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A little about Airstream Trailers
The Airstream trailer was invented by Wally Byam (July 4, 1892-July 22, 1962) back in 1930. At first
it was a kit, and he would also build custom trailers based on the kit. In 1936 he built his first Aluminum trailer. Wally
started the caravan club and led many caravans to places like France, Canada, Europe, and Africa to name a few. Today the
club still has caravans but has grown to be more about the rallies and the International always runs through July 4th because
that was Wally's birthday.
The first owner of this trailer was Lt. Col. Earl G. Hunt at Altus Air Force Base, Okalahoma with
a delivery date of February 20.1965.
The second owners were Colin and Linda Grass, Debbie and I both knew Linda. She worked
at the same retail store that we both worked at before we met. She was a very kind and loving person, she
also had cancer and lost that battle. When we bought the trailer we did not yet know that Colin was Linda's husband. After
we paid for the trailer, Colin asked us where we worked and when I told him, he told us his wife had worked there
also. When he told us her name we told him that we knew her. After she had passed he didn't use the trailer anymore and had
decided to sell it and move on. While cleaning the trailer we found a single seashell earring so I pushed it into a small
hole in the wall in the galley in memory of Linda Grass, we always take her memory with us where ever we take our trailer.
We purchased it in April of 2002, and have had it since
Projects yet to complete include:
Right now all my work has been put on hold due to my being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. I will
have to undergo about six months of Chemo starting in January 2007. This all started two days before we were to leave for
the International Rally in June 2006
- Finish tinting windows
- Replace cushion covers (still has the originals on)
- Shell off floor replacement
- New counter top
- Rebuild table
- Update the exterior light systems
- Replace the front Astrodome
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What we have done
Well first off I spent the better of three days cleaning, it had
been sitting in that barn for ten years and you could tell by the dirt inside.
- Next we replaced the propane tanks with smaller ones that have the
OPD valves. Then we found out that the hose from the tanks was too weathered and so we bought all new hoses from the tanks
to where they are metal.
- Then the wire plug had to be replaced.
- One of the hot water heater hoses was bad.
- I spent about three weeks stripping the splotchy clear coat off
and buffed it with a Cyclo that I bought at a yard sale for $8.
- The roof vent seal had to be replaced.
- Sewer cap was missing and had to be replaced.
- Window crank by the entrance door was stripped and had to be replaced.
- Our first trip we got a flat and found that all three tires needed
replacing, so we bought tires and wheels to replace the original split rims and bias ply tires
- The slide cover was shot and taped together with strapping tape
(luckily I found a NOS one on eBay)
- The AC cover was so brittle that when I took it off to replace
it with a new one that I bought from Inland RV,
it fell apart before I could even get it off the roof.
- We had the original cushions redone with 4" premium foam topped
with 2" of memory foam. @Custom Foam Works in Yakima.
- Then we ordered and installed new curtains from James P. Ambruso, Inc.
- The fridge quit on our trip
to Deception Pass 2005, so I called a mobile RV repairman that was listed in the Thrifty Nickel and he told me he could not
see anything wrong with it that I would have to replace it. Not willing to pay $800 for a new one I started doing some searching
on the web. Well I took it all apart and blew out the orifice (it fit right on the end of my blow tip for my air compressor)
and it now works great again.
- In progress, I am tinting
all of the windows with a mirror tint film to both help save the interior from the sun and also add privacy (an added benefit
is the windows reflect images like the skin of the trailer does).
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