Exterior Parts
Important bits and pieces.
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Locks and Keys
When we bought our Airstream, it didn't come with keys to anything, and the main door lock was missing several pieces and needed to be re-keyed. I was delighted to find that I could still buy parts to the main door lock, as well as keys that fit the compartment and water door locks.
I replaced my main KT Lock cylinder can be with this one. You have to grind the post down with a file to make it fit, but it works.
The cylinder inside the compartment door pop lock looks identical to the cylinder for the KT lock, but I haven't tried to switch them yet. It would be nice to re-key all my compartment doors since all the Airstream compartment doors from the entire generation were keyed alike. I originally thought the cylinders could be replaced with the cam style door locks from VTS, but those won't work. I'm going to have to replace my refrigerator compartment lock entirely because it was drilled out by the previous owner and the mechanism was damaged. They sell these at VTS (out of stock as of this posting), or at Out-of-Doors-Mart for twice the price.
Stabilizer Jacks
We replaced the four BAL stabilizing jacks because the ones we had were in pretty rough shape. These jacks make a huge difference in the comfort of moving about the Airstream. Without them, you're bouncing around on the trailer suspension whenever you walk in the trailer. With the jacks deployed, the frame is solidly planted on the ground, so no bouncing.
Installation is pretty quick: just three self-tapping bolts, no pilot holes needed. The two bolts on the top of the tee go in your frame, which is pretty easy to locate. It's where the curved piece of your belly pan ends and the flat piece attaches. The third bolt at the bottom of the T has to hit a crossmember. If you're not 100% sure where your crossmember is, use a cow magnet to find it. The frame is steel but the bellypan isn't, so wherever the magnet sticks, there's steel behind it.
Step Parts
The Airstream double step is handy, but there sure are lots of little bits on this thing that can break. Out-of-Doors Mart has a handy diagram to locate the part you need.
Rock Guard
I am a big fan of this device. Not only does it protect our front windows from road hazards, but it also adds a nice tint to the living room windows so you can't see in (but you can see out) during the day.
My favorite use for the rock guard is when it's raining. The design of our Airstream windows doesn't fully prevent rain from getting in, especially if there's wind. But with the front window propped open just a bit, the rock guard shields the sides and prevents even driving rain from getting in. That way, we can set one of the MaxxFans to exhaust and have it draw in fresh air from the front window.
I bought my rock guard from Airstream Supply's ebay store, but the better deal (and a better vendor) as of this writing is Out-of-Doors Mart. When you're shopping around, be sure to factor in shipping cost -- that freight is a big chunk of money.