Argosy-Post 4 Removing Interior Skin

My decision to start blogging my restoration process happened about 6 months after purchasing my Argosy. The previous posts were to get caught up and new posts should get into more detail. If you have purchased one of these and decide to restore it, you will find out that they come apart relatively easily. It's time consuming; removing what seems like a million pop rivets, but the pieces come apart little by little. In terms of resources to learn about what to do; the Airstream Forums provides and enormous amount of information. Often the best way to search is using Google and not the internal search engine. The other resource, which I appreciate a bit more is the Argosy Facebook Page. Folks here are positive and encouraging and provide both feedback and moral support.

Once you have most all the interior cabinets, partitions and "things" removed, it's time to start taking out the interior skin. The bulk of these are long strips of aluminum. The longer the Argosy, the longer the panels. One of the biggest challenges for me was removing the very top course. It wasn't really riveted in place but secured between two aluminum J-channels. Under this panel is where the wiring runs live. This panel curves to fit the ceiling. To get this out, I had to create a reverse curve and try not to kink the panel. I started at one end and used a 2x4 inserted between the panel and structural ribs to do this. It took time. I did have to "open up" the J-channel in places but by and large, the center panel came out relatively unscathed.

I'm doing this renovation by myself so finding ways to manage the bulky items can be challenging at times. I rolled the panels up to get them out of the camper door. Thinking ahead, I don't want to deal with cleaning when I put things back together so, after removing each piece of skin, I cleaned them. On the back of each, there is a coating of paint. My Argo was filled with critters, there were mouse tunnels EVERYWHERE. So, the back of the panels had mouse pee stains which needed cleaning (and sanitizing). In reading the forums, 409 seemed to be a favorite cleaner. Bleche-Wite was also recommended by one poster. I bought both to compare. I was hoping the BW would clean up the discoloring on the interior surface. Both worked equally well at cleaning. The BW did nothing to brighten the ambering of the interior skin. I used the 409 mostly due to it's disinfecting properties.

As my Argosy sits out in a field, away from formal power and water, I bring over a few jugs ( I use the 3 gallon cat litter jugs) of hot water each day to wash as much panelling as I can. I use a bristled brush as the sharp rivet holes eat up scotch brite pads. So, I have a panel or two on the ground that gets washed as I am working to remove another. When both sides are clean and dry, I roll them up as tightly as I can and secure them with cord.

Removing the insulation is by far the worst experience I have encountered. Not only was my Argosy infested, the insulation is old fiberglass and disintegrates on contact. Expect to be itchy. I did not want this stuff, any of it, in my lungs or eyes. Goggles fogged up with the respirator so I used safety glasses. Gloves were mandatory. It was too hot for long sleeves. I tried to roll it up as I took it out of the walls. Insulation came out of the walls and right into a plastic trash bag for disposal. Once insulation was removed, I used a small shop vac to clean out each "bay". It did a great job of getting most of the rest of the fiberglass.

I have run out of storage space in my garage/workshop and I needed a place to keep things that would keep out rain and snow. I used mostly scrap wood to build a "tarp shed". I am lucky that a local farmer has a saw mill and I used rough cut lumber for the wood pieces I was lacking . Pallets make up the floor.

Argosy-Post 3 Removing the interior furnishings

The first thing I found was a breaker box hidden behind a night stand between the two rear bunks. The power cord is in the rear bumper and comes directly into this box.


















In tracing wiring, things quickly became scary. The circuit that feeds the power converter ran into this corroded box which arced at some point and fried the wires.

 The battery box (bottom left), converter (not shown), blackwater tank and heating duct were all packed into a compartment below the driver's side bunk.











This wooden platform supported the shower/shower seat. It sits over the wheel well on the driver's side. On the left of the shower wall was where the sink was located.

At this point, my workshop is full of Argosy parts. Panels that separated the back bedroom from a closet, the series of bathroom walls, the bathroom sink, overhead storage compartments and doors, kitchen cupboards, etc.


While I don't plan on reusing many of the removed partitions or cabinetry (due to water damage), I'm keeping things as templates for new construction. As this project will take me a few years and as my memory grays with time, having the pieces will help rebuilding immensely.




Finally, with the shower walls and supports removed, there are the plumbing runs.


I have begun to tinker with how to repair some of the removed plastic pieces. Some of the plastic was thin and cracked. Trailer movement, age and removal have also taken a toll. Years ago, I built two kayaks using mahogany plywood covered with fiberglass and epoxy. I know how strong this is and have begun using it to repair some of the interior cabinets. It seems to adhere well and the fiberglass lends support and shape to voids. I'm using System 3 Epoxy (ordered via Amazon) and fiberglass cloth which is available most anywhere they sell auto parts.

Argosy Pre-Restoration Post 2

 These pics are taken after delivery. She doesn't look too bad for being 38 years old.

It was the end of the 70's and, this being a 1979, was the last year they built the Airstream Argosy's. I have heard that the Argosy line was the bargain camper where they both tried new concepts and used things they may have damaged while building the shiny campers. While most of the exterior shell is aluminum, the exterior endcaps are steel.

I can't decide how to describe the interior patterns. The bin doors are either "tiger stripe" or some sort of "aboriginal" pattern.

The interior wall coverings in the bathroom are some "Peter Max" like floral pattern.

The furniture was covered in a southwest, Navaho type blanket pattern.

Tambour sliding doors are used abundantly in the upper interior end units, on a spice cabinet in the kitchen, in the bathroom and on lower storage units in the main living space and in the rear bedroom. Most are still in workable condition.

The bathroom sink unit & wall cabinets are all plastic and in fair shape (not brittle). Storage bins in the bedroom end table, kitchen and in the living area below the couch are plastic and on roller glides. The plastic was thin and there are holes in the weak areas.

While all of this looks decent from the pictures, the wall coverings are dirty and sticky from the plasticizers deteriorating with age. There is spot mold on the bathroom walls, the fake woodgrain is delaminating and the plastic has yellowed significantly.

There is extensive information from those that have restored before me (Airforums.com) and a very nice bunch of folks on the Argosy Facebook page as I embark on this journey.

Onward!

The Argosy

I've renovated/restored numerous dwellings; a few houses, a single-wide trailer (never again!). My travels to/from school for the last 5+ years take me by a business that sells mobile home parts and old campers, some of which they restore and sell. I watched an old Airstream Argosy (the painted version of the shiny Airstream trailers) move around the lot for a number of years. I finally stopped to look at it and you can undoubtably figure out what happened shortly thereafter.

This was one of the first pictures I took to try to sell my wife on getting this. Let's just say she's still not keen on the idea. What actually started my thinking about restoring this was a comment from her that I should build a tiny house to put on our 50 acres. I mean, after all, this is a tiny house, right? And wouldn't it be more fun and less expensive to restore one of these than to build a tiny house? And, we could take it camping if we wanted. Plus, I think it's epic.

So, I've had it now since last winter and I've started the process of renovating. It's taken this long for me to decide that I should document the process of restoration.

Officially, she's a 1979 30' Airstream Argosy with a center bath and double bunks in back. As is typical with most all Airstream trailers that aren't regularly sealed, water has leaked in around the joint where the shell meets the trailer bed and the floor has decayed. This brings condition of the frame into question so I am planning a full, "shell-off" restoration. As often as I can, I will document my progress here.