Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Another bunk latch and the bath




So, tonight I went out and got another bunk bed latch on the curb side in, and then I turned to the toilet area. Here it is mocked up without the aluminum molding and glue to glue down the marmoleum. And here is also one of the new toilet paper holder. Little by little I'm getting there.

Cancel Ogden BOLO



Well, thanks for two of our blog readers, Doug and Mark, here is my latest find. I hope the feed is moveable so I can get it to come up and out of the counter. Sweet for the Sophia (SOTR's name). It appears that I can move the feed so that it might work - wish me luck. Sorry Frank - I'm glad I bid first :) A good deal in my book for $24.95.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Vent tubes and some bunks



Yesterday afternoon, worked on the vent tube plumbing from the black tank. Man it was hard cutting a hole in that new cabinetry but once done, and the plumbing through, I guess it wasn't that bad. I've come out of the tank, into my rear closet (toilet is on the curb side) on the curbside, turns 90 degrees up, up through my closets top shelf, again turning to head towards my pre-existing hole in the roof where the original vent tube went through. And so I have a black tube sticking out of the roof of the SOTR. I have to install a vent cover (one is on order from Vintage Trailer Supply). From there, I moved to my bunks. Dick Perkins was over, giving me plumbing advice and helping me cut the 1 1/2 tubing, and he helped me hold the bunks up while we were measuring / installing the latches that will hold the bunks in place during travel. We've manage to get the road side bunk mounted and so now, the bunk can be put up during the day as well - it really makes the bedroom area appear alot bigger with those up and out of the way. Thanks Dick - cause it's really a two man job. Here are a couple photos in the up position. Last night, after the Marmoleum was inside warming up for a while, I cut the pieces needed to cover my black tank under the toilet and on the kick panel in front of the tank, and so now, I just need to glue it down (it has to warm up some) and put down the aluminum edging. I'm getting there!

Friday, January 25, 2008

61 Ambassador Recovery - and another Bolo




Well, we made it. 700 plus miles and the 61 is at it's new home in the driveway about 10 miles from me. It was a nice day for towing. When we picked it up, down in the cabinet under the sink was this nice Ogden water purifier... and I'm on another mission to find one - another International model feature. So, Be On the Look Out for one for me please!!!! That Sprinter is one nice tow vehicle John!!
SYDTR!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

BOLO


Be on the Look Out!!! I need one of these emblems. I've sourced over the past three years, all three of the International emblems for the SOTR, but if you were an International, two steps up from where the SOTR was originally, you had this Land Yahct emblem as well. These are very cool, as I've had a trailer that had this emblem ( Doh! ) - but for some reason I wasn't thinking... So, I'm on the lookout for one of these. Perhaps one of my readers / buddies has one out in his yard and he won't mind ( good luck I say ). Today, we're off for Cape Cod to recover John's Ambassador... wish us luck.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Vent tubes and East Coast VAC Rally

Today Dick Perkins came over this afternoon to freeze with me out in the SOTR. I was putting in my black tank vent tube, from the top of the tank, 90 degrees into the closet. I'm into the closet and now I need a 90 and a couple 45s to and about 9 feet of inch and a half black tubing. We're getting there inch by inch. The SOTR is currently a cold soaked refridgerator since the high was only around 18 today. Brrrr!

I also signed up for the East Coast Vintage Airstream Club (VAC) Rally to be held June 19 - 23 in Staunton, Virginia at the Staunton KOA. It's gonna be a blast.

Friday, January 18, 2008

From an Article in Tampa today


Baby boomers

Overall, the U.S. recreational vehicle industry is in a slump. Sales of motor homes, and other luxury items such as boats, usually see signs of a recession long before other sectors of the economy. People are not likely to buy expensive toys when they are worried about job security.
Industry insiders predict RV shipments to drop 10 percent this year, but there is a silver lining to this cloudy economic future. In a recession, people are likely to stay closer to home. Instead of buying that condo in ski country, they might consider a popup camper or travel trailer to tour their own state.

"We are counting on the baby boomers," said Pate Rawak, a representative of Ohio-based Airstream. "As they get ready for retirement, they are going to spend their money on something ... a boat, a trip aboard the Queen Mary, or maybe an RV."
It's always been my dream to own one of the sleek, aluminum travel trailers, the design of which hasn't changed much in 75 years. At 47, I'm still 20 years short of retirement, but I am a boomer and can see myself sitting on a oceanfront state park somewhere filing stories from the salon of an Airstream.

Classic style

Much of the Airstream's generational appeal is a result of its old-school design. On the outside, the company's original 1931 model doesn't look that much different than one built in 2001.

"Over the years, we have only had five design changes," Rawak said. "The last one came in 1996, when we widened it from 96 to 101 inches."

People can identify an Airstream by sight. There is no mistaking the familiar airplane fuselage on wheels as it rolls down the highway.

"Grandpa and grandma had one, Uncle John had one and now we hope that this next batch of retirees will want one, too," Rawak said. "And Airstream will last forever. We have built roughly 100,000 of them over the years and 60 percent of those are still on the road."
Another plus in these economic times is the Airstream's fuel efficiency, reportedly 20 percent greater than a traditional box trailer. At the Florida RV SuperShow, the Airstream display aired a continuous video of a Porsche Cayenne pulling one of the silver trailers down the interstate.

"Most small SUVs or cross-over vehicles can pull an Airstream," Rawak said. "You don't need a full-size truck to go out an enjoy yourself."

The price: $33,000 for the 17-foot, entry-level model.

Airstream Ranch

Frank Bates, owner of an RV dealership of the same name in Tampa, loves Airstreams.

"There is nothing like them," he said. "All over the world - Japan, Europe, even Australia - people are lining up to buy Airstreams. They are like the Harley Davidsons of the RV world."
With the company celebrating its 75th anniversary, Bates wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. So he bought eight used Airstreams they don't come cheap and built a monument along Interstate 4 in Dover.

"I'm from Texas, and we have the Cadillac Ranch, which was a tribute to the Cadillac Motor Company, which at the time built the finest luxury cars in the U.S.," Bates said. "I love roadside attractions, and thought we should have one here in Florida. So I built the Airstream Ranch."
The eight trailers - one for each decade Airstream has been in business - are buried nose down in the ground, just like the Cadillacs in Texas.

"The Airstream is an American icon. ... They even have one in the Musuem of Modern Art in New York City," he said.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Brochure



Thanks Steve! I did not have this, and it's one I've been looking for.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Congrats to my Buddy!


Welcome our newest central NY Vintage Airstreamer. I've been working on my good friend John and he's finally pulled the trigger and is now the proud owner of a 1961 Airstream Ambassador. Now how do we get it from Cape Cod to Central NY?.... we'll be working on that recovery mission. A fine buy!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

I need help! for my addiction.






Like I need another distraction like a hole in my head.... but I could not resist. As many of you that listen to the VAP know, I love 13 panels. So, my new good Airstream buddy Steve sent me a link to this trailer - and the price was right... so we got it. Later in the month, there will be a road trip to recover it! What is it? From the title it's supposedly a 1954 - looks like a 22 footer. It's got a front kitchen in it. I'm packing my supplies now. So, if later in the month anyone wants to road trip from Northern VA to Florida and back in two days, let me know!