Globetrotter Rescue

[King Woody]

Hi all. After an interesting trip down to Mt Gambier we returned with a Globey! It'll be a big restore but very exciting! We'll need help identifying the year model as the only number we can find anywhere on the a frame is stamped on the hitch "265"






And the hitch

[Don Ricardo]

G'day King Woody,

Good to see you got the Globey safely home after the rescue operation, and to see some pics of the van. You describe it as an "interesting trip". Does that mean there were a few dramas along the way, or just that you had an enjoyable time?

Dating your van is a bit problematic, but we can probably have a bit of a stab. The difficulty is that Globe produced that model/design caravan with some variations over quite a long period. The first reference to it we seem to have is a patent application lodged in January 1956, but a later version was still being advertised as the Globe Series 12 (12 referring to the length in feet) in 1961. It may have still been around after that, but I don't have any info to confirm that at this point. However, what assists us in working out where your van fits in the world of Globes is the front and back windows, and also the shape of the wheel arches.

Trish_M's Globe is a later version of yours - you can see it here. If you have a look at the photos of her van, you'll see that the front and back windows are both significantly longer and larger than yours, and that they are located so that the upper edge is almost up at the roof line. The wheel arches on Trish_M's van are also a 'rounded rectangle' whereas on your van they are a semi-circle. You will also note that the front and back walls of Trish-M's van slope in towards the roof less than on your van. Trish_M's Globe is the same as the model included in Globe's 1960 and 1961 advertisements in the Winser caravan manuals. So I'm thinking that her van is very late 50's or very early 60's. The serial number on her van is 603.

In contrast - by comparing the size, shape and location of the front and back windows, and the shape of the wheel arch - your van seems very similar to the sketch of the van in the Globe patent application and the Globe van shown in the 1958 Wayfarer advertisement here (some Globe vans were branded and sold as Wayfarers). I know - tiny picture, but you can still see enough to compare! And of course your serial number is 265, which obviously places it before Trish_M's by a good margin.

So, I reckon your van was built sometime between 1956 and 1958. It's a guess, but I think it's probably pretty accurate.

Hope that helps. There's other photos of Globe vans on the Globe thread in the Down History Lane section that will be of interest to you.

I'll look forward to seeing the pics of the restoration. You've got a bit to do but it looks as if the basics are all there.

Don Ricardo

[King Woody]

Hi Don

Many thanks for your comprehensive reply! The old bloke that we bought it off said it was a 1956 model, but couldn't back it up with any proof so I thought I'd consult some "experts"! Our goal is to bring it back to as close to original as possible. If anyone has any better shots of the Kangaroo or Globe I'd be really appreciative!

We described it as "an interesting trip" mainly because of the diversity of landscape that we travelled through. We only had one blowout on the way back about an hour from home - 10pm at night being overtaken by a semi! Left hand rear of the Territory - blew the side completely out of the tyre (low profile - should not have expected any better though!) We borrowed a car trailer from a very good friend, spent some time renewing bearings/tyres etc, and off we went. It ended up nearly 6000kms down and back as we had to "snake" our way down through NSW and VIC for the wife's work duties! We did get to drive the magnificent Great Ocean Road though (I'm going back down to do that trip on a motorcycle!!!). The Globetrotter is as you would expect from a "barn find" has had a little water damage - the windows and door have been rebuilt new so that is a bit of the work done for me. I'll replace the front and back outer sheets and perhaps one side panel but the rest is fine. I think I'll be able to get the van off the chassis to sandblast the surface rust and repaint as there seem to be just a few bolts down either side and 8 underneath.

I'm going to use the Bote-Cote products for the whole restoration this time. I work around the corner from their factory in Brisbane so I'll report on the process and the suitability of the product for this sort of renovation. I know a couple of forum members have had success with Bote-Cote so I'm confident that with the manufacturer's direct guidance it'll be a success! I'll keep the photos coming!

[newbug]

Hi King Woody,

I'm suffering from severe watertank-over-the-sink envy as my Globe lost its tank somewhere along the timeline.

I'm also in Bris and at the beginning of the restoration process, facing up to the exterior ply wall repair/replacement issue today but planning to amaze myself with the extent of work completed over Easter. I'll be lodging a complaint with BOM if rain continues to dampen enthusiasm.

If you're looking for accurate Globe logo images send a PM to member Daggsey - curator of vv brand artwork.

cheers,

Judy.

[kingswood308]

How many foot is your van Woody ?

Do you have a photo of the chassis number and rims ??

Cheers.

[kingswood308]

ooooops, just saw the rims, FX/FJ.

Very interesting indeed.

1956 you say ?

[King Woody]

Hi Judy

It makes me nervous that you live in the same city and need a wall tank :-( I'm gonna double the security around the back yard now!) Ha!

And thanks I will contact Daggsey. Many thanks for that.

[King Woody]

Hi Kingswood308. Yes, it's a 12 footer. And photo of the hitch and number below if I can work out how to insert image!! (I used to be good at this interweb thingy)

Reagrds
Mark

[King Woody]

A couple of progress shots and a pic of the Ice chest for those into those sort of things!



A little rot to contend with, but not too much really!






And the "upside down" Ice box!

[King Woody]

And the photo of the Hitch and Chassis Number