Brand New Owner of An Airstream

[mkamanu]

Not to be confused with Owner of a Brand New Airstream.
Well, now that the excitement has died down a notch, i want to re-introduce myself. Just bought an 85, Sovereign last week. Really good shape and had it checked out and all the major items work great.
Just needs seals all around and window seals and a goooood cleaning.

I cant wait to take it camping next weekend.. we hope to find some good people at the camp grounds as it will be our (me, hubby and 24 months old) first time camping in an airstream. We are sooo clueless yet sooo excited but we are learning as we go; and a big thanks to the airforum community. I have spent many a days reading on here and have learnt some valuable info.

In a couple of weeks, I will be re-doing part of the interior.. i want to redo the floor.. want to put some laminate and redo the cabinets and clean the inside. It is very sticky and color is very faded and looks brownish.

I will definitely peek in here as i work on it for some advice. I might do the easy work (is there easy work when re-doing an airstream) .. but I dont plan on doing the work myself.. I can probably clean the interior and attempt to remove cabinets and carpet and stain/re-do cabinets.. but that's all I can do.
For now.. we are looking for a close camp ground near Mckinney, TX.. just to start out and once we get comfortable we will venture out further.

Welcome. to me!.
Thanks

[mkamanu]

some pics..

mkamanu's Library | Photobucket

Originally Posted by mkamanu

Not to be confused with Owner of a Brand New Airstream.
Well, now that the excitement has died down a notch, i want to re-introduce myself. Just bought an 85, Sovereign last week. Really good shape and had it checked out and all the major items work great.
Just needs seals all around and window seals and a goooood cleaning.

I cant wait to take it camping next weekend.. we hope to find some good people at the camp grounds as it will be our (me, hubby and 24 months old) first time camping in an airstream. We are sooo clueless yet sooo excited but we are learning as we go; and a big thanks to the airforum community. I have spent many a days reading on here and have learnt some valuable info.

In a couple of weeks, I will be re-doing part of the interior.. i want to redo the floor.. want to put some laminate and redo the cabinets and clean the inside. It is very sticky and color is very faded and looks brownish.

I will definitely peek in here as i work on it for some advice. I might do the easy work (is there easy work when re-doing an airstream) .. but I dont plan on doing the work myself.. I can probably clean the interior and attempt to remove cabinets and carpet and stain/re-do cabinets.. but that's all I can do.
For now.. we are looking for a close camp ground near Mckinney, TX.. just to start out and once we get comfortable we will venture out further.

Welcome. to me!.
Thanks

[ColoradoLady]

Welcome! Nothing will compare to owning and enjoying your AS. You have your work cut out for you, don't you! Embrace the journey, have fun! I bought a 2015 BAMBI 16' Sport this year and I love it. Can't wait to get back out next year. I hope you and your young family have many wonderful trips in your future.

[dbj216]

Hello from Colorado and welcome to Air Forums where all things Airstream are pretty much established, except for tow vehicles, hitches, and tires.

You and yours will like traveling in your Sovereign in the years to come. Vintage Airstream ownership is a hobby of work and costs, but really quite enjoyable. You will feel all accomplished as you complete projects, from a good cleaning, to installing a new water heater. Be prepared for disappointments when you find yet another problem, it's part of the game.

I think you will find the participants on Air Forums willing to answer your questions and give you loads of free advice!

Enjoy,

David

[Meeks]

How exciting! Congrats and enjoy all your journeys!

[Foiled Again]

I was going along looking at your pictures saying - wow this really looks pretty clean - especially the stovetop. And then I saw the tub. That's probably going to be a project, but first clean it up and check for leaks. If there are none, and it's fiberglass (not ABS plastic) you should be able to get a bathtub refinisher to come in and re-do it and make it look shiney.

Have you named your Airstream yet? Seeing as it has some male pattern baldness (upper clear coat failure) it might be a boy, but you'll have to let it speak to you and reveal it's identity.

Welcome to our happy little band.

My knowledge of Texas geography is pretty limited, but if you do a Google search you'll find that there are two Airstream Only RV parks there - and hopefully one is relatively close. That would be a great place to meet other people and get great advice and help.

Paula

[B00merang]

"welcome.....to me"!
I love that. May all your travels be this cheerful. jon

[mkamanu]

Yeah, that bathroom gave me the shivers too!.
No name yet.. but waiting to see the outcome of our camping experience so we can decide.
Thanks !

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

I was going along looking at your pictures saying - wow this really looks pretty clean - especially the stovetop. And then I saw the tub. That's probably going to be a project, but first clean it up and check for leaks. If there are none, and it's fiberglass (not ABS plastic) you should be able to get a bathtub refinisher to come in and re-do it and make it look shiney.

Have you named your Airstream yet? Seeing as it has some male pattern baldness (upper clear coat failure) it might be a boy, but you'll have to let it speak to you and reveal it's identity.

Welcome to our happy little band.

My knowledge of Texas geography is pretty limited, but if you do a Google search you'll find that there are two Airstream Only RV parks there - and hopefully one is relatively close. That would be a great place to meet other people and get great advice and help.

Paula

[mkamanu]

Thank you all.. looking forward!

[dbj216]

Our 86 spent many a winter in Texas Airstream Harbor near the little town of Zavalla on Sam Rayburn lake. There may be 60 home sites there. Some folks rent their site for visitors like us. We were there about 3 years ago. The Airstreamers we met were very nice. Lots of fisher people as you might expect being on the lake. So yes, it would be a very interesting destination for you.

Minnesota has an Airstream only park also, and it is quite nice too. I really like the "wagon wheel" layout of the park. It offers lots of green space between home sites. There is a 9 hole golf course on the grounds. The landscaping is beautiful in my view, see photo.

So get your vintage Airstream ready and start exploring. It's lots of fun and very interesting. Good learning for your little one.

David

[NC Camper]

Congratulations! It looks like you got quite a find. I hope you enjoy the adventure of making it your own!

[Bowmans]

Congrats! Need to see pictures!

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . welcome to this crowd, and when you head West, look in on our 4CU club for a good time rally. . . regards, Craig

[SeeMore]

Congratulations on your new acquisition. The pictures you took will be a nice comparative set once you undertake personalization.

Some hints: A good rug/fabric cleaner is Folex to remove stains. I found Savogran TSP Substitute worked extremely well to get the grime off the interior surfaces. Both are non-toxic.

You will also benefit from the following thread entry:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f420...ml#post1688855

You may enjoy watching a series of videos on YouTube detailing an Airstream restoration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef59GarnwvM

[mkamanu]

Thank you all for the posts.
Reading each and every detail given.
This is just the beginning of great adventures; I am obsessed with airstreams; just can't get enough of them.