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62GlobeTrot · 10-03-2019, 12:29 PM

Hello!
I have been stalking these forums for quite awhile now and thanks to all of the excellent advice contained we recently got what I feel is a good deal on a solid 1962 Globe Trotter.

We are a family of 4, daughter 9 and son 6, and we plan on towing our new baby from TN to the UP of Michigan where my folks own a cabin to the Gulf Coast of FL where we go every summer and everywhere in-between. We live beside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and are surrounded by places to explore.....AFTER I complete the renovation that is!! HA!

So, what am I going to do, well first I will say that I spent a week suffering from a terrible case of analysis paralysis but finally have a plan mapped out. The GT (Globe Trotter) as we call it has the original bathroom and kitchen as well as upper cabinets but no other furniture. We are adding truck mattress size bunks in the rear for the kids, the tiniest custom 28" shower and removing the old black tanks and toilet to add a mobile one that will live in the shower when its not in use. We are adding an outside shower that I plan on customizing with a rolled aluminum skin/shower curtain, I will share pics once it is completed IF it comes out how I am envisioning. Budget willing down the road we may add an incinerating toilet but for now we will deal with it one use at a time!

Front will see an L shaped dinette area that will convert to bed and wall opposite of kitchen is still up for debate at this time but my wife wants a desk area she can sit at so that will most likely win out.

We will gut the interior but keep the old partition walls for templates. I am replacing the subfloor and after tons of research here and elsewhere I will be going with AdvanTech subfloor, I am doing a shell on restore, I know many will beat me up on that but that is my plan for now. The bellypan is so-so and currently hanging loose in many areas so I will be replacing it. Frame looks good from what I can tell but once I get the floor and belly pan off obviously I will know more. My hopes are I can just remove any rust and then paint it with Rust-Oleum enamel paint.

Bellypan I am going to go with 5052 H32 .025. I do have damage to one section of banana wrap so I will need to address that, I have a few ideas but I also have a good friend who is an artist that owns a metal fab shop so if nothing else I will get him to fab me a new section but friend or not his time is not cheap so we will see what I can figure out.

Outside of subfloor choice one of the hottest debated topics I have found on here is insulation choices. I have decided to go with Rockwool Comfortbatt and am still debating adding Prodex to reflect heat back off when we go to FL in the summer. I will use the advice of adding sill seal to the ribs, most likely just a polystyrene roll product although there are lots of options out there.

From there I will redo all wiring and plumbing, new water tank and grey water tank. We have done full remodels on 2 homes now and I worked for a handyman in college so basic wiring and plumbing is no issue and my hobby is woodworking so the interior build-out is the easy part for me.

Anywho-long intro post, but that is what we are up to, I am sure I will be posting along the way seeking help and any and all feedback/suggestions/corrections are very welcomed!
Thanks!

Bubba L · 10-03-2019, 01:07 PM

Welcome and look forward to following your renovation thread. The 62 GT is a great trailer. You’ll have fun during the reno. Don’t throw anything away until your finished. Good luck

dbj216 · 10-03-2019, 06:49 PM

Welcome to these Airstream Forums and the vintage Airstream hobby. Many folks here have renovated old Airstreams into their pride and joy. It is a bunch of work and a bunch of money. Chances are your family will have many, many found memories of trotting around in the Globe Trotter. It is a famous Airstream model name and a tidy size for you.

My son has a 69 Globe Trotter 21'. We have done some significant work to it. The 69 was not Airstream's best effort floor layout in my view. You need to sleep four. His trailer came with a "wet bath" tucked in the street side rear corner. The whole bath is one big fiberglass drain pan with a toilet and above floor black tank. There was no grey water tank, so a portable tank is needed for grey water. Anyway, a wet bath is a way to get a small shower and a toilet in a small space. See photo...

And we built a U shaped dinette in the front of the trailer. It has a pedestal table for dinning and games, then collaspes down and makes in to a large sleeping surface. See photos. Hey, mom and dad can crash up there and the kids can sleep on single bunk beds in back.

Anyway, always fun to start designing the interior you want. I'm just showing you what we did. It will probably confuse you.

David

62GlobeTrot · 10-04-2019, 07:02 AM

Thank you for your replies, we are definitely excited to get going, my wife is heading up the interior design and layout team so I will show her the photos you included for some inspiration.

On a side note, we will be removing and not reusing the original bath tub, bathroom cabinet/sink, whole kitchen cabinet setup w/ sink, stove and oven as well as the heater which from what we have been told is one of the largest available in that model, it did come from Ohio so guessing they planned for cold camping. The interior of the oven is literally brand new, I cannot imagine it has ever been used, really impressive for something over 57 years old!

Ill get some pictures up here soon but do you have ideas as to where to post these on here for either sale or for free? Not sure if they have any value, if they are not worth much I would just give them away to a good home otherwise I would try to sell them to help in the renovation budget!
Thanks!

dbj216 · 10-04-2019, 07:18 PM

Vintage Airstream interior parts and appliances generally aren't worth much. I sold an oven to a lady who really wanted it. It was $100 plus $50 shipping. I felt I was lucky to get it gone. Shipping costs is the real issue. You might be lucky and find someone who needs these parts and lives within driving distance so they can pick them up after the deal is done.

You can post on the Classifieds in these Forums. Post in the Parts section. Plan on posting photos of what you want to sell. It is easy, and it might generate a prospect or two. You never know.

