My son's 1960 Overlander Restoration

[Lothlorian]

I will pick up the 1960 Overlander This Sunday. I want to get it early Sunday when there isn't much traffic on the road. This will be my son's Airstream and oh boy is he excited. I am bringing in young folks into the streaming. His friends are hooked and looking on Craiglist and dreaming. You got to bring in the young people to keep it going.

I will be posting pictures and asking a million questions just like I did for my Overlander 1973. The forums have been great. I told my son to sign up on the forums, but he kind of thinks this my territory.

I have already figured out what fans I am going to put in, and I am searching for a good converter at a reasonable price. I have already found a good furnace for sale, and other things.

I am looking for a manual so I can see how big the black tank is and what the dimensions are. I think I read it is only 12 gallons. So I will be doing some creative thinking and planning.

This Sunday I should have my pictures posted of the trailer.

Brian

[nmbosa]

Subscribing - and looking forward to the pics.

[Roadrunner]

It's great to hear that your son is following in your "Airstream Footsteps". You are right about our young generation carrying on the Airstream tradition. My 20 year old son spent the summer polishing our "78" Ambassador. This gave us time together but also gave him the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of his labor. His reward for his hard work...the "78" will be his someday. Anxious to see pictures of your Overlander.

Bob
TAC PA-5
WBCCI 4871

[mello mike]

Looking forward to seeing your pics, Brian.

[Kevin245]

It is good to hear that you'll be working on the 60 together and that he has a "Stake" in the process.

A photo record from "Pick up to the first Camping Trip" would be good for you both to reflect on later, plus it will let us follow along.

Best of luck,

Kevin

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Brian, I wish my Dad had done something like this with me. I do not want to rain on your campfire but there are a few things I know for sure need to be addressed sight unseen. If you want to talk off line, feel free to give me a ring on my phone( number is on my website or FTW blog).

[Lothlorian]

Frank:

I really want to talk with you about this new rig. I was like a little kid in a candy store when I saw it. E-mail me your number and I will give you a call tonight if that is OK. I cannot use the phone at work because I don't have any down time.

Thanks a bunch!!!!!!! I really want to get my son involved because what he will learn and the people he will meet. He is a good kid and so are his buddies. My dad was a great guy but he did not get to involved with me. I have always been very independent and followed my own path. Glad I did

Brian

[flyfshr]

What a great way to have some father & son bonding time and for him to learn. He should treasure this time and I want to thank you for providing this wonderful experience for him. I would have loved to spent some time on a project of this magnitude with my dad.

I'm looking forward to he pictures and following along on your adventures.

Brad
FF

[utee94]

Very cool, as you might suspect this is my favorite era of Overlander, the 58-63s really speak to me.

It will be quite similar to Frank's 62, so his blog will be a great resource for you. It will also be similar to Uwe's 63, so his thread might provide a lot of insight as well.

Good luck, you and your son will build memories you'll cherish forever.

-Marcus

[Lothlorian]

Now those guys did it from the ground up. I will not be doing the full Monte. My goal is to add a fresh water tank and put it in one of the twin areas. and maybe get a bigger black tank and put some of it in the closet.
Electrical? does it have A.C. and D.C. wires running to it? I am not wanting to take the inner walls out. What do you suggest? I want to put a converter in and set it up like my 73 overlander. How is the wiring?

Brian

[nmbosa]

Originally Posted by Lothlorian

Now those guys did it from the ground up. I will not be doing the full Monte. My goal is to add a fresh water tank and put it in one of the twin areas. and maybe get a bigger black tank and put some of it in the closet.
Electrical? does it have A.C. and D.C. wires running to it? I am not wanting to take the inner walls out. What do you suggest? I want to put a converter in and set it up like my 73 overlander. How is the wiring?

Brian

Brian, I think your son's '60 Overlander is likely very similar to my '59. But a lot depends on which factory built it and the model level (as well as custom features). You should be able to figure out the wiring quickly once you pick it up. If all your lights have two bulbs with independent switches, it probably has both 110v and 12v sytems wired independently with the exception of a few items (fans, furnace) that have a switch to run on either battery or city power. These older models did not have converters. I've seen pics of a lot of '58, '59 and '60 Overlanders and Ambassadors with dual voltage systems exactly like mine (including Tim Sheppard's Ambassador and Someday59's Overlander).

My Ohio built trailer's wiring was in pretty good shape when I pulled it out. Everything was still working and the connections were all tight (no loose wire nuts etc.). The junctions were all done nicely with wire nuts covered in heat shrunk black plastic. That being said, all the wiring was butterfly junctioned within the walls with no junction boxes. If something is loose, it will ground out against the skin and there is no way to repair the loose connection without pulling the walls down. I have lots of pictures of my original wiring, so I might be able to help with trouble shooting if you run into problems.

Norm

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Brian, You have been given some great blog links to read. You will see a VERY common theme to all of them in reading. Not to beat around the bush but,
I can 99.8% guarantee you the trailer has the following issues:
The back 4" of plywood is rotten.
The axles are shot.
The frame has a deteriorated rear cross member.
The propane lines have black tar like fluid in the low points.
The insulation has the presents left by four legged residents.
The furnace should never be tested.

