Taking Stock

When we first found Connie, we were just so grateful to be dry and able to make a cup of coffee without being blown into Lake Michigan.

We knew there was leaking around the roof vent so we gooped the heck out of the vent and put up a fresh panel from the inside. All things we were to learn you don't do with a canned ham. 

Luckily, we discovered Mobiltec on YouTube and the Vintage Trailer Talk forum. We joined Mobiltec's online class via Patreon.(We knew we would have a LOT of questions.)

While we were learning just what a big undertaking it would be to restore Connie to a fit state, we were also falling in love with her. Every trip confirmed we can't wait for a life on the road. What a better way to learn about trailers that to restore Connie completely. 

So we decided to take stock, focus on all the great components that could be salvaged and restored, and tackle a full frame off restore. We don't have a large work area, a garage, or a covered space. We don't have experience. We do have a lot of enthusiasm, determination, and love for this trailer.


Things we know we need to replace:
1) The Skins: There isn't a skin panel that has not been hacked (extra padlock anyone?) or punctured, or deeply dinged. The roof is a disaster. Hemet Valley skins are in our future.


2) The Axle: As of this writing, we have already had the chassis sand blasted, repainted, and a new torsion axle installed and trailer brakes installed. (Trailer brakes! Trailer brakes!) 

3) The Floor to Ceiling Cabinet: As we learned, this cabinet is so important structurally and ours was badly water damaged. During Connie's original construction, someone missed screwing in the cabinet to the rafter, the screw went through the ceiling instead and 60 years of a single tiny drip can do a lot of damage.

4) The Floor and Tiles: made of heaven knows what and badly damaged. 

5) All interior birch paneling. Gross.



6) New Tires: The tires that came on the camper were ok, not great, and made for a car which is really not great. So we got all new trailer tires, including the spare

7) New Tail Lites and Side Markers: The bases are corroded and the new replicas available at Vintage Trailer Supply look authentic and have LED bulbs

8) Screen Door: The original is in good enough shape to get a template for a new one but it is falling apart



9) Street-side Dinette Seat Base: falling apart but enough there to get measurements

10) Wings! There were none although you can see where they once were on the skin. My Christmas gift last year was new wings ready to go.



Things that are salvageable and wonderful:

1) The windows and brows: Aside from a few broken panes of glass, mostly in great shape. The brows are painted and we will bring them back to their silvery selves.

2) The Princess stove: It works great, may get it re-porcelained to a new color. We used an oven thermometer and it kept a steady 350 degrees.



3) All overhead cabinetry: The wall to wall cabinets, kitchen cabinets, the canvas bunk hardware (although I will replace the canvas if it does not wash up well)

4) Kitchen Cabinet Framework: We will do some remodeling under the sink to make space for water but otherwise great.

5) Dinette cushions: I love the box and spring of these old cushions, definitely needs new upholstery

6) Original Hand Water Pump: I would love to get this working. I think it is beautiful and it would help us use less water.


7) Gas lamp: would like to convert to 12 v

8) All Emblems & Badges: Some of these are really cool and really give Connie's history. Each will be put back just where it was originally.



9) Bargman Lock: the outside is badly pitted and we are having that rechromed. Needs a new spring and rubber gasket but otherwise with a good clean and a new lock cylinder, it will be beautiful

10) Bargman License Trail Lite: Also needing a rechrome but I was able to replace the glass cylinder and bulb (will post about that) and it will look great

11) Chassis: The frame itself is in great shape. We also had a new VIN plate installed as the small plate had completely corroded. 

12) Original Hub Caps: The originals are in decent shape but quite rusted. I am going to get them smooth and then decide what to do about finish. They are slightly different that a classic moon, I really want to preserve them as they are so unique.



13) Bits and Bobs: There are some things (like the old water fill) that we do not plan on using but that I am going to incorporate them inside the camper in some way. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connie's Cabinets

Image
The cabinets in a 1959 Shasta Airflyte are fabulous in the way mid century modern styling was fabulous. The edges are curved. There are scallops on the wall to wall shelf in the back that holds the canvas bunks. The cut outs for the wall to wall front cabinet are a swirly exercise in over the top beauty. We are saving everything we can. If there is a little discolored wood on the corners or edges from past water damage, so be it. We love the character. We don't want this trailer to look brand new, we want her to look loved.  The only cabinet that was not at all salvageable was the floor to ceiling closet. The pin hole in the roof just created too much soft and rotted (could go through it with a pencil) wood. We are completely rebuilding that cabinet from birch and poplar. So, let's take a tour of Connie's cabinets pre-disassembly in our 1959 Shasta Airflyte and see where we are today... Front cabinets. So much to love: the gas lamp, the chevron handles, the curves, the &quo
Read more

Discovery and Disassembly

Image
When we first bought Connie in October 2018, we knew there was some water damage. A ceiling panel had been placed over the vent area, but we could see the water damage peeking out. The first front and back wrap panels were overplayed with classic 70s fake wood paneling, nobody uses that stuff except to hide misdeeds. Most of the wood edges had some discoloration. But we naively thought, a few panels and we will be right as rain. Then we learned about lifting the skins and the thunderstorm hit.  Since winter was approaching we stuck our heads in the snow and decided to enjoy our time camping with our trailer. A frame off restore in a snow bank did not sound appealing, or even possible. We loved every minute camping in Connie. I know a lot of people say they never use the stove, but in a colder climate, there is nothing like a fresh batch of blueberry muffins out of the oven with snow on the ground outside. Summer of 2019 was a busy time, our son was getting married and moving across the
Read more

Finding Connie Shasta

Image
Well, that last post was in 2013 and a lot has changed. Our son is married and is pursuing his dream of being a luthier. We still plan on buying an Airstream and traveling full time.  But in 2018, on a tent camping trip around Lake Michigan, we found ourselves soggy and cold and searching Craigslist for a camper. We sent five emails to ads for vintage campers. Three had sold within an hour. One person never bothered to respond. One person responded that we could come take a look. We paid too much. We knew too little. We wouldn't change a thing. We enjoyed some camping trips, and learned a lot about canned ham construction online. We also made some discoveries And once we learned that canned ham trailers are built from the inside out (you need to take off all the metal to replace any inside panels), the game was on. We are all in and are going to take on a frame off restore. With our 8 foot wide driveway. And limited storage space. If we can do this, so can you. Look forward to seei
Read more