Remove 2019 GT Lounge Seat

[Omnial]

Hi,

Does anyone have experience removing the lounge seating on the newer 27 ft Globetrotters? I'd like to remove, shorten and reinstall the seat back to create a 24-27" space to the left of the fridge. I'd install a custom bar in that spot.

Ideally all I have to do is remove the seat back assembly, shorten it and then reinstall it to align with the rounded seat cushion (second picture), creating a space for the addition of a bar cabinet on top of the existing bench.

I'm not interested in messing with the bench itself as the wheel well, furnace ducting, LP hose, wires, etc. run under there.

Thanks, all!

Alex.

[gt0553b]

I had warrantee work done in that area of my 2020. Special tool was needed.

See, https://www.airforums.com/forums/f54...ml#post2547289

[VeloBuckeye]

Omnial,

I did the same concept as you're looking into, but in a 2018 Flying Cloud 27. Same basic seating/bench layout, but I didn't have the curved back and seat cushions the GT has. Probably was easier than the GT as all I did was remove the seat cushion and shortened the back cushions. Built my bar cabinet to fit this space and mounted directly on top on the bench platform (and to the wall). I lost the ability of the pull-out bench for sleeping but that wasn't a concern. Opted for one big cabinet drawer with a divider and placed styrofoam bottle shippers on one side to protect my liquid assets. We use the other side for food, etc. A real game changer as the original area was wasted space in our opinion. Acquired the matching laminate and drawer handles to look original.
Hope that helps.

[Omnial]

Hi,

Earlier I asked for guidance on how to remove the GT lounge seat.

I've completed the removal and wanted to share how I did it.

1. Pry the right hand side of the seat back away from the panel that the television is mounted on. The seat back is secured to the panel with 4 'Christmas tree' clips. I used a pry bar wrapped in a cloth. If you pull back the seat back away from the panel you can see the clips. Slide your pry bar close to the clip and apply gentle but firm pressure to pop the clip out of the panel.

2. Once all 4 clips are loose you should be able to pull the seat back assembly horizontally towards your self a few inches. This should allow you pop the wood shelf up and off of the assembly from underneath. The shelf is brad nailed into the seat back and a nailing strip that is screwed to outer wall of the trailer.

3. The far left side of the seat back assembly is screwed horizontally into the seat back assembly of the dinette seat. Unfortunately it is screwed in from the other side so you can't unscrew it. I inserted a hack saw blade between the two assembly vertical segments and cut the screw. Use gloves. It's not difficult, just take a bit of patience.

4. There is a screw that anchors the bottom of the seat back assembly to the bench top near the left hand side of the assembly. You should be able to reach it to back the screw out.

See pictures attached.

I did this to shorten the lounge seat and make room for a bar. I'll post that project separately once I'm done.

Best!

[Sherritoo22]

How did the sectional shortening finish up? Want to do the same and install a cabinet under the TV set in GT. Thanks

[jondrew55]

Yes, please post the finished product. I've thought about this.

[Omnial]

Here are a few more progress pictures from last fall.

I removed the staples holding the fabric to the seat back and peeled it back. I didn't want to cut it in case I changed my mind and wanted to revert to the original setup.

The excess fabric has been folded up and placed behind the remaining seat back.

I cut and removed the foam from the wood backing and then cut the wood seat back, being careful so it could all be reassembled if needed.

[Omnial]

After cutting the lounge in half I reassembled the remaining section.

The pictures show the 'dry fit' (nothing attached yet) as well as the 'shell' of the cabinet I'm installing.

I did all of this work last fall and have since put the trailer away for winter. Next month I'll retrieve it from storage and finish up the project.

The cabinet will have a drawer on the right side and and small wine fridge on the left side. There will be an illuminated glass bar top to finish it off.

To power the wine fridge I've installed a victron inverter and run the wires to the 12V fuse panel under the fridge.

I'll post more pics when I'm finished.

[Hans627]

It looks great. Well done!

Are you happy with the outcome?

[Sherritoo22]

Looks like a 24 in cut will keep the cushions tightly together. The cushions seem oversized and mash together to stay tight in the original length.
Thank you for this post. It’s extremely helpful.

[Omnial]

Originally Posted by Hans627

It looks great. Well done!

Are you happy with the outcome?

So far, yes.

I'll give the final verdict when I complete the project.

[Omnial]

Originally Posted by Sherritoo22

Looks like a 24 in cut will keep the cushions tightly together. The cushions seem oversized and mash together to stay tight in the original length.
Thank you for this post. It’s extremely helpful.

I've removed the middle cushion and the remaining right rounded cushion fits very tight... maybe too much so. The gap between seat cushions doesn't quite line up with the gap between back rest cushion segments anymore.

Once I complete the final assembly I'll see for sure how it all fits and post the results. One option might be to take the right rounded cushion to an upholsterer and see if they can trim down the foam and alter the cover to reduce the width by an inch or so.

Stay tuned!

[Omnial]

I've finally finished this project.

On the right side of the cabinet I've installed a large drawer for bottles, glasses, barware, etc. I chose a stainless steel drawer front with an aluminum pull.

On the left side there is space where I've placed a six bottle wine fridge. It plugs into a Victron inverter I installed behind the cabinet. I have a hidden switch that controls the inverter so when not using the fridge the inverter is fully disconnected from the batteries.

The top is finished off with a custom piece of 6 mm tempered tinted glass. Below the glass I have a neon-like light feature that explains what this project is all about

I'm going to see if I can 'live with' the cushion being a bit too big and bunching up with the original left corner cushion.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with how it all turned out.

Cheers!

[Clarkson22]

Is that cabinet Ikea? What size? We are looking to do something similar

[Burnside Bob]

Omnial, thanks for sharing how you customized your Airstream. Contributions like yours are the secret sauce that makes Air Forums the great place that it is!!

[Clarkson22]

Thank you so much for posting this. We have a 6 month old mini Aussie and as sweet and lovable as she is, she has destroyed the cushions. We are now facing tackling a project in our 2022 27ft Globetrotter that we live in FT. Your pictures and details have been a big help!

[Omnial]

Originally Posted by Clarkson22

Is that cabinet Ikea? What size? We are looking to do something similar

Yes, the bar is made from Ikea components.

The drawer assembly cabinet on the right is a 15"W x 15"H "Sektion" wall cabinet frame (Article number 602.654.98). I did not install the back so I could use a deeper drawer.

The drawer is 15"W x 24"D "Maximera" High Drawer (Article 302.656.78).

The drawer front is stainless steel from Ikea but I can't find it on their website anymore (possibly discontinued??).

I then purchased a bunch of the matching shelves and used them to build an outer box by placing a shelf panel horizontally on the bottom, another on the top and then connecting the two with a vertical panel on the far left. I sized it so there was room to insert the wine fridge left of the drawer cabinet.

Note that the shelves are not big enough to fill the depth of the seat area so I had to join two of them together horizontally using metal fasteners (Simpson strong tie plates from Home Depot) and then cut to size.

Finally, I added a 1" x 2" trim to the perimeter of the top to create a void where the neon sign would go. The custom glass attaches to this trim piece.

The resulting cabinet was quite heavy so I then removed any excess material from the top, bottom and side panels that are not visible, just like Airstream does with all of their plywood panels used in cabinets.

[Hittenstiehl]

Most excellent work, and what a nice change!!