Gang,
Just wanted to report on the results of taking our '60 Pacer to Jackson
Center to have the 44-year-old Dura Torque axle replaced.
As Patti Raimondo suggested, the best time to take vintage projects to
the factory service center is in their winter "off season". We took our
Pacer to Jackson Center in late January and were greeted like family.
After a quick look at the trailer the service advisor said they could do
the job for the price of the axle (same as Inland RV) and about 4 hours
labor. So it ended up costing less than I had expected. They had the
trailer for a couple of months, but that's OK--the weather wasn't
conducive to working on it anyhow.
I have to believe that they spent more than four hours labor since the
original axle was welded to the frame, and was constructed somewhat
differently than current production Dura-Torques. What they ended up
doing was cutting the old axle out of the welded mounting plates and
then bolting the new axle to holes drilled in the original plates. A
very workmanlike installation in my opinion, and I'm glad they did it
and not me! Incidentally--as recently described on the list--they cut
the vertical shock absorber mounts off of the original axle and welded
them to the new axle. (And found new shock absorbers to fit.)
I hadn't quite realized how much higher the trailer was going to ride!
We went from a 3 inch drop hitch to a one inch rise to make the trailer
tow level! Three inches of that is accounted for by the additional
suspension travel and one inch is from the axle mounting. The old axle
tube was touching the aluminum belly skin in the center but the new one
has about an inch clearance.
The new brakes are considerably less sensitive than the original ones.
The old brakes would lock up with the Prodigy set for less than 6 volts
output, but the new ones wouldn't lock up at all as they came from the
factory. I adjusted the brakes until they would lock up with 12 volts
applied, but I have the Prodigy set for a somewhat lower voltage. There
seems to be plenty of braking.
So, the bottom line is that the factory replaced our axle for less than
I expected, and did a fine job of it.
We took the factory tour when we dropped off the trailer, and on the way
from the service lobby (where the tour groups meet) over to the factory,
the guide pointed out Patti's '54 FC in the service lot. It's really
pretty good PR for potential customers to see 40 and 50 year old
trailers coming in for service. Tends to give them the impression that
an Airstream is a long-term investment. . .
Best regards,
John & Barb Sellers
1960 Pacer
WBCCI/VAC 1587
Dayton, OH