Lap of Luxury

[crispyboy]

Hey all,
I wanted to post a thread that highlights a project I have been working on over the past year. This past Sunday I was able to get my travel trailer far enough along to take it camping. I have had to put new floors in front and rear, axles and a bunch of other stuff you get to replace with an old trailer.
Anyway the wife, dog and myself took off Sunday morning to Greenbo Lake State Resort in Ashland, KY. Except for lacking some power (3:31 axle stink) it was a real joy to drive the wagon. With the proper hitch - the GW handled great and I was able to stop everything on a dime! I am especially impressed by the aluminum crossflow radiator I put in last summer. Along the highway I didn't get over 205 degrees on the long hills and the temp guage would drop like a rock on the down hill side.

The wife and dog before we left the house.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1435.jpg

Here is the campsite.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1436.jpg

Here is the first meal - Hamburgers, corn on the cob and green bean w/ham followed up with a nice dark German beer.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1437.jpg

[Tonka J200]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
SWEET!

[fulsizjeep]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
SWEET!

DITTO! :thumbsup:

[Gambler68]

Awesome! Way classier than a 500k RV bus!

[unkaed]

Looks like a great time had by all!:thumbsup:

[Topher]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

What kind-o-mileage did you get pulling the trailer? I'd like to have one of those to go arpund in myself when we retire. Of course that's in about 30 years, so I'm in no rush. :D

[crispyboy]

Mileage - This is an FSJ - do you have to ask..... I guessing it was around 10. The GW seemed to like anywhere from 55 to 60 mph. I usually get 14/15 mpg with no trailer in tow on the highway. It was about 90 degrees and hot here yesterday. Last year when I brought the trailer home with the J20 I think I got about 11. These are pretty standard figures for towing unless you have diesel pickup and they get 2 or 3 mpg more from what I hear (though the tow capicity is 3x as much).

[Chrome]

Truely CLASSIC!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Dalton37]

Wow, that is really a great sight. Nice rig and nice trailer.

[addicted]

Beautiful! :cool:

[crispyboy]

Thanks all for the nice comments.
It was pretty easy to spot where we were camped - just look for the silver trailer and classic tow vehicle.

[krek]

That is spectacular! :thumbsup:

[Wagonforever]

HEY THAT'S WHERE MY TRAILER WENT!!!:D That's a beauty! I really wish I had an Airstream, can't quite afford it yet at this point though. How long is that BTW? Also do you know how much it really weighs dry? I'd heard the AirStreams where abit on the heavy side. My 24ft Mallard weighs about 4,300lbs dry. Also what hitch are you using? I'm using a Reese Dual Cam, which is both weight distributing and sway control, plus I have an anti sway bar. These Wags tend to have a tail wag the dog problem due to their long rear over hang and short wheel base.

I'm getting about 9.5mpg pulling my 24ft Mallard TT, up from 8 since I aired the trailer tires up to 50 pis from 35! The front of this thing is like towing a sail behind me!:D I thought maybe the airstreams would get better mileage. I generally tow right around 55-60, it feels pretty good there, and doesn't kill my gas mileage. My 86 GW tows pretty good, it could definitely use more power, but it does stop really good since I did the K2500 brake upgrade. Plus I use a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller for the trailer.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camping8-15-08D-30007.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camping8-15-08D-30019.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camping8-15-08D-30012.jpg

[Ugly Truck Nut]

Nice.

[crispyboy]

Wagonforever,
Do you have any interior pics of your trailer? I would like to see the interior layout.

