Restoring a Dream: My Journey Restoring a Vintage Airstream Kindle Edition

I read all of the reviews on this book and agree that there is much to be gained by reading this book. In particular the advice to NOT buy the first Airstream you look at. If that is the one thing I took away from reading this book and the authors journey in restoring his first Airstream it would be that! We ended up buying a 1972 Avion 28' that literally was like new inside because it was just too good of deal to pass up. I love the Airstreams and one will be in our driveway some day because of this book and the authors dedication to inputting his wisdom along with all the trials and tribulations he experienced along the way!

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.

If you've ever dreamed of buying a vintage Airstream and restoring it, this is where to start. It takes you on the trip from finding and buying the AS to restoring and modernizing its major systems. I think this is the best book of its type out there. Of course, not everything the author faces in restoring a '61 Ambassador (or, more briefly, on his '71 Safari) will apply to every model or every situation, but Tim Shephard covers all the basics of what to look for, what to avoid and the kinds of problems you will likely face.By the way, including the original cost and transportation of the Ambassador, Shephard spent around $40,000 out of pocket in restoring his dream trailer. That doesn't include his time and labor, which he conservatively values at another $50,000.

I am about halfway through the book at this point and am loving it. If you're someone who is just looking for clear cut information on how to restore an Airstream, this book isn't for you. However, if you are getting into Airstreaming or RVing in general and are looking to find out what it's like and hear someone else's story, BUY THIS NOW. Tim has a funny way of narrating his experiences, and I find myself laughing with him along the way. He is very relatable, and the book is an easy read.

It looks like homelessness is looming in my future. I am currently looking at potential options, and an Airstream was one of them. After reading this book and listening to the authors podcast, theVAP.com, online, I definitely do not have the plumbing, electrical, or aluminum skills the author does. However if you do, this book is a good source. I learned a lot from this book that I could apply to building a tiny house so many people are currently building and many without any construction experience. The floor rot prevention, the frame rot/rust prevention apply equally to tiny houses built on towing frames. For that reason and a lot of potential problems the author just eliminated, this book is worth reading and buying.

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.

The concise and informative information provided me with a realistic overview of the process of restoring and upgrading my 50 year old Airstream Ambassador. It allowed me to see the importance of the initial steps as well as re-affirmed my desire to start from a good solid framework and to have a good plan. The book also introduced me to the Author's podcast theVAP with over 300 hours of Vintage info and trivia. I purchased this as a kindle but will add the print version to my reference library. Overall I believe the book is a good first start to a multi-year journey.

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.

lots of useful info for the first time airstreamer, well worth reading.

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.

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

Gut geschriebenViele gute Tipps

Informative insights into a dream project!

Excellent - very inspiring - starting to look for an old airstream!

If you are thinking of restoring an airstream or doing one... I cant imagine starting without a book like this.