Any streamers on here??

[crispyboy]

Don is still at the factory heading up the tours.

GCroyle, your welcome to stop by the house on the way to the factory - we offer courtesy parking for fellow Airstreamers.

 

[Bob4x4]

Post 7 pic was at a 3day diesel event at the now defunct LACR. The airstream next to mine had a full on resto interior. Beautiful solid woods He has another at home. His pictured tow rig Dynos at about 550hp

 

[GCroyle]

crispyboy,

Very kind of you to offer. This trip is a combined graduation party family get together near Columbus and the AS tour is my treat for being a good boy. So routing is direct from SC to OH w/o AS. Thanks for the offer.

Thanks,

Gary

 

[Bob4x4]

Shadrach there is a shop on your side of the border that modifies passenger cars of all sizes to yank Airstreams from small to the big old boats of the 50's and 60's

 

[Shadrach]

While I always admired them as a "classy" and well built unit, I have looked at them and they are not for me. No disrespect intended to anyone who owns one, but I find them too "cold and commercial". Like an industrial loft condo or an airplane. Just not my style. I also don't like most of the RV's made today, too much "fluff". Shad

 

[HBarlow]

Don is still at the factory heading up the tours.

GCroyle, your welcome to stop by the house on the way to the factory - we offer courtesy parking for fellow Airstreamers.

Gary,

The name sounds vaguely familiar. It's probably the same old guy who was providing tours in the '90s.

 

[HBarlow]

While I always admired them as a "classy" and well built unit, I have looked at them and they are not for me. No disrespect intended to anyone who owns one, but I find them too "cold and commercial". Like an industrial loft condo or an airplane. Just not my style. I also don't like most of the RV's made today, too much "fluff". Shad

The industrial look was not the way Airstreams were built in the '70s, or the '80s and '90s when I owned them. That is something that was introduced after I moved on. I don't care for it either.

 

[Yo Hoot]

Get a load of these... .

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/37573576@N06/tags/trailer/

 

[HBarlow]

About ten years ago I noticed a vintage Airstream in a farmer's field south of Lubbock. I knocked on the door and talked with the old retired farmer who owned it. He offered to show it to me so we walked out and looked it over. It was a '66 Airstream 22' Safari single axle. The body was not damaged and the trailer was complete - still had the television post and antenna, heat shield on outside of furnace, etc. It was missing several windows and full of farm dirt and rat droppings. I was interested but not willing to pay for it so thanked him and moved on. A couple weeks later I called him back and asked if he was interested in trading me the trailer for my labor to install a metal roof on his dilapidated old farm house. He was delighted so we made a deal. I brought the trailer home and put it in my shop building and did a mechanical restoration. Replaced wheel bearings, seals, backing plates, brakes, tires, and repainted wheels. Replaced all the plumbing, clearance lights, taillights, and windows. I stopped working on it when I went on the road transporting trailers and it sat in my shop for a couple of years.

My daughter remarried and I gave it to her as a wedding present. She and her husband had it professionally reupholstered and new carpet, drapes, formica, floor tile, furnace, refrigerator, and ac installed and had a specialty company in northern OH strip and polish the exterior. It looks like a museum piece now but hasn't been used once. Her husband is not interested in the RVing lifestyle and she won't sell it so it has been stored inside for years. I estimate its probably worth $30 - $40k to a vintage Airstream enthusiast.

 

[GCroyle]

Harvey,

Thats too bad about a restored unit not getting used, real nice gift to her.

I have been in only a handfull of Airstreams and one was kinda like bare aluminum, a Safari I think not too plush and then I've seen pics of some that frankly I wondered what were they thinking all designer modernistic looking had to describe but not for me. Ours is hickory with covered interior, relaxing.

 

[Yo Hoot]

About ten years ago I noticed a vintage Airstream in a farmer's field south of Lubbock. I knocked on the door and talked with the old retired farmer who owned it. He offered to show it to me so we walked out and looked it over. It was a '66 Airstream 22' Safari single axle. The body was not damaged and the trailer was complete - still had the television post and antenna, heat shield on outside of furnace, etc. It was missing several windows and full of farm dirt and rat droppings. I was interested but not willing to pay for it so thanked him and moved on. A couple weeks later I called him back and asked if he was interested in trading me the trailer for my labor to install a metal roof on his dilapidated old farm house. He was delighted so we made a deal. I brought the trailer home and put it in my shop building and did a mechanical restoration. Replaced wheel bearings, seals, backing plates, brakes, tires, and repainted wheels. Replaced all the plumbing, clearance lights, taillights, and windows. I stopped working on it when I went on the road transporting trailers and it sat in my shop for a couple of years.

