Airstream Cruisette Diary 1

This is the first in a series of posts that will outline the progress made thus far in restoring our 1952 Airstream Cruisette. When we started to refurbish it in 2002, it had lain fallow for 17 years--literally in a field. Fortunately it had fared rather well with only some modest floor rot caused by open windows and an end cap dent from a fallen pine tree as major issues to address. Most of the dent popped out and should be repairable without panel replacement. A full floor replacement was a given from the outset anyway. The initial plan was to make it roadworthy and usable if only as an aluminum tent. We used some heavy gauge sheet metal and extruded aluminum L brackets to tie the shell and good sections of the floor together to correct shell lift cause by floor rot at the front end. In the process of this work some of the original linoleum floor covering was uncovered. Currently the trailer is carpeted in a blue indoor-outdoor carpet installed in the early 1970's. Prior to that it was carpeted in a yellow berber carpet. This was on top of red and cream-colored layers of paint laid over the original linoleum. Preserving the linoleum is likely not possible due to the planned full floor replacement, but I intend to find a way to preserve and integrate some of it in the final plan.
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