Restoration Suppliers & Resources
Parts, Services and Supplies
The interest in restoring vintage Airstreams is still in its infancy, but taking off. It can be compared to about where the hobby of restoring early Ford Mustang’s was back in the late 1970’s. Now look at that field today – 11 magazines, 114 books, 4 national clubs and hundreds of companies selling thousands of restoration parts. There is almost not one part that hasn’t been reproduced.
First and foremost, go to an RV parts dealer, or contact one of the RV Parts Suppliers below, and purchase a “Coast RV” or “RV Parts & Accessories” catalog. At over 500 pages each, they contain almost every part still made by the RV parts makers, and will be one of your most valuable tools. They are also available in an online format from the parts suppliers noted below. Second, become re-acquainted with the older independent plumbing, electrical, and hardware stores in your area. That is where you are going to be able to find older or good quality parts. Forget Home Depot, Lowe’s & Wal-mart. And third, to fix up an old trailer you will soon discover many businesses you never frequented before – glass, sheet metal fabrication, wheel & axle and sail canvas shops to name a few. Check your Yellow Pages, and start inquiring around now before you need them. Ask at one shop who they would recommend – people in the trades know each other.
Here we have just started to capture the all the resources available to the restorer of early Airstreams. We are very interested in any sources not listed below. Please contact us with hereto untapped information that you come across, and we will add it to the ever growing list.
Tools | RV Parts Suppliers | Airstream Service |
Restoration Suppliers | Restoration Companies | Informational Sites |
Restoration Parts & Suppliers |
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Zolatone | Zolatone is the original interior paint used on vintage Airstreams from 1952 on. One Online place to buy Zolatone (auto body supply co) | |
Obsolete Parts | RV Net list of boneyards & dealers who specialize in repairing older trailers | |
James P. Ambruso | Replacement Airstream draperies | |
Grote Industries | Mfg of original Airstream 1960's marker lamps & reflectors - still available today, along with a Bargman #9 taillight substitute. | |
B. Walters Co. | Manufacturers of the original Airstream gaucho slides (for pull out beds) | |
Tekonsha / Bargman | Brake controllers, electrical connectors, door hardware, door catches, etc. | |
Tear Drop Parts | Many Vintage Trailer ('40's & '50's) parts and accessories | |
Sealand Traveler | Beautiful well-built porcelain toilets for Airstream trailers | |
Inca Plastics | OEM supplier of Airstream water & waste tanks since the 1960's | |
Airparts | Raw stock aluminum, conventional rivets, and aluminum working tools. Good source for aluminum skin panels (.032 2024T sides; .025 2024-O belly skin) | |
Seaward Products | Makers of quality marine/RV appliances - good for custom interiors | |
Crest Fasteners | Best source for interior 1/8" pop-rivets. Also sells Olympic rivets and the shaver. | |
Blaine Window Hardware | 1950's/1960's Window Operators, window latch hooks & window screen supplies | |
All-Rite RV Supply | Supplier of custom and Hehr replacement windows and parts and custom water/waste tanks. Also source for aluminum corner (cove) molding - look under bath trim. | |
Foam Source | Cut-to-size foam for cushions and mattresses | |
SDI Mattresses | Custom RV foam bed mattresses | |
Bedmasters Spring Mattresses | Custom RV foam and innerspring bed mattresses | |
FoamOrder.com | Cut-to-size foam for cushions and mattresses | |
RockyMountainMattress | Custom made mattresses for you RV and Airstream | |
ZipDee | Roll-up Awnings for Airstreams | |
Dometic | Refrigerators, A&E Awnings, Air-Conditioners & HW Heaters | |
Suburban | Forced air Heaters & newer Ranges/stovetops | |
Atwood | HW Heaters and newer forced air heaters and ranges/stovetops | |
Paloma | Tankless LPG hot water heaters very similar to the old Valiant's used by Airstream in the late 1950's. They say they are now not for RV use, as RV certification now requires combustion air to be drawn from outside. | |
Aircraft-Spruce, Inc. | Good source of raw stock materials (metals, hardware, chemicals) used in restoration | |
Dexter Axle Co. | Axles,both leaf spring & torsion, & brake backing plates- sold through dealers listed in their dealer locator | |
Hadco Engineering | Original supplier of 1950's axles, brakes and wheels. Use to overhaul original Hadco leaf-spring axles | |
Fiberglass Coatings Inc. | Penetrating Epoxy for floor repair, fiberglass gel coatings for bath repair, adhesives, cleaners, foam core material & more | |
West System | Fiberglass resins & cloths used in the repair of tubs/showers/baths | |
Winona Mfg. | Flexible Tambour for 1970's interior cabinet doors | |
Tape-Ease | Wood Veneer and Tambour for interior cabinets | |
Van Dyke's Restorers | Source for the stainless '50's-'60's shower wands, hose and fittings - plus more useful stuff | |
