Dr Daze & Scott,
I'd like to offer a different view point. I too am dismayed by all the folks
that manage to gut their trailers of what's left of the original interior
and then for a number of reasons decide to give up... but I don't feel that
these trailers and their history are lost to the landfill. Other than a few
of the bathroom pieces, the interiors on these are not that complicated to
replicate. In the case of my '67 Ambassador, though well cared for, 40 years
of condensation saturated rodent leavings and various other wear and tear
had left the interior in a state that no amount of cleaning was going make
clean enough for my family. I chose to carefully remove the interior and
re-use for the purpose of patterns in constructing a new interior from fresh
materials. Having grown up in the era, I am very familiar with the elements
that will keep my new interior sympathetic to the original. It will not be a
museum piece that is representative of the trailer as it rolled of the
Jackson Center Assembly line in '66 or '67, but it will be as it could have
been at the time... and it will be suited to the needs of my family. This
gets to the key issue in this debate... the trailers were meant (by Wally)
to be used. Any trailer that is used is better than one that is not. I plan
to learn all I can in my restoration and then do my best to encourage and
assist folks in creating their own Vintage Airstream experience.
Steve
> Hi Jim,
>
> Dr. Daze says go easy.
>
> The floor can be patched and spongy places strengthened with a thin
> epoxy designed just for that. This will be easier than taking
> everything out, and much easier than replacing the whole floor.
>
> Unless you are a highly skilled and experienced wood or metal worker,
> you will find that building things inside a giant silver ostrich egg is
> much harder than putting up some shelves in the bathroom. And you run
> the risk of overloading the chassis.
>
> While getting everything out is kind of fun, and feels like getting rid
> of the DNA of the former owners, it is going to reduce the value of the
> trailer by miles and dollars. People who buy Airstreams want to go
> camping, not buy a large gazing ball for their back yard.
>
> So put it all back and be less invasive, or sell it before you get in
> over your head and your pocket book.
>
> We all realize that this is your property and this is the land of the
> free, but we really love these trailers and get sad when we hear of one
> that has been made unusable,and lost its insides. Some of us cringe
> when we see one made into an espresso shop, or parked on a rooftop. And
> we all wish we could prevent people from taking another one off the road
> where it belongs.
>
> Owning a vintage Airstream has an element of stewardship. It's not good
> to ruin an American Icon.
>
> Now that I have done my Dr. Daze speech, tell us about the floor, what's
> wrong with it and where ?
>
> And you are near to Fitchburg MA where the good folks a Dufours RV will
> help you with everything except fixing the skin. They used to chide me
> when I didn't take proper care of my '73 Ambassador.
>
> Daisy ( aka Dr. Daze PHD ( piled higher and deeper) in restoration
> finger shaking.)
>