‘68 Vintage Airstream

Saturday marked the first below-95-degrees day in Austin in a few months. I took advantage of the cooler temperature to tackle the weatherstripping on a few curbside windows. I received our order for weatherstripping from VintageTrailerSupply earlier in the week and I was itching to get started. I had read some posts on AirForums about what solvents to use to remove the old weatherstripping residue and found a lot of mixed feedback. I bought some acetone and some denatured alcohol (for cleaning) but I wasn’t convinced those would work. I found out quickly that acetone eats through nitrile gloves so I switched to the chemical resistant ones I had laying around from a previous heavy-duty solvent project. I headed back to AirForums to see what other products to work. I saw mention of lacquer thinner and checked the garage for some. The previous home owner had left some random cleaning products and as I was rummaging through, I came across a bottle of Jasco adhesive remover. Bingo! It was supposedly a paste but it turned out to be more like a jelly. I slathered some of that around the old weatherstripping and waited five minutes. The old stuff shriveled up and started to peel on its own. It didn’t take much with the right product to remove the old adhesive and then brighten up the aluminum. Since this was going to be covered by new weatherstripping, I just used some 0000 steel wool.

While I was in there, I took apart the window crank assembly and gave all the parts a once-over with steel wool as well to remove some of the oxidation and give it some shine. I removed the window catches from the ledge and replaced all of the rusted metal screws with new zinc ones of the same size.  That seemed to be the only rusting component besides the window clips (I’m nervous to replace those as they could easily break the glass during removal). I re-greased the window operator and re-assembled everything.

After cleaning the weatherstripping area with alcohol, I rough-cut the new weatherstripping to length and then cut the miters for the corners. A quick peel of the backing and the windows were sealed up. I shut the window tight to hold the weatherstripping in place while the adhesive set up. On the 29 inch window I found a small gap toward the top of the curve that didn’t sit tight against the weatherstripping. I’m not sure if the glass is warped or the Airstream shell is slightly out of shape. Judging by the rain we got later in the day, it doesn’t look like an issue for now though I’ll keep an eye on it.

All told, I completed two windows and started the weatherstrip removal of a third.  It was clearly slow-going to find the right products clean up all of the components however I now have a working idea of how the windows need to be restored so I’ll tackle a few more this coming weekend.

We started the weekend off with a trip to Camper Clinic II to have a look at their parts department.  We wanted to pick up some weatherstripping, weatherstrip adhesive, and metal cleaner to begin sealing the windows around the Airstream.  Pricing on the weatherstripping we needed was $2.40/foot; a few times more what we’ve seen online so we passed.  On the way out, we were clobbered by the over-eager sales staff.  We explained our situation, our renovation project, and refusal to ever consider trading in our current Airstream.  They finally resolved to the fact that they wouldn’t be making a sale on us but still showed us around their inventory.  There was a nice 1970 24ish foot Airstream that had been updated and was on consignment.  Seeing one near our vintage gave us some much needed inspiration.

We left the dealership and headed north to Charles Maund Toyota.  We had contacted internet sales and had a quote on a ‘08 Sequoia SR5.  They didn’t have the quoted vehicle at the dealership (the owners were using it as an around-town loaner).  We headed up to Round Rock Toyota, whom we had also contacted.  They had two 4×4 SR5s in stock.  We quickly ruled out the white one as it lacked a few features we were looking for (and the color played a bit of a role too).  We opted for the pyrite model with a few upgrades including leather seats, sound system, sunroof, back-up camera, power 3rd row seats, etc.  It’s a bit more lux than we were aiming for but it met the basic criteria too (tow package, cold weather kit, 4×4).  After minimal negotiation on our trade-in, we wrapped up the deal and were on our way back down I-35.  Not a bad way to finish an Airstream-oriented day.

We should make note that our trade was a Scion xA so we have a bit of adjusting to do with our “rig.”  70 mph on the highway feels more like 55 and looking down into pick-up trucks and minivans is a bit unnerving.  The Sequoia is huge!  We’re certainly late to the SUV party and given the continuing rise of gas prices, have been receiving sidelong looks here and there (even in Texas!).  We’re a bit heavy-hearted about the environmental footprint of our new vehicle though know it’s a necessary part if you buy into Airstream ownership.  At present, public transportation will not get either of us to our jobs but we’ve already adopted carpooling several days a week.  We are aiming to minimize non-towing miles on the Sequoia as much as possible.

We’re planning on making a few online orders to get the Airstream sealed up within the next few weeks and then tackle that floor rot.  We’re back on the warpath of this rennovation project — stay tuned!

Spent a bit more time in the Airstream this past weekend. We removed the remainder of the couch frame, base cabinets, and remaining original carpet. We prodded a bit around the rotted floorboards and found the extent of the damage spans across the door frame and behind the couch. From the looks of the plywood, the floor may have been replaced in the past. There are no elevator bolts currently in use though I don’t know if they were used for all years of construction. The plywood does have foam insulation adhered to the bottom.

The rear of the Airstream has some mortar mix patching in the corner of a closet. We dug a bit of it out and found that the floor was damp in this area as well. There must be a leak near the vent pipe from the plumbing.

Based on these findings and wanting to fix-up this trailer only once, we may end up gutting the whole thing, replacing the entire floor, and re-constructing the woodwork. That said, the summer trip may need to be postponed to fall/winter. We’re both getting adjusted to that fact and after wrapping up the kitchen in the house, plan to tackle sealing up the windows and doors. We’ll probably place our order with Vintage Trailer Supply for windows this week.

