1956 Bubble Restoration Start to Finish

[the544man]

I Thought i'd start a new thread as I'm starting a Bubble rebuild. I bought the trailer completely gutted and have come up with my working floor plan as you can see in the attatchments here. Let me know what you think about my floor plan. I'm going to stray a bit from the original plan as i have a clean slate to start from. Every block= 4" on the graph paper sketch.
Bubble overhead Floor Plan.pdf.
I am not planning to replace the toilet and I have decided to build the dinette in the front of the trailer to take advantage of the nice window there and keep an open airy plan--at least as open as you can get in a 16 foot trailer.
Front view dinette floor plan .pdf.
The only thing done in the interior is that it was clad in a quartersawn oak veneer using airstream rivots which gives it a warm woodie feel.
. take a look at the rest of my sketches and send me your advice. I'm getting a quote on a Marmoleum Install tomorow. I will be ready to start the cabinet build as soon as time permits. that's all for now. I'll keep posting the progress and thanks for your input! best regards--ted
Passenger side view bubble floor plan .pdf
Drivers side view. bubble floor plan pdf.pdf
Fridge Cabinet.pdf
sink cabinet revision 1.pdf

[fotochop]

-wow, a '56 Bubble is such a find, congratulations are in order!.. very pretty little, highly desirable unit..you are going to have a ball on the rebuild...

- I just replaced my twin dinette with a u-shaped setup so if you are looking for an already-built table with leg, quick-lift, support, etc.. send me a private msg...

[goransons]

Very cool little trailer. I like your layout too. Just an hour and a half or so north of you. Love to take a look at that in person sometime. Never seen anything but pictures of a bubble!

[the544man]

here's a square of the retro--marmoleum all natural floor color i like. since it's going to be more of a bubble "bungalo" with the woodie interior and all, this "obsidian" labled coloration and pattern looked very rich with the oak paneling. lighter ones clashed a bit too much with the wood tones--and wild colors didn't work at all. everyomne says be conserviative on the floor. this one seems just right. and since the bubble has a nice window on all for sides it get's plenty of light. my floor's ready for it's covering--so picture this floor with countertops that have a bit of a bronze speckle and trimmed in polished alluminum,with a princess stove top, stainless bar sink and bar faucet, camel leather covered dinette coushins, and some bolder accents for the curtains, and some type of cool stainless lighting. it's kind of brutal but you have to plan the thing out from the start in order to do it right the first time. these are my thoughts so far. cheers. ps--the computer pic doesn't seem to bring out the Vincent Van Gogh effect of this floor sample--but it's a really artistic cool pattern and coloration.

http://www.forboflooringna.com/Deskt...id=11218&t=big

[Xbob2]

Originally Posted by the544man

here's a square of the retro--marmoleum all natural floor color i like. since it's going to be more of a bubble "bungalo" with the woodie interior and all, this "obsidian" labled coloration and pattern looked very rich with the oak paneling. lighter ones clashed a bit too much with the wood tones--and wild colors didn't work at all. everyomne says be conserviative on the floor. this one seems just right. and since the bubble has a nice window on all for sides it get's plenty of light. my floor's ready for it's covering--so picture this floor with countertops that have a bit of a bronze speckle and trimmed in polished alluminum,with a princess stove top, stainless bar sink and bar faucet, camel leather covered dinette coushins, and some bolder accents for the curtains, and some type of cool stainless lighting. it's kind of brutal but you have to plan the thing out from the start in order to do it right the first time. these are my thoughts so far. cheers. ps--the computer pic doesn't seem to bring out the Vincent Van Gogh effect of this floor sample--but it's a really artistic cool pattern and coloration.

http://www.forboflooringna.com/Deskt...id=11218&t=big

Wow! Your bubble is gonna POP! Amen on the beauty comment! Gonna be a looker!
Bob

[bolerama]

Fantastic! Your plans looks great. I can't wait to watch your progress.
Lisa

[funkill]

Very cool. Looks like you've put good thought into the layout. Sketches sure help, huh? And planning for the details in advance really saves $$ and time. Color/style scheme sounds grand - love the flooring.
Make sure you post plenty of pics for *drool* purposes here!
Laura

[toastie]

If you are doing a Start to Finish thread please post lot's of pictures, the bubble is one of my fravorites.........toastie

[Silverfoxrae]

Awesome. With all the texture, you might want to consider no pattern to the countertops-- just a thought. I have a bungalow house and I LOVE the craftsman style :-) Looks like a very fun project!! Rae

[the544man]

yes the countertop color i like best so far is from the itailian supplier. it's sort of a bronzy brownish with an impregnated speckled metalic effect. kind of hard to describe--but something that will give some impact without being overbearing. i like the metalic flaking which adds a little light to them. no pattern at all. i think when it's trimed in alluminum edge banding it will really look sleek and catch your eye. thanks for all of your input--more pics will be coming as the project progresses. gotta get out there and do some work before the flooring qoute today.

