RE: [VAL] 74 and 75 trailers were the best... ??

["Tom \(et/al\)" <thomm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The 1969 model year was a banner year for Airstream -- lots of those
improvements are *still* around today and that was years before Beatrice
Foods came on the scene.  

You said they were lighter.  They used frames that weren't up to specs for
the load which is a big part of the reason for bent frames I am sure.

In 1969 Airstream bonded the vinyl wall coverings to the interior, that was
before Beatrice Foods owned the company.

Walnut interiors -- my 1969 Airstream has walnut veneer, real wood walnut
veneer.  Yes, there is walnut laminate but that was used for the table tops
only that I recall at this moment.

Casework?  Do you mean the framing of the beds, etc.?  If not, what?

Frames -- you didn't have to travel with a full black water tank to get
bending frames.  What you "need to do" was have a long distance from the
wheelbase to the rear of the trailer.  Of course, a poorly loaded trailer
would exacerbate the problem -- but how many old time Airstreamers didn't
know "how" to load a trailer properly?  I would bet that bent frames
occurred even with a properly loaded trailer even when people followed the
"instructions" to the n'th degree.

The pluses you mentioned - for the most part - came before Beatrice Foods
with and shortly after the 1969 model year change which was significant.

Tom
WBCCI 5303