I went and did it:

[tevake]

Very similar production run to aircooled i911s, mid 70s to early 90s. The range from 20'ers up to 36'. Diesel pushers with a slightly different body design, in the mid nineties .
My 345 was the queen of the fleet for quite a few years. At 35' long it has a tag axel.
The standard power is a 454 Chevy bigblock. Mine has a holly fuel injection and a gear vendors overdrive. Nice to keep the revs down while cruising on the flats.



Here with SC in tow while touring the west coast.

Cheers Richard

[Bill Douglas]

Loving it!

It won't be long before you are an expert on aluminium polish LOL I can't wait to see pic's of that baby gleaming in the sun.

[tevake]

I don't know about the polish job, Bill. Can't imaging repolishing every year.
Plus they are hard to be around in bright sun. The reflection has been known to melt folks mats alongside on the ground.
How's that for a good dodge of a lot of work?

Sure does look good on other peoples rigs.

Cheers Richard

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by tevake

I don't know about the polish job, Bill. Can't imaging repolishing every year.

Hasn't Hugh got someone who's an expert on polishing RV's

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Hasn't Hugh got someone who's an expert on polishing RV's

yeah, Hugh.

[livi]

Excellent!

Now may we call you cousin Eddie (Griswold)?

[rfuerst911sc]

Sweet looking rig it has great bones for a resto . Diesel engine a real plus in my book . Enjoy and keep us updated .

[tevake]

The classic series of airstream motorhomes has one important feature that distinguishes them from most other coaches made. That is that they are framed with all metal framing.
This is especially significant as they age and some do end up sitting out in the weather for years, yet are still structurally sound. So yeah good bones literally.

Dennis's new rig does seem to have a pretty straight body that's a big plus as well as the turbo diesel. The 280 is an excelent size rig, big enough to have very nice interior accommodations yet small enough to be nimble and easier to park. I've never seen one with that cool retro entertainment center.

The 280 seems to be the size of choice for shipping to Europe, the owners over there have had some rallies that turn up a half a dozen or so. That's a big gathering for these rare birds.

You may have noticed that I'm a pretty big fan of these coaches, guilty. Plus the small but tight community of owners is a nice bonus.

Cheers Richard

[slow&rusty]

Well done. Looking forward to you sharing pictures as you make progress on bringing her back to good health.

[Seahawk]

Wow, Denis, that is just fantastic...I can't wait to see how it progresses under your capable hands.

Color me jealous

[rfuerst911sc]

Not to sidetrack from this post but did Airstream ever brand any of these under the Argosy brand ? Obviously they did travel trailers but not sure about motorhomes .

[MRM]

What kind of gas mileage do you guys see? Is it hard to get them up to speed?

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by vash

Or maybe it’s still in MN?

I'm pretty sure Denis bailed to MN at the beginning of the stay-at-home order and stayed. It's his home place.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I'm pretty sure Denis bailed to MN at the beginning of the stay-at-home order and stayed. It's his home place.

I am actually bivouacked at our family cabin in Wisconsin, about a 2 hour drive from MN. I ran like a coward from the coronavirus when it first appeared and seemed like it would kill every vulnerable geezer in Los Angeles, (including me), of course it did not pan out that way and I'm no longer very afraid of it but having a great time up here. There is really no reason to be home in CA. at the moment, IMO. Nothing is open, no economic activity to speak of, can't gather with or visit friends, etc.

I'm a lucky guy. No one else in the family is anywhere near this place or wanting to use it and it's about the ultimate zombie apocalypse/pandemic/escape urban riots place on earth. You would almost have to go to another planet to get further from life's problems. I'm keeping busy fixing things and doing maintenance on the place as well as the assembled canoes and small motor boat, etc.

The only problem, (quality problem), is that me being me, I'm acquiring more machinery while far from my actual home. This seems to happen every time I'm away for long. My Airstream trailer is already here as well as one motorcycle, I towed it here 2 months ago. The new-to-me RV is a beast that will tow a heavy trailer, I have visions of an Airstream towing an Airstream home. We shall see.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by tevake

Very similar production run to aircooled i911s, mid 70s to early 90s. The range from 20'ers up to 36'. Diesel pushers with a slightly different body design, in the mid nineties .
My 345 was the queen of the fleet for quite a few years. At 35' long it has a tag axel.
The standard power is a 454 Chevy bigblock. Mine has a holly fuel injection and a gear vendors overdrive. Nice to keep the revs down while cruising on the flats.



Here with SC in tow while touring the west coast.

Cheers Richard

That is a magnificent beast, Richard!

The extra 7' is really significant for an actual live-aboard deal. The advantage to my 28 is that along w being easier to maneuver, I can legally park it on the street in L.A. in front of my home! I don't plan on doing that but I can also park it on PCH in Malibu and have a very cheap beach house on wheels, which was the plan all along. This and a couple of bicycles, maybe a motorcycle on the back and you are set.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by speeder

I have visions of an Airstream towing an Airstream home. We shall see.

The Jay Leno video I posted in the first part of the thread indicates the aluminum is clear coated. That would be a major project to strip and polish from satin to shiny.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by MRM

What kind of gas mileage do you guys see? Is it hard to get them up to speed?

No problem getting them up to speed and I believe that the 454 gas rigs get around 6 mpg, (Richard can confirm). Depends slightly on coach size. My diesel reportedly gets around 12 mpg on the highway, which is fantastic for a motor home.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

The Jay Leno video I posted in the first part of the thread indicates the aluminum is clear coated. That would be a major project to strip and polish from satin to shiny.

I have no plans to mirror polish any Airstream I own, I simply do not like them. At all.

[tevake]

Originally Posted by MRM

What kind of gas mileage do you guys see? Is it hard to get them up to speed?

My 345 with the big block gas engine gets around 8 mpg, a little less when towing. that's the common average.

The diesel rigs get between 11 to 14 mpg.

Mine is pretty good in acceleration, bearing in mind that they are vintage vehicles and you can't expect modern levels of performance. Comfortable cruising speed with the overdrive is 68 mph, 60 / 62 without overdrive. So not great on interstates where traffic is going 75+. They were built during the years of 55 mph speed limits.

They definitely slow down a bit on hill climbs.
But do offer great views from the raised seating height and wrap around Windows.

It's good to hear that Denis is staying near his rig. The cost of trucking it very far would pay for a new round of tires. Hopefully some tires, brake work, engine service, fluids change will get him on the road to get it home.

They are very like getting an old boat, lots to do at first getting them into good working order. Then the usual ongoing replacing of components as wear and time takes them out.
But so rewarding and fun.

Cheers Richard

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by speeder

I have no plans to mirror polish any Airstream I own, I simply do not like them. At all.

Just talking. Nothing more.