It is crazy to think that a year ago today we drove down to the backwoods of Southern Missouri and purchased this 1976 Airstream Caravanner.
Here is a quick video tour just before tearing into it.
…and so it begins, finally. All it took was a couple of hours on a cold and wet Sunday evening after Thanksgiving to open this giant can of worms that we’ve been planning for so long.
The gutting of the interior goes quickly. Just a casual week was all it took to get the bulk of the contents removed (maybe that is longer than normal but hey I’m not trying to rush it).
It was kind of like trying to solve a puzzle in reverse. If you are into studying petrified mouse turds and black mold then you will definitely enjoy this work. And I haven’t even got to the fun part yet (opening up the belly pan).
Thus far there are no real surprises as far as the condition of things. In fact, I am actually surprised that there isn’t more extensive floor rot. However, it is still in desperate need of a new sub floor and some frame repair as expected.
So in hindsight waiting this long actually seems beneficial. The initial shiny newness has worn off and we now have a more tempered and realistic view of what lies ahead. It has given us time to plan and consider our overall vision of the end result.
The thought of taking on such a major project today seems just as daunting and exciting as it did a year ago but now we feel more confident and prepared for the challenge. Wonder how things will look a year from now…