Restoring a Dream: My Journey Restoring a Vintage Airstream

I just got this book. I am considering restoring a vintage Airstream and have no idea what I might be in for. I have just started reading it. It is very clear in the first pages that this guy is just telling you his story and is not saying he is an expert in any way. I really enjoy reading this book, it’s like running into a guy at the campground that has great advice and is easy to talk to. I look forward to reading the rest of the book. I feel sure I can learn from his mistakes and glean some advice on a possible Airstream restoration.

Whether you are considering purchasing an Airstream or vintage trailer or have recently purchased one, you will glean good information about them from this book. It is not a how-to book, but rather an Airstreamer who has fallen for the brand, has done at least two restorations, and has overseen the Vintage Airstream Podcast (VAP) for many years. The author includes invaluable information from experience and podcasts with seasoned professional panel buddies who also restore vintage trailers. It is an enjoyable read and peaked my interest in many aspects of RV restoration.

Tim does a great job of capturing what can be a long and challenging process. He presents ideas and suggestions for restoration techniques and products, and he is not afraid to point out things he could have done better or differently in his own project. A reasonably easy and enjoyable read with a hefty amount of information, including a summary of Airstream specifications for most model years. The only frustration is repeatedly having to re-read sentences due to the plethora of grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes. There are so many it makes one wonder how the editor could even call himself an editor. It is clear a spelling checker was used and that's it. I hope the editing didn't cost much because the return is near zero for a near zero effort.

Nice going Tim! You could have bought a semi-shiny NEW Airstream and given all the rest of us a reason cop out as well, but you didn't.... Giving in to private then public ridicule (Thanks Colin and Rob), you manned the helm of your computer and searched until you found the object of our obsession; a broken down Alclad shell of a project just waiting for another soon-to-be craftsman to come along and breathe some much deserved life back into her tired monocoque framed body. I for one am thankful that you did and so are a flock of other new Airstreamers who's eyes are bigger than our stomachs so to speak. my wife and I impulsively bought a 68' Tradewind a year ago which completely ignores the first few chapters of the book but we bought it before we discovered The VAP and obviously before 'Restoring a Dream' (RAD) was released. The last year has been spent researching and cataloging information to the point of practically having every step and potential problem in the restoration discussed and mapped out. It won't go at all like we plan of course but we know where to go for answers and which suppliers to contact for products and materials. RAD was truly an inspiration and The VAP an endless resource for all things Airstream. The links on The VAP website provided in the show notes has been invaluable in gaining more information on the topics discussed in the book and I highly recommend exploring these. An example being the link in one of the earlier shows to the Dexter Axle website which is loaded with videos detailing how Dura Torque axles actually work, a concept I had trouble picturing before. Thanks for taking the time to break down a seemingly insurmountable challenge into bite size pieces and continuing to fill a bottomless well full of Airstream knowledge so we can continue to work on our vintage projects. See you down the road!

I've been listening to author Tim Shephard's podcast for a few years now and he's great at presenting useful information in an entertaining way and he's done so in this new book, as well. In this book he's collected the information you'll need to undertake a project of your own and gets down into the nitty-gritty details that can only come from someone who's done an actual renovation. Here he walks you through the essentials of choosing, searching for, buying, restoring and using a vintage Airstream. He shares the details of his personal, first-hand experiences with two vintage Airstreams, as well as the knowledge he's accumulated as a prominent member of the Airstream community. He points you toward resources and tells you how to avoid some of the pitfalls he and others have discovered. I do wish the table of contents listed the chapters by name, not just number, to make it easier to go back and refer to a particular topic after finishing the book, cover to cover. Overall this a great and entertaining resource that has reinvigorated my desire to finish my own Airstream project.

Some good info, but TOO much referring to his podcast, I don't have the time to bother with that. I just want a book that has more substance in it's pages. At least by reading through it I decided I have other things more important than restore some ol Aluminum can. In closing, that was the VALUE of the book for me - and WORTH THE COST !

Tim seems like a regular guy who caught the Airstream bug. He writes in fun and easy to understand language. His enthusiasm when "on the hunt" for a vintage Airstream describes many of us exactly. I really enjoyed his travel adventure to "recover" is 1960 Ambassador from a field in Ohio, and the subsequent visit to the Airstream factory. And then his long journey to renovate this old trailer into the camper he wants. Tim says and I believe that renovating an old Airstream in the proper way does in fact offer pretty good return on the money invested. Just polishing the exterior and leaving the structure weak is not the way to go. Owning a vintage Airstream is a great hobby that offers travel adventures and the opportunity to meet a lot of really nice people. Tim's book describes the whole experience quite well. David

This book is a good balance of essential information for Airstream purchase, Airstream restoration and an interesting story of the author's experiences. Ideally read this book before you buy your vintage trailer but any 20-60 year old Airstream is likely to have the same issues to some extent and I bought this book after taking delivery of my 1960 trailer. I skimmed through this book within in day in order to prepare myself for removing floor and belly-pan to investigate rot and rust. My restoration is underway now and I am sure this book and the link to the author's blog will be a great resource going forwards.

I would recommend this book to anyone considering purchasing a vintage Airstream. It contains excellent advice on repairing the common issues with these trailers as well as camping tips for those who haven't camped before.

Gut geschrieben Viele gute Tipps

Il libro è un po' povero dal punto di vista grafico. Le immagini sono modeste. Resta il piacere di scoprire passo passo molte interessanti fasi del restauro con molti consigli utili.

I wealth of good, solid, information on restoring vintage airstreams