Ground score:

[Racerbvd]

Sorry for your loss, at least you have a new project to keep your mind occupied.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

That's real pretty but please put a proper set of wheels on it.

ok

[tevake]

I can surely understand your wanting to head south, I'm thinking of the same myself for this coming weekend storm.
These are considered to be three season rigs. Get an electric space heater and get hooked up, if you plan on sleeping in It on the way south, or you will freeze in there.

Be careful of the on board furnace , it needs to be working well or can lead to bad air inside the confines of a closed up trailer.

A good source of parts for vintage airstreams is Inland RV. In Corona Ca I think. This may be on your way to where the rig will be with your friend.

Good luck and have fun on your trip south. You only get one maiden voyage.

Your Tahoo seems well matched to the size of trailer it will be towing. Lots of threads about hitches and such on the airforums. The weight distributing hitch set ups seem to be the go to deal.

Cheers Richard

[porsche4life]

Richard, there are some nice RV parks in the valley. . Check out lost Dutchman!

[tevake]

Thanks for the tip Sid. I might stay at my friends place in Paridise Valley. Or possibly over to buckskin park by the river near Parker, if I can get in there.

I'm getting close to being ready to tow the 911, not sure it will be ready for this weekend.

Did you see the little Avion I posted earlier.

Cheers Richard.

[Baz]

Nice score, Denis. Thanks for sharing. We had a Shasta in the early 60's and went on long camping trips with it as a family - even across country. Great memories!

Sorry for the loss of your father. You have mentioned him here on several occasions and I know how close you were and how much you respected him. Peace and my condolences, sir.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by tevake

Hey Sid, This may be a flashback for you. It's parked right next to my spot up here in Chino Valley. Avions are said to be even better built than airstreams. But don't have the cult following that drives up the prices on airstreams

This 20' avion belongs to an older neighbor who is talking about selling it.

I wish Richard, but sadly I don't think I've got the time or the space for one at the moment. We'd probably need a 30' honestly with the kids too. A 20' trailer gets pretty cramped in the evenings!

[john70t]

That setup is great, except there is too much weight on one axle/bearings/spring.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by pcardude

Nice score. I want to sell my house quit my job and live in a trailer like that. That would rock.

no it wouldn't.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by speeder

Here are a couple pics from today:

Why is the ground white?

[rfuerst911sc]

Sorry for the loss of your father but congrats on the trailer score. My parents had a 1966 26 ' Avion travel trailer and it was beautiful. Airstream , Avion, Silver Streak and Streamline were the main players back in that time frame for this style of RV. They were all real old world craftsmanship and overbuilt x 10 ! They had real wood cabinetry and were just real class all the way. My suggestion to you is make sure axles are greased well, if it has electric brakes go through them. Then go through the LP system inspecting every joint to make sure no leaks. Water system including the black, grey tanks and you should be good to go. Changing light bulbs to modern LED's is popular mainly to conserve battery life. And finally what ever tow vehicle you go with make sure it is strong enough to STOP the rig. Use a good equalizer hitch with a sway bar and go enjoy that rig.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by tevake

Hey Sid, This may be a flashback for you. It's parked right next to my spot up here in Chino Valley. Avions are said to be even better built than airstreams. But don't have the cult following that drives up the prices on airstreams

This 20' avion belongs to an older neighbor who is talking about selling it.

That would be a great score. Very similar to a Airstream Bambi which gets big money by the Airstream crowd. I would love to add that 20 footer to my 1968 Avion C11 truck camper I am restoring.

[jwasbury]

I recall ground score meaning you found a joint or a bag of mushrooms at the Dead concert

Well anyway Denis, that is a nice trailer. At 24' I believe it may be among the longest available with a single axle, and I think the models in that size were available in both single or double axle configuration. I do believe the early models like that one with single axle are among the most valuable airstreams, so it sounds like it was a real score.

You mention parking it in Malibu. Where? I ended up living at Malibu beach RV park for about 6 weeks while on my "magical mystery" RV trip. Great spot.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by john70t

That setup is great, except there is too much weight on one axle/bearings/spring.

That is just the way it looks because I was turning when I stopped and took the photo. It tows dead level.

Originally Posted by tabs

Why is the ground white?

Powdered sugar. They pour it on everything here, makes a mess but sure looks pretty.

Originally Posted by jwasbury

I recall ground score meaning you found a joint or a bag of mushrooms at the Dead concert

Well anyway Denis, that is a nice trailer. At 24' I believe it may be among the longest available with a single axle, and I think the models in that size were available in both single or double axle configuration. I do believe the early models like that one with single axle are among the most valuable airstreams, so it sounds like it was a real score.

You mention parking it in Malibu. Where? I ended up living at Malibu beach RV park for about 6 weeks while on my "magical mystery" RV trip. Great spot.

Exactly on the genesis of "ground score", I just expanded it to mean all smoking deals that fall in one's lap.

According to old factory brochures and literature, there was never an option to get an extra axle on a 24' but the early 26' Overlander was single axle until 1958, when it switched to dual axle. Maybe that's what you're thinking of? This trailer will be parked/stored in the desert outside of L.A., on a small ranch right on the way to Willow Springs(!), but I also have a good friend who just bought a beach house in Malibu out in Paradise Cove, (this is where Jimbo Rockford supposedly parked his trailer), he doesn't know yet that I'm moving in part time so I need to keep it on the LD for now.

