• Address: Indianapolis, IN 46227 (map)
• Date Posted: 10/21/09

VINTAGE AIRSTREAM TRADE WIND 1968
Photo archives here: http://web.me.com/agm57/IndyAnnes_Airstream_Chronicles/Photos/Photos.html
Please continue to check for updated photos. Please contact me by email if you need additional photos and information to help you make this purchase.

Title is free and clear. Tag and registration are current. Ready for you!

THE BACKSTORY
You won’t get much more transparency on an online sale than this. Here’s the story:
The year of this trailer was still a "Wally Byam" year. The original vision of the creator of Airstream is alive in this Trade Wind. The interior has true wood cabinets, bulkheads, and furnishings. The light weight and design based on aircraft and yachts make this trailer a streamlined towing breeze. The size, 24 feet, is a good balance between roomy interior space and economy of size. But, as many owners know, the Trade Wind is also perfect for re-purposing to uses beyond camping, and interior design is limited only by one's imagination.

I am selling this trailer, but with a heavy heart. I bought it three years ago from a family in Michigan. After the original family used it well, it went to their grandson. The people who sold it to me were the third owners, and friends of the original family. The trailer spent most of its life, when not on the road, garaged in a barn; then with the third owners, it was parked at a deer camp in Northern Michigan.

Since I bought it in September of 2006, I have been working on it little by little. I’ve documented a lot of the work on Airforums.com (I’m IndyAnne) and on my photo archive here: http://web.me.com/agm57/IndyAnnes_Airstream_Chronicles/IndyAnnes_Airstream_Chronicles/IndyAnnes_Airstream_Chronicles.html

I am selling now because I have to raise some cash flow and simplify my finances. I need to sell the tow vehicle (http://indianapolis.kijiji.com/c-Cars-vehicles-Trucks-vans-SUVs-New-Price-2002-Silverado-2500HD-Diesel-W0QQAdIdZ150736266) to get out from under the monthly payment. It’s a vicious cycle – blame it on the economy.

I have been resisting selling because I could let the trailer sit and wait for me to have a better schedule and cash flow. However, the emotional/psychological drain of knowing I could be working on it and not being able to is more than I want to deal with in this next year. I finally have accepted the loss, and am ready to move on.

WHAT IS IN GOOD SHAPE
• The back four feet of flooring and what I can see of the rest of the floor
• The frame
• The tires
• The towing gear (lights and signals, weight distribution, sway control, rear towing hitch)
• Window hardware
• Most of the exterior skin (tear on street side above wheels)
• The frame
• Most of the cabinetry and gauchos
• The battery
• The Univolt converter
• The “power center” and gauges
• Most of the interior light fixtures (12v) and 110v outlets, 12v wiring, 110v wiring

THE STATUS OF REPAIRS
1. The repairs I envisioned making over time are in a state of in-between on every system: bathroom, gray water drain, black tank re-installation, electricity, heating, air conditioning. To bring this trailer back to its fully self-contained condition will require a lot more work.
2. The sale is for as-is condition. At the moment, as-is is not too bad. We have been using the Trade Wind for camping as I work on it. It works right now as an aluminum tent.
3. The first repair has been the back end, which suffered from a rotten floor. As the photos indicate, much of the rot was due to a leak, most likely from a frozen pipe.
4. The back four feet of floor is now made of Nyloboard ( http://www.nyloboard.com/ ). This product is amazing. It is absolutely impervious to water and will not mold.
5. In the process of repairing the back end problems, I completely removed the bathroom. We use a Thetford portable toilet. I have fixtures ready to be installed in the old space, but it will need to be built from scratch.
6. I have a stainless steel box ready to receive the black tank, which is also present. The frame needs a bit of welding repairs to hold the black tank in place.
7. The plumbing system is partially functional, but unfinished. Lines run from the fresh water tank in the front, through a well working pump, to the hot water heater, to the kitchen sink. The drain is not finished, however. I have collected gray water in a portable tank that has to be emptied manually. I have some parts, but lack others.
8. The electrical system needs work. An RV company installed a Dometic Brisk Air air conditioner two years ago. They did not wire it properly, and I did not know enough at the time about how to find the correct wiring to a dedicated circuit. The AC is routed through a 15 amp circuit along with the refrigerator and other smaller amp things. The overload, combined with variable current might have set up a low voltage situation. I’m not sure about the AC. The circuit breaker overheated the last time we tried to use the AC. Some troubleshooting needs to be done with the entire electrical system.
9. Windows need to be replaced with special curved glass at the kitchen; the rear window; the front window. I purchased these three windows, and will include them along with a tube of silicone sealant.
10. Tires are in excellent condition, two years old, with less than 2,000 miles. Electric brakes were installed at the same time as the tires. Axles have not been replaced, but ought to be. Contact Colin Hyde on thevap.com to get a quote on some new Henschen axles. Be aware that there are more than one source for these axles. Some folks like to use Dexters.
11. I intended to cap off all of my repairs with painting the frame with POR-15, and refinishing the exterior skin (and the interior decorating last of all) to the mirror finish we all know and love. I bought some supplies to get this going.
12. A Zip-Dee awning is present on the trailer, but it needs new canvas.
13. A hatch door is missing. I have aluminum to make a new one using stock extruded trim (sheet aluminum; some stock trim samples from Lowe's and Menard's)