I can almost guarantee you the following:
The plywood is rotten under the curb side step/ window.
The plywood is rotten under the street side front window.
The electrical is in very good shape unless some one has touched it.

I will bet you a steak dinner, I am 100% on the mark of every point I made.
I am not trying to scare you, mock you, or shock you. I am being honest and direct. I make those claims because they are all suffering from these issues of this era, and I know it sight unseen.

[Lothlorian]

Frank:

Thanks for the information. Would this be true if was barn stored? I will be ripping the bathroom apart first thing and if it is rotted I will fix it. I used nyloboard in my 73 overlander bathroom. and I have some left. I know I have my work cut out for my son and I but it will get done. I don't have the time to do a full monte. When I retire and move to my property where I constructed a huge barn I will then be able to do a full monte. You guys will be hearing from me as I work on it.

Brian

[mello mike]

Wow, Frank. I normally agree with your posts, but you couldn't be more wrong about your list. In the desert Southwest, you can almost guarantee you won't have most of the items on your list. That's one reason why I really advocate buying a vintage trailer which lived most of its life in the desert. Here's how I graded out on my new '58 Overlander:

The back 4" of plywood is rotten. Nope
The axles are shot. No, but I replaced them anyhow.
The frame has a deteriorated rear cross member. Nope
The propane lines have black tar like fluid in the low points. Nope
The insulation has the presents left by four legged residents. None so far.
The furnace should never be tested. Haven't tried yet.

I can almost guarantee you the following:
The plywood is rotten under the curb side step/ window. Yes, I have a small soft spot by the door which may require a scab.
The plywood is rotten under the street side front window. Nope
The electrical is in very good shape unless some one has touched it. Electrical is in perfect condition so far, but I'm still in the process of inspection.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Mike you are very lucky.
Disregard everything I said, and do not read the experience of people where it actually rains. I owe you a steak dinner Brian.

[Lothlorian]

Well when I get into it I will find out. It won't be until I get some of the Honey dew list completed first. I promised the wifethe house projects would get done before the trailer and she is holding me to it!!!!

Brian

[Lothlorian]

Frank:

I ate one of your cooked steaks in Plymouth N.Y. It was mighty good. To be honest one of my dreams when I move to the property in Southern Illinois is to have a TAC Kick it out Airstream extravaganza. You can help me cook steaks then. Oh yeah my property butts up to a winery and yeah they have some good vino. Nice folks own it.

Brian

[utee94]

It certainly depends on where your trailer lived previously and how it was stored, but the back 4' issue on rear-bath Overlanders of this vintage has little to do with rain and much to do with the bath itself. My back 4' were rotted out under the tub, under the vanity, and under the throne-- in other words, everywhere that had freshwater supply lines and drains running, and leaking, for 46 years. If yours didn't have that issue, count yourself lucky and thank whatever deities or ancestors or cosmos or nothingness you hold dear, because you are the exception.

Anyway...

My electrical is in great shape. Like Frank said, unless someone has really messed with it, you're okay. If you have the dual-wiring (and I'm guessing you do, I think that was normal through 63 and they introduced the Univolt converters in 64), then you can easily install the converter/charger of your choice and it will effectively "bridge" the two systems. Then you can use your 12VDC or your 110VAC systems together or independently, as you like. I can't really recommend a specific converter/charger, as mine has an old but not original Univolt that Terry installed in it, and it works just fine for now. I'll eventually replace it so please do share your experience.

And, I forgot to link Norm's blog/thread on his lovely 58, but it's also a great resource!

-Marcus

[nmbosa]

The desert Southwest probably helps a bit, but my trailer spent it's entire life in north eastern San Diego County and it had just as much rot as the next trailer (in exactly the areas Frank identified above). Plus, my trailer had been horribly infested with termites. In addition, the constant sun had destroyed every plastic item on the exterior of the trailer. The upside, however, was that my trailer had absolutely no rust on the frame. I'm sure there are a few original trailers out there with little or no rot, but it's sort of like winning the lottery.

That doesn't mean you have to do a full restoration. Many of the bad areas in my floor were in out of the way locations that could have been ignored for a while (like behind and under the stove where I would not have seen it but for the full restoration), or in areas that could have been repaired. I just couldn't stand the thought of sleeping in a vehicle that was in the process of being eaten.

Norm

[Lothlorian]

Norm:

I used nyloboard on my other trailer in the bathroom and patch work in other spots (awesome stuff). I also used a high end wood rot product which makes it as hard as concrete. That stuff works great (thanks to pizzachop). I also used fiberglass over some questionable areas . When it was all done I used a water resistance wood protection stain. When that was all done I put discontinued laminate flooring in with the cushion insulation backing. It has been about three years and my 73 Overlanders is doing great.

Here is what I did last time.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...ion-38204.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...n-38204-5.html

If I did it once I can do it again. I am ready.

Brian