Modernizing Interior With What?

[troyreeb]

I purchased a gutted 68' Globetrotter thinking that it would be better because I plan to modernize the interior. I'm now wondering if that wasn't a mistake. I can't find anyone who sells modern interiors for vintage trailers. Nor can I find any info. on how I can play with the floor plan. I like the 2008 20' flying cloud layout. It looks like the window placement in my 68' may just work with the 08's interior. Any thoughts? Does anyone know who manufactures airstreams interiors and if they sell them to individuals? What about airstreams that have been totaled...where might you find these for buying interiors? Also, what is airstream using on the new interior skins, aluminum or stainless steel? If aluminum what kind and the same for steel?

Thanks for any ideas.

Troy

[BIGED52]

Troy, Although you may be able to buy interior parts for newer A/S trailers thru an Airstream dealer you will want to keep in mind that newer A/S vs. your '68 have very different interior measurements. The floor space is different from curbside to streetside and also the radius of the interior ceiling to walls will be different. Be careful as finding any type of bathroom may be harder than you would think due to the twinkie like design in the rear of the coach. Ed

[Dan@LED4RV]

Originally Posted by troyreeb

I plan to modernize the interior. Thanks for any ideas

BIDED52 is right, they are very differant. There is a differance but it is do-able. You will find that you will take it one part at a time. That is part as in,"one section of your unit at a time".

There are alot of folks do this very thing.

I had a guy ask me about the Wall Extrusion for Airstreams. This is the trim that goes on the 1/2 walls that buts up againest the trailer wall. The pictures at the link below show how it works.

A lot of folks who are doing what your doing are asking for it.



Click here to see the Wall Extrusion.

Dan

[byamcaravanner]

Originally Posted by troyreeb

I can't find anyone who sells modern interiors for vintage trailers.

Troy, there is a member of this forum that does just what you are looking for... and he is located very close to you in Orange, CA.

Area 63 Productions

His name is Uwe (oo-vay) and he does high quality work.

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by byamcaravanner

Troy, there is a member of this forum that does just what you are looking for... and he is located very close to you in Orange, CA.

Area 63 Productions

His name is Uwe (oo-vay) and he does high quality work.

Troy,

I second Steve's suggestion. Give Uwe a call and drop by for a visit to see what he is working on.

bill

[SteSpot]

You can see a lot of stuff at Uwe's. Including our nearly finished 68 Ambassador. paula

[Foiled Again]

OO-VAY is one of the most detail oriented and "thinky" people on this forum. Meet him in person if you can.... I live on the wrong coast and probably won't make long long trips until I retire. He's a great idea man, and really CAN think outside of the box - or ovide aluminum conical spherical ended trailer.

Also go to some rallys too. Seeing what others have done will inspire you on what works .... or doesn't work for you. One man's tacky is another man's treasure. If you can find the thread on Pamela Anderson's Airstream you'll see what I mean by "tacky"

Finally a lot of what Airstream does today is heavy weight. Custom building gives you the advantage of using both higher quality materials and/or curtailing the weight.

Time spent planning will never take up more than half the time or effort of undoing and redoing an ill-thought out "half vast" idea.

Paula

[troyreeb]

Wow Paula! That is going to be one amazing rig. I went through the entire year blog and can't believe how much work, detail and I'm sure expense goes into it. That is exactly how I would like to restore my 68' GT but need to do the majority myself due to cost. I need to figure out what I can do, can't do and who I can hire that will allow me to help out so I can learn something. That and having a great trailer in a year or two is really why I got into this. Well, congrats and thanks for turning me onto Uwe.

Troy Reeb

[Goin camping]

Originally Posted by troyreeb

Wow Paula! That is going to be one amazing rig. I went through the entire year blog and can't believe how much work, detail and I'm sure expense goes into it. That is exactly how I would like to restore my 68' GT but need to do the majority myself due to cost. I need to figure out what I can do, can't do and who I can hire that will allow me to help out so I can learn something. That and having a great trailer in a year or two is really why I got into this. Well, congrats and thanks for turning me onto Uwe.

Troy Reeb

Talk with Uwe. I do know he sometimes guts trailers and he may ask the owners to sell you the interior parts to use as patterns or parts for your project.

If you are new to Airstreams a trip over there for an inspection would be a wise investment. I'd hate to rebuild everything only to find out there was a problem underneath my newly installed interior.

He's worked on my '07 twice. Once to repair what an authorized Airstream service center screwed up. His shop rate was lower and you can tell the difference in the finished project between a service tech. and a craftsman.

He can also order you parts or direct you to the proper supplier.

[maccamper]

Congratulations on your "new" project, Troy. You have the opportunity to make your trailer fit your needs/wants exactly. I am about 2/3 of the way through renovating ours and even though it takes more time than you expect, if you've done your homework the results are worth it.

I would suggest that you look at several threads in the Forums about complete renovations, starting with these two:

"Contemporizing 1976 Argosy- Opinions Please" by Smokeless Joe
"Step-By-Step Shell-Off Floor Replacement" by A-Merry-Can

There is a huge amount of information in the various threads, it really is worth the time to slog through them. Enjoy the journey.

Laird

[utee94]

Maccamper is right. If you plan to do most (or at least much) of the renovation work yourself, then I consider the "Major Renovation" threads here on the Forums to be absolute must-reads. The link to the major renovations is here:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...ons-35399.html

I'd suggest bookmarking that, and read through every single one of them. Many of them are lengthy, but they will prove invaluable knowledge to you-- the kind of knowledge that usually only experience can provide.

And Uwe himself has one of those "Major Renovations" threads, perhaps the most popular of them all:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f142...ler-11687.html

Good luck!

[kennyp315]

Hey Troy, Congratulations on buying your Globetrotter. I have a '65 Globetrotter and love it. I am actually looking for another trailer a little bigger. Ewe is a great guy with lots of experience. He is a retired Mercedes mechanic. He installed my new axle a couple of years ago. You should check out Airstream Life magazine. They are devoted to vintage redo's. Mine is in the current issue Dec '08 ('65 Globetrotter Goes Hollywood). I have a friend, who is an amazing shipwright (marine finish carpenter) work with me on mine. He lives in Huntington Beach, very close to where Ewe is. I can give you his information if you would like. Very few people use stainless for anything other than bathrooms, as it is very expensive. I thought about using it. Good luck with your project. Kenny

[SteSpot]

Originally Posted by troyreeb

Wow Paula! That is going to be one amazing rig. I went through the entire year blog and can't believe how much work, detail and I'm sure expense goes into it. That is exactly how I would like to restore my 68' GT but need to do the majority myself due to cost. I need to figure out what I can do, can't do and who I can hire that will allow me to help out so I can learn something. That and having a great trailer in a year or two is really why I got into this. Well, congrats and thanks for turning me onto Uwe.

Troy Reeb

Thanks Troy, we are very excited about our trailer. One of the great things about working with Uwe is that he is very flexible and a real craftsman. You may want to do most of the work yourself but you may find certain parts are not in your skill set......and that is where Uwe can assist......please read his thread on the renovation of his own trailer.....we are so lucky to have such a valuable resource in our So Ca area......paula