Finally...New flooring in the Excella

the pseudo parquet flooring in our Excella was really looking shabby. The glue loosened and the tiles were sliding around. I wanted to use the trafficmaster vinyl planking I had seen at HD and others had suggested. It was sure a lot easier than using regular laminate, as this stuff can be cut with tile shears or a sharp razor knife.
Having fairly new plywood underlayment didn't hurt also as it made for a good surface to apply the planking over, with few if any uneven spots.
I did have to trim 1/8" of the bottom of my large pantry doors so they would close smoothly.
A day later, with a sore back and knees, its done.

Floor treatment update

I finally ripped out the tile in the living room and kitchen areas. The plywood underneath is like new, in fact it is probably only a couple of years old from the look of it.
The only problem area is a very small, 2-3 inch spot where one window seems to be dripping water on it. I will seal up the window frame, and coat that area of the floor before going any further.
Guess I am going with the Home Depot vinyl plank that looks like laminate. It hopefully will be a bit easier to trim and should look great.
The only issue is trimming the tall kitchen cabinet doors that run to the floor. New flooring will definitely make these inoperable unless trimmed.
Then a strip of carpet thru the bedroom and the flooring will be done.
Pix to come...

Our Falluminum Rally

Every 6 months or so we Rally in N. Georgia at Lake Chatuge. A beautiful spot in Spring and Fall when we bring our many trailers and motorhomes up for a weekend.
This past week we had 30 or more units with 80-100 people sharing fun, food and music.
We also tour the home that are open and chat about various restorations, improvements and repairs.
Its a whole lotta fun.

FALLUMINUM RALLY....
about 6 weeks away or so is our Fall Hiawassee Georgia get together. This thing has taken on a life of its own. People I have met at other functions ask if I know about it.
I almost feel embarrassed to say that I actually organized it. This all came about so accidently, after our first get together in Mystic Springs, Airstream Park ( Fla) seven years ago, I thought I would try to get a Rally going here near Atlanta. The first was at McKinney Campground, so was the second. Then Cloudand Canyon, Fort Mountain, and then we picked Georgia Mountain Fair's Campground in Hiawassee.
The first time there was so perfect! The lake was gorgeous, and the mountains picturesque.
Since then this has been the campground of choice for us twice a year.
It helps also being closer to N Carolina, Tennessee, and Northern Alabama.
From our initial 7 attendees to now nearly 50. Its a great group, and all bent on relaxed fun times.

Zipdee fabric renewal

Got our new zip dee replacement fabric for the two roadside awnings. With some coaching from web pals, I was able to get the new material riveted to the tube, and then once on the trailer, rolled the front arm around enough times to tension the roller. Then the awning worked like a charm. The new look is really good as it matches our large vintage style curbside awning.

Changed my striping once again, but only a minor change this time. I redid the center orangey red part to a burgundy to match the new vintage style awning. It will look a whole lot more coordinated now. And of course, that too is important:)

We selected our awning fabric from Sunbrella, and got the new vintage style made in a few weeks.
It went on our trip to Lake Russell and was looking good. Strong storms blew through and it was no problem, we merely lowered the poles on the outsides to let water runoff.
Next we will want to match our zip dees on the opposite side with this fabric.

Looks like we are getting a vintage style awning....found some great Sunbrella fabrics, and Zipdee will match the fabric on our old smaller ones to then new "Vintage" style one so we will be looking at fabric swatches next.

Our next project now that I have the striping done and a new Atwood water heater,,, is either the flooring or awnings. Love the vintage style rope and pole awnings, and looking at getting one for the street side and matching fabric on the road side. Maybe a black and white stripe. SHould really set off the trailers black trim.

I am also looking at doing cork flooring again as I did in the motorhome, it was very nice and easy to care for.

Spent the Memorial Day weekend with two other Airstreams at Har Labor Creek State Park, near Madison Ga. A great weekend...perfect weather and good company. 

New striping goes on

The new three part stripe is going on, and what a difference in the overall look! Its funny how a 6 inch strip can so change the look of the whole 31 feet.

