Buyin' a Streamline

[ericpeltier]

Well, I've struck a deal for a 33' Streamline. The owner (RV park and repair shop in NM) will get it rolling, and I'll tow it home to CO. The body is in really good condition, let's hope the NM weather has been good to the frame, too.

The interior is partial and what's there is a 90% loss. The bathroom fiberglass parts are salvageable, which will be nice to have.

Yes, I am handy. Goodness only knows what a remodel of a vintage trailer might cost if hired out 100%!

Crossing my fingers this works out! My dream of a vintage trailer (kitted out with modern amenities) for family trips is getting closer!

[55AS]

Cool trailer. Good luck with the remodel.

[Jammer]

Nice. Post photos!

[PaulnGina]

Nice!!! Congratulations on the acquisition.

I look forward to seeing and hearing more!

[Stefrobrts]

Sure looks straight! Congrats, I can't wait to see more pics!

[Lumatic]

If anyone else is interested in Streamlines, I have a 73 25' Imperial I want to sell. Also in NM. Send me a PM if you are interested.

[ericpeltier]

Lumatic
Please post some pics of your trailer! It'd be fun to see some examples of a '73.

[enived2]

Congrats, Eric! Glad you finally got your silver vintage trailer!

[thesignlady]

Hey there one for sale nearish to me to. I was wondering does anyone know if the subfloors in a streamline are easy to replace like the Avions or a pain in the arse pinned under a C-Channel like the Airstreams?

Cheers

[ericpeltier]

Originally Posted by thesignlady

does anyone know if the subfloors in a streamline are easy to replace like the Avions or a pain in the arse pinned under a C-Channel like the Airstreams?

I'll know in a month or less!

[thesignlady]

Keep us posted and get some before pics up ASAP :-)

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by ericpeltier

Lumatic
Please post some pics of your trailer! It'd be fun to see some examples of a '73.

Here's the link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/organi...57651889156806

[BCsteve]

Hi all, looking at trailers is somewhat unexpected but not unfamiliar. I lived in a small zephyr trailer then moved up to a 27 foot something (can't remember) now I'm thinking ahead a few years maybe 5 when I retire. My plan was to live abroad full time but of course as I age I'm more realistic.. In some ways haha! So it likely I will spend the winters somewhere warm and the summers here in Canada. There's nothing tying me to any particular place so long as I maintain a Canadian residence for 183 days to keep my all important medical coverage.

Of course the airstream is an eye catcher. I came across a 24 foot streamline duke. Not sure the age yet. Looks very green from the photos. Of course this being BC we get lots and lots of rain in the winter months much like our neighbours in Washington state. I know very little about them. I read that the streamline trailers were hand built by 2 former airstream engineers. Anyway, any advice would be much appreciated. I know the interior will need to be gutted. What about the wheels, axels and the frame? Thanks!

[slowmover]

Streamline was formed from an original partner to the Silver Streak Company. Which in turn shared the Curtiss-Wright trailer with Airstream immediately after WWII.

Al of these used the knowledge of working aluminum from workers in the giant SoCal aircraft plants in the postwar period.

Water is the equivalent in a trailer to fire in a house. Quite roughly, but a bare shell of a recovered trailer is then a tremendous amount of work going forward. Luckily, with Streamline, the cabinetry is aluminum. So it comes down to how rotted is the frame and frame to shell areas.

I see a few of these trailers every year being sold out of the PNW. None of them ever look too good.

[BCsteve]

How to check the frames integrity? Or is it best to search for a newer trailer?

[slowmover]

Age isn't the thing so much as condition. But, up to about 20-25 years of age is a point where it'll be much easier to do what needs done on a trailer given good overall condition.

[ericpeltier]

Time to resuscitate this thread a bit. I did not get much done in the May, June, July timeframe, I had a sick kid and some travel. But now making progress.

It's funny to work on this trailer so very close to the Rocky Flats site in CO. Rocky Flats was considered the dirtiest place in America, and was a Superfund site. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Flats_Plant

Why is this funny? Because my trailer needs super-fund-level cleaning. The amount of mouse turds, insulation nests, grasses, weeds, leaves, mouse carcass, sticks, and flagging tape under the subfloor and on the bellypan is mind-boggling. I even found a nice t-bone steak bone in there, carried in by critters. In many places, the infestation of the trailer had been significantly long that there was 1/2" of soil on top of the bellypan. How many mouse turds and how much mouse pee you need to make 1/2 of soil is not a pleasant thought.

You'll see in the picture the difference between bays that are emptied, and bays that I have yet to empty.

When all the subfloor is out, I might take it to the local self-serv car wash and powerwash the frame and belly pay. What could it hurt, right?

[ericpeltier]

This past weekend I removed all the subfloor in the rear of the Streamline.

I had been completely convinced, by looking at the plumbing and based on the possible year of the trailer, that we'd have a grey tank. Nope! Just one tank. So now I need to re-visit the idea of adding a grey tank. Which could be tricky with the shower......I thought I'd just run the shower drain to the black tank (we don't use the shower much ) and then put a grey tank on top of the decking, under a bed or something. But there's a big frame member between the shower drain area and the black tank. Gotta re-think this.

[Mountair]

Has it been more or less work than you expected to get this far with the gutting ?

[ericpeltier]

More work than expected, but mostly because there's piles of yucky stuff between the floor and bellypan. Not all trailers have this mess.