SSKimberly,
I currently live in a 1976 34 foot Silver Streak Supreme that I bought in 1998 near Lewiston, Idaho. I have lived near Coeur d' Alene since then but now reside near State Line Idaho next to Washington.
I started out in 1986 in a 25 foot Silver Streak Sabre purchased in Visalia, CA when I lived in Kerman, CA near Fresno.
I have been through everything on these trailers over the years.
Before we hauled the first trailer home we greased the wheel bearings as a preventative measure.
You probably will find the water heater is filled with sediment and want to upgrade to an on-demand water heater rather than the usual tank heaters. Even ten gallon tank heaters aren't enough for me.
You want to check all the water lines and move them inboard away from the walls and wrap everything to prevent freezing and NEVER run your water on city pressure to prevent a possible leak disaster. Use ONLY your onboard tanks at all times.
The heaters in all trailers consume way too much propane. I have Olympia Catalytic heaters which are very economical. Just keep them COVERED from dust, etc as the catalytic surface cost over $100 plus shipping to Camco to be refurbished which is almost the price of the heater. Mine have lasted about 20 years even though I didn't take care of them well enough.
Make sure to seal THE ENTIRE ROOF for leaks. I have a mystery leak that is driving me nuts.
You will need to go over the brakes as they will be rusted for sure and the springs should be replaced. Brake shoes can be hard to find and the electrical magnet wires should be checked. Try to restore everything you can on the original parts. They are hard to find or VERY EXPENSIVE...same as Airstream parts.
Check the front door hinges as they tend to wear a groove and are an unusual shape and there are no replacements. Seal around the front door.
Be sure to keep the front corner windows protected with the covers that are hidden under the front window cover, if they are still there. Lube the props that hold that front window cover up, they get clogged up with dirt and grease and can become difficult to operate.
Check all the wiring and mark all the wires in the converter box as to which item they go to. I removed my converter because it buzzed and was under my twin bed. Get a new modern converter/ battery charger...much lighter, save old convertor for a
12 volt source for other projects.
I put in a solar system with inverters and have four large batteries in the rear trunk. I keep the inverter, controller, distribution box in the bathroom as the cables from the batteries need to be fat and short. I would replace the entire circuit box and switches with a box that has more room for extra lines you can use for other dedicated lines for a microwave and other 30 amp items as too many items on the original 15 amp lines will trip the breakers. I have had loads of electrical issues, so learn how to trace your electrical system.
I built a platform off the rear bumper and haul a 5000 watt Onan generator (sucks too much gas and can't be converted to propane if you have the wrong model).
Your fridge may give you problems. I upgraded to a double door Norcold (very expensive) and modified the double door storage area next to it to accommodate the larger fridge.
I took all the doors off of my cabinets (with the mirrors which are heavy) to remodel the cabinet space and let warm air under the sink to keep water lines from freezing.
I eventually got rid of the front room couch, chairs table etc and put my full sized washer and dryer against the front of the trailer. I have had many re configurations of the trailer over the years. I had condensation drip down from the windows onto the inside walls, so I re-paneled the front and re-insulated as much as I could.
The plastic strips on the inside ceiling will get brittle and crack so be careful and find a way to seal the entire ceiling and anything attached to the ceiling as that's where leaks like to drip, especially over your bed (Murphy's Law).
There is so much more you may want to do. Just be sure to have good tires and drive SLOW to avoid accidents. Yield to traffic that builds up behind you.
Upgrade all your running lights to LEDs, they're much brighter and use less power.
Try to use all
12 volt appliances, lights, etc to avoid having to need 120 ac.
You will find out right away that you have to net down to only what you absolutely need as storage fills up quickly and extra weight can build up fast. I travel way too heavy.
Also, have a diesel truck to pull your rig. It will save your butt and pull you out of many a situation that gas trucks don't have the torque to do the job.
I also have a 1969 30 foot Airstream I gutted and turned into a workshop and storage trailer.
CEDRICWARD.2010@YAHOO.COM
GOLDTRADERCOMMENTSAUGUST2010.BLOGSPOT.COM (MY BLOG)
this great country!!!!
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