Big Blue is going away

the blue stripe and trim which the previous owner painted is going, but slowly.
I bought a sand blaster gun, and 25 lbs of chopped walnut shells to strip it, but it did not yield.
The gun would clog after an inch of stripping. Very frustrating.
So back to the Kleen Strip which after aircraft stripping spray, and Removall, is the only chemical that actually loosened the thick blue and underlayer green paint.
I then pressure washed the area and this got most of the remainder off the trim. The large center area will be covered with new striping. The trim will be polished and the insert trim added.
I have started the trim insert as shown in the photos. Hard work as the trim fits very snugly due to some left over paint in the rails.

Wow ! The new to us 1980 Excella had this huge blue stripe.
A little change in trim and this trailer will look great.
Inside is already quite cozy, we added the gaucho from our Sovereign, and a new folding table, as well as kitchen curtains. It is a nice trailer that is comfortable to stay in. Later I will redo the flooring, and add some paint to the living room area.

The BIG BLUE STRIPE!

Three weeks after the huge tree crushed our Sovereign, we found this nice 1980 Excella.
Picked it up today and towed it a 150 miles or so. It pulled very smoothly and the brakes worked well. Needs some work, but nothing too major at this point. Mostly personalization and a few minor repairs. As always!
Its good to have another project. But still painful to see the photos of the last one. :(

Gone but not forgotten

Tuesday Feb 19 started with a major storm blasting through our area. Lights blinked at 6:15 am then went oout. The wind howled in an unusual tone, and we rushed to the lower level of our house thinking it had that "train" sound we had heard about..the tornado sound.
withing moments the wind pitch reached even higher, and we heard a huge thud, and the sound of breaking glass.
As soon as it dies down a bit, we ran upstairs, flashlights in hand to see what had happened.
The meager light from the flashlights did not show the story. A sudden lightning flash illuminated the driveway and revealed a huge pine tree laying across our Airstream and onto our roof.
The next flash revealed the extent of the damage....the trailer was flattened and crushed into a useless mess. The house damage, from the inside seemed minimal.
Pictures of the trailer accompany this post.

Bought this monster F250 to pull the Airstream. A 97 Diesel. It rode " like a truck" and was hard to handle.
Sold it and found a V10 Excursion. Ahhh, what a nice ride! Like a living room on wheels, and tows the 31 footer easily.
Everyone remarks when they see the V10 lable on my front fenders. "Must suck gas like crazy!"
Truth is the 10 gets better mileage than a V-8, and almost the ame as a diesel with less expense to purchase. We get about 16-18 mpg unloaded highway, and still. get 12-14 towing.
This thing rides like a truck!! Really. Not sure how long I wll be able to put up with the hard ride and the huge turning radius.....

Interior shot after flooring was done. Cabinets painted but not trimmed out yet.

Sure have enjoyed the trailer camping this past year or so. It was different for us in the beginning, after having as motorhome for 5 years, but has been nothing but fun since then. Our longest trip in the trailer thus far, was through the Carolinas to Virgina beach, then to the Outer Banks and up through N. Carolina again and back home. Took about two and a half weeks, with family visits along the way.
The first stop was in Columbia, SC. where a super strong storm cell blew in just after we entered the campground. I was stranded in the office trying to sign in, while the wind howled and the rain pounded. Power was out for an hour or so once the rian stopped.
The next day we stopped for gas, and I noticed a football sized dent in the top of the Airstream, where a tree limb had fallen during the storm. I was not too happy about that, but not ready to try and repair it while on the road.

After travelling four or five hours in bright sun and 85 degree temps, we stopped to set up for the night. On my usual walk around to get things hooked up and ready, I glanced up and saw the dent was gone! The suns heat had "healed" it and there was not a trace of the spot I saw hours earlier. Airstream self-repair!!
How cool is that?

We got our gaucho reupholstered. It was really worn and stained. Now its fresh and clean and the foam is springy again..
Also recovered to match the two side chairs I found last summer. Makes the living area that much nicer, now.

the trailer came with original paperwork when it was delivered in 1978, in Bradenton, Fl.
The folks seem to have bought it and then parked it for much of its life in a trailer park.
They took good care of it for all those years, and it showed only one small dent in the "bannana wrap" below the aluminum skin area, and no dings or damage.
The interior was badly in need of updating and once I began to rip out the carpet and floor tile, the few problems that were there showed up.
Common to these Airstreams is a leak at the lower molding outside, where, behind it the skin laps under the lower panels. Water can get in if this "beltline" is not sealed properly on top.
Mine had that very damage. The good thing was it was small, and had not gone too far beyond some minor floor rot and surface frame rust.
I was able to repair this easily with wood hardener and wood filler.
Also the area where the battery had been sitting for years, suffered from some sagging and softness. This too was easily fixed, and I removed the battery and box, opting for a small battery since we rarely if ever "boondock".
The kitchen floor was a challenge due to the mutliple layers of tile and linoleum, but this too was removed.
The next challenge was the bedroom walls, where the vinyl covering had yellowed and it took a lot of various products to cut through the yellow and clean this.

