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  Several of the original windows have been replaced by plexiglass, which I assumed would be the primary leak points.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

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.