This past weekend we set sail for north Houston to attend the Texas Vintage Airstream Rally at the Lake Conroe KOA. Since we are still in search of a tow vehicle we didn’t bring the Airstream with us but opted to still attend to meet some fellow ‘Streamers and get some vintage restoration inspiration.

Let’s just say that we got inspiration and a whole lot more.  We’ve been contemplating joining the WBCCI for a little while but thought we’d sign up once we’re actually on the road.  The rally definitely changed our minds as we met more and more friendly people willing to share stories, tips, and their own Airstreams for us to inspect.  What a great bunch of people!  Granted we were out-aged by about 30 years but we were readily welcomed to the club and  hit it off with the whole crowd.  I’d been in touch with John Irwin a few weeks prior since I saw his writing in Airstream Life and found out he lived in Austin and grew up in Pennsylvania (double-coincidence).  We met him early Saturday and he introduced us around to several others from Austin and the surrounding area.  We were quickly shown around the first few Airstreams on display while we furiously jotted notes to keep up with ideas and suggestions from the proud owners.  As the afternoon wore on and warmed up we settled into a routine.  Ellen got our stats down, “‘68 Ambassador, 28 feet” and raised a few eyebrows with her enthusiasm for all things Airstream.  We petted dogs lounging in the shade of their aluminum homes, talked to a few full-timers from Canada and met several Airstreamers from other regions.  The common theme was genuine interest, friendliness and a shared bond of understanding for what I’ll call the ‘Airstream spirit.’

The best part of the day was learning about the International Airstream Rally occurring this summer in Bozeman, Montana.  Perfect!  We now have a timeframe, location and most importantly a tangible goal for fixing up our Airstream and going on our honeymoon.

Open roads, here we come.

Hello again.  Apologies for the hiatus.  After our engagement and a few weeks of working on the Airstream, we whisked away to Vermont to get married.  Instead of planning a big production of a wedding we rounded up the parents, grandparents, and siblings and headed to a bed and breakfast in the southeast corner of VT for a small ceremony and family fun.  We’ve decided to go on a honeymoon in the summer which will involve the Airstream and some open roads.  So new Airstream updates will be coming your way soon.

We received a full set of keys with the Airstream, however we haven’t been able to get the door to lock.  We were fairly confident we had the right key for it, just nothing engaged when we turned it.  After some research on what may soon become our new favorite online retailer and finding a replacement door latch set for $135, I decided to take the lockset apart tonight and see what the problem was.  Everything seemed to be put together correctly.  I cleaned and lubricated all of the moving parts and figured out how the lock mechanism engaged.  Testing while apart seemed to work fine, though the exterior doorknob is a bit loose and doesn’t always allow the engagement mechanism to align (a catch slips around a pin, but if the pin isn’t aligned, the catch doesn’t fit and allows the knob to turn).  There is also a spring-loaded catch that fits into the back edge of the bolt action for further security.  This catch was not elevated enough to fit the bolt so I adjusted the post that worked the spring and all seemed well.  I put the door together and tried it again.  With a bit of jiggling of the exterior doorknob, the lock mechanism now engages and remains locked.  Nice!

We’ve had a few days of rain in Central Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I took the opportunity to assess the Airstream for water leaks.  Several of the original windows have been replaced by plexiglass, which I assumed would be the primary leak points.  However, it looks like most of the leaking is occurring around the original glass - probably through the rotted window gaskets.

The lower window next to the door has been collecting water on the inside sill.  That explains some of the water damage I found on the floorboard near the door.  It appears that the topmost window in that section may be contributing to the damage as well.

The stovetop vent also has a small leak towards the rear of the mounting which has probably caused the rotted plywood behind the kitchen countertop.

At one point the street-side bedroom window was retro-fitted with a window air conditioning unit.  The remaining window opening was covered in plexiglass.  The air conditioner sits on metal brackets on the window sill and around this lower edge there is a small gap.  It doesn’t appear to be leaking, however there is water pooled in the metal channel below it.

All of the rooftop vents and AC unit look to be leak-free.  I was worried about one of the vents as the aft handle is disconnected from the vent top.

Priority number one over the next few weeks will be to find replacement gaskets for the windows and door.

We tackled the couch this weekend.  We have all of the cushions though they are a little worse for wear (probably second or third generation reupholstering).  After removing these, we were left with the couch frame:

The front of the frame slides out and the couch cushion unfolds to become a double bed.  The sliding action seems smooth and all stops are still intact.

Once the main frame was removed, the lower hinge and frame area was revealed.  This frame is secured to the tops of the under-couch cabinets and into the front wall of the Airstream.  The wall screws were either loose or missing, leading to a sagging frame and small crack in one of the cross-pieces.  As you can see, the center support is no longer attached.  Also to note, you can now see the freshwater holding tank.  We haven’t investigated it yet for its condition (we can’t open the inlet cap on the exterior of the Airstream either).

On each side of the couch there is a small plywood panel side frame that squares off the curved wall and provides a form for the armrest cushions to fit.  The plywood subfloor is visible in this image and there appears to be some water damage in this corner (next to the exterior door).  More to come on that investigation later.

As you can see from the photo, the interior vinyl (which we believe is original) is quite dirty with streaking and general darkness around doors and windows. A mixture of bleach, All, and water has so far been successful at brightening the walls though not removing all of the dark spots. We’ve gone from microfiber cloth to a medium-stiffness brush. We may need to make a second pass or research some other cleaner products. We still haven’t decided on using a sealant once the walls are clean. More research to come on that topic too…

There’s quite a backstory to this photo; that will come. For now, I’m very excited to say that we’re happily engaged and have this big, shiny Airstream to show for it. Check out the other photos here.