Found homeless

[L&C Woogie]

Here's one in the backyard of a, well.... rather forlorn farm.
couldn't get any closer but it looks like its been there awhile.
About 1 mile south of Banks

[L&C Woogie]

oops, Banks, Oregon

[averagejoe]

Imagine my surprise that while I'm towing the "Rescuing 1975 Ambassador" I run into this derelict Ambassador in a campground south of the Great Sand Dunes. This is a twin bed, rear bath arrangement, 1972 made in Santa Fe Springs.





Even though the access doors appear to be missing, they are lying on the ground adjacent to the trailer. Inside looks to be in OK condition, no ovewhelming signs of rodents, but I didn't look too closely. It appears this Airstream may be used as "greeter" at the entrance to the campground and as an advertisement. It definitely hasn't moved in years, but there were a few items (like a Coleman lantern) inside that said it was used for something, now and then. The Carefree awning is in taters, but the mechanicals looked OK.

I just noticed something extremely weird. This Ambassador has the pair of 30" windows up front (see street side photo), not the 50" unique window in the mid-bath I rescued, yet it appears to have the same dining table and front couch arrangement. Are there no two Airstreams alike?

This was the only store/gas station/campground south of the Dunes. It would be realtively easy to get a line on this Airstream and "rescue" it, if you were so inclined. I didn't get the details since I was still overwhelmed with the "rodent poop barge" I had in tow.

Joe

[Alumatube]

Older A/S trailer for sale on I-30 in Texas, between Dallas and Texarkana. Exit 123 and it is about 1/2 mile west, on the north side of the Interstate. I was crocheting (Brad was driving) and looked up just in time to see it go by, plus we were absolutely beat from working on the rental house all weekend AND driving a truck with a water-pump leak and trying to get home safely, so we didn't turn around to go check it out, sorry!

[PINKBIKE]

but can you use a magnifying glass and give me your best guess as to year and model ? It may be up for sale to me...

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by Rollerboy

but can you use a magnifying glass and give me your best guess as to year and model ? It may be up for sale to me...

That trailer is not an Airstream, it is an Avion. The shape is slightly different and Avion used 13-panel endcaps into the early 1970's, at least thru 1972. Since the one in the photo shows 13-panels, it is early 70's or older. I am not an Avion expert, but my gut it telling me it is from somewhere in the 60's because of the windows. And Avion's were polishable thru about 1963, with them becoming annodized and therefore not polishable starting in about 1964. This trailer has the look of being annodized, so it it probably 1964 or later. I can tell it is one of the longer ones, at least 27' or 28' long, and probably 30' or 31' long. The available lengths varied by year, so I can't be more precise. That's about all I can tell from your photo.

Here are links to more Avion information, should you still want to pursue this trailer:

Avion Travelcade Club Travel Fifth Wheel Fleetwood Trailer Cayo RV Repairs Interesting Email Indiana Unit
SILVER AVION HOME

Good luck!

[Airboss]

No A/S for sale anymore???

[Aage]

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

Not exactly homeless, but being used as a storage shed. Obvious bad damage to the rear top street side. I am very confused--looks old but only has a 5-panel curve in the top. Never have seen this kind of window installation--what gives?

This AS is near the Central Ferry campground along the Snake River in WA.


Attachment 23442Attachment 23443

Attachment 23441

That kind of damage: is it a fortune to repair? Anyone care to hazard an estimate? Don't worry, I won't hold you to it

[3streams]

Originally Posted by Aage

That kind of damage: is it a fortune to repair? Anyone care to hazard an estimate? Don't worry, I won't hold you to it

It is at least 4 panels worth of damage- not going to be cheap! Funky windows- never seen that before. Worth more investigating - just to see the inside layout that corresponds to those windows.

[utee94]

Originally Posted by Airboss

No A/S for sale anymore???

I'm always amazed by the people who seem to find these things growing on trees out there. Over the past four months, I've completely avoided the Interstates and taken every back road I possibly could on trips from Austin to Dallas, to North Texas, to East Texas, to Houston, and south of San Antonio. And aside from actual RV dealers (who always seem to ask way too much for the condition of the trailer), I've only seen one Airstream off the side of the road, and it looked like it had been crushed in a giant vice.

Then I read blogs and threads from people like Rob Baker and he seems to be picking up a new vintage find about every other month or so. Normally I think my luck is pretty good, but not in this area it seems...

[utee94]

Ahhh, and just as I post, there comes "3Streams" who is actually (at least) "6Streams."

Maybe it's just that Rob/Zoe and Andy/April have bought up all of the trailers out there. Could you folks please leave just one or two for the rest of us...?

-Marcus

[monocoque]

Marcus,

I'm not sure I actually found my airstream. Rather its seemed more like it found me! Keep looking one will find you. Keep tuning your internal airstream locater magnet. Of course it doesn't hurt to follow the unwritten locating-a-vintage-airstream-protocol. Rule number one...

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by 3streams

It is at least 4 panels worth of damage- not going to be cheap! Funky windows- never seen that before. Worth more investigating - just to see the inside layout that corresponds to those windows.

We've unofficially determined that the unusual configuration of the windows in that Tradewind denote bunk beds within.

[Zeppelinium]

This will put your Google Earth crosshairs right on that Central Ferry Airstream.

46 29' 19.87" N
117 45' 39.00" W

Zep

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by utee94

I'm always amazed by the people who seem to find these things growing on trees out there. Over the past four months, I've completely avoided the Interstates and taken every back road I possibly could on trips from Austin to Dallas, to North Texas, to East Texas, to Houston, and south of San Antonio. And aside from actual RV dealers (who always seem to ask way too much for the condition of the trailer), I've only seen one Airstream off the side of the road, and it looked like it had been crushed in a giant vice.

Then I read blogs and threads from people like Rob Baker and he seems to be picking up a new vintage find about every other month or so. Normally I think my luck is pretty good, but not in this area it seems...

You should run some different roads. We've taken, from Dallas to Corpus Christi, the following (west to east), Highway 16, Highway 281, Highway 77, Highway 183, Highway 59, Highway 290, etc. I not only see plenty of A/S, I've seen at least [6] Silver Streaks during the past year. And, since most survivors in Texas seem to be in the Houston area (S/S only made 2-300 trailers annually), that would really add up were I to cruise that area.

If I stopped to photo everyone I saw I'd add at least an hour to every four hours of driving. Old A/S are a dime a dozen. Sorta like old Chebbies.

[3streams]

Originally Posted by utee94

Ahhh, and just as I post, there comes "3Streams" who is actually (at least) "6Streams."

Maybe it's just that Rob/Zoe and Andy/April have bought up all of the trailers out there. Could you folks please leave just one or two for the rest of us...?

-Marcus

We are already eyeing up # 7 because it is sitting abandoned- being used maybe 1 weekend a year as a fishing cabin (its a '62 Globetrotter) We are just waiting for the owner to come by. Haven't seen him yet this season- hope nothing happened to him

Be patient and they seem to show up- take the back roads, visit old campgrounds, check out storage facilities, hunting / fishing areas are hot spots for old aluminum trailers, and of course e-bay and craigslist.

I have even thought about putting an add in the penny saver- something to the effect of: "Wanted: old aluminum travel trailers- will haul away and pay fair value." To see if you could get responses from people who were using them a storage sheds or knew of ones on farms that they could get some $$$ for the metal. Metal scraping is big in our area- they would never think you were going to restore them and sleep in them.