1964 Airstream Ambassador

I bought this 28ft 1964 Airstream Ambassador unseen from a barn in Montana, after hunting for one for a while.

The plan is a complete restoration from the frame up, modernizing the interior, plumbing, electrics, power systems and amenities. When finished it will be used as a home office, guest accommodation, and home away from home for adventures.

The point of the project isn't just to have a completed restoration at the end, it's a means for learning a broad array of practical skills that will be useful whatever I may decide to do in the future. Even at this early stage I've learned three styles of riveting, media blasting, TIG welding, basic composite moulding, some HVAC stuff, more than I ever thought I'd know about adhesives and how aircraft honeycomb panels are assembled, CAD, 3d printing, and what a clutch screw head is.

I'm also, perhaps delusionally, trying to set a new standard in areas where other restorations seem to have common shortcomings: weight (in particular the use of lightweight materials), thermal efficiency, acoustics, lighting design, usability and packaging, and certain aspects of the fit and finish. Even if I don't achieve my goals, I'll likely learn more than if I'd just copied everyone else.

More than anything it's a tangible expression of how I approach every project whether for clients or my own gratification: working from first principles, always asking if there's a better way, learning by doing, testing ideas with prototypes, attending to the details, relishing the problem solving process, not being afraid to ask stupid questions, getting my hands dirty, and never giving up.

This is an enormous multi-year project that's better thought of as a series of sub-projects. As I complete each stage I'll do a brief write up below.