So you want to restore a Vintage Airstream?

You have seen them, on TV, in movies, on the road, in campgrounds and parks everywhere.
There are shows about vintage trailers. There are books and there are websites.
Now maybe you want to have one of your own. But where to begin?
here's what we did...

We watched Craigslist, and used SearchTempest to facilitate our search for a 60s or 70's model trailer.

Found this one in Florida..a 1978 Sovereign of the Road. One owner but well used

Bought it at a fair price and restored it. The Sovereign is a 31 foot trailer measured from tip of the tow tongue to the rear bumper. 70s era trailers are heavier than the earlier models, but not as heavy as the later ones. A trailer like this can weigh 5000-6000 pounds which is well in the range of most pickup trucks to tow.  A newer one of this size can easily weigh 2-3000 pounds more! 

Notice the clear coat coming off in spots on the upper Sun baked areas. This can be corrected ...

from this...old crappy 1970's vinyl, broken tambour doors, ugly in general.

                                           ...horrid Sun damaged upholstery on gaucho

                                               the  rear bedroom was a very nice feature...

  then on to cleaning...and repairing the floor,  replacing and redecorating... I used Minwax wood hardener, and then a waterproofer & sealer all over. Some wood was soft and it responded well to the wood treatment. Minimal leakage made a difference. This trailer (luckily) had only a few leaks from the typical vents left unsealed, etc. 

I had checked all the edges for soft spots with an ice pick before the purchase. Also I looked for leaks around the ceilings, walls, closets and especially under those vents, even in the closets. 

The plywood sub floor was in good shape except in a couple of places where it needed to be fixed or replaced. 

The outriggers and frame underneath was structurally sound, so it was simply rustproofed with a paint on sealant.

               

                           The rear bedroom cleaned up very nicely

Gaucho was recovered and two matching chairs (from a Goodwill store) were done with the same fabric. I installed wood look laminate on the floor. 

I also found an aluminum "wall paper" that made the walls look great without a lot of work. Overall it was satisfying job to get done. 

This by an amateur with out a lot of skill, but a lot of determination.

Then the  day after the gaucho was reinstalled---

 this happened...oh no!...6 AM on a work day...as we huddled with the kids in our safe place. Luckily we heard the wind coming and we all went to the basement. Two minutes or less of wind undid many months of work.

Not a good thing to wake up to! The top of this tree cam through our home's roof. But it did minimal damage to the house, thanks to the Airstream holding it at that angle.

All my restoration work was...wasted. Good learning experience I guess...

We were able to salvage many parts in future days. After the Insurance adjuster had been out, and with their approval. I saved the gaucho which barely fit out the crushed door. Also got the rock guard, LP tanks and more.