Title: 1982 Airstream Excella 31 - Florida
We just listed our 1982 Airstream Excella for Sale on Airstream Classifieds.
Year: 1982 Make: Airstream Model: Excella Length: 31'
You will love owning this roomy, comfortable, classy center bathroom travel trailer. Fully self-contained camper. Sleeps 4 with 2 twin beds and the main salon sofa converts to a double bed. Air-conditioner, fans, gas/electric refrigerator, 4 burner stove, microwave, dinette table, shower and toilet, hot water, radio, built-in TV antenna, curtains, roller blinds, lots of storage and many other communities.
Everything is in good condition and all systems working. Good tires. The interior is clean, comfortable and in good condition. The exterior is in very good condition. Owners manual. You will be proud to own this camper, on the road, boondocking and in the campground.
I neither want to waste anyone's time nor mine so please read this in its entirety and look at the pictures. These are the facts on this Excella so far I know and as has been told to me:
This Excella is a 31ft 1982 center bath model and I have it at my house in Northeast Florida. One of the propane bottles has plenty of fuel in it and the trailer is connected to the sewer, water and electricity so you can see that all the appliances and plumbing work. For it's age it is very good condition and it is obvious that it has very little use. It doesn't have any leaks or dents. The few surface imperfections which are there are very minor and are mainly in the clearcoat only. The aluminum under the clearcoat is in excellent condition, pristine almost.
The trailer came from a man who bought it in August 2007. He spent thousands of dollars on it including new tires, a 30,000 BTU furnace, roller blinds, curtains etc. He lost interest in it when his wife died suddenly soon after he bought it and he stored it undercover and there it remained for years until he remarried in early 2014. His new wife wasn't interested in camping so he sold it to the father of a former customer of mine in
Florida earlier this year (2014). He did it up somewhat installing a new battery, fridge/freezer, A/C unit (with a heat strip), microwave and some other odds and ends. His intention was to polish it and then take a leisurely sightseeing trip with his wife to California where he
hoped to sell it for a handsome profit. However, he went into a part-time business which proved to be so rewarding as to convince him to do it full time. Consequently he gave up on the Airstream and sold it to me.
I bought this trailer for a relative who experienced hard times recently to live in on my property until she got back on her feet. It turned into a classic case of "no good deed shall go unpunished." I am a retired engineer of the old school and I have to have everything just right so I was refurbishing it before she moved into it. However, before I got it finished she found a new beau and they moved into a house together.
Tires: All 4 tires were manufactured in 2007. However they appear to be in excellent shape with very little wear on the treads. I neither see any cracks in the side walls nor do I see any sun damage.
The 12v cooker vent fan works. Owners of older Airstreams will know that the manufacturers used a plastic frame on the cooker vent to hold the mesh filter. These always warp and crack and are no longer available. I have made and installed an aluminum replacement.
Although the previous owner (PO) had installed a new battery it wouldn't hold a charge so he left it on charge 24/7 and the battery overheated and boiled over. The battery box was cracked and so the acid got through to the floor boards and damaged them. I found that the reason the battery had overheated was because the 12v positive in the 7 point towing plug had disconnected and was shorting out. I have put in a new plug, a new deep cycle battery and a new battery box. I have installed the battery box the way that Airstream should have done it when they built the trailer, EG: Instead of just of just screwing the cover plate to the aluminum shell they should have used a backing.
As readers will know, it is being discharged, usually when the trailer isn't being used, that causes most batteries to fail. To obviate this I have installed a top quality 5 Watt solar panel and an automatic controller. Providing you start with the battery fully charged a few hours sunlight a day, even on hazy days, in situ or being towed, will keep the battery fully charged. Both the solar panel and the controller have diodes so in the absence of light they won't discharge the battery through the solar panel. The solar panel is wired with quick disconnects so if you plan on boondocking you could get a bigger solar panel with a long lead, keep it in the trailer and put it outside and connect it up as needs be.
I removed and replaced all the acid damaged floors with good quality CDX plywood. I treated the replaced and adjacent plywood with penetrating epoxy. While I was doing it I examined the chassis, wire brushed, Phosphoed and painted it. I of course replaced the fiber glass insulation. I thought the chassis is in surprisingly good shape.
