< How would someone easily go about doing this - are these tanks
easily (visible) accessible??? (the
< unit is currently winterized) I am looking at an older 60's airstream
and am interested (naturally) in
< checking every inch of the unit before I purchase.
Many of the older Airstreams have the tanks between the frame rails
and covered with the belly skin,
so no, it is not easy to see. A good indicator is check the rear or
whereever the dump valve is
located and if the tank is a galvanized steel unit, look at the corners
and all around the lower edges
for rust. Poking the rust with the ice pick will tell the tale for
sure. The absolute way to see is to fill
the tank up and see if anything leaks out !
< There is also a THIN caulking along some upper side panels (very
minimal) - and a handful (3-5
< replaced rivets that I could see. What would this imply?
Thin caulk lines are generally ok unless the caulk is silicone junk.
Usually this is a do-it-yourself or
dealer quiek fix to sell the mess before any major damage is apparent.
Replaced rivets: where
specifically ? See if the owner knows who did the repairs or pulled
the rivets.
< There doesn't appear to be any floor rot - it has the original carpet that I pulled up to reveal the floor < which was solid.
Did you pull the storage boxes out of their spaces and look under the
bunks etc? Check under the
sinks and bathrooms.
< How can you easily tell if panels have been replaced?
Generally the difference is seen as a difference in the shade of the
aluminum. If it is newer repair, the
panel will be plasticoated. (Test: Take some toothpaste and a cloth...
rub the toothpaste with the
cloth on a small section of the suspected new skin with some pressure
for about 30 seconds. If the
cloth and toothpaste show a black coloration, there is no plasticoat,
only bare aluminum. If it is still
toothpaste white, it is new plasticoated panels. Find out who did the
repairs.
Get a good inspector... at this point, the only one I would trust for
a good appraisal is Jim Weston at
Airmark Tools in Tulsa. Fly him to check your goodie and if anything
is wrong, he will find it and let
you know.
Doug