'69 Travelux in Eastern Ontario

[Galavanters]

Hi, people.

My wife and I are both nearing retirement, and wanted something interesting to tour around the country in. We just towed home a 1969 Travelux Galavanter, a 23 foot Canadian Made, riveted aircraft aluminum beauty. A nice feature was that it came with all the original paperwork... order sheets, option lists, manuals for stove, fridge, heater, toilet... even some original advertising post cards and brochures. It also came with a letter to the new owner from the Travelux company (located at that time just north of Toronto) thanking the buyer for his patriotic purchase of a Canadian machine. One of my favorite lines in the letter goes like this:

"A Travelux is not an ordinary travel trailer; each coach is built by aircraft craftsman- to the same rigid standards as the modern aircraft factory."

Most of the interior is in great shape, and everything works(though the water heater needs a new burner, which I've ordered), so our plan is to do a VERY gentle restoration, and leave it with as much of the character of the "summer of love" as practicality allows.

Wish us luck! We'll provide more pictures as we prepare her for her first big trip this summer, when we'll visit our daughter in Saskatchewan.

Jim and Jen.

[Aage]

Lovely trailer you've got yourselves there! Not sure about the horns on the front, but à chaqu'un son goût, as they say.

Welcome to the Forums! We want to see lots more photos as you rebuild your lovely Travelux!

[Airslide]

I actually love the horns.. dont change it :-)

[slowmover]

Yeah, don't lose the steer horns. A great way to impale one of those irritating pink flamingos. Might have to do that myself come to think of it.

And make a stop at CAN AM RV before heading to Sas-scratchy-wan to have those folks dial in your hitch rigging. Money in the bank, that.

Congrats on what appears to be a fine choice!!

More pics and stories as you choose to share them, please.

.

[Evalu8r]

Very Nice, Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to seeing more.

[travelux1969]

hello, i have a 1969 travelux. interior is slightly different than in your photos. do you still have the manuals for the stove, fridge, heater and toilet? i would love to get scans of them or photo copies, would pay for such, of course. regards, gerry

[Aage]

Hi there up in the Soo!

All the appliances you mentioned were of course, made by third party suppliers, and IIRC, all that the trailer manufacturers did back then was to take a fistful of the manuals and toss them into a clear plastic bag. Manuals that were for the complete trailer, at least for Airstream ones, were just beginning to appear in those days, and I don't think you will find one that really gets into the appliances.

However, if you look in Google, you should be able to find the old manuals for your appliances.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the stove and furnace are not recommended to be used any more, since they are VERY likely to have become completely rusted out inside. Replace them, as you would have done long ago with that type of item if it were in your house. Safety first!

The refers (refrigerators) can sometimes be rescued by replacing their innards, which are sold online by a few companies who re-manufacture them, and work on an exchange basis to get your old innards.

Doubtful if one made for a '69 trailer is still available, though. Here is one such company: www.rvcoolingunit.com

Finally, today, as it was back in the '60s, Dometic was one of the few trailer toilet suppliers, so buzz around their website a bit to see what you can discover.

Best of luck with your project, and keep asking questions: there is a TON of excellent information available here!

Aage in Ottawa

[gehrhardt]

I have the manuals for the stove, heater and various other appliances (including the Travelux's owner's manual) for my 1973 President Elite.

They may not be the same as yours, but as mentioned above, they are all third party made.

[travelux1969]

Originally Posted by gehrhardt

I have the manuals for the stove, heater and various other appliances (including the Travelux's owner's manual) for my 1973 President Elite.

They may not be the same as yours, but as mentioned above, they are all third party made.

my stove is "midland enterprises" made by Greg Lund products, and my furnace (heater) is a duotherm 62501-9. would your manuals be for those? if so i would like to get a scan copy from you, as i have been unable to find any info on the world weird web yet.

my toilet is porcelain, and not plastic, and works just fine, but would like to know more about its construction for the day that i may have issues with the dump mechanism.

if you are willing to share info please send me an email rhodes"at"vianet.ca

[travelux1969]

[QUOTE=Aage;1736796]Hi there up in the Soo!

