The Winter Palace

I do not usually work on trailers from the 80's. There was something about the sound of 'in need of an extreme makeover' and 'something completely different' that appealed to me. 

She is a really big girl this 1984 Avion. 10.6 meters. That translates to 34.77 feet. I do not know the weight, but it is way up there. This Avion is an Abrams tank on three axles. It cannot be polished, that is a big plus.

Come on in... 

Be careful though, 1984 really wants it's vibe back. 

I graduated high school in 1984. 

It was a very awkward period in America. 

This rather awkward flooring was installed very recently. It is all going away.

Do you think I am joking? Just look at that fabric...

In all honesty, it really is one, seriously comfortable couch. It pulls out to make a queen sized bed. Pretend...

...you do not sleep well one night... 

...you get 3 hours of sleep and by 10am you are spent. 

You clock out.

That couch might be a very good place to take a little nap.

This trailer is very spacious. There is a very nice dinette to have the morning coffee while reading the online news paper. An almost full sized refrigerator makes full time living very easy. The one you see is a 110volt only and it is going to be replaced by a propane/ AC version.

The full time, rear, walk around queen sized bed is a nice luxury. It is a bedroom suite. 

The various room dividers are made of solid wood. I think most Airstreams are some cloth or plastic version.

They all recess into the wall so you do not see them. 

These two dividers create a private dressing room just outside the bathroom. 

Looking forward from the bedroom suite. Bathroom is on the left. 

A generous shower/ tub unit.

Take it all in. Soon it will look completely different.

The command central all works. It has an AM/FM stereo. I was hoping for 8 track. I do not want to miss quote the tank statistics, but all three tanks are huge. This girl can go for a long time between fill ups or dumps.

Not everything is an aesthetic change. There is a little of this and that to fix. 

This AC was installed fairly recently. I suspect it was put on by the RV dealer in Ohio that middle manned this sale. It is fairly small for such a long trailer and is not installed correctly. When it rains, it literally pours right through. 

The roof seams have been gone over a few times with various things. More slop put down on top of leaking slop. 

I guess I could slather something up there like everyone else would. 

I could also remove it all and seal the seams correctly. It all starts with a heat gun and a nylon chisel.

Then some lacquer thinner on a cotton rag motivated by serious helpings of elbow grease. Repeat. Repeat again. 

Eventually, with enough determination, you end up with this.

All three roof vents were removed. The half closest to you has been hit with the heat gun and nylon chisel. The upper half was wiped with the cotton rag and lacquer thinner. 

Liberal helpings of elbow grease. Liberal. I love that word. Halfway readers now have elevated blood pressure. But liberal amounts of elbow grease get this job done. 

Take a deep breath.