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Old 06-19-2016, 06:07 PM   #21
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Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sokhapkin View Post
What is the total cost of the trailer project plus current invested money amount for the restoration?


We overpaid for the trailer considering the actual condition. We didn't pay full asking price...on dark nights I comfort myself with that small grace.

The restoration to date has cost us $2059, give or take a nut log or two purchased with the rest of the materials.

And that's with a lot of help from his old job and some friends with extra plywood.

We also used and will use many things we already had. But we had to get new foam (we opted for IKEA foam mattresses in the As Is department) and all 3 new tires.

It would've cost a lot more to actually, "properly" restore it. But that was never our aim. Simplicity, all-electric, and easy to maintain was our aim. I think we've accomplished that.
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Old 06-19-2016, 06:35 PM   #22
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Your hard work and perseverance is showing it's rewards!

Good to see it's almost ready to start giving back to both you and Paul, I'm sure you'll have many good memories with it from here on out!
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Old 06-19-2016, 06:53 PM   #23
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Thanks, Steve! Your help was a big part of our being at this point now!

Finally, it's nearly "camp ready!"

Eager to see how yours is coming along when you're ready with more pics!
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Old 07-08-2016, 07:00 AM   #24
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hinges

Hi Kai, looks great! You guys are doing a super job. I am trying to close mine up and have installed the door frame, now on to the hinges. I did not realize that they are different, one slightly more bent than the other, so now I am wondering which one is top, which is bottom. May I be so bold as to ask you if your hinges are like this and if so, which one is at the top, the 90 degree one or the more bent one? When I blow up your pics it looks like you have a more bent hinge base too, but I can not tell if it is upper or lower. Here is a pic of my progress.
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Old 07-08-2016, 08:41 AM   #25
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Leone
Looks gorgeous. What year is it? I've not seen an Amerigo without Jalousie windows before.

Walt
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Old 07-08-2016, 12:20 PM   #26
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1973 amerigo hinges?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonie Belcher View Post
Hi Kai, looks great! You guys are doing a super job. I am trying to close mine up and have installed the door frame, now on to the hinges. I did not realize that they are different, one slightly more bent than the other, so now I am wondering which one is top, which is bottom. May I be so bold as to ask you if your hinges are like this and if so, which one is at the top, the 90 degree one or the more bent one? When I blow up your pics it looks like you have a more bent hinge base too, but I can not tell if it is upper or lower. Here is a pic of my progress.

Hi, Leonie! Glad to hear from you!

Paul and I went out and measured ours...they are, as far as we can tell, identical. Don't know if they are original. I thought it was odd that one is near the bottom and one at the middle with no top hinge, but how else deal with the curvature, I suppose.

You certainly may be bold to ask us anything...once in a while we might actually know something.

Yours is looking super...a lot like ours, wonder why? 8)

BEST!
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Old 07-08-2016, 12:28 PM   #27
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PS: July 4th, 5th, and 6th we camped up in the Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest, two nights and days of which were in the rain. It was a much-needed shakedown cruise, and we rearranged the things inside until neither of us could remember what was where. Then we began shoving unnecessary things into the car until it was so crammed Paul was unable to jam anything more inside it.

On Wednesday we had a nice day, a lovely campfire, used ALL the wood we brought plus what Paul found at vacated campsites around the campground, found out the girls CAN actually shut up inside their x-pen when we sit near enough (and enjoyed seeing the fancy "gates" we put on when we decided to repurpose the pieces of that wine rack that didn't make the grade for our galley upright supports)--

Paul made cheese omelets in the microwave, we had deli -type croissant sandwiches for dinners, and the food part seemed to work out fine.

On the other hand, I simply couldn't get to sleep the first night...we switched beds the 2nd night, and that was a lot better. So maybe I'll get the "master suite" after all.

Today Paul washed Peanut and TV with a waxing wash (in the rain, no less), and checked for leaks afterwards. None.

We brought in all the fabrics except curtains (and by the way, those double fleece curtain panels work GREAT for insulation...windows were ice cold at night, curtains warm to the touch inside--on the other hand, windows were running with water in the AM, though the inside was toasty dry--)

We found out one of our ceramic heaters has to be manually adjusted, constantly--the thermostat--well, WHAT thermostat? The other one works fine once you actually read the knobs.

Anyway, we're using it now, at last, and after a good night's rest and some showering and whatnot at home, are planning our next outing already.
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Old 07-10-2016, 01:05 PM   #28
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Leone
Looks gorgeous. What year is it? I've not seen an Amerigo without Jalousie windows before.

Walt
Hey Walt, it is a '73. All the windows are original, they are all the swing type.
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Old 07-10-2016, 01:07 PM   #29
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Thanks so much Kai, on your observation, I put the bent one in the vice and straightened it to 90 degrees. Works just fine. Thanks so much.
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Old 07-11-2016, 02:36 PM   #30
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Thanks Leone, love it. 43 years. Amazing
Try that with a sticky.