LIGHTS? anyone have good ideas for stainless lighting? i'm thinking reading lights in the rear bed, one low profile above the stove/sink and i have 2 spots on either side of the front dinette. the dinette ones puzzle me the most becasue they can't be very large or you'll hit your head on them. cheers.

[utee94]

Originally Posted by the544man

LIGHTS? anyone have good ideas for stainless lighting? i'm thinking reading lights in the rear bed, one low profile above the stove/sink and i have 2 spots on either side of the front dinette. the dinette ones puzzle me the most becasue they can't be very large or you'll hit your head on them. cheers.

A good source for lighting is the marine supply stores. In general, it seems to me that marine fixtures are higher-quality and more attractive than those manufactured for the RV industry.

Here's one that several people on AirForums have used and recommended:

YachtLights: Marine Boat Lighting

Good luck!
-Marcus

[the544man]

Yesterday I fixed a soft spot in the floor and firmed everything up in regards to the floor. Then I ran a palm sander over the floor to prep for the vintage style Marmoleum. I read that they used Marmoleum (a 100% natural flooring made of biofriendly stuff like linseed oil) in the 30's on the vintage Bolus "airstream" trailers. And I'm told it needs a really smooth surface. I decided to steer away from the vinyl stuff. I need to get rid of that piece of wood there that a previos owner was placing to start a bed build i believe. the stuff on the left is where the electrical comes in.



I also cleaned up the fridge vent by framing it in some nice alluminum angle. This also firmed everything up here as the hole was never framed properly--and it gives it a better look. Even though it will be hidden in the cabinet--i can be satisfied with it now. I'll use the existing wire lead -plumbed through the wall for a small 12 volt light to be installed in case i ever want to switch from propane to electric, etc.. at night through the exterior access. I'll run all new wiring to the fridge when i get to the electrical system build.


You can see the fresh water inlet there. The small 12 gallon tank will sit directly under and "inside" the lower portion of the fridge cabinet.



And just for kicks--this is Airstream Bubble Number 336 From the California Plant as it's one of the desired 1956 "Whale Tail" versions. cool.

[Globie64]

Hi- Marmoleum is great, but you're right, you'll want a totally smooth surface. Love the pattern you choose, it's going to look great.

[Globie64]

For the lights, you could get track mono point connections and small track fixtures, 12v but leave out the transformer. I also like the marine stuff, but the design in sort of lacking. You might check out these guys, they're great:

100watt Network: The Architectural Lighting Source

Peter

[the544man]

here you see the detail of one of the ceiling cabinets



Some of the colors we like for floor (obsidian), countertops (metalic brown), seating (camel leather), and accents (maybe a fun green)



I still need a couple more parts for a Bargman H20 door lock. I'm waiting till i get everything in hand then it's a project of its own to repair the door back to original specs.

i just like that picture

[glacierrunne]

Cool looking Bubble, I have a 1980 Caravelle that I like but want to restore a 50's Single axle. Keep the pictures coming! Don in Idaho

[the544man]

let me know what project you end up with. I considered the caravel too. i think they are set up nice and they are one of the best values. I wanted to stay smaller so i could pull it with my vintage car if i wanted. And i didn't find any bambis in the condition/price i wanted. i looked at a rare wee wind in Ca. but didn't follow up on it due to the sticker price of the project (9k) and the fact that it wasn't towable. That would have added a couple grand to the inspection and transport cost. I was fortunate in finding this bubble an hour away! i hooked up my 4 cylinder truck to it, the lights worked--and pulled it home. cheers

[the544man]

The marmoleum flooring's getting installed next monday--so i'll have a pic of that coming. aside from that i've collected more hardware for the interior: a "pacemaker" Elkay stainless sink, bar faucet, and all of the brass quick (gator bite) connectors to run the water via pex water line. The cabinetry is on the tall order--that's going to take some time. I got another piece of the puzzle for my original Bargman H20 door lock: an OEM key cylinder.
I slipped it in the original garnish (coverplate) i got a month ago. Now just the handle and handle hardware will complete it and I can reassemble the door. I know i can get the handle from Vintagetrailersupply but i need the hardware and shaft for connecting it to the lock guts (anyone have these parts? thanks for you input. ted

[the544man]

This will not be my main tow vehicle but since the bubble is only 16' and will weigh less than 2000lbs I'll still be able to tow it with my vintage Volvo for shorter trips to the coast. I'll put this up for inspiration. I even have an OEM 544 Volvo hitch I can install that came from Sweden. So here's a pic of "Sven" my 1964 Volvo PV 544 Sport. 1964 PV 544 Volvo Sport.jpg Views: 367 Size: 90.2 KB ID: 100213" style="margin: 2px" />
and I'm working out a name for the airstream project: so far, since it has a quartersawn oak woodie interior and the cabinetry will be a mission style, i think a good name might be the "Bubble Bungalo"
1956 bubble front.jpg Views: 341 Size: 76.0 KB ID: 100214" style="margin: 2px" />

[safari62]

Nice Volvo...I would take up pipe smoking and break out the old twead Jacket for the sunday drive with this one.

So.....is the bubble bungalo painted?