The trailer is 22' long and is what is known as a narrow body. When you measure an Airstream they are typically measured from the tip of the tongue to the rear bumper. Living space is more like 19'. According to the manual the trailer weighs in at 3400 lbs dry. The gross weight is 4200 lbs. I have not weighed the trailer yet. The wheel base is short on a GW so I purchased a Hensley Arrow hitch from ebay for the weight distributing/anti-sway hitch. These are supposed to be really good hitches but I paid less than a third than the price of a new one. The Reese dual cam system is supposed to be a good system if you have the correct weight bar rating.
Airstreams have changed in weight over the years. I sought out a pre-1981 model which is considered a vintage trailer amoung Airstream owners. I chose this for a couple of reasons. 1.) Price 2.) weight 3.) resale value 4.) this looked like a fun project 5.) I've always wanted one.
Prior to 1981 Airstreams were much lighter than today. This same 22' long trailer would be 1000 lbs or heavier in a current model. The newer ones are also wider and have a lot more features. The only thing I can think that I am missing is a microwave oven and stereo system. I can find quick remedies for these items.
If I ever wanted a newer one I would have to change tow vehicles and that would defeat the whole purpose of enjoying my Jeeps with their poor tow capacity.
You could probably get by with towing a 25' pre-1981 Airstream but not any bigger without risking your safety. I would possibly consider a 27' with my J20 but I would have to do some more work under the hood (more power) for it to be up to the task. I think it would stop it just fine as I have hauled farm tractors with the J20.
I was really pleased with the ride and handling of the GW with the trailer - it felt like a big boat gliding across the water. I must have had the weight distributing hitch dialed in pretty close and I think the Hensley hitch helped a lot in the handling dept. Read up on these sometime - they are fascinating in how they work.

[bigun]

Looking good

[crispyboy]

I'll cook over the fire next time!!

[bushwood44]

Nice set up:thumbsup:

[Wagonforever]

Wagonforever,
Do you have any interior pics of your trailer? I would like to see the interior layout.




I don't have any pics on line right now, but I'll work on that. The layout was actually one of the main reasons I bought this trailer. It's got a good sized rear bedroom with a real full size bed and lots of closet space. In the middle over the axles is the kitchen on the right and a full bathroom with a tub/shower, toilet, sink with a good amount of counter space. Then in the front is a large dinette that folds down into a bed about the size of a short queen size bed. It also has three large storage compartments that are accessible from outside.

Another thing that I really like about this trailer as opposed to newer ones is it is set up really well to boon-dock. It has large tanks (50 gal fresh water!), everything but the A/C will run on 12V or propane, the appliances are old enough that they don't have a bunch of electronics with high parasitic power draws, and I have lots of room for extra batteries. I have 2 group 27 deep cycle batteries and I can go for 2 weeks on a full charge!

[crispyboy]

50 gallons of fresh water - that's amazing. I only have a 28 gallon tank. We camped at a state park so we had electric and water. We made it 24 hours and the grey tank was full. I'm probably going to buy a blue tote tank. I'm like you - everything runs on 12v or propane except for the A/C.

[Wagonforever]

50 gallons of fresh water - that's amazing. I only have a 28 gallon tank. We camped at a state park so we had electric and water. We made it 24 hours and the grey tank was full. I'm probably going to buy a blue tote tank. I'm like you - everything runs on 12v or propane except for the A/C.


My fresh water tank is under the rear bed, so there's lots of extra room down there, I figured out I can actually put another 30 gallon tank next to my 50 gallon tank if I want to. The grey tank is always my first tank to fill. I just drain it out on the ground, it's just soapy water. I usually camp in the woods so I've got the cap that allows me to hook up a hose, so I have 50ft of hose that I hook up to it and run it back into the bushes away from camp. The black tank is the problem one as it would really be frowned upon to dump your black tank in camp! The couple times I had to empty the black tank while I was camping (I've only dry camped so far, never at a ground yet) I would dig as deep of a hole as I could with a post hole digger and dump the tank in the hole. Then fill it back up with dirt.

[mimmp]

Three burgers a'cookin - one for the puppy?

[JPSwapMohn]

Very Nice! My Dad and I were just talking about my dream of having a similar set up one of these days.. I would have to do as you did and find an old one and do the fix-up. The new Airstreams are dang spendy!