The previous owner had painted the cabinets and trim with a flat latex, and this needed updating also.
I chose a paint with "sand" in it for texture and coverage, this worked out well. I used a clearcoat over this sand paint which gave it some sheen.
For the walls I got a german made wall covering which was a thin real aluminum. It went on well and covered many small scratched areas, but I had problems with the self stick glue it came with, and had to use a Liquid Nails contact cement. I also riveted the wall covering in spots to give it the Airstream look.
Flooring was a laminate product, over rubber underlayment. In the bedroom I used carpet though to soften that area and separate it from the hall.
Bathroom is small, and I used a stick down tile on the floor in there. It took maybe 6 total tiles!
More to come

The Motorhome goes, the Trailer arrives.

The 1978 Sovereign as found, and later after some work and clean up...

Airstream Classic motor homes are rare, and fun to own. But, after almost 5 years of owning and using ours, I got the itch to try something else.

I think the problem came from those winter months of non- use where I felt it important to keep the batteries up, the fluids fresh, and I was chained to starting the engine every week, and driving it around some to keep it all working well. And work well it did.

I started to think a trailer would be better for our needs, with the kids growing and losing some interest in the "camping with the family" thing. Now I could sell the Classic, and use the money to buy a trailer and a truck, and then have the truck for other uses too.

I advertised the motor home on the web, and in no time had loads of emails and calls. One was from someone in the UK who wanted to know if i could ship it over. First I was sceptical that they were for real, and then being less than experienced in shipping I declined.


I had numerous buying offers, and one guy who was going to "fly in" the next weekend to do the deal. His deposit never got to me in the mail, and then I had to track him down to see what he was thinking. "Changed my mind", so he said, and never thought to let me know while I was waiting to pick him up.

More buyers showed interest and one even came to do a walk through, but then a "broker" called, who claimed he had a buyer that was solid.
This deal got close and then stopped for a few weeks. Evidently the buyer had some kind of accident and needed time to get it back together. A few weeks after this we reestablished our lines of communication, and somewhat sadly the arrangements were made to meet and the deal was done. My 280 set off for Brunswick , GA to the port where it would be shipped over to the UK. Parting is such sweet sorrow, I knew it was the right move, but all the work I had done in cleaning and restoring and improving the motohrome made it a personal issue to see it go.

In speaking with the broker who handled the deal, he asked why we were selling such a nice unit. I explained that I thought a trailer would better suit our needs, and that I was looking for a 25-31 foot Airstream, preferably from the 70's...as they are plentiful and fair priced.
He offered to email me photos of one he had access to, a 1978 International Sovereign.

True to his word the photos arrived and the trailer description looked good. A bit on the granny and grandpa decor inside, but nothing that could not be redone. Besides, it was an 80+ year old couple that had owned it since new.

We struck a deal over the phone, next day the trailer was delivered to our driveway!
So within a weekend we had sold one Airstream, and bought another.
The new project began in earnest.

The living area as delivered to me...Needed a new look. Then the same room stripped of flooring, and on its way to being redone.

Also a shot down thru the kitchen and hall where there wer multiple layers of linoleum tile that had to be pulled out.

Fixing up vintage trailers, like old cars, houses, whatever is your thing...can be a fun and relaxing experience. You have to try not to exceed your ability or you might get into trouble working on anything, especially an aluminum bus like vehicle with all the sytsems the Airstream has.
With the help of a few web friends, I found I could pretty much handle any repair or redo that I came across.
It was rewarding to see the older coach take on a new shiny look and become the envy of many who saw it.
I discovered new polishes and waxes to keep the outside looking good, while mildly customizing the striping, the paint trim and more.
The interior was well worn from years of use, so we hired a local auto craftsman to redo the seats and couch. He also provided matching interior trim.
It made a terrific difference to see these reupholstered in newer automotive quality fabrics.

