We recently made a trip to the Tampa area to obtain parts for our 1960 Airstream Overlander, The Riveted Roost.
We met our new friends, Jean and Suzie, at the Florida State Rally in Sarasota in mid-February. Jean had offered us the Dometic refrigerator that he had removed from his 1966 Overlander.
We left Stuart at 5:30 a.m. and met up with them in Largo, excited to learn they also had a ceiling vent frame with lifts and a screen they no longer needed.
Thank you, Jean and Suzie – your Overlander has saved our Riveted Roost with this generous “organ donation.”
While we didn’t find much that would jive with our 60’s trailer, Justin was able to remove the breaker box and wiring from the closet in the rear bathroom. Ours was missing since the last owner hooked up directly to shore power. We were pleased to find a grounded, three wire set up, since ours was only two wire originally – and not very safe! We also purchased some Acryl-R sealant and an applicator to keep Riva’s seams sealed and her interior dry.
While at Bates RV, we had to get a closer look at the infamous Airstream Ranch that we passed on our way in. Inspired by the Cadillac Ranch in Texas, Frank Bates engineered the Airstream Ranch in 2007 to pay homage to Airstream’s 75th anniversary.
The eight precarious trailers are visible from I-4 between Plant City and Tampa, near exit 14 in Dover. Stop by Bates RV and they can give you instructions to safely view the Airstream Ranch. I actually thought the cows in front of the Airstreams were real at first glance, but they turned out to be wooden cutouts, ha ha!
Follow our Airstream adventure on Twitter @RivetedRoost, and find us on Facebook and Instagram.