Starting a 1986 Soverei restoration

[Crze_86]

Hello all,
Any advice is welcomed and appreciated! We are new to the game. We lived in a 41ft fifth wheel the past year full time and decided to downsize. We bought a 1986 31ft sovereign and have come home to restore and hope to hit the road in May. I know I need to recaulk the exterior of the airstream as it appears it is old and there is one known leak around a window. So this leads to my first question.
1)Should we consider completely redoing the windows? Such as new rubber sealing? Is this necessary?
The other thing we are speculating about is insulation. We spent from May to August in MT and potentially may be in cooler climates. I’m not sure how good the factory insulation is rated in cold climate.
2) should interior skins be removed and insulation replaced?
I know there is a leak in the fresh water tank as well which completely scares me so any advice there is appreciated. And there are some cracks in the overhead built in cabinets. I love projects! But I’m starting to feel a little overwhelmed and not sure where to start!
Thank you all 😊
Mary

[Kvsterling]

I’m in the same boat, pulled the interior of 1984 excella motorhome and found about 1/4 of the floor at the walls are rotted. Also the floor of classic motor homes are not insulated. I’m planning to remove interior skins, repair floor, seal exterior seams, and considering rockwool insulation to replace pink, reduce noise while driving, fire retardant, and better insulation...think this whole thing may take a year or 2

[dbj216]

Hello from Colorado: Welcome to the vintage Airstream hobby. We have a 86 Limited 34'. It is likely constructed similar to yours. I have done considerable work on this trailer, as well as a 66 Trade Wind 24' and now a 75 Overlander 27'. Vintage Airstreams is a hobby of mine.

First I will offer my opinion on the Airstream trailers I so enjoy. They are built somewhat aerodynamic and light weight to tow more easily. They are designed efficiently for the smaller interior space. And they have an all aluminum body that lasts a very long time. That said, aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat and cold. The Airstream walls are only about 1 1/2" thick with ordinary insulation installed. They are more difficult to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Many Airstreams leak rain water that tends to rot the wood subfloor and thus weaken the trailer. Airstream appliances are ordinary RV fare and tend to wear out or be problematic. I don't consider an Airstream an ideal full time coach. I think big fifth wheels and motorhomes make better full time units. There are many folks that disagree with me and live full time in their Airstreams.

I think mission one is to assess your Airstream from the bottom up. Inspect everything and make a list of what doesn't work. Tires, brakes, bearings, axles, belly pan, doors and locks, windows and seals, all appliances, all plumbing, all electrical both 12v and 120v. You have already found a leak from the fresh water tank area, and maybe a leaky window. A thorough inspection with a list of problems noted will allow you to develop your project plan. Maybe you did this when you bought the thing.

Then start knocking them off one at a time.

My "fresh water tank" was leaking in the 86 Limited. A leak from that area isn't necessarily a leak in the tank. They have a drain valve that is infamous for leaking. My leak was due to the plumbing above the tank. I curse Airstream for running plumbing above the fresh water tank but below the subfloor. I think our trailers were plumbed with poly butyl gray water lines. I had one fail and leak. So I dropped the tank and re-plumbed the lines with PEX, a better material. See photo...

Hope this helps. These Forums are an excellent place to learn about all things Airstream.

David