brought my 63 globetrotter home today

[1963gt]

hi all,

i had to get this airstream out of the back yard it sat in for almost 25 years.
squeezed through a small garage door opening, practically on its axle, on dollies, it suffered a little damage but overall in good shape, though the axle and brakes are useless. my avatar shows it after it's first washing in that many years. theres a lot to do, but first the axle and brakes, then weather proofing. new floor and cushions (probably futons). new lpg system.
12 volt is working with new battery and 110 seems to be working. i assume one can plug in either side to get AC eletricity.
so i will be around, picking all your brains and benefitting from all your experiences. i thank you in advance.
my globetrotters name is Arthur, after the man who owned it before me.

thanks
mike

[Zeppelinium]

What do you mean "plug in either side for AC?"

Where are you?

Zep

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums, Mike. We're glad to have you with us. Congrarulations on your new baby.

[Hamb7]

Gongrats! Welcome to the forums. We are glad you are here!
Heather

[63air]

if your 63 is like mine those are outlets on the sides, your ac power cord is in the compartment by the entry door.

[05ModPod]

Congrats on your new to you 63 GT.

Ours too with a curbside gouch has the power cord, breaker box for the AC service at the door.

For those who may not know there is also a 25amp circuit breaker to the left of the battery housing for the DC service.

As you know the 63 AC DC is run independent of each other - but you can hook it up through a new Intelli or other power converter if you like.

[A-Merry-Can]

Congrats! I have a 62 here... in MUCH worse shape! HOPEFULLY not for long, though!

jp

[1963gt]

thank you all!
i did find the AC service box and it seems to work. i have a breaker box with 2 20 amp switches. there is a hum when plugged in to shore power..
i also wanted to instal a new 7 way plug and cable. when i opened the access door this fell out:

i used a 64 7 way plug diagram as a guide. the five thin red wires were unmarked, but had 1, 2, 3, or no knots tied in them to identify them.
so i connected a 12 volt power source to each wire to illuminate the respective lights. i was able to wire it correctly, but i blew the circuit breaker at the battery. not that big of a deal.. i am replacing the lp regulator and tanks. after sitting idle for 24 years, i wonder what to expect from the appliances..
i am having the axle, shocks and brakes replaced in the next week or two.
i am hoping to be ready to hit the road to big sur by mid july.
the foam upholstery is hard.. we're not ready to do the cushions yet, but i though maybe a futon mattress would work till we get the originals redone.
so much more.. the subfloor is good for now, maybe we will put laminate floor down.
those of you with 63 globetrotters are my new best friends!
as are all of you here.
i am happy to be a part of this family.
i will post more pics soon.

[campbell]

Great to hear from another owner of a 1963. We have a '63 Ambassador we are still working on and figuring out. So far we've towed it 800 miles, cleaned out a lot of mouse nests and droppings, replaced marker and tail lights, repaired the original cold water plumbing and replaced as necessary(it lacks a water heater -that's next), repaired (?) the cabinet partition between kitchen and center bed, repaired the original stove and lighting system, built a front gaucho and removable table, and are now working on a bunkbed and greywater system, and ideally a replacement toilet and refrigerator. We hope to be on the road in 3 weeks. Now if I can just find some shock absorbers . . . .
Mariel

[Lotek]

Welcome Calitrotter. I'm in LA and also have a 63 GT. If you want to compare notes on anything feel free to get in touch. Good Luck!

[koltys]

That certainly is a bit of spaghetti you discovered inside the access door! I look forward to seeing more pictures.

This weekend I am tackling some serious decay on my 1964 Globetrotter, which was not, unfortunately, ever garaged, and spent a good chunk of its life as a hunting lodge:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f155...end-32783.html


Cheers!

...Ray

[1963gt]

i had some help to get it out of a back yard in milpitas, ca.
the previous owner slid it on dollies into this back yard in 1984..
it took about seven hours..

[A-Merry-Can]

When you rewire it, be sure you check the forums for the correct wiring hookups. I did my 64, matcheds the colors, and the brakes didn't work. There's stuff on here about it. In short, the older airstreams did not use the same color codes that we all use today, so you'll need to cross a couple of wires. CHeck out this site for more info...

Marksrv.com 7 way wiring diagram page

good luck!

jp

[campbell]

Glad to hear from another owner of a '63. Our Ambassador has been keeping us busy the last couple of months. Our latest challenge is trying to seal the leaky connection between back bumper and rear frame, which causes rainwater to leak into the back end under the sink. We caught it before it got too bad - but we still haven't stopped the leak. Once we succeed, it's on to inventing a greywater system for the sinks and showers, hopefully before we take it on the road in three weeks. Fortunately, my husband likes to work under a deadline . . .

[05ModPod]

We just noticed the same bad design on our back bumper.

I would be inclined to get a new full width piece of aluminum take it to a bender put an 's' drill the rivets from the outer skin along the bottom - slide up the new piece vulkum the *&^%. Remove the bumper lid and run the s over the bumper so that any water that gets in runs into the base of the bumper compartment instead of back towards the floor. Install a grate in the bumper compartment so that the water runs out freely - not drip holes as they will just get bunged up with dirt from the road.

Seems like an easy design in my head I wonder how easy it would be to fabricate and install

[A-Merry-Can]

I hate to tell you guys... but they ALL leak! haha!

I'm picking up the trade wind today with it's new GREY TANK installed! I didn't have time to do it myself. I'm planning on doing the other 2 myself, though. Looks pretty straight-forward.

jp

[bigeasy63]

Nice looking gt! 63 overlander here. By all means use the forums. Some people in the camper biz can figure these old airstreams out, but the guys here have direct hands on experience. It may take a while but you can search out a solution for just about anything here. (Search feature is a tad sluggish). Good luck. Post lots of pics.