I would like to make contact with Ohio Bambi '62 owners who are restoring (or have restored) their Bambi's.
I have many questions - here are a few:
Where did you find a battery to replace the original?
Were you able to find a paint that approximated the existing paint color to touch up areas?
How do you safely jack up the Bambi high enough to change a tire? The wheel well is difficult to gain access to.
Where do you put the spare tire?
What towing vehicle do you use? Do you need brakes, sway bars and
mechanisms to distribute the weight more equally?
Please if you are out there check in - I think I am probably spending a lot of time trying to find answers to questions that you have already found the answer to and I would love to have your help. Thankyou.
Hello Rosemary,
I would like to make contact with Ohio Bambi '62 owners who are restoring (or have restored) their Bambi's.
Where did you find a battery to replace the original?
I imagine it is a 12V system, so any good quality RV Battery should do fine.
There are many preferences, perhaps a search on this forum will shed more light, but I just use a sealed Interstate Deep Cycle battery, and it has held up very,very well.
Were you able to find a paint that approximated the existing paint color to touch up areas?
That's a difficult question, are you talking about the outside? Should be aluminum, not paint. If your trailer was clear coated, then you best leave the job to professionals.
How do you safely jack up the Bambi high enough to change a tire? The wheel well is difficult to gain access to.
You can place a jack on the axle mounting plate, or if you have leaf springs, then right under the axle, where it intersects with the leaf spring.
Where do you put the spare tire?
Either in you tow vehicle, or on a spare tire bracket on the trailer tongue. Not on the bumper, if you can avoid it.
What towing vehicle do you use? Do you need brakes, sway bars and
mechanisms to distribute the weight more equally?
I use a late model Chevrolet Suburban with the factory tow package. Before this I used a Dodge full size van with towing essentials.( Transmission cooler, heavy duty radiator, low axle gearing, brake controller, trailer tow wiring) You definitely need brakes, most likely a light duty weight distributing hitch. It would help to know what sort of camping and travelling you want to do, and what your ideal tow vehicle would be. A 62 Bambi leaves you with many options, because it is a small and light trailer.
Please if you are out there check in - I think I am probably spending a lot of time trying to find answers to questions that you have already found the answer to and I would love to have your help. Thankyou.
Thanks for replying. My battery case is mounted on the front of the trailer behind the gas cannisters. It holds a 12v battery about 20' longx 10'deep
x about 5" wide. Not an easy size to locate - that's why I wondered if anyone had any success finding one. I would like to be able to use the container which is quite cute. Later models do not have this.
However because of its position, it makes it impossible to mount the spare tire behind the gas cannisters.
I am talking about the interior paint which is still in good condition in most areas so I would like to touch it up rather than repaint.
I have another question concerning the interior of a 62. I have three coat hooks mounted above the mirror. Does anyone know if they are likely to have been part of the original package or have they been added. If so I will take them off.
Hi Rosemary,
Now I am out of my element. Someone will surely pipe in and give you the answers you are looking for.
The battery compartment size reminds me of my forklift battery, which is very narrow and long, for some reason. I guess you'll have to throw trhge spre tire inside the tow vehicle.
Good Luck!
The interior paint is often referred to as Zolatone. There are several manufactureres of paints that are basically high quality, durable polyurethanes that are painted in a splatter pattern of multiple colors to hide blemishes. Zolatone is the best known and the "Kleenex" of the bunch. it very well may be Zolatone. You can go to http://www.zolatone.com for information. They claim to have over 50,000 colors so I suspect that would include anything they did for Airstream if they did it back then.
The paint requires special spray application. The paint was popularly used in RVs, boats, and portable biffies.
As I look forward to bringing the '62 Bambi home...
.... I can tell from the photos (it's the first trailer, marked SOLD, on www.airstreams.net) that something is not right with the fridge/range setup, and I've been assured that the range is original so perhaps I'm in the hunt for a fridge that would bring the whole thing down to counter level.
Anybody have any information? I'll be checking all the threads, the factory site & other places but so far have struck out.
I will jump in with what I know even though I do not own a Bambi. A very dear friend owns a beautiful1961 Bambi, and I have developed some familiarity with the coach.
