The Journey Begins

We have a new project and it is a really big one. I have been wanting to get a travel trailer for some time now and know that my family will really enjoy camping and exploring the US. We have wanted an Airstream for a long time, but didn’t really know about the massive community of Airstream restorers and enthusiasts. The requirement was a 30-31′ Airstream that was original and needed a “full monte” restore as they call it in the Airstream restoration community.

Last week I found one fairly close to us and we loaded up the family and went to go check out the old gal. The short story is that we left being the owners of a 43 year old trailer. We think she is a diamond in the rough, but others will see a 30′ piece of junk as she looks right now.

The trailer pulled like a feather on the way home, even with the original axles. The pull vehicle is a V10 Excursion and I couldn’t even tell that I was pulling anything.

The trailer has the well known problem of frame droop caused by a rear bathroom and leaks causing the frame to corrode aft of the axles. The first order of business will be to remove the belly pan, get the trailer level, and then completely remove everything in the interior down to the ribs. We will then assess the damage to the frame and repair the frame and coat with POR-15.  New axles are next on the list and hopefully we can decide on which wheels we want. I already have new Goodyear Marathons that are waiting for new wheels.

Here are a few shots of the interior before we begin the destruction process! Today we moved the trailer into the shop, but it is the hottest time of the year now in Texas and even though the trailer is in the shade and dry, it is like an oven in the shop. I am sure we will go through many cases of water until the temps begin to fall. We will post regular updates as we make progress with the restoration.