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47WeeWind · 11-22-2018, 08:23 AM

Hi Airspry:

Nice to see some progress, however slow it might be. I tend to be a tortise myself.

Is your aluminum body shell staked to the ground on the inside with ratchet straps or something? I have seen photos of loose lightweight shells blown away in a strong wind and get terribly bent, creased, crumpled and ruined. Secure that shell if that hasn't yet been done.

Airspry · 11-23-2018, 01:22 PM

Thank you for sharing your approach. We decided not to replace the belly pan as it seemed to provide rodent housing. Time will tell if that was a good idea. It has been fun watching your renovation. Thank you for sharing your progress.

Airspry · 10-25-2021, 01:34 PM

After another long break, we can report some progress. As 47WeeWind mentioned, the shell on the ground was at risk. The good news is that it only moved about a foot when a big wind came through. We were VERY lucky. It also gave us a nudge that we'd better get back to work.

This Summer, we finished the floor by using epoxy to add a layer of aluminum. This should provide additional stability as well as protection against water.

Airspry · 10-25-2021, 01:39 PM

Here is the floor as we got ready to add c channels.

Airspry · 10-25-2021, 01:58 PM

As so many have said before, we did not imagine how difficult it would be to get our baby back together again. The good news is that the strap (in a Box Elder tree) we used to make a crane was still in place.

After a number of tries where a breeze came up as soon as the shell was off the ground, we managed to get it lifted high enough off the ground to back the trailer underneath. This was a bit harder than when we took the shell off as it the trailer is higher due to the new axle.

Putting the first few rivets in was daunting. However, the process quickly became comfortable. We are novices. This is all new and we are learning as we go. The thing that gives us most comfort is to remind each other that we are doing this for our own use, not for show. It is great that she is back in one piece.

I got on top (which made the neighbors nervous) and drilled out to roof vents in order to replace them and install A/C.

As you can see, there is a skirt instead of a belly pan. The bed will be in back so we are going to add hatches on both sides to enable access to storage underneath.

Airspry · 10-25-2021, 02:08 PM

If a cat has nine lives, how many lives does an old Airstream have? All Summer, the trailer was under big trees so that we could work in the shade. Once the vents and A/C were installed, she moved to the middle of the back field.

Within about a week, there was an early, heavy snowfall. Branches came down all over the yard including one limb that was about 10" in diameter. It would have caused real damage.

We got lucky.

Bubba L · 10-25-2021, 02:27 PM

Great to see the shell back on the chassis. Your making progress and should be out camping in no time. Taking your time and doing it right is the way to go. Looks great.

66Overlander · 10-25-2021, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 47WeeWind

Hi Airspry: This reply is going to be one big jumbled run-on mess because, apparently, this web site no longer recognizes formatting instructions such as paragraph breaks from as computer software program as opposed to an app. So as a work-around I will indicate where each new paragraph should begin by using a long dash, such as this ----- Your trailer's serial number, O-3459, is for a later 1957 22' Flying Cloud trailer built in Airstream's Ohio plant, hence the O[hio] prefix to your numerical serial number. But Airstream's 1957 model year for its Ohio-built trailers was unusually long in that it ended in April 1958 rather than the fall of 1957. So your trailer may have been built in late 1957 or in the first few months of 1958. It is difficult to say because we do not know the ending s/n for 1957 Ohio-built Flying Cloud production. Incomplete records show Flying Cloud s/n O-3460, one numeral higher than yours, is known to exist. -------- As you acknowledge, some states titled trailers in the year they were first registered rather than the year they were built, so the 1959 on your trailer's title may have been the year it was first registered with a state by the initial purchaser. Your Flying Cloud definitely is a Flying Cloud model and not a Caravanner, which its window arrangement resembles. ------- I would post here a two page flyer for the 1958 Flying Cloud showing its exterior and floor plan, but I can no longer figure out how to do what I have done for decades on this web site. I am posting from a vintage Windows 10 computer, not from a modern smart phone or a tablet, and the Attach Files box at the bottom of my Reply to Thread area is a entombed dead zone which does not link to anything except rational emotional frustration. ------- A quick advanced search for How to Post a Photo on this web site reveals nothing useful for us vintage computer users. I apparently still have software on my vintage computer as opposed to an app, and my software does not include any visible paper clips (which induce bad flashbacks to Windows XP) or any Manage Attachment box. Grrrrrrrr. ------- Anyway, if someone could tell me how, in 2017, to simply post a .jpg photo from a computer to this web site, I might attempt to help you out further by posting the Airstream sales flyer for a 1958 Flying Cloud. In the meantime, Good Luck and Success with your restoration!

