58 Globester – New Project
Just taken delivery of this beautiful 1958 airstream 18ft globester. I have the honour of restoring this airstream for a client who shares my enthusiasm and passion for airstreams so it’s going to be a thoroughly enjoyable process as we work together to bring her back to life!
For now though it sits, wheels off, in the miserable January weather while I investigate the source of the inevitable leaks before any work can start.
This is a very rare model. Interestingly it has a combination of the 50s windows with the rounded corners and 60s windows which are squarer. More to follow. …..
68 Overlander – Shower SurroundÂ
The bathroom takes shape with the installation of aluminium shower panels.
68 Overlander – Fitting the Kitchen Part 2
With the main sink unit in place, the curved end panels can be scribed to the shape of the wall and and the the left a lower drawer unit fitted which will form a space for the TV etc.
To the right of the sink unit by the fixed rear bed there is a tall wardrobe. You can see the panel construction here which has ribs within a plywood skin (the inner skin is yet to be fitted). This reduces the weight dramatically but is very robust and strong.
68 Overlander – Fitting the Bathroom Sink Unit
This is the bathroom sink unit, previously built in the workshop. It is being fitted with false wall panels to hide the water and waste pipes. The unit is designed to fit over the edge of the shower tray/floor to allow any water to drain away.
68 Overlander – Fitting the kitchen part 1
The previously built main kitchen unit has been designed to fit over the wheel arch which has has been insulated in preparation.
68 Overlander – Bathroom Structural Work
The bathroom “pod” will include a toilet, shower and the bathroom sink cabinet which has already been built with a fibreglassed wet room floor. There will be a “pocket” door which slides away into the partition. The photos show the walls being formed and the plywood floor structure. You can also see the custom build black waste tank which is located under the marine type toilet.
Here is the floor before and after the fibreglass
68 Overlander – Vynil Flooring
its time to fit the vynil flooring before too much furniture is fitted. Quality hard wearing vynil is stiff and difficult to fit at the best of times. This vynil has a silver pattern over dark brown, perfect against the aluminium and Walnut. This will give a waterproof and easy to clean base, on top of which removable carpets can be fitted.
68 Overlander – Bathroom sink unit
The bathroom sink unit is the final peice of interior furniture that will be built in the workshop before the bathroom itself is built and the kitchen units fitted. The round sink on the left sits beneath a resin surface and the cupboard to the right is set back to give more room around the toilet. Not sure yet if I am going to fit a rolling tambour door or frosted glass.
68 Overlander – Veneering doors and end panels
Using the American black walnut and maple inlays previously made, the doors and end panel veneers are taped up and applied using a vacuum press. This door panel has 132 separate pieces of veneer!
68 Overlander – Drawer boxes
I have used drawer side plywood to build the drawer boxes. Plywood normally has alternate layers of wood grain in different orientations to give maximum strength in all directions. Drawer side plywood has all layers of wood grain in the same direction, to give maximum strength along the side of the drawer. This means that much thinner material can be used (11mm) and with dovetail joints the result is an extremely sting and lightweight drawer box.
