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DPM · 06-30-2009, 03:21 PM

My wife thinks I am a nut because I have been lurking airforums and other sites for months, and my curiosity of vintage trailers quickly turned into an obsession. We own a rock climbing publication www.deadpointmag.com and I decided that a vintage trailer badged out in our magazine's logo was a marketing necessity. I loved the airstream design, but painting one would be a crime, so the Argosy naturally became my trailer choice.
This morning at 4am, my wife and I arrived home with our new restoration project. We purchased Steve Fixx's 73' Argosy http://stephenfixx.blogspot.com/ , and we have big plans for her.
At 8:30 am I woke up struggling from a lack of sleep. After slamming a pot of coffee to clear the cobwebs, we began gutting her interior. We know she has several leaks, and feel the interior vinyl walls will need to be removed in order to find the leaks and repair them. The old vinyl walls are held in with rivets and have several old rivet holes. We are looking to create a very clean finish to the walls, and the old vinyl isn't going to cut it. My question is, where do we find the suitable replacement vinyl? And, are there cleaner options than rivets?

**Janet H** · 06-30-2009, 03:26 PM

The vinyl walls (at least the ones on the exterior walls) are actually aluminum coated with that vinyl. Getting it off the aluminum may be a serious chore. Do some research before you undertake this. I might consider painting them......

Congrats on the purchase and finally de-lurking

DPM · 07-01-2009, 08:38 AM

I am referring to the vinyl sheeting that make up the interior. The exterior is the painted galvanized steel.

vswingfield · 07-01-2009, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DPM

I am referring to the vinyl sheeting that make up the interior. ...

So is Janet.

**Janet H** · 07-01-2009, 10:40 AM

Your trailer has an exterior skin and an interior skin. In between there are aluminum ribs (sort of like studs). The interior skins are usually vinyl clad. The exterior skins are aluminum except for the end caps which are galvanized steel. If you are unsure which part of the exterior is steel - use a magnet to check it out. It won't stick to aluminum.

CanoeStream · 07-01-2009, 11:03 AM

And both the interior skin and exterior skin work together to create an integral structure for stiffness. Removing interior skins during restoration is common but you have to put them or an exact copy back in place.

mello mike · 07-01-2009, 07:17 PM

I had the same problem with my 1972 Sovereign. My walls were stained, had ugly paint and had numerous holes in them. My solution was to cover the interior walls with Ozite Rib Fabric (aka Hull-liner). It looks great and adds another layer of insulation. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that most of the newer Airstreams have Ozite Fabric on the walls. See my blog for more details.

DPM · 07-01-2009, 09:35 PM

Thanks everyone. Im glad to hear I don't have to remove the interior walls. I've started sealing the exterior and the interior is gutted except for the fridge. I found an mouse nest in the bathroom fixtures I removed today. Removing the shower and dark water tank only confirmed that we will have to redo the floors. The worse it looks, the more excited I get about the restoration process. This is going to be an awesome experience. I can't wait to share a beer and give my first tour when she is done.