1948 Liner VIN#1174

[streamit96]

For 30 years(my whole life) I have gazed at this camper beside my parents home and always thought it was so cool! I finally got my hands on it and I'm so excited! I only wish I was in better financial shape to go ahead with the restoration. I knew the lady very well that used this as her kitchen. The body is in near perfect condition. The frame appears to be very solid. The axle is there but no wheels. Original glass is intact all the way around with no cracks although the glass directly beside the addition is painted. The door was removed and placed beside the Liner at the time of the addition. It still has the original screen and the inner door. No damage was done to the unit when they built around it. The interior has been removed besides the cabinets on the wall. All top vents are intake and appear to be original. I will be posting more pics after I remove it from it's resting place. Hope everyone enjoys!!

[Melody Ranch]

You give me hope that there is, out there, that one special treasure for me.

[switz]

It looks like the lean to roof will have to be disassembled from over the trailer in order to raise it enough for tires and wheels to be installed. That unit will be a real project to bring it back close to original.

There are a lot of restorers on the forum that can share their experiences with you so you are not left wandering around clueless.

Great family heirloom.

[Rollster]

Very cool!

[worldinchaos]

Originally Posted by switz

It looks like the lean to roof will have to be disassembled from over the trailer in order to raise it enough for tires and wheels to be installed. That unit will be a real project to bring it back close to original.

There are a lot of restorers on the forum that can share their experiences with you so you are not left wandering around clueless.

Great family heirloom.

Doesn't look like it's on concrete. Could also dig away from the areas that it isn't currently resting on, support the frame with jack stands, and then dig out below the axles to add wheels and tires.

Congrats on the purchase! It may be slow going, but I know you will one day have a great trailer as a reward!

[streamit96]

Finding this forum is almost as good as finding the Liner! Everyone here has been so helpful.There seems to be some curiosity as to how I will remove it. When i acquired the Liner I was also given the building that surrounds it.therefore I will dismantle the shed over the unit first, remove the unit, and then demo the rest of the structure. I will try to salvage all the materials from the structure seeing as how my dogs need new shelters and all the material I need is there making it an even sweeter deal Now as far as lifting the unit, I would be open to all sudgestions as how to do this properly so as to not damage the unit. Also I was wondering if anyone knew the bolt pattern of this unit? Thanks everyone for your continued support!!

[overlander64]

Greetings streamit96!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Airstreams!

Originally Posted by streamit96

For 30 years(my whole life) I have gazed at this camper beside my parents home and always thought it was so cool! I finally got my hands on it and I'm so excited! I only wish I was in better financial shape to go ahead with the restoration. I knew the lady very well that used this as her kitchen. The body is in near perfect condition. The frame appears to be very solid. The axle is there but no wheels. Original glass is intact all the way around with no cracks although the glass directly beside the addition is painted. The door was removed and placed beside the Liner at the time of the addition. It still has the original screen and the inner door. No damage was done to the unit when they built around it. The interior has been removed besides the cabinets on the wall. All top vents are intake and appear to be original. I will be posting more pics after I remove it from it's resting place. Hope everyone enjoys!!

It looks like you have a good starting place for your restoration. There aren't many of these early pipe frame Airstreams left (refers to the round pipe that runs from the front to the rear of the trailer). I can't provide any insight into the best approach to jacking up the trailer, but as a pipe frame trailer its frame is quite different from the trailers that followed in the 1950s and subsequent years. All crossmembers attached to that center pipe, and this connection over time is where problems developed . . . when trying to pull this trailer out of its position it would be wise to carefully observe the pipe for any movement indicating that it isn't fully attached to the rest of the frame. It looks like the trailer is sitting on dirt and even with the roof covering, it is quite possible that enough moisture may have been drawn up around the trailer to rust the frame and cause issues.

I don't want to alarm you as there may be no problems . . . but please be aware of the potential for the problem with the pipe frame.

I will be looking forward to following your adventure with your 1948 Liner . . . the first one that I saw restored belonged to Bud Cooper, one of the Charter Members of the Vintage Airstream Club!

Good luck with your Liner!

Kevin

[57BB]

What a great find! Well I guess you've known about it for a long time but still, quite amazing! I thought I had found the holy grail with my 1953 Liner...this is even better I think Kevin is giving you some very sound advice and you should heed his suggestions. I'm working on a 1964 Overlander that sat in a field for 15 years uncovered and unoccupied. It wasn't moved for at least 20 years before I got it. It didn't take much to get it on the road but it was a bit of a chore. When we took it apart what was most amazing was how many animals had made the underside of it their home and how much damage they did in the process.

It looks from your photos that the front end is being supported along the edge by cinder blocks and hopefully the back is similarly supported. If so then at least there hasn't been direct contact with the soil...and that would leave the metals in much better condition.

I've worked exclusively with Frank Yensan, 62Overlander here on the Forum, he has a shop in Baltimore MD and has been involved in MANY restoration and rescue projects. Here is a link to his blog: http://annalumanum.blogspot.com/http....blogspot.com/
www.frankstrailerworks.com
I believe he knows these early trailers well as I've seen at least three similar trailers in his shop over the past three years. He's a great person and a tremendous resource, I'm sure he will be happy to give you good sound advice.

Being an architect I'd try my hardest to find a way to take the trailer out from under the shed first, rather than dismantle the shed first. I'd be afraid that the shed or a part of it falls on the Liner damaging its skin...which looks to be pristine.

Best of Luck on your amazing Liner!

Michael

[Jobe]

Any idea which year they switched to the flat painted plate "airstream" emblem on the rear on the 22' liner?