Bought an Airstream yesterday

Congrats, Wix!! I can see it now....the Estate Coupe pulling an Airstream. A beautiful picture!

 

It's an illness.

We looked for 25 years for just the right one. It had to be "around" 1957" and we really wanted a '57 Airstream Safari model but could not find one that met our wants. Ended up with the '51 Flying Cloud, redid most of it inside, and we love it.

Wix - they all need some work, often the floor around the bathroom area, but when they are done they are beautiful and they tow like nothing else.

CS54 also has a '51, virtually stock and looks gorgeous, that he is intending to redo "soon" and tow behind his '54 Ford wagon. His is shinier than mine after I polished mine and he washed his :banghead3: And in the picture of our car/trailer on the mountain pass that is CS54's "other" trailer being towed by his '35 Ford.

Here's a couple of pics, and welcome to the wagon/Airstream parade. The Airforums.com website is a great place to get polishing, restoration and towing information. It is full of people who tow their vintage 'streams with vintage cars/wagons.The yellow Nomad pulling the Airstream picture is not my vehicle, it is a picture I grabbed off the Airforum and is a picture of one of the members fathers car and trailer from 1956. The picture of the wagon pulling the trailer up the mountain pass is with my wife behind the wheel and we are on Highway 3 heading to Osoyoos, BC with the car club for the annual ten day camp out. Yes, that is me in the passenger seat, terrified, and appreciative that my wife was willing to pick up the driving/towing when the health problems hit and I wasn't up to doing so. I think it shows though that these trailers tow very easily and even on narrow mountain roads they are a breeze to zip around with.

 

David, now you'll have one Estate pulling the other one.

The nameplate keeps getting longer.

 

David, thats too cool. Now you have no reason not to hook it up and drag it on up north here for a visit and some car shows.

 

I've owned travel trailers, but for some reason have never been enamored of the Airstreams. My main bone to pick was that the extreme rounded corners ate in to the usable space inside to a good degree. (I know- it's for the aerodynamics...)

Maybe I should learn more about them. What's the structure made of? How much do they weigh relative to a 'normal' trailer of the same size? Is that what makes them ow so nice?

 

Thanks so much, Rob! I would be honored to use your wonderful mirrors!
Let's email about them...I won't need them for a while.

Thanks, Fox! I have always pictured that image, and that has driven this entire crazy project!

Thanks Saf! I have been lurking on the airforum for a while. First post last night as a newbie!
Loved the pics of your Safaris! I am looking forward to doing the same thing!

Norm, I like that!

Scott, I will get up there as soon as I can! :2_thumbs_up_-_anima

Hey Krash, I like vintage trailers like 68wonderwagon's !!!
Wonderful!

But I have just always been nuts for Airstreams. Since I was a kid, I have been drawn to them. Love how they look, the materials, the design...a purity of design that just appeals to me.

They have a steel chassis frame, a plywood floor and aluminum body structure. They are based on aircraft construction methods and materials from the Post-War aircraft industry, and use the lightweight and aerodynamic properties to their advantage.

They could have been designed as a perfect rectangle box, and had more space inside, but they would not have as good at what they do so well. And most certainly, they wouldn't have captured the imagination of the world the way these rounded silver twinkies have.

Are they perfect? No, they have their flaws and drawbacks, but their strengths outweigh them, making Airstreams an iconic symbol of free-spirited wanderlust the world over.

A great forum to learn more about these wonderful creations is: http://www.airforums.com/forums/

And here: http://www.vintageairstream.com/archives/index.html to see all the different years and models.

Their appeal is very much like our beloved station wagons...some get it, and some don't, but once you get bitten by the bug, you're a goner! It's total obsession!

David

 

Good for you, Wix. That's going to look so cool behind your Buick. I'll bet it's really gotten you motivated to finish the wagon and hit the road. Good luck with it!