Walt
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Old 07-11-2016, 05:25 PM   #31
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Cool

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonie Belcher View Post
Thanks so much Kai, on your observation, I put the bent one in the vice and straightened it to 90 degrees. Works just fine. Thanks so much.
Leonie
You're very welcome!
I love what you're doing with yours...am eager to see pics of the inside when you have them.
K
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Old 07-11-2016, 05:30 PM   #32
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Red face

Quote:
Originally Posted by sokhapkin View Post
What is the total cost of the trailer project plus current invested money amount for the restoration?


To be a little more forthcoming, we have it insured for $10,000.

Paul has set a default "crazy price" on it at $20,000, in case anyone asks. If we got that much, we'd be ready to let it go. Otherwise, we're delighted to have it working. Heading out again in 9 days.
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Old 07-14-2016, 08:18 PM   #33
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Kai, It's great to hear you're getting to use it as a camper now instead of a driveway ornament!
All of your hard work is paying you back now, enjoy it!
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Old 07-16-2016, 04:10 PM   #34
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Kai, It's great to hear you're getting to use it as a camper now instead of a driveway ornament!
All of your hard work is paying you back now, enjoy it!

Thanks, Steve!

Thanks!

Kai
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Old 07-16-2016, 06:18 PM   #35
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Thanks Leone, love it. 43 years. Amazing
Try that with a sticky.

Walt
Hey, our daughter and husband have renovated a 1963 Avion! Of course, it's aluminum clad (like an Airstream) with an aluminum frame, so it's not really a 'stickie'.

Now back to your regularly-scheduled topic. . .

/Mr Lynn
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Old 07-16-2016, 07:11 PM   #36
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You're right of course. There was a gorgeous restored Avion at Pineknot last Fall, and there are a couple here in my neighborhood, not restored but in decent shape.
So yes, the aluminum trailers also seem to hold up.
Seems there were two off brands Airstream made, Avion, and I can't recall the other.

Walt
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Old 07-16-2016, 07:21 PM   #37
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Fantastic!

Thanks for your great posts and pictures Kai! Loved seeing the end result, it gives me hope! (This is Laura not Bill). We are birds of a feather indeed in that we jumped in with two feet and kept uncovering and discovering one nasty mess after another. Your post is so encouraging! I just want to go CAMPING!! We even listed ours for sale for awhile but we will never get back what we have put in and I didn't like any other camper options. I JUST WANT TO GO CAMPING! So like you we are moving forward to finish the last bits and it will definitely be OURS customized to suit only us and that's great because that's how we want it to be.
So glad you are able to GO CAMPING finally. I hope you enjoy it for many years to come. Your work is beautiful, it turned out GREAT!
Thanks again for your posts.

Laura
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Old 07-16-2016, 10:19 PM   #38
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Quote:
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You're right of course. There was a gorgeous restored Avion at Pineknot last Fall, and there are a couple here in my neighborhood, not restored but in decent shape.
So yes, the aluminum trailers also seem to hold up.
Seems there were two off brands Airstream made, Avion, and I can't recall the other.

Walt
Airstream made a lower-end brand, called the Argosy. My parents had one, before they graduated to an Airstream. The Avion was made by a different company:

avion [Tin Can Tourists Wiki]

/Mr Lynn
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Old 07-17-2016, 05:51 AM   #39
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Thanks. Argosy is what I was remembering, but I thought the Avion was also an Airstream brand.

Walt
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Old 07-17-2016, 02:32 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWanderers View Post
Thanks for your great posts and pictures Kai! Loved seeing the end result, it gives me hope! (This is Laura not Bill). We are birds of a feather indeed in that we jumped in with two feet and kept uncovering and discovering one nasty mess after another. Your post is so encouraging! I just want to go CAMPING!! We even listed ours for sale for awhile but we will never get back what we have put in and I didn't like any other camper options. I JUST WANT TO GO CAMPING! So like you we are moving forward to finish the last bits and it will definitely be OURS customized to suit only us and that's great because that's how we want it to be.
So glad you are able to GO CAMPING finally. I hope you enjoy it for many years to come. Your work is beautiful, it turned out GREAT!
Thanks again for your posts.

Laura

Thank you, and you're so welcome.

It IS super to be able to GO CAMPING! with it...and I know you'll love yours when it's finished...or mostly finished. We keep tinkering even now. Always some little needed improvement. And then there's garage sale finds: Look, just exactly the right butter dish! Oooh, a perfect kitchen towel!

It's the gift that kept on taking until it started giving.

I wish you all the best refurbishing and then CAMPING! Absolutely!
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