David

62GlobeTrot · 10-07-2019, 08:44 AM

Busy, busy weekend! We got a great deal of the interior removed. David, thank you for your advice, I will post this in the classifieds but I have a stove/oven, heater and kitchen counter/cabinet that I took out, all free to a good home, shipping would be $$ because it is all HEAVY but if you are close it is all yours! I have a picture of the stove included, the interior looks almost brand new, impressive for a 62!

It poured down rain most of the day while I was in there and surprisingly I found no water coming in the windows so at least ONE thing isn't leaking but based on the severe floor rot and frame rust in the front it is coming in somewhere.

I have pictures attached but the previous owner had a table opposite the kitchen which they both screwed and GLUED to the wall, like some serious glue, we are not talking Elmers craft glue here. I used a sturdy paint scraper and a hammer to break it free with little to no damage to the internal skin, now I just have to get all the glue residue off. I am going to try a few solvents to see what works but I am open to any suggestions.

The PO was fond of glue I have found as well as finish nails, they actually shot finish nails into the interior skins to attach wood blocking under the kitchen cabinet.

I got the kitchen cabinet out as well which included the giant heavy heater and found one major leak source which was the heater vent, you can see where water has been running down the wall staining the aluminum and pooling underneath.

I cut into the closet wall to get it out easier without damaging the curve so that I could use it as a template and was surprised to find it was made of cedar and was still very aromatic!

As pictures show I found lots of floor rot up front, all the way thru in fact, some looking at air others bellypan. Also found a metal for sale sign used as a patch, very nice!

You will also note that the front cross member on the tongue was hidden behind a piece of metal and when I pulled it back I discovered it was 100% rusted out, really afraid of what we will find moving forward but I already have someone lined up to handle frame repair, just hope I do not find anything that cannot be repaired.

Today is the rear of the GT's turn, bathroom, tub, hot water heater, black and grey tanks....it all has to go!!! Too wet to get underneath it today and mess with belly pan and I think the bathroom will eat up the time I have to give today anyway but we are making progress. I ordered about $800 worth of stuff from Vintage Trailer Supply, Airstream, Out of Doors Mart and ATS that should be arriving in the next day or two so that is exciting. I found different sites offered better prices on different items.

Got a quote on the Axle from Inland RV, $1253, but that is for the Axle, shocks, balancers, install kit and shipping, here it is:

0607 Complete axle 3.5k rating, 12" S.A elec brakes, 6 on 5.5$845.00
Airstream Axle Shock$85.00
($42.50 ea.) × 2
Airstream Axle Shock for Dexter torsion axles. OEM Airstream Axle Shock compatable with all Airstream trailers. This proprietary shock is made specifically for Airstream Trailers by Gabriel. Airstream axle shocks can be installed horizontally or vertically with torsion axles. Airstream converted from a vertical bracket in the late 60's to a horizontal bracket orientation which requires some trailers built from 1968 and down to modify the shock bracket location on the chassis. Dampering Distance: 9.38" - 14.46"  
Airstream Axle Shock
30050 Axle hardware kit$10.00
Airstream Axle Shock Bracket Set$84.00
Airstream Axle Shock Bracket Set (Left & right) and includes a pre-welded shock stud. These brackets are machined from steel to be welded directly onto your Axle Torsion arm. Welding directly to the torsion arm does not harm the interior working of your torsion axle. See more about how to install shock brackets here. Part# 12400 & 12410
Airstream Axle Shock Bracket Set
13150 centrmatic wheel balancer$137.90
($68.95 ea.) × 2
Freight- commercial address$175.00
Discount-$84.00
Subtotal$1,252.90

Anywho, I will keep updating for anyone interested!
Nick

Aerowood · 10-07-2019, 09:35 AM

Axle price seems high, see if you have a “Redneck Trailer Supply” in you area, they are Dexter axle suppliers and shipping is free if you pick up at one of there stores. Measuring the axle is easy. I cut the shock mounts off of original axle and welded on new. My axle came with all new brakes etc. and I think I paid around 525.00 for my 71 GT, but that was a few years ago. I’m sure the price has gone up.

dbj216 · 10-07-2019, 06:42 PM

Hi 62 Globetrot: Your trailer may be the first year of the "Dura Torque" axles, now called "Flex Torque" since Dexter make them. I paid about 800 an axle for mine, including shocks. My supplier insured my axle mounting brackets were welded in the correct place, and the shock mounts were correct. This helped me not worry about major rework when the axles are received. Dexter does not accept returns on special order axles. You measure, you fill out the order form, you pay them, and case closed.

Thanks for the pics. Yep, you got a project going for sure. I might recommend you start a "project thread" in the Airstream Knowledgebase" found toward the bottom of the Forums page. Click on Globetrotter, then your year range and start a "blog" of sorts. These project threads work well as people interested in your globetrotter or interested in 62 Airstreams, or interested in watching another enthusiast work away will generally chime in to answer your questions or give tons of free advice. Aerowood's project thread on his Globetrotter is a classic and well worth the read. It is much fun and very educational. That guy can do anything. My project thread is linked below. I struggle with most everything. But these Forums have bailed me out more than once.

David

66Overlander · 10-10-2019, 09:18 PM

Hi 62GlobeTrot,
I am interested in the stove from your 1962 Globetrotter to replace the rusty original stove in my 1962 Safari. Yours would be an exact drop in replacement. Perfect to keep my Safari looking original.

I might be interested in other parts like the kitchen faucet, if original and in good condition

I can travel to Tennessee on short notice to pick things up if we can work out a deal. I have sent you a Private Message with a more detailed response and my contact information (email & phone #). I look forward to hearing back from you. Thanks in advance!