Quote:
Where did you find a battery to replace the original?
It sounds like your coach has the original battery box which holds an agricultural battery. Unlike more recent trailers, it is not one marketed specifically for RV use. You can find these batteries at farm stores in the tractor parts area. I believe it is generally sold as a starting battery for late 1950s through early 1960s John Deere tractors among others.
Quote:
Where do you put the spare tire?
Each of the three Bambi owners that I know handle the spare in a different way. My friend's coach has a rear bumper mounted spare carrier - - this has the potential for causing a number of problems and I would not suggest this as a preferred alternative. Another has a spare tire mount that places the spare behind the LP tanks on the front hitch - - this is the arrangement that I am working toward on my Minuet. The third carries the spare in the trunk of the tow vehicle.
Quote:
What towing vehicle do you use? Do you need brakes, sway bars and mechanisms to distribute the weight more equally?
First, brakes are a mandatory feature for safety. The trailer has electric trailer brakes, and you will need to select a controller for your tow vehicle. There are numerous threads here on the Forums regarding trailer brake controller preferences - - Tekonsha Prodigy, and Jordan are the two most frequently recommended with the new product by BrakeMaster (also offered by Hensley Mfg.) receiving quite a bit of discussion. I am somewhat of a loaner with my preference for the Hayes-Lemmerz XPC brake controller with manual remote control.
Sway control as well as weight distribution are more of an individual decsion based upon what tow vehicle you use. All three of my acquaintances who have 1961-1964 Bambi or Bambi II trailers use older full-size automobiles as their tow vehicles and as such must use weight distribution - - two use friction sawy control while one just uses weight distribution. The tow vehicles include a 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoria (with factory trailer towing package), 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brogham (with factory trailer towing package), and 1990 Buick Roadmaster (with factory trailer towing package).
Your 1962 Bambi has an empty weight of 1,875 pounds with an empty hitch weight of 200 pounds with a suggested hitch height of 17.5". See Airstream Weights and Measures. This likely means that you will need something in the range of 4,000 pound trailer towing package on your tow vehicle - - each of the cars mentioned above had the 5,000 pound factory trailer towing package. There are a large number of new and late model vehicles that can be had with 4,000 pound trailer towing packages.
When loaded for a vacation the hitch weight on your Bambi will likely be in the vicinity of 400 to 450 pounds (my 3,100 pound Minuet carries a hitch weight of 550 pounds when loaded for a vacation). If you find that the hitch weight on your Bambi actually is 400 pounds or more, you could consider the premier system from Reese: Reese Strait-Line Hitch that includes dual cam sway control with weight distribution - - this is what I use with my Minuet (a bit longer and probably about the same gross weight).
Good luck with your coach!
Kevin
__________________
Kevin D. Allen WBCCI (Lifetime Member)/VAC/Free Wheelers #6359 AIR #827
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban (7400 VORTEC/4.11 Differentials)
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre/1975 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (8.2 Liter V8/2.70 Final Drive)
I have not been able to find a battery to fit that compartment. The only ones I have been able to find are 'cranking' batteries, which really aren't designed for deep cycle use, or 6V batteries that don't provide enough volts.
I am thinking about taking the battery box off and using that space for a spare tire, but I'm not happy with how the spare tire will interfere with the load equalizing chain hitches.
Good luck.
Mark is correct. They are not deep cycle but I dont think the originals were either and they are hard to find. An Interstate battery dealer can order this battery though. I posted the wrong link. It was to the 6 volt model. Here is the link to the 12 volt:
Hi Summerkid. Congratulations on your acquisition, you seem to have really found a sweet Bambi. Your Bambi is the same as mine - Ohio 62, same floorplan, same stove top which is fine and in great condition.. No oven. Fridge in place of oven. Hope it works - very hard to replace. Yours has been reupholstered and carpeted. I don't have an air conditioner. I have had to work through a lot of problems because mine had not been used for a number of years and I am still working out the problems. Battery problem solved but took it in today to have a number of things looked at - can the fridge and water heater be salvaged to begin with. Keep in touch - I would love to hear about your progress
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