Finding the Road

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 ...

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 ...