ReproDepot Fabrics | Vintage Fabrics for curtains, etc. | |
Barkcloth Hawaii | Reproduction tropical vintage style fabric for curtains/upholstery | |
Silver Threads | Custom made drapes at affordable prices | |
Tonic Living | Vintage appropriate fabrics. Use coupon code "Airstream" and get 10% off your order. |
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Contemporary Cloth | Reproduction 1950's/1960's (atomic) vintage style fabric patterns for curtains/upholstery | |
Beacon Fabrics | Source for appropriate looking awning material and supplies - plus curtain track in aluminum. | |
Atomic Textiles | Funky Fabrix - based in Australia, but ships to USA. 10% off if you mention you saw the link on this site. | |
Atrim | The supplier for vinyl welt in many colors, which is the round stuff on panel and cabinet edges and corners. Also source for upholstery supplies, bed & cushion foam, & "How-to's" on making cushions. | |
AutoTrim | Source of welt by the yard and other upholstery supplies | |
Fabric Guru | Prints, drapery & upholstery fabrics. | |
Midwest Products | RV refrigerator rebuilders & list of dealers. | |
Heating Parts Specialties | UK source of pressure type thermocouples and parts for Vaillant water heaters. Ship to USA. | |
CornerHardware | Online source for locally hard-to-find hardware: galvanized window screen, pyle, you name it... | |
POR-15 | Rust treatment for frames, etc. | |
General Ecology | Replacement filter elements for the Ogden Model A pn RS-50G (not on website), plus very well built new water RV purification systems. | |
Linoleum | Suppliers of Marmoleum flooring, just like the old stuff | |
Oakland Rim & Wheel | Wheels, brakes, axles, chassis and electrical and other trailer parts | |
Walker Custom Chrome | Affordable chroming of parts by mail. Send your parts with phone # - they call you back with price. 2145 Grand Coulee Blvd, Shasta Lake City, CA 96019 (530) 275-3634 | |
Mill Hardware | Thousands of useful parts for fixing & repairing appliances & trailers | |
Tear-Drop Parts | Perfect reproduction teardrop marker lights | |
Dupree Products | High quality Sewer Dump valves, fittings and supplies | |
Axis Axles | Torsion & Spring Axles for trailers, leaf springs, safety chain & correct black wheels | |
Trailer Tire & Wheel | Newer all aluminum alloy wheels and traditional silver 15x6 steel wheels | |
Hub Cap Mike | Baby moons and trim rings to fit all Airstream wheels from 1947 to 1975, including the originals and newer replacements | |
Carlisle | Hydrastar Brake self-contained actuators for trailers with hydraulic brakes | |
Hoskin & Muir | Metal extrusions and trim used throughout the trailer in restorations | |
Extrud-a-Trim | Source for many aluminum extrusion shapes | |
Metals Depot | Quick and economical online source of all the metal extrusions and sheetmetal you will need (Ledford Steel Co.) | |
Ronco | 200 different sizes & custom of RV water & waste tanks | |
Restoration Specialties | Vintage automotive restoration parts, but many are usable on our trailers, too | |
Tail Light King | The kind of guy you see at swap meets with hundreds of different old automotive lights | |
Interstate Metal Fabricators | Useful items such as baggage doors, shower tubs, body materials & interior wall fabrics | |
Amazon now has almost everything needed for the RVer and Airstream restorer; from tooling, to building materials, and RV parts at discounted prices and free shipping in most cases. | ||
Tin Can Interiors | Upholstery and curtains for vintage Airstreams - located in Ohio. | |
CurtainTracks.com | Vintage appropriate aluminum curtain track extrusions and hangers | |
The Yellow Pages!! | This is the your most important source of repairs and parts - local machine, fabrication & repair hops. Become familiar with what's available. There are more services available locally than online. | |
RV Parts Suppliers |
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Iowa Boys | Source of conventional and restoration RV Parts. Online catalog | |
RV Parts Outlet | Source of conventional RV Parts at discount prices. Good online catalog | |
Metro-RV Parts | Excellent online catalog of plumbing, electrical, LPG & appliance parts (the "Coast Catalog") | |
Formerly AirstreamDreams.com. The biggest and best online site of true vintage restoration parts and supplies, including Vulkem sealant, Olympic rivets, vent covers, lights and window/door seals & the hard to find 1966-1969 window replacements. Steve adds new hard-to-find items quite often, so check and see what's new. | ||
Mobile-Mart | Online supplier of RV parts | |
Marks RV Supply | Good supply of usable parts and accessories - Vintage Airstream friendly | |
T & J Trailer | Largest supply of parts on the Internet- get their RV catalog | |
Dyer's RV | Arizona based online dealer | |
RVSurplusSalvage | New & reconditioned newer parts. Online catalog, with pictures | |
Camper's Repair Center | Vintage Repair Parts in Montevallo, Alabama 1-205-665-2531 | |
Singleton's RV Salvage | Located in Washington state | |
Wine Country RV | On-Line Coast RV Catalog, Napa Calif. based dealer | |
