I have been doing a low budget rehab of a 1969 27' international that sat unused for 15 years. My initial game plan might help. There are two primary objectives, make the trailer safe and road legal, and stop further deterioration from oxidation, water leaks or UV :
- Wash off all the grime
- Ruthlessly search for leaks and discretely caulk them with silver colored caulk.
- Put on a nice thick coat of wax. Worry about polishing it last. If you read the postings by Airmark Company, you should never do anything but use their services to polish your 'stream. They are very expensive. Airstream says to use aluminium polish and wax. However, I would do this last so that you polish out any streaks or marks you make while repairing the beast.
- paint the plastic exterior parts to further protect from UV damage.
- Get the tires and brakes checked out by a competent trailer expert. Find the best trailer mechanics in your area, and stick with them. You will save money in the long run. Mechanics unfamiliar with trailer brake systems will give you all kinds of bad advice.
- Make any repairs needed to the tow connections.
- Open up, file the rust, and reset the grounding screws on all the exterior lights. This will fix 95% of the nonworking ones.
- Get it inspected.
- Buy a copy of Bob Livingston's RV Repair and Maintenance Manual. This will explain almost everything else.
- Only then get really involved with the interior.
Dale Lee wrote:
Hi, I purchased my airstream yesterday. Lots to do, it has been
sitting in outside storage for the past 5 years. Started to clean the
interior of this beluga. Please email me on steps to follow to get this
thing operating correctly. Previous owner told me he had the clear coat
removed from the skin and it was buffed and polished by a firm which
deals specifically in airstreams when he purchased this in 1984 . They
told him to just keep it waxed. I looked at the finish and it looks a
little oxidized. Can I polish the skin to make it appear as shiny as
the ones I see on the internet??? What type of polish is the best, or
should I just wax as prior owner told me to do? Prior owner told me to
sand all electrical light contacts to get them working again. He also
told me that there is a water line leak due to not winterizing . What
should I do first, second, third, etc. I am new to this as you can
tell. Thanks so much, Dale
