my first spartan, by sam harkness aged 42

1955, spartan imperial mansion, 43 foot long - 

picking this lady up and dropping her off was always going to be logistically and horizontally challenging but on the flip side potentially rewarding.

first ups, i needed a wrecking co to get her out of the mud and get some new rubber on those split rims for the journey. Hovis Truck Service fitted the bill, as not many folks like to touch the smaller split rims -

already late evening Hovis held the trailer over night and we hoped to be on the road to port early in the morning.

but a sudden major pile up on the motorway meant we no longer had priority and Hovis Truck looked like a ghost town while all staff hit the highway. while slightly frustrated, we began to realise how bad the pile up had been.

we decided to hit the breakers and find 5 wheels that would last the journey, easier said than done. but despite the remote location and the weather, we managed to get what was needed and finally hit the road, albeit a little behind schedule.

destination baltimore, full steam ahead.........

opps...

two of those wheels had rusty lug holes and had wore out the threads on the on of the hubs..

time to drop the drum off and find a repair shop plus a new rim!

very frustrating, as it did not mention this could happen in the troubleshooting section of the spartan home owner's manual -

time to hit the road again, baltimore 21222 here we come.....

the rest was photographed but because of the port security we are unable to share the photos with you :-) ....

then came southampton, because of towing regulations, we drafted in some help  -

then a little more help to get this old lady to bed after a long journey east -

well, what a journey.......

the funny thing is 'it has only just begun'

stay tunned, my next one involves a newspaper interview int he mid west......

43 feet and 99.7% pure

I got a call about a Spartan Trailer and

i can see clearly now the .......

Delivering Airstream at the weekend started off wet -

But quickly dried up -

New owner had an amazing farm just outside London -

The 55 Overlander will not be lonely -

New owner with his PA -

Job well done, we took advantage of visiting friends for the weekend who live close by -

I do like front kitchen trailers, the one below will have a slightly adapted floor plan that is taking shape in our workshop at the moment -

Same front bathroom style -

Polished rear end cap and a new dinette with side day bed -

Shortened front kitchen, the  heater spot is extended to make room for a bespoke raised wood burner -

Shortened side wardrobe to make way for folding work desk on right -

Original cabinet style -

is an airstream a white elephant?

Some may suggest  that owning an Airstream is like owning an over valued asset that is not worth the upkeep, in fact it appears most of North America considered them to be white elephants until a recent revival in the past decade or so . 

Well, I think most aluminitus folk will disagree, but perhaps like the one below, they might themselves  be considered a white elephant by others -

Below, a very important message from a very important person, also there's also a letter from St. Jame's Palace........

I can confirm, whale tails look equally as nice from the inside as they do from the outside -

it's a sign

I like Whale Tail Airstreams

But how weird is it when I find one with my name on it -

You can see from the image below it really is an act from above -

Sadly, after close inspection the Harkness Whale Tail was not for me.............

But I did offer to buy the sign.

royal airstreams, to be or not to be that is the question?

after a chilly winter things are starting to warm up again thank goodness.

in the uk we have a big wedding coming up in late April

Corrosion, What Where When Why How?

I'm sure many airstreamers and other aluminitus sufferers worry at times about the condition of their aluminium.

An excellent source of information on Aluminium Corrosion is Aluminium Matter . This is an e-learning website which seems to cover most of the corrosion issues airstreamers will be faced with.

While keeping the outer skin in good condition is one concern, you should not forget about the inner skin.

Exhibit 1 - CA built Airstream, 1956

Alclad supplier - Reynolds

Location - Primarily resided in California

NB - The content of these images may be disturbing or offensive to some aluminitus sufferers. While they may look bad, I would like to mention it's all treatable, it just takes time -

Outer skin, tell tail signs -

Inner skin, the full extent of corrosion is revealed -

Closer look and a slight tap -

Factory sealing of the seams has not help stop the corrosion -

Rear light panel will need replaced also -

Other Isolated patches -