 

.....................
Their appeal is very much like our beloved station wagons...some get it, and some don't, but once you get bitten by the bug, you're a goner! It's total obsession!

David [/QUOTE]

I too fell in love with these trailers as a kid. We toured a lot and my parents always wanted an Airstream but just couldn't justify owning one. So we pulled SOB's (some other brand) that were less expensive, but sadly also far less durable. Steel frames, the rest of the body is aluminum. I've read that Airstream states more than 60% of all Airstreams made since 1936 are still alive. When ever we'd see one on the highway or in a camp ground (CG), it would cause a lot of excitement and I remember specifically in the very early sixties going west from Calgary and just before Banff there was a huge pile of them camped out in a field. They were there for the Calgary Stampede and to tour Banff and Jasper. That huge gathering has stuck with me ever since. As you say, they are much like the station wagons - some folks understand, others not so much. For those who like the shiny aluminum look but want something less round there are Silver Streak, Streamline and Avion as well as others who made trailers with a squarer body. We towed our trailer last year with CS54 (Lee) who had his 17' Boler (not the little one, but a big unit that is also fairly rounded) who was towing with his '54 Ford wagon, and another friend with a '55 BelAir hdt towing a traditional style trailer. He commented on how the side winds were very bothersome, and neither Lee nor I had felt the wind at all. The rounded sides really do make a noticeable difference. Weight wise, by the late sixties, they were similar in weight to the other makes, but the rounded shape still makes quite a noticeable difference. And for the most part they last a LONG time.

Be prepared for lots of questions when ever you hit a CG, or often when you stop for gas or at a restaurant for lunch while traveling. And tours. People will drop by to ask if they can have a peak. And pictures - particularly folks who are not from North America.

One other thing we found humerous. In many States a number of CG's are now putting an age limit on the campers they allow to stay. Often it is ten years. This is to keep the beat up old rigs from pulling in and scaring off the high buck campers with their near new units. So when you call to make a reservation and they ask what year your trailer is many folks on teh Airforums have noted that when they said "well, its an Airstream" they are told no problem, no one can tell the age of them anyway .

I used to frequent the Airforums a lot more than I do now that I found this forum . I really enjoy all you folks and your varied interests.

 

Damn, I'm jealous!!!! I have the wagon, looking for the Airstream, I see alot for sale, but I am looking for 22,24,25-26 foot not the 31 footers I always see/find. I also have a smallish budget, like less than 6 grand, looking for one mostly original, no rear sag, and as dent free as possible, keep your eyes out guys!! btw, looking for 67-72 vintage to match my 69 wagon, 69 would be perfect! MPJ

 

http://www.google.com/search?source...T4GGLG_enUS311US311&q=1969+airstream+for+sale

 

Here's two, in Canuck Bucks! Less than the price by 7%, more or less...

http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/f-Airstream-Classifieds-W0QQKeywordZAirstreamQQisSearchFormZtrue

The Province is a major trailer and RV producer, so there's always some around.

 

And this

http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.cgi?itm=airstream&cat=cprv&fil=&pg=&state=&ys=&ye=

 

Anybody ever see the movie, THE LONG LONG TRAILER? It starred Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and was made around 1953 or so. They're newlyweds who've purchased a new '53 Mercury Convertible and the movie is about their adventures towing a huge trailer behind it. You Airstream fans, eventhough it's an "sob", would really enjoy it, I think.

 

Yeah, Snoot, I can see it now...traveling this wonderful country with my Airstream, and collecting huge rocks from everywhere I've been! Niiickyyy! WHAAAA!

David

 

Rob, could you do me a favor?
Could you take some pics of your trailer hitch from underneath, so I can see how a Class 3 hitch looks and how it is mounted?
(your EW is so beautiful!)

Mine had a ridiculous Class 1 hitch on it, and I am curious how the heavier-duty hitch set-up worked.

Clamshell wagons are wonderful, but their design requires a very different hitch to be custom built.

David