Seemingly a common fault with Airstreams is that the welds on the aluminum frame of the Gaucho couch break. This Excella was no exception. I have re-welded and bolted the frame plus I have re-inforced it so it should never fail again.
Plumbing: The original 3 chamber 12v Shurflo was still in the Excella but I have replaced it with a new on demand 4 chamber Shurflo pump. I have serviced the pressure regulator with a rebuild kit (it's the servicable brass type). I have replaced much of the plumbling including the Airstream rinky dink plastic water mains inlet connector and the house drain valve with metal types. From examination I believe the Thetford WC, holding tanks and outlet valves are new and have never been used.
The shower pans on the older Airstreams are made of vacuum formed ABS. Vacuum forming causes thinning of the ABS and the stressed inside corners crack eventually and those in this Airstream were cracked. Replacement fiber glass shower pans are available but they're very expensive and the shipping is a deal killer but the main problem is that it is a major dismantling job to get the old one out and the new one in. Instead I have injected re-inforcement under the pan so it doesn't flex and repaired the cracks with a two part plastic which becomes
part of the original ABS but is very much stronger. I then sprayed the shower pan with two coats of two part epoxy urethane undercoat and two coats of epoxy urethane. I am confident it is now much stronger and more durable than the original pan.
I sent the 12v power jack model 12250 to the makers, H & H Manufacturing to be checked and refurbished. They said they have never seen such a well cared for jack in such good condition of its age. I have reinstalled it.
I have replaced all the outside marker lights, the license plate holder and light. I have replaced the lenses of the stop/reverse/turn lights which were cracked. I have replaced all the internal light bulbs, step & scare light with LEDs (except the 2 bulls eye reading lights).
The breakaway switch has been serviced and tested. It is perfect.
If you have experience of Airstreams you will know that one of the design faults is that the bumper storage box leaks. Well this one doesn't. It did but I have done what Airstream should have done in the first place. The reason they leak is because Airstream use a thin aluminum sheet to hinge the lid of the bumper box to the body of the trailer and it has a strong spring to hold it closed. Aluminum is very soft and has little elasticity so the constant opening and closing of the lid causes the aluminum to stretch. This plus the fact Airstream don't use a sufficient number of screws (and believe it or not they use steel screws) allows rain and moisture to get into the box and the body. I have reinforced it, abandoned the spring for a different hold closed method, used all stainless steel screws and added extra screws. Despite going through dozens of Florida gulley washing thunderstorms, the box is bone dry.
I have just had a RV propane mechanic check the system for leaks and test all the propane appliances. He reports that they are all in good working condition.
The PO's grand-daughter and her friends played house in the trailer a couple of times. They spilt some some paint and drinks on the floor so I have replaced all the floor covering with carpet tiles. I have almost a complete box of tiles left over so in future if some get stained you won't have to replace all the floor covering, just the stained tiles. While I was re-carpeting I examined the floors - they really are in excellent condition. There was a small repair either side of the couch bed. I removed them to examine the chassis, which was OK and replaced them with penetrating epoxy soaked CDX plywood.
Everything I have done has been done properly. Examples: I have replaced all the steel screws outside the trailer and in the bathroom with stainless steel ones and they have been set in heat resisting silicone grease or sealer according to the application of the screw. Every electrical connection has been made with a quick disconnect and treated with Sanchem anti corrosion compound. I have replace the rinky dink plastic Airstream latch plate with a metal one. Ever had trouble getting a light bulb out of its socket? Well,you won't with this trailer because I have treated all the bases of the bulbs with Sanchem.
This trailer is ready to be used right now. All it needs is your bed linen, groceries, crockery, cutlery and you. The mattresses and mattress covers are unstained and my wife has washed the covers. Every 12v vent fan works and all the fly screens are intact. There's a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher. There's every sewer pipe and connectors (all seem unused) you could possibly need. Ditto fresh water inlet hoses, again they appear unused
You can contact us by filling in the form on the right hand column of the ad listing:
http://ift.tt/1jYN1XA
We just listed our 1982 Airstream Excella for Sale on Airstream Classifieds.
