1963 Airstream Tradewind restoration

It's been over a year since I got sidetracked from rebuilding our 57 Overlander, and picked up another Airstream project. It had most of the parts needed to put it back together, and the frame had already been rebuilt, with a new axle, brakes and wheels. It was in Minnesota, near Minneapolis, and only a short drive from Texas. Shelly didn't want to go, so solo I go. I stopped in Missouri at a state park, and slept in the back of the truck in a sleeping bag. That worked fine until it started raining. After not sleeping in the truck, I showered, and got on the road about 6 in the morning. After buying the Airstream, the guy helped me load everything into it. The aluminum, cabinets, insulation, refrigerator, air conditioner, water heater, furnace, boxes of parts,lights, plumbing. A giant jigsaw puzzle. I drove back several hours in the dark, and pulled into a rest area about 10 pm. I slept in the camper for several hours, until the trucker next to me woke me up, and I got on the road about 4 in the morning. The Airstream pulled great, and it was easy to forget it was back there. So easy, in fact, that I pulled into a rest stop in a car parking space, leaving the Airstream blocking  the lane, and only realized what I had done after I got back to the truck. How embarrassing, but no one was around to laugh at me, except myself. I drove nearly a thousand miles that day, getting back home about 10 pm. Now to rebuild it! 

Before and after shots of the outside

 I wanted a gray tank on it, so I moved a frame member, and welded a bracket to hold the gray tank.

Shelly and I riveted the shell onto the frame, and we're ready to polish the Airstream. I found a guy advertising polishing services in Granbury, and he was reasonably priced, so we took it to him. I was relieved to not have to polish it myself. 

I drew up plans, sticking to the original floor plan, so I could use most of the cabinets and doors. I cut the exterior holes for the water heater, furnace, and electrical inlet. I built an aluminum battery box behind the propane tanks, and got the running lights working. Next was the 12 and 120 volt electrical systems. 

It was time for a vacation, so we took off with my parents for Colorado and New Mexico, but that is a different story. Once we got back, it was time to insulate, and put the walls back in. 

I primed the walls, and sprayed on Zolatone polomyx. 

I put in a laminate floor, and set the bathtub. Next was the bath cabinet, and walls.

Most of the mechanical systems needed to be put in at this stage, so it seemed to take forever, before getting back to cabinets and walls.

I was using the cabinet doors that came with the Airstream, but the walls and cabinets did not fit this unit, so they all had to be rebuilt. Painstakingly slow process, but it looks good. 

I rebuilt the dinette, and used the hydraulic lift table.