I checked out new flooring ideas, and went with cork tiles. These were warm on the feet in the winter, and cool in the summer. Easy to install once i took out all the seating and tables.

We added new curtains in the bedroom, and cleaned the blinds in the living area. We recarpeted the drivers area and insulated under the floor.
I stripped the grey paint from the lower body area outside, and polished the aluminum that now shown through.
And many more small details that helped the classy rig stand out and look sharp.

Off we go.....
Not quite into the wild blue yonder....we set up our first camping experience at Red Top Mountain State Park. This is a very nice wooded park on Allatoona Lake not far from Atlanta. It is also close to home so we could try out our new to us Airstream, and still be near help if needed.
We loaded up,rode over to the park, and selected a nice site to camp for the weekend. December weather was cool with mid thirties expected for the night temperatures.
Hooking up electrical supply, water and the available cable tv was a breeze.
On a short hike around the campground we noticed another camper getting ready to dump his holding tanks into the receptacle. Having never done this ourselves yet, my wife and I stood as close as we could to watch the process.
The guy probably thought we were a little nutty, but we later explained that we were both "newbies" and had no clue how to set up the sewer connections.

The night was cold, and we made a great first dinner in our motorhome, started a campfire, and enjoyed the quiet. I fired up the propane furnace for overnight heat, and we slept soundly. All was well.

This short trip gave us the confidence to attept a long one. In late December we headed out for Southwest Florida. Eventually ending up in Fort Myers Beach, where we set up camp right on the water in a small and crowded campground.
Being able to sit at my table and look out the window at Cranes and Egrets fishing in the water was terrific.
we unhooked our connections and drove the Airstream over to Sanibel island for a day,parking in a sandy lot right by the beach. It was what we had hoped for, a little piece of home that we could move to location after location.
This was a great trip....so we planned our next one. Three weeks from Georgia to Pennsylvania and back with many stops aloing the way.

This trip took us through the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. We ended up at Hershey, PA where we camped at the Hershey Park Campground.
We then cruised over to the coast, passing through many Amish villages, and camped at Maryland Shores, Virginia Beach, and other prime spots.
The trip went smooth, in spite of daily outside temperatures in the high 90's.
The Airstream generator ran, to keep our roof a/c going while we drove. Most older motorhomes have very weak a/c from the engine and ours was no exception. The roof air and two small dash fans kept it comfortable though warm.
All went well, until we experienced a dead battery while in Virginia. Turned out the starter had fried and shorted out the charge system. We were able to get a starter from a chain auto parts store and got back on the road.
This turned out to be an ongoing experience. The starters are mounted right next to the manifold pipes and exhaust, and they get very hot. The wiring had been burning through.
On subsequent trips we had a few more of the battery and starter failures, so I took the preventive measure of installing a billet aluminum encased starter and alternator, and then wrapping all related wiring in heat proof thermal jacketing. This was the end of the heat problems.

My Airstream Passions continued

THE SEARCH IS ON!
After a frustrating time cruising the web and every ad I could find, I finally came across what looked like a super Classic for sale on EBAY. The thing about EBAY of course is you have to be a trusting buyer. You can look at all the seller's feedback , but when you are spending lots of your hard earned dollars, it can be unnerving.
Anyway, this one looked great,and the seller emailed additional photos, and I was hooked. I bid up to my max, and lost. Not a good feeling, but a bit of relief in that the motorhome was in Dallas, TX, and I was in Atlanta, GA. That 16 hour drive might have been a potential nightmare.

Next I found a great ad for one in Vermont. Even further than Dallas!
This was truly a beauty, and the seller sent me a video tape of his walk around, showing all the features. It was stored in a barn, and looked immaculate. Priced a bit high for our budget, but so nice I felt I would go for it if I could.
Found a distant relative ( 3rd cousin) who lived within an hours drive of the location, and started out to arrange travel. Had it not been almost winter, this might have worked. But the thought of driving it home over 1000 miles was putting me off just a bit. Also the seller would not come down a nickle on his price. Probably a good decision for me to decide to pass.

In the meantime a few units closer to home were discovered, one in Georgia ( sold the day the ad hit), and another in South Carolina, offered by an elderly man with some reluctance to part with "her".
I arranged to go and see the SC unit, and we were set to leave on the weekend, when our phone message machine aired a short voice mail from the owner. He just could not part with " her" and decided to keep "her'. "Sorry".

