Bought an Airstream yesterday

Seeing this poster made me remember a family incident from back in the 70's. I had an aunt and uncle who decided to hit the road after retirement. They were frugal all their lives, living on about 10 acres of land in Walnut, CA. This was out near the eastern border of Los Angeles County, which by then was becoming ripe for development. They were able to sell the land for a nice chunk of change - enough to buy another house in Ventura county, and still have money left over to buy a new car and a travel trailer. I never saw the set-up myself, but I did see a picture. It was a '76 (I think - could have been a '77) Mercury Grand Marquis sedan. They were going to pull about a 30 foot travel trailer. When I first heard this, I had a bad feeling. To me, this was more trailer than the car could handle. As it turned out, that's exactly what happened. The trailer started swaying on a highway in Arizona while my aunt was driving, and she was unable to recover. She lost control and overturned both units in a ditch. Total loss on both, but they were both OK. Bought a GMC motorhome with the insurance money.

I've always been skeptical of car manufacturers tow ratings. I'm also wary of the increased risk of trailer sway when you have a long overhang, particularly on a wagon. An anti-sway device is a must.

 

Wow! Glad they were OK! Your aunt and uncle were bold to get right back up, and in the saddle again! Sad about the Marquis...and please don't tell me it was an Airstream! I might cry.

An anti-sway device is, indeed, a must! Mine has a Reese set-up on it, but I will research, on the Airstream forum, which is the favorite method.

Krash, your fateful story brings up my other obsession...GMC Motorhomes!!!
I have never known anyone that owned one, but they are so nicely designed, and have such a dedicated following. http://www.gmcmotorhome.com/index.html






They have a '71-'76 Olds Toronado 455 FWD running gear, and are really wonderful!

David

 

Yeah, they were beautiful. Sadly, my aunt and uncle were never able to enjoy the motorhome. He died shortly after they got it, so it was sold.

 

Wix

We too lusted after a GMC MOHO. Two friends were in to them as well. One has kept his and redone it totally. I learned in my pursuit that they have a wide range of issues now that they are 40 plus years old, and repairs/replacement parts are on the upper end for cost. That said, when I see one heading down the highway I get that urge to hurt my car fund again only to be reeled in by the remembrance of our other friends who bought, did a ton of work, then resold theirs. Although reasonably low mileage the sitting these units do for big chunks of the year is hard on them.

Personally, I think folks who tow trailers of any length more than 14' who don't use an anti-sway device are putting others on the roadway at an unconscionable risk. They may feel they are fine, and if that is the chance they want to take personally then that is their right to do so, but to put the other people on the highways at risk is beyond foolish.

One other thing is tires. Trailer tires are not the same as car tires, or truck tires. They do not age well and losing a tire on your trailer blasting down the highway can be at best an exhilarating ride once you are stopped and get your breath back and clean your undies, and at worst, diasasterous. You will find lots of comments about tires on the Airforums as well. One fellow in particular on that forum who is extremely knowledgeable is 2air. He's been around, had many units including an Airstream MOHO for many years (they are a lot like GMC's but far more dependable - same basic body design but rear wheel drive and better drive-lines and they polish up just like the trailers) and I've found his advice to be dead on every time, as much as at times I wasn't quite in agreement at first with some of his thoughts.

Anyway, looking forward to pictures of your new trailer.

 

dude....thats a lotta polishing!!!

but congrats man

ps; the green interior in that portfolio....THAT ROCKS..

......bowchikawawa............

 

The polishing guys who offer their services charge between $100 and $150 a foot. Not uncommon for folks who don't either have the desire or ability to polish their own to spend $3000.00 minimum to have their units done.

Or, you can do it yourself. To do it right a 23' rig will likely equate to 100 plus hours of polishing the first time around as there are several steps to do. Then you only have to do a light polish once or twice a year but that takes a few hours and can be done in the campground. In the shade though. Lots of people get one heck of a sunburn polishing in the sun

 

Took some pics of my Airstream.
I haven't taken possession of it yet...it is still stored in a covered storage place out in the country.









This is the worst dent on the thing...not too bad...I will probably work it out from the inside, making it less noticeable.



For the most part, the outside is pretty good, but the thing that has me most bummed is that someone way back tried to polish the finish, or strip the clearcoat in an agressive way, and lightly scratched some of the panels. The door shows what I mean...to the right of the door is the original, mellow look of the aluminum, but the door has scratches, as though a light sandpaper or heavy compound was used on it. It's not horrible, but it is not the way it should be. Most of the front cap is this way...the whole trailer will have to be polished for sure.
I saw this flaw before I bought it, but looked past it all because it seemed minor, and I was blinded by the overall beauty!



This Airstream just needs someone to love it, and bring it back to life (and spend lots of money on it!)

I didn't have the keys to get inside, but will next trip up to see it.

David

 

wow...I think that's gorgeous, Wix! That will buff up great. It looks to me like it's in great shape!

 

Thanks, Fox! Yeah, I think it is kinda wonderful! :2_thumbs_up_-_anima

Still lots to check out on this thing, but yesterday, I bought a 1976 Airsteam Service Manual for it, so I can better understand how everything works (or doesn't ).

David

 

I admire your dedication and energy level, Wix. To tackle that trailer in the middle of your wagon conversion is going to take a lot more work and more learning as you go. I think it's great that you are able and willing to pursue your hobbies with that kind of dedication and gusto. More power to you!

 

On the Airforums there is mention of heating around dents, and also dry ice. A lot of times people will find that some of the smaller dents come pop out with judicial use of a heat gun (bearing in mind that there is insulation and wiring inside those walls. The walls are 2" thick, and removing the inside skins is quite a chore.

Mine has so many "love taps", "beauty marks" and all the other things that people call them that if I tried to work them out I'd run out of life first. I just look at it as this is what happens to a trailer that, in my case, is 59 years old. I wish mine looked as good as yours Wix. A lot of folks strip off the clear coat and then give the trailer a dedicated polish. It can come up like a mirror if you want to take it that far. You certainly have a good one to start with.

When you get it, get ahold of some of the locals from off the Airforums and find out where they are having a camp out and go out and meet them. You will be amazed at how willing they are to help out folks to ramp them up on how things work, how to make repairs, where to get deals on parts etc, and are just great folks to meet. You will also find that they will be keenly interested in your wagon

 

if I know me...and I do.......i'd polish it dents and all !!!!

Airstream Patina style....

 

The smaller Airstreams are worth more than the big ones. Some places charge by the foot to polish them. I looked for years for one of the small Airstreams. They go for good money even if they are rough. I might have some pictures of Airstreams.

 

Right you are, 68. That's why I wanted a mid-sized 25' Land Yacht, instead of the small 18' Caravelle,




or the super long 31' Sovereign.

I can't imagine pulling anything so long, but the Sovereign guys claim they tow wonderfully, and they would never go back to a smaller model.

I think my Buick would quake at the sight of that Leviathan!

David

 

I wonder what the upkeep on the polished Airstream is. They wanted over 7K for the small Airstream, it was rough. Someone tried to polish it. They were working on it for a few weeks, it looked worse after they tried to polish it. It was gone shortly after the picture was taken.