Hello Fellow Airstreamers,
As this is my first post here I would like to share with you how I have now become this sites number one fan, but before I do I would like to thank you all for unknowingly helping me in so many ways already.
Thank you!!!!
Now for a little history... My Mom and Dad currently have 2 Airstreams, the first one is a late 60's
Caravel my dad bought about 10 years ago abd the second is a 72 31 foot Land Yacht. They are both avid caravaners and take off for months at a time. They are currently on a caravan that started in July in the north eastern US and has them now in Canada where they will be until the end of August. My family (wife and two young children) have enjoyed camping with them a couple of weekends a year for a while now.
August 12, 2007... I spot an add in the local paper for a 25 foot 83 Airstream that needs some interior work, the asking price $3000. I thought about it and gave them a call. He told me where I could look at it, so I went right over. Here is where it gets interesting. What I found was a very unkept 31 foot soveriegn with no interior at all. The gentalmen selling it had recieved it as payment for a debt so he could not tell me anything about it nor did he have any idea about where any of the missing interior parts could be found. I had mycamera so I took a bunch of pix and posted them on the web for my Dad to check out and let me know if he thought I should go for it. He was very excited that I was considering an Airstream.
Skip ahead... I bought the trailor for $1500 went right to a trailor store and bought a new cord to connect to my SUV along with a bigger ball for my hitch. (the first of my expenses). I hooked up the trailor and all of the lights worked so I began my 30 mile trip home. AsI was exiting the alley it was parked in I noticed the bumper from the tralor sticking out of the wheel well of a car parked in the alley.
Nice I said to myself as I went about two miles down the road to find a place to turn the rig around to go back and find the owner of that car and see what kind of magnet they must have under the hood. He he.I can laugh about it now but he didn't think it was too funny when I let him know that I just wrecked his car.
Moving right along.....
Over the last month I have cleaned it from top to bottom, inside and out.
I have bought new tires, lights, awning spring, door gaskets, a new level for the outside. I have sealed some leaks and managed to reattach the bumper get a new license plate bracket along with a shiny new license plate. As for the inside I have finished where the PO left off and removed all of the curtain rails and everything else that could be removed so I could start from scratch rehabing the insides. I fixed some bad spots on the floor layed down some .25 inch subfloor and painted the intire interrior white. I have purchased a new 3 way fridge, a china toilet, new electrical outlets and light fixtures, a new battery, power converter/charger, a water pump, cook top, microwave/ convection oven, laminant flooring and a bunch of wood (popular) to rebuild the cabinets and walls etc.
How did I know what to buy? you might be asking yourself, well I will tell you. I knew what to get because I have been reading the posts on this site constanty since I purchased my Airstream last month. I have also placed many calls to my parents.
Thanks again for all of the help and I will keep you posted on my progress. If I can figure out how to upload some pix I will definately do that, I have been taking them since the first time I viewed my Airstream.
I will also not be a stranger to this site as I have many more things to buy like a goucho, beds, blinds/curtains, and kichen and bath fixtures. I am also considering replacing the water heater and furnace as it will never be easier than it is right now. Surprisingly the air conditioner works very well.
Currently I am framing out the back twin beds and I started framing in the cabinets around the new fridge but I am now waiting for the microwave to arrive so I can see how big to make that space. My brother is coming up this weekend and bringing with him a 4 x 6 sheet of aluminum my dad had laying around. I am going to put it on the wall behind the kitchen sink/ stove area and if all goes well I may be puting it on all of the walls. I don't know how big of a job it is to replace the interior skin so that will be the determing factor to see if I can do all of the walls. My plan is to make the interior much like the new Airstream CCD's but with my own personnel touch. Sorry for the longest first post ever but as you can tell, if you are still reading this, i am very excited about our new Airstream and I am anxious to get it finished so I can get the family out and about in it.
Oh I almost forgot.. One of the other things I have done is joined the WBCCI. Couldn't wait to do that.
Thanks again for all of the help and I will keep you posted....
Okay, I have uploaded some of my pictures to the gallery, if I don't have my own gallery do a search for " Schwartz Airstream " to see all of my pix...
Schwartz
Proud new Airstreamer...
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