Year: 1982 Make: Airstream Model: Excella Length: 31'
You will love owning this roomy, comfortable, classy center bathroom travel trailer. Fully self-contained camper. Sleeps 4 with 2 twin beds and the main salon sofa converts to a double bed. Air-conditioner, fans, gas/electric refrigerator, 4 burner stove, microwave, dinette table, shower and toilet, hot water, radio, built-in TV antenna, curtains, roller blinds, lots of storage and many other communities.
Everything is in good condition and all systems working. Good tires. The interior is clean, comfortable and in good condition. The exterior is in very good condition. Owners manual. You will be proud to own this camper, on the road, boondocking and in the campground.
I neither want to waste anyone's time nor mine so please read this in its entirety and look at the pictures. These are the facts on this Excella so far I know and as has been told to me:
This Excella is a 31ft 1982 center bath model and I have it at my house in Northeast Florida. One of the propane bottles has plenty of fuel in it and the trailer is connected to the sewer, water and electricity so you can see that all the appliances and plumbing work. For it's age it is very good condition and it is obvious that it has very little use. It doesn't have any leaks or dents. The few surface imperfections which are there are very minor and are mainly in the clearcoat only. The aluminum under the clearcoat is in excellent condition, pristine almost.
The trailer came from a man who bought it in August 2007. He spent thousands of dollars on it including new tires, a 30,000 BTU furnace, roller blinds, curtains etc. He lost interest in it when his wife died suddenly soon after he bought it and he stored it undercover and there it remained for years until he remarried in early 2014. His new wife wasn't interested in camping so he sold it to the father of a former customer of mine in
Florida earlier this year (2014). He did it up somewhat installing a new battery, fridge/freezer, A/C unit (with a heat strip), microwave and some other odds and ends. His intention was to polish it and then take a leisurely sightseeing trip with his wife to California where he
hoped to sell it for a handsome profit. However, he went into a part-time business which proved to be so rewarding as to convince him to do it full time. Consequently he gave up on the Airstream and sold it to me.
I bought this trailer for a relative who experienced hard times recently to live in on my property until she got back on her feet. It turned into a classic case of "no good deed shall go unpunished." I am a retired engineer of the old school and I have to have everything just right so I was refurbishing it before she moved into it. However, before I got it finished she found a new beau and they moved into a house together.
Tires: All 4 tires were manufactured in 2007. However they appear to be in excellent shape with very little wear on the treads. I neither see any cracks in the side walls nor do I see any sun damage.
The 12v cooker vent fan works. Owners of older Airstreams will know that the manufacturers used a plastic frame on the cooker vent to hold the mesh filter. These always warp and crack and are no longer available. I have made and installed an aluminum replacement.
Although the previous owner (PO) had installed a new battery it wouldn't hold a charge so he left it on charge 24/7 and the battery overheated and boiled over. The battery box was cracked and so the acid got through to the floor boards and damaged them. I found that the reason the battery had overheated was because the 12v positive in the 7 point towing plug had disconnected and was shorting out. I have put in a new plug, a new deep cycle battery and a new battery box. I have installed the battery box the way that Airstream should have done it when they built the trailer, EG: Instead of just of just screwing the cover plate to the aluminum shell they should have used a backing.
As readers will know, it is being discharged, usually when the trailer isn't being used, that causes most batteries to fail. To obviate this I have installed a top quality 5 Watt solar panel and an automatic controller. Providing you start with the battery fully charged a few hours sunlight a day, even on hazy days, in situ or being towed, will keep the battery fully charged. Both the solar panel and the controller have diodes so in the absence of light they won't discharge the battery through the solar panel. The solar panel is wired with quick disconnects so if you plan on boondocking you could get a bigger solar panel with a long lead, keep it in the trailer and put it outside and connect it up as needs be.
I removed and replaced all the acid damaged floors with good quality CDX plywood. I treated the replaced and adjacent plywood with penetrating epoxy. While I was doing it I examined the chassis, wire brushed, Phosphoed and painted it. I of course replaced the fiber glass insulation. I thought the chassis is in surprisingly good shape.
