[VAC] Re: '59 "Bambi" ForSale

[RJ & Krista <radiodial@xxxxxxxx>]

Ken, Harvey, et al,

I'm sitting here at the computer this cold winter morning working on
this huge EXCEL spreadsheet covering Airstream models from 1935 to 1975.
 It is the only way to keep track of all the crazy variations that
occurred, especially up to the plant standardization in 1961.

The purpose of this thing is to create a database for VAC website
Archive section.  It has to be in a spreadsheet form to allow the rapid
changes as more & more documentation dribbles in.  Once "ready" (it will
always be expanding, I think), it will contain the year, model, length,
Mfg plant, known serial number range, MSRP, weight, number made (some
are estimates) & distinguishing features.  Toby Folwick is designing a
website database that this can be displayed in.

The documents that Fred Coldwell is collecting will be available for web
browsing or downloading from the VAC website member only Archive
Section.  It will also contain back issues of the Vintage Advantage and
Airstream & appliance manuals. If you have any Airstream Sales Brochures
or Airstream material, Fred can use color copies or jpeg scans of them
(or you can loan then temporarily or permanently to the VAC for
copying).  He can be reached at agrijeep@aol.com.  Once the manual
section is online, everyone can determine which additional ones are
needed.  These will be in .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format for cross-platform
access and multiple page viewing.  WebTV users may have a problem here,
I'm not sure.

As for Airstream records, they were kept.  It's just that they aren't
interested in dealing with it.  A few years back an attempt was made to
have the VAC negotiate a deal, but I think it didn't go too far.  Maybe
one day the VAC officers can try it again.  (Hey Bill Scott, you up for
a Road Trip?)

Thanks to a friend of Charlie Burke's, some 1950's handwritten serial #
records were smuggled out of Airstream, but the inside agent was never
heard from again ;>)   It's because of these records from Charlie, many
mysteries were cleared up (like that '59 Falcon and the 1954/1955
"Wanderer" (thanks Charlie!).

As for the Pacer, I don't think the VAC has a brochure on it.  I have
some pictures of a few on my website
(http://vintageairstream.com/archives/index.html).  It seems to have
been only made in the California plant, and was a derivative of the 16'
Bubble body, as opposed to the late '50's Traveler & Caravel, which was
based on the 18' Globetrotter body.  I have a lot of pictures to add to
that archive from serial # verified submittals (I need to clone me).

Well, back to work.  Need to get all this stuff done, cause once I find
our next Airstream restoration project, it's going to be rough to pry me
out of the garage.

Later,
RJ