[jaber]

Nice setup....
Thanks for the pics and sharing......:thumbsup:

[JeepBountyHunter]

Hey way nice, are those the axles you got from me? If so nice to see those things having a new lease on life there..
As for me, I've got a 68 Shasta Lofylte that will likely be my winter project...after being put on a back burner for awhile..

[Pitbull-Lady]

so totally jealous

[crispyboy]

Yes Aaron those the axles I purchased from you. I repainted them and swapped my non-rusty brake backing plates from the 2:72 axles. So far they have performed flawlessly! As you can see I have been working for this project/goal for a couple of years now. The rest of life always seems to get in the way of fun....

[cavalryman40]

That is a totally classic rig, I would take that set-up over a motor home any day.
Very nice!

[men in black]

Wow nice setup :thumbsup:

What German beer? was it a Weihenstephaner

[crispyboy]

I believe the beer was something called "Schwartz". For my 40th birthday last month my wife went to a local party store that carries about every type beer/wine/liquor known to man. She knows I like to try different beers so she bought me 12 different bottles of beer with no recognizable names - all from Germany. This much beer should last me one or two months. I've gone from quantity to quality:)

[Chucks1911]

Good deal. I grew up in Ashland. I have quite a bit of time in at Greenbo and Grayson lake.................

[Serious Johnson]

Outstanding! Yep, that's the way to travel all right.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/Foureagles/DCP_0755.jpg
'71 Overlander International 27-footer.

S.J.

[FSJ Guy]

Be careful of your weight distribution with those water tanks! Even with that anti-sway hitch.

[Wagonforever]

Be careful of your weight distribution with those water tanks! Even with that anti-sway hitch.


Actually filling the tank helps my toung weight out abit since the tank is a couple feet behind the rear axle. Totally empty my toung weight is 680lbs, which is abit on the heavy side, generally 10% is what you want for toung weight, though heavier is better. But my hitch is only rated for 750lbs toung weight with weight distributing, so I'm pretty close to my limits. Generally though if I'm traveling any significant distance I leave the fresh water empty and fill it when I get closer to my destination, no point in hauling an extra 400lbs around. The black and grey tanks have no effect on weight distribution since they're both directly above the axles, and very low.

[Wagonforever]

Here's some interior shots from when I first bought it. I have gotten rid of those horrible pink curtans BTW!:D My Girlfriend made new ones.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camper009.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camper010.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camper011.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camper012.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camper013.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa70/aviationforum/Camper014.jpg

[crispyboy]

That's quite a roomy layout on your interior. It is much larger than what I have to work with on the interior. Square boxes definitely have good storage space.
Is that a Thetford Aqua Magic toilet? I had the old version - that darn thing was so small I felt like I was trying to crap in a salad bowl. I changed it out for a Sealand Traveler Lite. http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Sealand_Lite_Toilet_p/vts-411.htm
It has a full size seat and a real china bowl which is nice but sits a few inches higher than the old one. I need to build a stool because even my feet dangle in the air while doing the business!
I'll try and get some interior pics tonight.

[Wagonforever]

Not sure what model the toilet is, but it does have a full size seat. The boul is alittle shallow, but I wouldn't quite say it's like crapping in a salad bowl.:D It still works, and uses little water so I'm happy with it.

What's your lay out like? Seems most of the AirStreams I've looked at had mid beds with 1 or 2 twin beds with basically the hallway going to the bathroom in between, which I didn't like at all. I like having a full size bed in it's own room. How wide is your trailer BTW? I'm pretty sure mines 8ft wide, and 7ft tall. Newer ones are much taller than mine, both in head room in the box, and over the axles. I personally like mine low, it gives me less wind resistance, and a lower center of gravity.

