'60 Airflyte Reno - Where do I begin?

First, congrats on your new "family member"! It sounds as though Lola is going to need more than cosmetic surgery. I'd wait until you have a place out of the elements so you don't get stuck having to do a frame-up restoration without a place to keep all the 7,812 parts. You can certainly pull the cabinet doors and drawers and start stripping. Get the stove and icebox or fridge cleaned up, make curtains, measure for those gaucho cushions, make those and cover them. Start looking for any missing pieces and picking up odds and ends... putty tape, twisty nails, tools, etc. Also, spend plenty of time just sitting in Lola and getting to know her little quirks and fun things, and if you find you want to make changes, you will have plenty of time to make changes.

Oh yeah... Please repeat the VTT new=member oath. Repeat after me:

I [your name] do solemnly swear that I will provide pictures and updates of my trailer as I make him / her ready for use. I understand that owning a vintage trailer exposes me to a disease for which there is no cure, there is no reason to see a therapist or a doctor, except for a trip to the Emergency Room when necessary for injuries sustained during the restoration process.

Hamlet is right, don't tear it all apart until you have a place inside to work on it and store parts. Don't throw anything away! You can certainly clean the inside. Remove and strip the cabinet doors and associated hardware. Take photos of everything, and when you think you've taken enough, take some more. You won't be sorry. Store the dinette seats in your basement as well as the stove, light fixtures, etc. I would advise you to remove just one item at a time and strip it. You can also remove one drip rail at a time and strip it and put it back on if you need a place to store it. You might even begin to strip all of those layers of paint on the outside while the weather is warm. I have a 61 airflyte that I have used for storage since 1992. It was about the same as yours. I stripped the exterior and haven't done anything else with it, but oh what a difference it has made. It is no longer an eyesore in our yard, and my wife actually likes the shinny bright appearance. It is easier to strip the paint off the exterior while the panels are still attached. If you do decide to strip it, start at the top on one side and only do about a 3 foot square at a time. Don't let the stripper dry out and don't get carried away with working to large an area. I have a feeling that the paint will literally bubble up and sag off. Remove anything that is plastic before you apply stripper such as tail lights. Have fun!

Something to do while you're waiting? Clean and lubricate your door lock. Then treat it with care. It's a Bargman L-66, the handle is prone to breaking and they're $$

The key is missing/lost, so I was wondering what I do about that?

Thank you!  I'll have so so very many questions over the coming weeks.  Like what goes in the hole that's missing on the non=door side?  And what is that other piece called that's all cracked and needs replacing.  I'd love to start acquiring the parts and emblems and supplies I need, but I don't even know what some of the things are, especially if they're missing, haha.

I have the best success with Kleen-Strip Premium Sprayable Stripper. The one gallon can comes with a small spray bottle and is available at Home Depot, Lowes, and others. Check around for the best price, there can be as much as a $5.00 difference in price. The least expensive is usually about $21.95. I have seen it as high as $26.95. The nice thing about the small spray bottle is that hopefully you don't get carried away and attempt to work on to large an area. This stripper is water soluble, so you remove it with a garden hose or pressure washer. You certainly can't damage the interior of your trailer with a little more water at this point. I have found the best time to do this is early morning and in the shade. You can position the trailer so that one side is in the shade before the sun gets to high and when that side is completely stripped, turn the trailer around. Of course you may not have the luxury acre like me. Be sure to wear good heavy rubber gloves and old clothes, long sleeve shirt,and old shoes or rubber boots. A sheet of plastic on the ground will help catch the paint.It may take Two or more applications to get all the paint off. I recommend you use a plastic scrapper followed by 00 steel wool. If you use coarse steel wool it will put deep scratches in the aluminum. Let the stripper do the work and don't rush it. After you work with it you will figure out what works best in your area. I can't wait to see photos of your progress. Also be sure to wear glasses or goggles, and wash it off your skin ASAP. You will know when you get some on your skin, it will burn like crazy.

Now that spring has FINALLY arrived in northern Maine (we will hit a high of 60 degrees today, and 70s over the weekend) I'm finally getting back into my Airflyte Lola to being "the project". I'm ditching out of work early today to go home and start getting ready to tear it down. This means removing all cabinet doors for refinishing, take out all the extra "junk", remove the dinette cushions, etc. We have built a garage for me to be able to work inside, but there is still no electricity/lights run to the garage, so I'm still working outside. Wish me luck!