I figure no problem once I explain that I'm bringing my own bedroom and bathroom.

At any rate, it will get towed around some. Should be fun. California and the west are tailor made for Airstreams, (or vice-versa), up to the PNW and Canada, Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, Big Sur/Monterey, State and National forests, Grand Canyon, etc...

[speeder]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Sorry for the loss of your father but congrats on the trailer score. My parents had a 1966 26 ' Avion travel trailer and it was beautiful. Airstream , Avion, Silver Streak and Streamline were the main players back in that time frame for this style of RV. They were all real old world craftsmanship and overbuilt x 10 ! They had real wood cabinetry and were just real class all the way. My suggestion to you is make sure axles are greased well, if it has electric brakes go through them. Then go through the LP system inspecting every joint to make sure no leaks. Water system including the black, grey tanks and you should be good to go. Changing light bulbs to modern LED's is popular mainly to conserve battery life. And finally what ever tow vehicle you go with make sure it is strong enough to STOP the rig. Use a good equalizer hitch with a sway bar and go enjoy that rig.

Just had the brakes, wheel bearings and entire trailer gone over by a competent, licensed trailer shop. All good to go. I don't have one of those equalizer hitches, am I going to be hating life?

[tevake]

Nope, it should tow OK with what you have for now.
The equalizer hitch will help distribute the tonge weight more forward in the tow vehicle, avoiding the sag at the rear. Keeping the TV. More ballanced.
Some of the modern hitches also have a side to side dampening function. Keeping the trailer from wagging the TV in side winds and when being passed by big rigs on the highway and in cross winds.
Trailers do gain weight as they get loaded for use, adding to the benefit of better hitch setup.

My Brothers rig, ford F250 diesel, 31' classic (heavier model ). Would really move sideways with the air coming off of passing big rigs. But is now very comfortable with his new hitch, I drove in N M recently on a trip with him in strong cross winds 30/45 gusty blowing tumble weeds kind of winds. With no problems, quite settled actually.

They are not cheap but depending on planned use may be worthwhile.

Endless threads on tow vehicles, hitches, etc on airforums. Wide range of opinions .

Trailer from the era of yours are lighter than newer ones, so can do with less serious tow vehicle. You will know a lot more by the time you get to the warm S. Ca.

Most experienced RV towers do talk a lot about keeping the speeds down around 60/ 65 mph for driving comfort and fuel economy.

I find going too slowly in fast trafic uncomfortable, so around 68/70 seems to be the sweet spot in my motorhome. It is around 65mph in my bro's rig.

You might want to start out on the slower side to get the feel of your rig and how the trailer handles on the highway. Have someone check if the brake lights are working on the trailer.

Just a bit of getting used to driving a larger rig. I've gotten quite comfortable with mine now, except for in crazy traffic like around SoCal . Folks there just don't leave gaps big enough for longer vehicles to merge into. No mercy there.

Cheers Richard

[porsche4life]

Richard, find out what your neighbor wants for the avion, I think there are several interested parties lol.

[tevake]

Will do, he is just accepting that he will not be able to use it any more.
As I mentioned he is older. Plus he is nearly blind and deaf. But slowly coming to realize it is time to sell. I'll check to see if he has a number in mind. I don't want to push him in this milestone in life

I will report back with details.

I'm heading your way later today or in the morning. Don't want to fight freezing weather coming up here.

Cheers Richard

[tevake]

Denis are you on your way south yet? I did notice in your pics , that the jack is a bit low. It can drag if too low when driving over transitions in the pavement.

I cruised on down to Phoenix area yesterday. WOW what difference, just two hrs driving but down 4,500 ft in elevation drop. And about 20/25 degrees warmer temps.
Feels almost balmy .

rfuester911sc, I asked the avion owner about his trailer and he is thinking about what he wants for it. I'll let you know what he comes up with. It is mostly original inside and a bit rough, could do with a refresh at least.
I remember that cool cab over you picked up, how is it coming along?

Quote
Originally Posted by pcardude
Nice score. I want to sell my house quit my job and live in a trailer like that. That would rock.

Well the RV life is clearly not for everyone. But now for me it makes it easy to be near my family to help out with an aging a Mom, and still have my own digs.
Having lived more than ten years aboard boats this is a comfortable fit. Plus the ability to roam around the country in the relative comfort of my motorhome is big fun after many years in the islands.

Jwasbury, you have made mention of your magical mystery tour in a motorhome , can you fill in some more details for us, pics of the coach, cool spots visited etc.

I'm hoping to connect for some PCA track days at some of the west coast tracks this summer while traveling that way .
Also planning to tow the 911 up to Colorado this spring for some fun mountain drives around Colorado Springs. Heading there to join in on a classic airstream motorhome gathering.

At any rate, Denis I hope you are getting comfortable with your trailer in tow and making your way towards warmer weather in sunny SoCal. Let us know how the trip goes for you.

Cheers Richard

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

NAPCO Suburbans are RARE. This would be a perfect match for that Airstream.