Out-of-Doors Mart | Airstream how-to-repair articles and parts | |
Three Way Campers | Inventory of 1970-1980 Airstream parts- need to phone | |
Affordable RV Parts | Discount pricing on RV appliances and parts - based in Las Vegas | |
DeLuxe Trailer Supply | Southern California (Paramount). Will ship nationwide. 1-562-531-9123 | |
Tools |
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Yard Store Aircraft Tools | on-line sheetmetal tools at great prices | |
ENCO | on-line tools, polishers, rivet-guns, etc. | |
Cleveland Aircraft Tool | Sheet Metal tools | |
Perfect Polish | Polishing cloths, heads, instructions and NuVite polish | |
Tool Crib of the North | Discounted high quality tools available through Amazon.com | |
Harbor Freight | On-line supplier of low-cost (cheap) versions of industrial tools | |
Informational Sites |
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Champion Tires< | Wheel Bearing Lube "how-to" | |
Champion Tires | Trailer Tire explanations | |
RV Solar Electric | Solar Power explained | |
RV Mobile | company specializes in RV refrigerators | |
Ammonia RV Refrigerators | good technical info site on how RV reefers work | |
Atwood Heaters | Quicktime movie on how LPG heaters with electrical fans operate | |
Tin Man Tech | Sheet Metal tools, information and "how to's" | |
Airstreams-Europe | Airstream informational site and FAQ's on exporting Airstreams | |
Airstream Service |
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South Jersey RV | Former Airstream dealer w/old and new parts as well as doing restorations and repairs | |
Griffith RV Service | Oklahoma City, OK. Specializing in body repairs. | |
C & G Trailer | Bellflower, CA 1-800-662-3790 - good parts help | |
Oasis RV | One of the most often recommended Airstream Dealers | |
Can-Am RV | Near the US border, and vintage Airstream & skin repair knowledgeable |
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Ace Fogdall RV | Iowa vintage friendly dealer | |
P&S Trailer Service | Parts, Service, Polishing & Clearcoating in Helena, OH | |
Mobile R.V. Repair and Service | Luzerne, Pennsylvania | |
Fletcher's Trailer Service | Trumansburg, New York Vintage Trailer specialists- Sales, too | |
Wine Country RV | Ex-Airstream mechanic in Napa, CA, ask for Ron 800-659-8777 | |
Chavez R-V Salinas, CA | Not an Airstream dealer, but a very resourceful RV repair & modification facility for central California. 580 El Camino Real. 831-443-3550 | |
Airstream Dealers | It is truly amazing what is still available from Airstream, and the dealers are almost the only source of specialized repairs: skin, axle, fiberglass - you name it, they do it. | |
Restoration Companies |
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Colin Hyde Trailer Restorations | Plattsburgh, NY. One of the most recognized restorers of Airstreams in the country. Providing finish ready shells to full-up restorations & renovations | |
P & S Trailer Service | Airstream Polishing and clearcoating in Ohio | |
GSM Vehicles | Upper NY vintage restoration shop. Can do part, or all of your renovation | |
South Jersey RV | Newfield, NJ Check out a visit to the shop. | |
Truck Trails Northwest | Aluminum Skin Repair & Polishing, Lynnwood, Wash, 425-514-5859. | |
Polishing Guru | Southern California. Be sure to check out the before & after album. | |
Timeless Travel Trailers | High-end remanufacturing of vintage trailers in Colorado. | |
Bayer RV | Clear-coating, restoration service & Airstream Dealer in central Texas | |
Vintage Trailer Crazy | Temecula, California - high end rebuilders | |
Vintage Trailering | Grand Rapids, Michigan. David Winick Design, designer of the 75th Anniversary Bambi for Airstream |
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TrailerWorks | Custom restorations in South Carolina - good gallery of completed projects | |
Twisted Silver | Nashville Tennessee area repair, restoration and modification | |
TheTrailerCompany | Florida based. Also Airstream vacation rentals (in Florida) and trailers for sale | |
Mel Trailers | Southern California based vintage repairs and restorations | |
Area 63 Productions | Meticulous restoration, renovation & repair in Southern California | |
ReVitalized Trailers, Inc | Polishing company in Washington state - can haul/tow the trailer, too. Be sure to checkout the gallery to see what a real polished trailer should look like. | |
Sierra Trailer Restoration | Nevada City, California | |
AirdreamRV | Custom renovations & restorations, polishing & upholstery in Maine | |
Universal Polishing | Trailer polishing in the SF Bay Area | |
Frank's Trailer Works | Specializing in the complete restoration, renovation and customization of early aluminum travel trailers. 824-D Landay Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21237 - 443-690-0116 |
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Vintage Airstream Restorations | Vintage Airstream Restorations sells and restores vintage Airstream trailers for recreational or commercial use. Also provides complete service and maintenance including polishing. |