WHAT I WILL INCLUDE WITH THIS AUCTION: lots of extras!
1. A copy of the manual/user's guide for the 1968 Airstreams, purchased online.
2. A National Geographic ad for the 1968 Airstream.
3. Catalogs from parts suppliers I have used.
4. Copies of receipts for work and parts I have ordered; not all, but all I remembered to keep.
5. New windows described above from Vintage Trailer Supply, metal trim, sealant
6. Sheet aluminum intended to repair the torn segment of skin on the street side; to fabricate new segments of belly pan; to fabricate a new layer of protection on the back end between the outer skin and the “trunk” access to the water and electrical systems; and to fabricate a new hatch for the refrigerator ventilation.
7. Solid rivets intended for the skin replacement projects. A bucking bar purchased through eBay for this purpose.
8. All materials removed from the interior when removing the bathroom – except for everything from the bathroom; these parts were broken, cracked, wrecked, not salvageable. See my photo archive. This means I still have: closet panels, pocket door parts, aluminum trim, city water regulator, and other stuff I have kept for re-installation.
9. New fixtures for the bathroom (a deep bar sink and plumbing, the toilet I removed).
10. Propane catalytic heater removed for cleaning. No evaluation on working condition.
11. Propane furnace is installed but have not used it.
12. Refrigerator is propane & electric. Both work.
13. Oven and cooktop. Cooktop works perfectly. Oven never used.
14. Several items purchased from Vintage Trailer Supply, such as tubes of sealant (TremPro, formerly Vulkem); syringes for resealing all seams; paint/finish remover for the top white paint and the clearcoat; POR-15 products; a Fantastic Vent ready to be installed
15. Electrical boxes and connectors; outlet; extension cord for shore power.
16. Black tank; stainless steel box with insulation; connectors and hoses for dumping and servicing waste disposal; a variety of PVC segments purchased for relocating the toilet, an idea.
17. Gray water drain parts.
18. A variety of little parts and gadgets that you might need or want.
19. Pair of small 6-ton hydraulic jacks; pair of jack stands; pair of BAL leveling jacks

MORE ITEMS FOR YOUR AIRSTREAM HOBBY
• Air tools: 4x riveter ($50) and drivers; sheet metal shears ($35).
• Sears air compressor ($200) nearly new; many additional connectors and spare hose and parts for air tools included.
• Welding: Hobart brand 110V MIG welder, gas-free flux-core wire, cart, all from Tractor Supply, never used ($400); gloves, helmet, coat, tools ($50).
• Drill bits needed for drilling out interior skin pop rivets ($10).
• Bits needed for drilling out exterior solid rivets and preparing for new solid or Olympic blind rivets ($20).
• Clecoes and clecoe wrench ($50) I have a LOT of clecoes.
If you want all of these extra items, any or all, your FINAL PRICE will be $5500 + cost of additional items. If you buy all items, your FINAL PRICE will be $5500 + 900 = $6400.00. Please don’t ask me to “throw these in” with the sale. If no one wants any or all of these items I’ll just hold on to them for my next Airstream.

TOW VEHICLE
The tow vehicle I own is also for sale. See it here: http://indianapolis.kijiji.com/c-Cars-vehicles-Trucks-vans-SUVs-New-Price-2002-Silverado-2500HD-Diesel-W0QQAdIdZ150736266

CLOSING THE SALE
EBay costs are really high. I would rather sell locally and in person.
PICK-UP ONLY. I will consider shipping only if the buyer makes all of the arrangements AFTER all of the final payment is sitting in my bank account. I will consider towing part of the way for pick-up up to 500 miles ROUND TRIP at $2 per mile.
If you are located outside the Indianapolis area, a PayPal deposit of $500 is required at the time of the agreement to purchase. Balance will be due at pick-up.
Cash preferred. PayPal welcome.
No personal checks. No money orders. No cashier’s checks. Please don’t ask.

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