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Old 06-14-2010, 10:29 AM   #1
2 Rivet Member
 
1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
'68 Globetrotter project

I'm starting the renovation of my 'new to me' 68 Globetrotter.

The trailer has been gutted and I'm planning a full monty upgrade. So far I've only removed the few remaining bulkhead pieces, the extremely heavy non-stock bench and a semi-liquid mouse that was doing nothing for the interior air quality!

My plan is to drop the belly pan, remove the 1" plywood floor that has been installed on top of the original floor...more weight...and remove the interior skin so I can see what I have.

I of course have a lot of questions but the current most pressing are:

Does anyone have replacement glass for these two Corning windows -curbside forward of door and one streetside?

Can the dent in the two rear endcap panels be pushed out and repaired or should these be replaced?

Is it reasonable to replace only the top half of the curbside upper panel? I'm thinking it could be cut in line with the endcap seams and the top part with all the vent holes and awning channel replaced without getting into the window and door openings.

I wouldn't have started this project without this forum. Thanks in advance for your help!
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Old 06-26-2010, 01:01 PM   #2
RGates
 
Randy Gates's Avatar
 
1968 20' Globetrotter
Thousand Oaks , California
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 124
Response for glass needs

Sounds like you have your hands full, I am refurbishing my own "new to me" 1968 Globetrotter. I currently have no front or rear window glass-Metal edge frames will be available in the spring through Vintage trailer supply. You cazn get your glass from Inland RV, check out a guy out here in California called thge Polishing Guru-good source for tough parts. Hope this helps. Anything else just yell we are all learning.
Randy Gates
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Old 06-26-2010, 02:23 PM   #3
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1968 24' Tradewind
Oxford, , Mississippi
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,564
Welcome to the forums.
Inland RV has the glass, is ain't cheap, but it is well worth it. I replace all 4 curved windows in my Trade Wind. When you get to the point of replacing I can give you some tips that will save you time.
As far as I know, the end caps are not available. There was an end cap in the classifieds a while ago but you would have to check. Your dent does not look bad. My Trade Wind had a pretty bad dent on both sides in the rear (someone backed in under a too short shed or garage). What you will have to do is remove the fiberglass interior cap. It is not too hard to remove but it is a bear to get back in place. After removing it you will be able to push the dents out from the inside. A couple of cautions. Aluminum does not work like sheet metal. A big dent may push out but if there are creases then it becomes tricky. Aluminum is harder than sheet metal and you must be very careful not to do more damage than is already there. I tried several methods ( all from info on the forum) but the best results were from working the skin VERY VERY carefully with a body hammer and dolly. It is very easy to stretch the skin so take your time. You will need another person to hold the dolly so coordination is key. You will leave tell tale marks on the outside, but it was much better than the dent and crease I had.
Before you put the fiberglass interior back up, get some auto body seam sealer or you can use vulkem and seal all the seams on the inside. Pay attention to just above the rear window where all the panels attach to the window frame and also down the sides of the window frame and around the hatch. I worked for days sealing everything I could from the outside and still had leaks, when I pulled the interior back down and sealed the inside every thing is dry. No sense in working to redo one if you haven't fixed all the leaks.
Finally, if it were mine, I replace the complete side panel. You will have the lower interior walls off to get to the floor bolts anyway so why not fix it right. Better to do it right the first time.
You might want to check out TomW's web site on his 67 restoration, a wealth of info on our era trailers. 1967 Airstream Overlander

Another thought, if you do remove the interior you may want to consider rewiring with copper wire. My 68 had aluminum.


Bruce
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Old 06-26-2010, 04:31 PM   #4
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1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
Thanks Guys! The end cap is still in the classifieds, but I haven't heard back from the poster Kevin Barnes. I hope he still checks the forum.

I'm leaving Monday to spend two weeks working on the trailer...removing the inner skin, belly pan and extra floor ply so I can see what the original floor and frame are like. My fingers are crossed!

Ian
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Old 09-09-2010, 03:56 PM   #5
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1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
Progress!

A few changes since my last post.

I installed a new frig vent (of course it couldn't be the same size) , patched some roof holes and learned about olympic rivets and clecos.

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I got the shell braced, lifted and the frame rolled out.

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Then the fun began...spray foam! There have been lots of posts and I now have first hand knowledge. Yes, it does stick to everything. No, it doesn't appear to break down...though I have no idea how long it has been there. And yes, it does trap water that comes from above....though in this case it was from pressure washing the inside of the shell, so it was a lot of water.

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Then came the big surprise. The PO must have hit something at high speed with the outriggers on the axle that are meant to support the trailer in case of a blowout. The torque on the axle bent the frame on one side and broke it on the other.

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While waiting for the welder to have a free day, I cut the new floor ply and epoxied the edges and put two coats of oil base paint on the underside.