Seemingly a common fault with Airstreams is that the welds on the aluminum frame of the Gaucho couch break. This Excella was no exception. I have re-welded and bolted the frame plus I have re-inforced it so it should never fail again.
Plumbing: The original 3 chamber 12v Shurflo was still in the Excella but I have replaced it with a new on demand 4 chamber Shurflo pump. I have serviced the pressure regulator with a rebuild kit (it's the servicable brass type). I have replaced much of the plumbling including the Airstream rinky dink plastic water mains inlet connector and the house drain valve with metal types. From examination I believe the Thetford WC, holding tanks and outlet valves are new and have never been used.
The shower pans on the older Airstreams are made of vacuum formed ABS. Vacuum forming causes thinning of the ABS and the stressed inside corners crack eventually and those in this Airstream were cracked. Replacement fiber glass shower pans are available but they're very expensive and the shipping is a deal killer but the main problem is that it is a major dismantling job to get the old one out and the new one in. Instead I have injected re-inforcement under the pan so it doesn't flex and repaired the cracks with a two part plastic which becomes
part of the original ABS but is very much stronger. I then sprayed the shower pan with two coats of two part epoxy urethane undercoat and two coats of epoxy urethane. I am confident it is now much stronger and more durable than the original pan.
I sent the 12v power jack model 12250 to the makers, H & H Manufacturing to be checked and refurbished. They said they have never seen such a well cared for jack in such good condition of its age. I have reinstalled it.
I have replaced all the outside marker lights, the license plate holder and light. I have replaced the lenses of the stop/reverse/turn lights which were cracked. I have replaced all the internal light bulbs, step & scare light with LEDs (except the 2 bulls eye reading lights).
The breakaway switch has been serviced and tested. It is perfect.
If you have experience of Airstreams you will know that one of the design faults is that the bumper storage box leaks. Well this one doesn't. It did but I have done what Airstream should have done in the first place. The reason they leak is because Airstream use a thin aluminum sheet to hinge the lid of the bumper box to the body of the trailer and it has a strong spring to hold it closed. Aluminum is very soft and has little elasticity so the constant opening and closing of the lid causes the aluminum to stretch. This plus the fact Airstream don't use a sufficient number of screws (and believe it or not they use steel screws) allows rain and moisture to get into the box and the body. I have reinforced it, abandoned the spring for a different hold closed method, used all stainless steel screws and added extra screws. Despite going through dozens of Florida gulley washing thunderstorms, the box is bone dry.
I have just had a RV propane mechanic check the system for leaks and test all the propane appliances. He reports that they are all in good working condition.
The PO's grand-daughter and her friends played house in the trailer a couple of times. They spilt some some paint and drinks on the floor so I have replaced all the floor covering with carpet tiles. I have almost a complete box of tiles left over so in future if some get stained you won't have to replace all the floor covering, just the stained tiles. While I was re-carpeting I examined the floors - they really are in excellent condition. There was a small repair either side of the couch bed. I removed them to examine the chassis, which was OK and replaced them with penetrating epoxy soaked CDX plywood.
Everything I have done has been done properly. Examples: I have replaced all the steel screws outside the trailer and in the bathroom with stainless steel ones and they have been set in heat resisting silicone grease or sealer according to the application of the screw. Every electrical connection has been made with a quick disconnect and treated with Sanchem anti corrosion compound. I have replace the rinky dink plastic Airstream latch plate with a metal one. Ever had trouble getting a light bulb out of its socket? Well,you won't with this trailer because I have treated all the bases of the bulbs with Sanchem.
This trailer is ready to be used right now. All it needs is your bed linen, groceries, crockery, cutlery and you. The mattresses and mattress covers are unstained and my wife has washed the covers. Every 12v vent fan works and all the fly screens are intact. There's a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher. There's every sewer pipe and connectors (all seem unused) you could possibly need. Ditto fresh water inlet hoses, again they appear unused
You can contact us by filling in the form on the right hand column of the ad listing:
http://ift.tt/1jYN1XA
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire