the color changed and they are just beautiful. One is cream and black. It belongs to smokelessjoe, the other is I believe Blue Thunder. Try to find them if you can. Some Airstreams were painted silver to keep from having to polish or replace the clear coat. I believe Inland Andy wrote about it once and how well it can work out. PM him and see.

[snakeman]

thanks for the link Andy, I will print it out. Hey Judy and Bob, I sort of a 50's retro kind of guy. I am in love with the parade of progress GM buses that once toured. Seeing as the 74 AS has been over painted, might be able to talk it down in price. I would like to paint it the red and ivory found on the above tour buses. I will be coming home with it this weekend, hopefully.
Thanks to all for making this a very welcoming forum.
Snakeman