Fred,
This is not correct. The last Ohio built 1957 Flying Cloud was SN O3471, built during the first week of September 1957. The first Ohio built 1958 Flying Cloud was SN O3500 built on September 30, 1957.

O3459 was built about July 1, 1957 making it one of the last 13-panel 1957 Flying Clouds built in Ohio, possibly the very last one. I suspect that O3460, built 7/8/1957 was the first 7-panel 1957 Flying Cloud built in Ohio, though that is a guess, as that change was recorded for some models, but not the Flying Cloud. The Ohio end cap change occurred during the first week of July, 1957.

Airspry · 07-08-2023, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 66Overlander

Fred,
This is not correct. The last Ohio built 1957 Flying Cloud was SN O3471, built during the first week of September 1957. The first Ohio built 1958 Flying Cloud was SN O3500 built on September 30, 1957.

O3459 was built about July 1, 1957 making it one of the last 13-panel 1957 Flying Clouds built in Ohio, possibly the very last one. I suspect that O3460, built 7/8/1957 was the first 7-panel 1957 Flying Cloud built in Ohio, though that is a guess, as that change was recorded for some models, but not the Flying Cloud. The Ohio end cap change occurred during the first week of July, 1957.

Hi Joe,

Thank you for this additional information. It does seem that our trailer has an interesting story to tell!

Bubba L · 07-08-2023, 12:23 PM

Glad to see you’re still at it.

AS71 · 11-07-2023, 03:15 PM

I am the proud owner of a vintage AirStream, a 1958 Flying Cloud made in Ohio. It has that unique bank of windows on the street side which is the feature that convinced me this is MY trailer. I love all the natural light they admit.
Glad to see others owners are around. It’s my first travel trailer and is mostly refurbished by the previous owner.
I intend to replace the A/C, Heat Pump unit on the roof. There is an opening from, I presume, the previous unit that measures 13.5” x 13.5”. The units I am considering weight 99-100 lbs. Do I need to reinforce the roof of my AirStream before installing a new unit?? Any advice? Any recommendations for the best unit to consider? Thank you!
So happy to find this forum and thread!!

Bubba L · 11-07-2023, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AS71

I am the proud owner of a vintage AirStream, a 1958 Flying Cloud made in Ohio. It has that unique bank of windows on the street side which is the feature that convinced me this is MY trailer. I love all the natural light they admit.
Glad to see others owners are around. It’s my first travel trailer and is mostly refurbished by the previous owner.
I intend to replace the A/C, Heat Pump unit on the roof. There is an opening from, I presume, the previous unit that measures 13.5” x 13.5”. The units I am considering weight 99-100 lbs. Do I need to reinforce the roof of my AirStream before installing a new unit?? Any advice? Any recommendations for the best unit to consider? Thank you!
So happy to find this forum and thread!!

Congratulations on your 1958 FC. If there was an AC unit where the 13.5” opening is located, there may be some support in place. Also, there should be a power cord maybe stuffed into the cavity of the opening. Lastly, you may want to start a dedicated thread for you 58. Ask the questions if needed. Good luck

dbj216 · 11-07-2023, 05:20 PM

Greetings AS71: Welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby and these Forums. There is a ton of info here and many "project threads" in the Knowledgebase found near the bottom of the Forums page. Click on Flying Cloud and then your year range and stay up all night reading all about your 1958.

Some folks do reinforce the area where the newer, heavier AC units are mounted. Again, you can search these forums and find out what others have done, and then see if you are interested.

David