‘68 Vintage Airstream

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  Several of the original windows have been replaced by plexiglass, which I assumed would be the primary leak points.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.