My daughter remarried and I gave it to her as a wedding present. She and her husband had it professionally reupholstered and new carpet, drapes, formica, floor tile, furnace, refrigerator, and ac installed and had a specialty company in northern OH strip and polish the exterior. It looks like a museum piece now but hasn't been used once. Her husband is not interested in the RVing lifestyle and she won't sell it so it has been stored inside for years. I estimate its probably worth $30 - $40k to a vintage Airstream enthusiast.

I would love to see pictures of it!

 

[HBarlow]

The Safari my daughter owns is basic functional on the inside. Not much wood veneer. The overhead storage lockers are basic aluminum with, iirc, a textured insert like the ceiling treatment. I think the kitchen counter was covered with either the same texture or wood veneer. I've forgotten now.

In my opinion having owned an '83 and '84 and a very plush '93 triple axle, the more basic earlier ones were best. They were lighter, durable, and built for go-anywhere travel not to look fancy.

I have an old coffee table photo book of Wally Byam Airstream caravans all over the world taken back in the '50s and '60s. Those were the days when Airstreams ruled the highways.

 

[crispyboy]

We are currently on our third Airstream. I have enjoyed tinkering with them in my spare time and all the money I have spent on refurbishing them has been recouped in the selling price to get a different model as my family/needs have changed.
Here is a picture of our first trailer, an ebay special... ..... I learned a lot about this trailer as I installed new floors, appliances, interior refurbishment etc..... , I liked it a lot since it was our first but the floor plan wasn't the greatest after our daughter was born.
Trailer #1 - 1981 Excella II - 22'

Trailer #2 - 1989 Excella - 29' - was neglected, rotten floors etc... ... Except for 1 dented panel it was pretty darn nice when I was done. It was sold because my wife like the floor plan in trailer #3.

Trailer #3 - 1994 Excella - 30' - some areas are needing attention since the previous couple were getting elderly and letting a few things go. We really like this trailer and I hope to keep this one for quite awhile. I already fixed a structural issue along with the typical rv maintenance issues.

Here is a link to the structural work I did this past fall.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f381/hold-down-plate-panel-replacement-pic-heavy-98728.html

 

[Bob4x4]

My Safari is not the Bare aluminum industrial look either. While I enjoyed some of the International model easy to care for interiors the wife wanted the warmer old school upholstery. Since I would camp with or without a tt the interior layout was her call. This Trailer has been as impressive as I had hoped for standing up well to the off road use it has received with no repairs in the 10 years we have had it. Many of the places I enjoy require a good amount of dirt road to reach.
The solar allows me to enjoy the quiet solitude of the great outdoors-at least till I fire up my toys.

 

[Bob4x4]

Nice repair on that Excella,I looked for a good used stream for over a year,just couldn't find a decent unit without being at a crazy price. Came close on a 25ft classic but it had leaks that I would not have the time to repair,

 

[B.G. Smith]

I acquired a used 1979 back in 1987. In the owners manual that came with there was a system described that attached to the car/tow vehicle exhaust that disposed of the waste from the trailer while you were driving down the road. Anyone ever see one of these? bg

 

[mwilson]

I acquired a used 1979 back in 1987. In the owners manual that came with there was a system described that attached to the car/tow vehicle exhaust that disposed of the waste from the trailer while you were driving down the road. Anyone ever see one of these? bg

Only have a spare moment but I did find this... .



http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/black-water-exhaust-incinerator-85851.html



Mike.

 

[GCP]

Get a load of these... .

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/37573576@N06/tags/trailer/

Nice find, it makes me nostalgic for yesteryear.

We are currently on our third Airstream. I have enjoyed tinkering with them in my spare time and all the money I have spent on refurbishing them has been recouped in the selling price to get a different model as my family/needs have changed.
Here is a picture of our first trailer, an ebay special... ..... I learned a lot about this trailer as I installed new floors, appliances, interior refurbishment etc..... , I liked it a lot since it was our first but the floor plan wasn't the greatest after our daughter was born.
Trailer #1 - 1981 Excella II - 22'
View attachment 83931

Trailer #2 - 1989 Excella - 29' - was neglected, rotten floors etc... ... Except for 1 dented panel it was pretty darn nice when I was done. It was sold because my wife like the floor plan in trailer #3.
View attachment 83932

Trailer #3 - 1994 Excella - 30' - some areas are needing attention since the previous couple were getting elderly and letting a few things go. We really like this trailer and I hope to keep this one for quite awhile. I already fixed a structural issue along with the typical rv maintenance issues.

View attachment 83933

Here is a link to the structural work I did this past fall.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f381/hold-down-plate-panel-replacement-pic-heavy-98728.html

... again the first two pictures bring to mind more nostalgia.

 

[HBarlow]

I would love to see pictures of it!

I think I've got a saved file. Now if I can remember how to post photos . . . . .

 

[HBarlow]

I would love to see pictures of it!

Hoot,

Post or pm me your email address and I'll email you the photo file. I have five photos in an email but don't know how to post them here.