Welcome to the home page for the Vintage Airstream
Discussion List (VAL) !
This is an e-mail discussion group primarily
for owners and admirers of vintage Airstream trailers. The focus of the list is the restoration
and maintenance related to the owning of vintage Airstreams. The discussion centers around the
technical aspects, challenges and joys of the restoration process. This affection leads to
topics of upcoming events of interest to the vintage Airstream trailer enthusiast. It is with
these ideals in mind that the list is proud to offer the enthusiasm and technical advice desired
by folks with the same interest.
To subscribe, please visit the
Important:
Please read the guidelines for getting the most
from the Vintage Airstream Discussion List:
A searchable archive of
Vintage Airstream List Postings
can be found on Tom Patterson's website at:
These prior postings to the
Vintage Airstream discussion list, and its predecessor, the VAC List are very useful to research
topics and the questions and answers that have occurred over the last few years, and contain a
wealth of knowledge relating to the restoration and care of vintage Airstreams. Click on either of
the site 'Search' engine, or the 'Google Search' on the LH side of the page and enter the keywords
of interest.
For those interested in the more
modern Airstreams and a broad range of topics related to the everyday use of Airstreams and
Airstreaming, check out Hunter
Hampton's Airstream Discussion List on Yahoo!
Copies of postings to this Yahoo
list are also archived on the Tom Patterson site and
results from searches using either of the above search engines will include prior postings from
this list as well as from the Vintage Airstream List.
The Vintage Airstream Club (a part
of WBCCI), operates to serve the interests and needs of vintage Airstream owners. The Club formerly
operated this Discussion List, and remains committed to vintage Airstreams, and their separate
requirements, through rallies, online library archives, and other information. Check on their
facilities through the links below:
Basic List Rules and Mission
The following Vintage Airstream List guidelines are sent to new subscribers
when they sign-up. Please be familiar with them.
Welcome to the Vintage Airstream Discussion List - a
service for owners
and enthusiasts of vintage Airstream travel trailers !
While we are a very laid back and easy going list, there are some rules, relating
to behavior, that we would like followed:
SUBJECT LINES: Please try to change them when you alter the course of the current discussion. It
is often hard to remember, but please try. This makes it easier to find information in the
archives at a later date.
ATTACHMENTS: Attachments are not allowed - period. If you wish to share an image, please post it
to a personal webspace that most ISP's provide. Also remember that many email applications treat
HTML formatted messages, "signatures" and forwarded messages as attachments.
RECEIPTS: Please make sure your e-mail client is not issuing a demand for a return receipt
whenever someone opens your mail. Same with auto-replies - disconnect from the List when you
will be away for awhile. If your mailbox account bounces messages for more than 2 days, you will
be automatically removed. This is critical for those who use Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail and other free
accounts, as the mailbox size are usually limited on these.
REPLIES: Please delete all the unnecessary text when replying back. Just a snippet or paragraph
is needed to remind the readers of the original question or topic. The people who receive Digests
will thank you. Do not reply back with "Me Too!'s" that clutter up the list - make
sure your post has value. Also, please send "thank you" postings off-line to the party
you want to thank. Their address appears at the top of each posting in the "From " field.
USE PLAIN ASCII TEXT: No HTML, no stylized text, no signatures - just plain text. This is
getting harder to maintain as Yahoo, AOL, and other "entry level" ISP's now
automatically default to HTML format. This formatting goes along with the message as an
attachment. If you have problem posting, this is probably the culprit. The allowable message
size and attachment size is restricted to help prevent spammers & viruses.
NO SWEARING, NO PREACHING, NO POLITICS -- No Kidding. Airstreamers are a very diverse group of
people from every corner of the US and overseas, from every religion, race and walk of life.
What plays well in your neck of the woods may be offensive somewhere else.
MOST COMMERCIAL POSTS ARE NOT ALLOWED -- but there are exceptions. If you are simply a dealer
looking to shill your stock or services on this list, you will be quickly removed from the group.
On the other hand, if you tailor your information and replies to genuinely be helpful, you will be
more than welcome - and greatly appreciated. If you are a manufacturer of restoration parts or
materials, by all means inform the List with a brief "new product" announcement - but please
conduct all follow-up business off-list.
AIRSTREAM "FOR SALE" NOTIFICATIONS ARE WELCOME -- Many people are looking for their first
(or 3rd, 4th+) Airstream. If you find one available in your area, please pass the info along. If
you are selling an airstream, you can post the information in the free Vintage Airstream Club
classifieds or in the free classified ads on this site. For restoration parts, list all the
details in these the appropriate sections of these free ads, eBay or on your own website. (the
list doesn't mind getting the first crack at a bargain!) After all, one of the greatest needs to
restore an Airstream is parts. But please, keep marketing and all business transactions off-list.
Some specifics
about the Vintage Airstream List
It is a service offered for vintage Airstream owners and their friends, in order to share the
thoughts and experiences of other Airstream enthusiasts. You do not have to be a Vintage
Airstream Club member to subscribe, nor currently own an Airstream.
As this is not public media, and as you have willingly signed up for it, you also agree to abide
by the List Owner's rules (the Webmaster and the volunteer Monitors). If you don't want to do so,
you are free to leave. If you don't follow the rules, we are free to release you from membership.
"Free Speech" is not an issue, nor is censorship - you have, by agreeing to be a List member,
agreed to these rules - you don't like 'em, feel free to leave. Therefore, if you habitually
swear in your messages, it is within our rights to ban you from the list. If you flame folks,
defame or belittle them, you can be banned. The First Amendment (please read it if you don't
believe this) does not guarantee your right to be disruptive or demeaning on the lists. So far
this hasn't been an issue, and we sincerely believe it won't ever be.
You may be warned if you have problems adhering to the above requests. You may get set to
"moderated" for "cooling off", or you may be permanently banned solely at our discretion. While
it has never been a problem, we do want to make it clear beforehand. If anyone has a problem
with it, feel free to send us mail off list - your participation on this list is purely
voluntary.
Please understand that our time is as important to us as yours is to you - and if we get enough
protests and complaints about an individual's abuse of the above rules, we'll take action. So
far this list has remained thankfully free of some of the nonsense on other lists, but if need
be, the stick will come out to make sure it stays fun.
If you have any issue with one of the above rules, please send a message to the monitors - do
not clutter the list with it, as ultimately the decision is with the monitors. They will gladly
explain the reasons for any of the above rules - they are not unlike the rules enforced and in
force on the best e-mail lists, and most are common courtesy.
