1981 Airstream Excella 280. Isuzu 6BD1 non turbo diesel. Turbo 400 3 speed transmission. Incomplete remodel. I'll try to include everything that's been done and what's left to do. We gutted the interior down to the structural steel.
1. Redesigned the layout. 2 bed/couch up front. sleeper/dinette. 4 bunks in the back. bathroom moved from rear to side.
2. flooring replaced with sealed, marine grade plywood.
3. walls insulated with aluminum faced bubble wrap and 2" rigid foam insulation. rigid insulation installed at 2, 1" sheets with aluminum tape to seal seams.
4. original painted aluminum wall skins stripped and reinstalled. custom aluminum endcaps.
5. rear bunks and bathroom walls made with welded aluminum square tube and covered with birch panels. rear bunk partially removable to have clear window view. rear bunk height set to not interfere with window view when in place making the upper bunks a little tight for adults when using a 4" mattress.
6. rear bed has storage underneath. side bed has electrical system underneath.
7. electrical upgraded to 50 amp with progressive dynamic power center and automatic transfer switch. all new wiring throughout not chassis wiring . 3 way switches entry, bedroom area, driver for all lights. AC and usb plugs anywhere there is seating.
8. seats 12, 7 beds.
9. storage everywhere we could put it. all furniture/cabinets are custom made to fit available mattress/cushion sizes.
10. convection microwave. for stove we use 2 induction cooktops that are put away when we're not using it.
11. central vacuum system.
12. chassis. hard wired backup camera. new radiator, new rear brakes, new front air bags, new vintage air system. new hoses/belts.
problems/what needs to be finished.
1. front driving area. we put in custom welded aluminum frame and instrument panel. haven't finished the floor and the original chairs aren't great. get quite a bit of of engine noise, so it could use some dynamat and sealing air leaks.
2. windows. we removed the windows panes, not frame and resealed them. a couple of them don't slide that well.
3. bathroom/water system. this is the biggest area that hasn't been completed. we have all of the plumbing components including tanks, macerating/pumping toilet, sink, drain pipes, etc... we also have built the bathroom cabinets. we build 2 steel "wings" that bolt to the frame in the rear to hang the tanks from. just haven't finished. we bought a camp toilet and sink to use in the meantime.
4. currently getting a little water on the drivers side during heavy rain. it looks like the window drip edge should be re caulked.
5. fit and finish on cabinets isn't great. need to trim edges, adjust some doors and add latches to drawers. we have some simple straps that we use to keep them from opening on turns.
6. fridge is original at least we haven't replaced it and takes a while to get cold. the door latch is broken and the bottom bracket broke. we replaced it with a piece of aluminum.
7. 2 rooftop air conditioners are old and don't work great. they iced up quite a bit on a summer trip to new mexico.
we've taken this rv from wisconsin to key west, FL and new mexico among other shorter trips. it averaged around 13mpg but only does 55mph and struggles going up mountains. we had planned to replace the engine/trans with a cummins 5.9 and allison 6 speed. the cummins dimensions and weight are almost identical to the isuzu but with easily twice the power. was going to use a school bus donor. haven't found the time to do it. basically, we have 2 many projects and have to cut our losses on this one. sale price includes all materials that we've purchased to finish the remodel.
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1981 Airstream 280 - Wisconsin