‘68 Vintage Airstream

Spent a bit more time in the Airstream this past weekend. We removed the remainder of the couch frame, base cabinets, and remaining original carpet. We prodded a bit around the rotted floorboards and found the extent of the damage spans across the door frame and behind the couch. From the looks of the plywood, the floor may have been replaced in the past. There are no elevator bolts currently in use though I don’t know if they were used for all years of construction. The plywood does have foam insulation adhered to the bottom.

The rear of the Airstream has some mortar mix patching in the corner of a closet. We dug a bit of it out and found that the floor was damp in this area as well. There must be a leak near the vent pipe from the plumbing.

Based on these findings and wanting to fix-up this trailer only once, we may end up gutting the whole thing, replacing the entire floor, and re-constructing the woodwork. That said, the summer trip may need to be postponed to fall/winter. We’re both getting adjusted to that fact and after wrapping up the kitchen in the house, plan to tackle sealing up the windows and doors. We’ll probably place our order with Vintage Trailer Supply for windows this week.

This past weekend we set sail for north Houston to attend the Texas Vintage Airstream Rally at the Lake Conroe KOA. Since we are still in search of a tow vehicle we didn’t bring the Airstream with us but opted to still attend to meet some fellow ‘Streamers and get some vintage restoration inspiration.

Let’s just say that we got inspiration and a whole lot more.  We’ve been contemplating joining the WBCCI for a little while but thought we’d sign up once we’re actually on the road.  The rally definitely changed our minds as we met more and more friendly people willing to share stories, tips, and their own Airstreams for us to inspect.  What a great bunch of people!  Granted we were out-aged by about 30 years but we were readily welcomed to the club and  hit it off with the whole crowd.  I’d been in touch with John Irwin a few weeks prior since I saw his writing in Airstream Life and found out he lived in Austin and grew up in Pennsylvania (double-coincidence).  We met him early Saturday and he introduced us around to several others from Austin and the surrounding area.  We were quickly shown around the first few Airstreams on display while we furiously jotted notes to keep up with ideas and suggestions from the proud owners.  As the afternoon wore on and warmed up we settled into a routine.  Ellen got our stats down, “‘68 Ambassador, 28 feet” and raised a few eyebrows with her enthusiasm for all things Airstream.  We petted dogs lounging in the shade of their aluminum homes, talked to a few full-timers from Canada and met several Airstreamers from other regions.  The common theme was genuine interest, friendliness and a shared bond of understanding for what I’ll call the ‘Airstream spirit.’

The best part of the day was learning about the International Airstream Rally occurring this summer in Bozeman, Montana.  Perfect!  We now have a timeframe, location and most importantly a tangible goal for fixing up our Airstream and going on our honeymoon.

Open roads, here we come.