So it was back to the classifieds. I searched more and more obscure ad sites, even cruising newspaper classifieds on the web.
Then, I got an email back from an advertiser that I had sent an inquiry to.
They had posted a 1982 Classic in Ohio, and as it was winter, they had few if any responses. It was just before Thanksgiving when we via the web and fax.
All looked good, the motorhome badly in need of an update, but in generally good condition, and obviously much loved. They actually interviewed me by phone to see if I was truly a buyer who could give it a good home.
I bought a plane ticket for Dayton, Ohio, after some last minute negotiations, and their somewhat cold feet on selling to someone who had not yet actually seen the Airstream.
On a cold but pretty day after Thanksgiving I flew to Dayton, with check in hand.

THE AIRPORT WALK AROUND

I arrived in Dayton, and walked excitedly out to the parking lot. There was the silvery, riveted 28 foot "bus" parked with the generator running.
I went in to meet the owners, and sat in the warm and cozy interior, on the well worn couch, feeling pretty good so far.
We spent a half hour or more going through every system, and how they worked, and what did what.
Then we traded title papers for check, they offered to refund some money as the door lock had been broken before my arrival. I climbed into the driver's seat for my 9 hour ride home. Nervous, but excited.
Leaving the airport I drove slowly onto I 75 South, and headed towards Cincinatti.
Driving was easier than I had expected, the handling positive, while the ride was quite firm.
Firm enough to make the interior cabinets and refirgerator very noisy going over any bumps. I figured it to be normal, and somethng we could get over ...turn the stereo up.
I expected a 20 plus year old machine might just be that way. I stopped and checked the fluids, oil and trans, at a rest area. The 454 Chevy monster V8 had the longest dip stick I have ever seen. Almost a chore to snake it back thru its tube into the oil pan.

I used a borrowed cell phone I had brought along to update my family while cruising down the highway. Once in Kentucky I actually passed another Airstream Classic on the opposite roadway. The driver waved. Funny, later relfecting on five years of travel, I almost never passed another one.
After light rain in the smokies and some pretty curvy nightime mountain road driving, I safely made it home.
The kids were quite excited and rushed out to see the interior. My wife on the other hand got in tentatively, and said something like " oh my God" what have we gotten into? But she seemed to see it was a cool ride, and I always loved cool rides.
More.....

The Airstream Classic 280 Motorhome

I found this 280 online for sale after quite a search. Drove it home from Ohio, and over the next 4 years, constantly upgraded and improved it.

Our AIRSTREAM PASSIONS

This blog will be about Airstream Trailers and Classic Motorhomes and our passion for these icons of Americana. Aluminum riveted beauties of the highways.

I had known that the Airstream Trailers existed for some time. Being a confirmed automobile freak, I try to keep up with all kinds of rolling wheeled machines.
But it was to my surprise when I first came across an Airstream Classic Motorhome, the riveted aluminum kind.
I had never seen one, never even knew that they existed.
Trailers, yes, although I did not know they were still being made...guess I had never noticed.
But Motorhomes? Looking like a shiny silver riveted bus, a bit like a B52 or some aircraft, this really caught my eye.
I had to ask someone, anyone, whether or not I was seeing a one of a kind homemade trailer adaptation or not.

I have since seen a few of these; Airstream trailers grafted onto Van chassis, or on a truck or bus frame, or even built form the ground up to resemble an Airstream but motorized. As for the one I saw that fall day, I later learned it was purpose built, by Airstream....a trailer built onto a Chevrolet truck chassis at the factory.

There was not a lot of info on these out on the world wide web, but enough to peak my interest. I read what I could.
Stumbled across some groups that discussed this kind of thing. Even hooked up with some email friends that either had one or wanted one.

A month or two later, on a family cruise up in North Georgia apple country, we spotted another of these elusive machines, on the roadside. A for sale sign in the window grabbed my full attention. we pulled over and got the seller to give us a tour.
Inside was a curved living/driving space. Tubular but comfortable with a fair amount of seating room and headroom. Lots of 70's decor in this one, shag carpet, browns and tans. I had to own it!
Unfortunately when i heard the asking price I realized a big toy like that might be a little out of my reach at the moment. Plus the needed re-decorateing and who know what else would be a budget buster for us.
So I went home and began scanning the web, and every publication I could find for another Airstream Classic for sale.