" The bad news is that the stove and furnace are not recommended to be used any more, since they are VERY likely to have become completely rusted out inside. Replace them, as you would have done long ago with that type of item if it were in your house. Safety first!"

i did pull the furnace and stove out completely and go over them looking for rustout and other issues. found none. i have a healthy respect for propane and the very terrible consequences of faulty appliances. for that reason i ensure i cannot smell any propane around my trailer, whatsoever, as that means a leak, and when we camp i have a CO gas monitor inside the trailer.

other than the hot water heater and kelsey hayes brakes, i have not located any other manuals. the fridge was replaced years ago, and is no longer the original model, but is now a slightly shorter dometic.

[gehrhardt]

I have taken the heater out and I think I will be replacing it. It has a lot of surface rust in the internals, so I'd rather not risk it. The stove is shot for sure and it's going to the trash heap.

I've decided to strip the interior completely, since I have found a lot of rot in the floors. I had to rip the floor out from the front all the way back to the bedroom wall anyway, so why not be 100% sure it's solid? While I'm at it, I can deal with some small frame repairs and cover it all in rust paint.

As for the manuals, I'll see what I can find. The total gutting is underway, and things are getting a little cluttered in my garage at the moment.

[travelux1969]

Originally Posted by gehrhardt

I have taken the heater out and I think I will be replacing it. It has a lot of surface rust in the internals, so I'd rather not risk it. The stove is shot for sure and it's going to the trash heap.

I've decided to strip the interior completely, since I have found a lot of rot in the floors. I had to rip the floor out from the front all the way back to the bedroom wall anyway, so why not be 100% sure it's solid? While I'm at it, I can deal with some small frame repairs and cover it all in rust paint.

As for the manuals, I'll see what I can find. The total gutting is underway, and things are getting a little cluttered in my garage at the moment.

one thing i believe contributes greatly to the rot in floors and frames, is the fiberglass insulation in the frame cavities acting like a sponge and retaining leakage water. the damp then is trapped between the aluminum underskin of the trailer and the vinyl flooring creating ideal conditions for rot. when i repaired my floor i left that crap out. when i removed it, i was lifting sopping wet insulation out, and it had not rained for many days. of course i hunted down all locations i thought were leaking and used a good sealant on them (TremPro)

does your stove still have the oven burner in it, and does it look like the photo attached? if so i could use it

[gehrhardt]

Originally Posted by travelux1969

does your stove still have the oven burner in it, and does it look like the photo attached? if so i could use it

It does, and I just removed the stove last night. The oven itself is pretty rusty, so it is no good. I'm not sure what sort of shape the burner is in either, as I was more concerned in removing the whole thing. I'll take another look tonight and let you know.

[gehrhardt]

Sorry travelux1969, the burner in the oven is rusted through.

I'm going to scan the relevant manuals I have (owner's manual with control panel description and the heater) sometime later this week, or when I get a chance. The other manuals I have are for the fridge and toilet, which are not original to the camper anyway.

[Juliec]

gehrhardt, how is the Reno going and have you found a need and a way to remove the windows? Also, did you remove the body to replace the floor. If so, how did you do it! The plywood has been removed and the frame is pretty rusted. I need to get is sandblasted and repainted. Would love to get your advice.

[Juliec]

Galavanters, your inside looks like mine. Did you have a rear bathroom and was there a hamper as parted of your counter? Are sure about the year of your Travelux?

[gehrhardt]

Originally Posted by Juliec

gehrhardt, how is the Reno going and have you found a need and a way to remove the windows? Also, did you remove the body to replace the floor. If so, how did you do it! The plywood has been removed and the frame is pretty rusted. I need to get is sandblasted and repainted. Would love to get your advice.

I haven't really had much time to work on the Travelux since last fall. With two teenagers in the house, there is a lot of running around that needs to get done.

I just replaced the copper propane lines in my 1975 Cygnet, so that is one less thing I need to get done before tackling the Travelux again.

The plan is to start back on it in the next week or so.

Currently, it is gutted except for a small piece of flooring at the back in the bathroom. The black tank is out and is still in good shape, thankfully. There is still a bit of aluminum on the inside, near the bottom of the walls. Getting the wheel well covers off will allow me to get those off as well.

As for the frame, I haven't done much to it yet. I didn't want to be sanding it in a closed garage over the winter. Now that it is summer, I can open the doors to let the dust out.

I am planning on cleaning the frame up a bit and then I will get a friend of mine to fix a couple of rough spots on the frame, as he is a master with a welder.

I don't need to remove the windows. They seem to be quite solid and there is no evidence of leakage, now that I have the inside skin mostly off.