[crispyboy]

Here are a few interior pictures.
It has new curtains, flooring, rebuilt the dinette, refinished the bathroom facilities, new cushions, etc........ It's amazing how much TLC an old trailer needs.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1438.jpg

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1439.jpg

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1440.jpg

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1441.jpg

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1442.jpg

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc54/crispyboy_photos/airstream/IMG_1443.jpg

[Wagonforever]

Your bathroom is WAY bigger than mine! But I think if I had that model I probably would have build some sort of bedroom where the dinette is, and put a smaller dinette where the couch/ bed is. You right about how much TLC older trailers need BTW! I was luck that mine was actually in pretty good condition for it's age, but I still had to replace the water heater, replace the propane tanks, batteries, and many miscellaneous small items. I also installed a Fantastic Fan, which I would HIGHLY recommend! Lately as you know I've been tearing into my furnace, looks like the burner is shot. So I'm replacing the burner, igniter, and orifice. That'll come to about $70 in parts. BTW I checked and my furnace doesn't have a thermocouple, it has a flame sense and electronic ignition. I almost wish it was just a pilot light model, on an old camper like this less electronics is better!:thumbsup: Who would of though a 20 year old furnace would be so high tech! It's actually almost identical to the brand new furnaces. I've also been going through resealing the roof.

[ChuckWag]

That's a fine looking Airstream behind that wag! I noticed you said something about a K2500 brake upgrade...can you tell me more about that?

Thanks,

Chuckwag

[thejum57]

I grew up with Airstream trailers. My parents started with a tent, a couple of Shasta's. Then my Dad got a 17' Bambi, then a 25' International. It was a 72, I think. When he was to old to drive it, around 87, my parents offered it to me for sale. I had a small car & denied. They sold it for $2000.00..........****, I was STOOOPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

[crispyboy]

Chuckwag,
I don't have the brake upgrade - mine are stock and do just fine. If you look back in the thread Wagonforever has the brake upgrade.

[crispyboy]

Wagonforever,
Believe me when I tell you this bathroom is not big. You can walk in, spin around in a circle and walk out. With this trailer you have to think small and don't carry any unnesessary things with you. That's probably why I'll end up towing with my J20 more often than not but the GW rides so much better.
A Fantastic Fan is definitely in the future for me - everyone just raves about them.
BTW - the dinette folds down into a bed.
Let me tell you I still feel giddy from the weekend from traveling with this setup and having things work like they are supposed too.

[Wagonforever]

That's a fine looking Airstream behind that wag! I noticed you said something about a K2500 brake upgrade...can you tell me more about that?

Thanks,

Chuckwag


Basically you just replace your stock calipers and pads with the calipers and pads from an 86 3/4 ton Chevy Suburban with the JD7 brake option. The pistons are bigger on the calipers and the pads are significantly larger. This was a big improvement on stopping power for the front brakes! Now I just need to upgrade the rears. There's a larger wheel cylinder that you can swap into the rear drums to make them more closely match the front. I'd recommend this conversion to anybody that does trailer towing. With my 90GW that had all stock brakes I would pretty easily get brake fade, and loose stopping power while towing, I have none of those issues with my 86GW with the brake upgrade. It just stops better in all driving conditions and the pedal is slightly softer so it feels more like most truck on the road.

[GWDriver]

Basically you just replace your stock calipers and pads with the calipers and pads from an 86 3/4 ton Chevy Suburban with the JD7 brake option. The pistons are bigger on the calipers and the pads are significantly larger. This was a big improvement on stopping power for the front brakes! Now I just need to upgrade the rears. There's a larger wheel cylinder that you can swap into the rear drums to make them more closely match the front. I'd recommend this conversion to anybody that does trailer towing. With my 90GW that had all stock brakes I would pretty easily get brake fade, and loose stopping power while towing, I have none of those issues with my 86GW with the brake upgrade. It just stops better in all driving conditions and the pedal is slightly softer so it feels more like most truck on the road.

Just saw this............

I take it this upgrade would work on an '84 GW?? Also, have you done the rear brake upgrade yet?? What do you use here?? Another question is what type of brake hose ends would work here? Are yours bolt or clip ends??