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Old 04-17-2021, 04:25 AM   #1
1 Rivet Member
 
1972 29' Ambassador
WIGAN , England
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 16
Owned 72/3 Ambassador in the UK for 3 years

Hi Everyone!
My name is Dean and I live in the UK, England. I have had a passion for Airstreams ever since I saw one whilst driving my truck at work on the Motorway (freeway), and I was hooked! I started searching for videos on Youtube and reading up about them. When I found out how much they cost, I felt very crestfallen, owning an Airstream just seemed so out of reach, however after 10 years of 'life' happening, I was able to cobble enough money together to buy a 1970's Ambassador with a centre bath and twin beds at the back. When I went to look at it, the dealer in the UK kept trying to point out that it was a lot of work, and would cost a lot of money....he wasn't wrong either i'm still beavering away at it. He even made me go home and think about what I was getting into! My mind was already made up. I hired a pickup truck to tow it home as I knew I wouldn't be moving it anytime soon.

I installed a new subfloor lifting the shell off the frame, after struggling trying to do it without lifting, I had welding work and frame repairs carried out also. The restrictions on our movements that have been in place during the lockdowns have made the whole project grind to a halt. I went to check on the Airstream when I could, and found out that the trailer had been leaking in places really bad, and now I have to replace the floor again in places. I have managed to trace most of the leaks and fix them, but as you will all know, all Airstreams leak at some point, and it's like having another full time family member you have to look after and protect.

I have been looking at my old photos and as I have gotten deeper into the renovation, I am deeply regretting throwing out my old interior even though some of it was beyond its useful life. I have fitted an ikea kitchen but this has its own drawbacks, particularly with the carcasses that you buy, i'm going to swap those out with custom made ones.

The layout i'm having is identical to the original, but with new furniture and appliances. I am very tempted to start sourcing original interior parts like bulkheads and wardrobe doors, kitchens, bed frames etc. As these would save me time and bring back the original character of the Airstream.

Sorry for the long introduction! I have made friends with a few Airstream owners on other sites such as Facebook and i'm looking forward to making some friends on this forum too! Thank you for reading about my journey so far!
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Old 04-17-2021, 08:23 AM   #2
Rivet Master

 
1966 22' Safari
1955 22' Flying Cloud
Fredericksburg , Texas
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 2,936
Welcome to the forums. A 29’ Ambassador is a really roomy trailer. As far as sourcing original parts, all wooden parts can be reproduced. Original hardware, lights and plumbing faucets are more difficult. Leaks can be repaired with Captain Tolleys and Parbond. Take your time and enjoy the adventure. Take care.
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Old 04-17-2021, 06:15 PM   #3
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1986 34' Limited
1975 27' Overlander
1969 21' Globetrotter
Conifer , Colorado
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 8,289
Images: 1
Welcome from Colorado: Happy you found these Airstream Forums and I hope you are willing to share your experiences and help others with them. The pandemic has been hard on everyone around the world. We haven't traveled in our Airstream for two years. We are now vaccinated and plan on a trip this May. However, I have a meter of snow in front of my shop door, so we aren't going anywhere yet. Here is a photo of my shop window almost buried in snow.

My wife has a 86 Limited 34 foot Airstream she inherited from her folks. I renovated a 75 Overlander 27 foot rear bath twin. It is one model size shorter than your Ambassador. We hope to attend a vintage rally here in Colorado in June. I enjoy the vintage Airstream hobby in my retirement from real work. Maybe you have found the Airstream Knowledgebase toward the bottom of the forums page. Then find Ambassadors and your year range. You can read all about others who have done extensive work to their trailers. I like to call them "project threads" as they include all the trials and tribulations people go through making their old Airstream new again. Stuff like replacing and then repairing the subfloor.

David
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