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Old 09-09-2010, 04:13 PM   #6
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1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
More progress

I got the frame cleaned up and towed it to the welder so he could remove the PO's patches and do a proper repair. The old patch was out of alignment by and inch up and down!
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He also repaired some minor rust areas replaced a couple of outriggers and fabricated mounts for the grey and fresh water tanks and installed the new Dexter disc brake axle.

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I got the trailer home again and spent a day brushing on a coat of Rust-grip encapsulating paint. I was really impressed with this product and it was way easier to get than POR.

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A few more days saw the shell back on the new floor.

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Nice to be able to walk around inside again! I finished installing all new LED exterior lights.

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Today I ordered the new aluminum for the replacement of the street-side outer skin and for the new interior.

Not a bad summer!
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Old 09-09-2010, 04:46 PM   #7
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1959 24' Tradewind
Roseville , Minnesota
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 16
Spectacular

Most impressive.One question for you, did you leave the axle safeties inplace or did you pitch them?
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Old 09-09-2010, 04:49 PM   #8
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1967 24' Tradewind
Greenville , South Carolina
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Wow! You are making huge progress making me feel soooo slow. Where'd you get that fridge vent? Looks much more substantial than my stock vent.
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Old 09-10-2010, 09:48 AM   #9
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1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
I left the axle safeties on the old axle. It is in the back of my truck to go to the scrap yard. I decided I'd like to keep maximum ground clearance and the chance of a blowout is much less with tubeless tires.

Silverhoot...I bought the frig vent used from the classifieds in this forum. I think it was from an early 70's trailer.

Ian
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Old 10-24-2010, 05:23 PM   #10
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1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
The next step

The aluminum arrived from Aircraft Spruce so I got the old skin off, bent ribs repaired and new skin installed.

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All that called for an adult beverage! (or two)

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I've insulated the interior with two layers of double foil/ double bubble insulation and now I'm on to the endcaps. This is the second set of templates. I used the first set, made from taped-in-place paper (a nightmare!), to cut these masonite ones. With the adjustments from the masonite set, I've cut the 1/8" walnut ply.

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Old 10-25-2010, 09:11 AM   #11
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1965 22' Safari
Salt Lake City , Utah
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 114
Images: 3
Ian, great job on your restoration!
Looks like you will have a very nice solid trailer when you are finished.

Are you installing the new skin with "bucked" rivets or "olympic" rivets; how is that going?

You mentioned that "I've cut the 1/8" walnut ply" for the end cap. Is that going over aluminum, the original end cap or directly onto the ribs?
Seems like I read somewhere on the forum that thin plywood wall covering like that doesn't provide the same level of structural support to the body as the original inner skin. You might check on that with others on the forum, before you get too much further along.

I had those stupid "axle safeties" on my '65 Safari, one had been twisted around the axle (right side of photo, deformed "U" bolt) the other was badly bent. Luckily, I had no accompanying frame damage and the axle is history anyway.
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My advice to anyone that has those "axle safeties" is to get rid of them!
If you have a flat, the trailer is far better off rolling along on the rim than skidding on those "safeties". If you loose the wheel, you are probably "up the creek" with or without them.
BWH
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Old 10-25-2010, 09:29 AM   #12
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1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
Thanks BWH.

I used Olympics to replace the skin...I did the work by myself, so bucking rivets would have been tricky

I think I have read every post about wood end caps from Carlos Ferguson's to date. There have been concerns about structure, but I haven't seen anyone who has done the conversion report any problems. I'm going with the try it and see approach...if a problem develops, I'll deal with it. Given the structural state of the trailer when I started, I know it is getting better!

Amen to the axle safties...get rid of those things!

Ian
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Old 09-21-2012, 02:45 PM   #13
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1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
Back to the project

After moving and a year of home renovation, I'm finally back to the GT! Front and rear banana wraps are done, Fantastic fans are in, rough wiring is complete and the insulation is done. Starting on the inner shell.


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Old 09-21-2012, 10:35 PM   #14
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1958 22' Flying Cloud
Folsom , California
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I never get tired of seeing end caps done like this. Beautiful.
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Old 01-02-2014, 10:36 AM   #15
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1968 20' Globetrotter
Kelowna , British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 79
Done!

I've been feeling guilty about leaving this thread unfinished, so here's the end. The new aluminum inner shell was templated from the original pieces. I used the old panels for the new belly pan.
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At that point, I towed the trailer to my shop and started on the interior. Lots of wiring , plumbing and building cabinets to fit all those pesky curves!
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Cork flooring, solar panel and professional upholstery and we were ready to go to the Vintage rally in Wenatchee.
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Of course there is always more....a Zip-Dee to come and polish, polish, polish but it turned into a very comfortable trailer and it was a fun and challenging project.

Thanks for this forum and all the great info and support!
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