rosalie
New Member
Posts: 3
1956? Hiawatha
Currently Offline
|
Post by rosalie on Jan 10, 2020 12:21:41 GMT -8
So after reading a lot on here about buying a trailer without a title, I have to say we bought a trailer without a title and boy it is a mess. My husband is a welder by trade, we have a huge shop with all the tools, grinders, sanders, cutters, etc. However after he brought this home we need a big bonfire, not a shop! LOL He saw this on a Facebook sale site and just had to have it, I'm embarrassed that we even paid for it. They should have paid us to haul it away. I don't know the make or model, heck it could be homemade for all we know. They were proud about it, but they made more trouble. We have been buying and repairing and fixing trailers and motor homes for a while now, however not one quite this bad or this old. We haven't done any vintage trailers, all of our finds were 5-10 years old that needed minor repairs. Small roof leaks, electrical problems, flood damage, etc. There is a few more pictures at the website. What we did find is that is was originally white with a gold stripe, it's 10 feet in length. We have her gutted inside to do a complete overhaul and are taking her completely down to the bare metal outside for a fresh paint job. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fevENtVNu8U&list=PLQ3VvOvLVt4qFSlnxrfQy3p45tPuSSZwoHe saw it and thought I would love it. We also have a 1956 or 60, not sure yet Hiawatha 12 foot and a Shasta 12 foot, which we haven't picked up yet, it's about a 65 or 66. It does have a title and we are picking it up this weekend, it's a beauty, inside and out, all original. Pics of that will come later |
|
mobiltec
5K Member
I make mistakes so you don't have to...
Posts: 9,822 
Likes: 3,748
1954 Jewel In Progress...
Currently Offline
|
Post by mobiltec on Jan 10, 2020 15:58:15 GMT -8
Well if you gutted it then yes. You may as well throw it away. You have completely ruined the trailer by gutting it. The cabinets are a major part of the structural integrity. You are supposed to remove all of the outside metal first. Then you replace any rotted framing. Almost always you need to replace the skirt boards. Those are what hold the trailer box to the chassis. And usually any framing under a window because that is another place on the trailer that rots away due to leaking. And it's not just that the cabinets are what gives the trailer it's structural integrity, it's also how they are mounted and from which side they are fastened and the placement of those cabinets. You see a 3/4 inch thick wall is very week and the only thing that keeps it from collapsing when moving are the cabinets. They are like a bunch of gussets that keep the walls and ceiling square and strong. Too bad. It could have been a nice little trailer.
|
|
|
|
Post by vikx on Jan 10, 2020 21:59:27 GMT -8
Welcome and thanks for the amusing "bonfire" story.
I think you can still fix your little trailer if you want to. Take the skins off and reframe, then build the cabinetry. Put it in the same general location as originally designed. These little trailers have a certain "unibody" construction that means the walls must be firmly attached and the panels go all the way down below the floor. I've seen some that didn't but almost always the panels are part of the structural integrity.
Hang in there.
|
|
nccamper
Administrator 
Posts: 7,743
Likes: 2,871
1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
Currently Offline
|
Post by nccamper on Jan 13, 2020 5:18:41 GMT -8
Welcome!
Gutted campers create a new set of challenges. People have restored them to look amazing but it (almost always) involves taking it down to the frame and rebuilding the camper to restore the structural integrity.
Have fun with it.
|
|
Hamlet
2K Member
Posts: 2,816
Likes: 924
Currently Offline
|
Post by Hamlet on Jan 13, 2020 10:05:40 GMT -8
Welcome! Sorry to read about your surprise. A 50+ year old trailer can have some significant damage and still be restorable. We nearly made the same gutting mistake with Hamlet, our 59 Shasta Compact. But fortunately we realized before we’d done any real damage how the trailer was constructed. Forget the paint job for now. Take that metal OFF and read, then reread Mobiltec and Vikx posts above. Get the book and look at the videos. Don’t spend another penny on the trailer until you do. The paint should be near the end of any restoration.
|
|
WhitneyK
Active Member
Posts: 492
Likes: 169
'67 Shasta Compact
Currently Offline
|
Post by WhitneyK on Jan 17, 2020 6:15:12 GMT -8
In my opinion, unless you are "in love" with the squarish shape, make it whatever shape you want as you rebuild the walls. Make it a canned ham, make it a toaster, the choice is yours. You can always make it a bit smaller around the edges to eliminate the bad spots of metal siding. Don't feel that you will hurt the value of it by making what you want it to be.
Like I said, just my opinion, didn't say it was a good one...
|
|
rosalie
New Member
Posts: 3
1956? Hiawatha
Currently Offline
|
Post by rosalie on Jan 23, 2020 19:33:27 GMT -8
Well to all who are concerned about us gutting it......everything was already out of it, cabinets gone, no need, nothing. However the people who had it before replaced a lot of the framing already, the wood is good. It's sturdy, they actually over did it with wood because they used 2 x 4's and turned them to get the 2 inch size they needed. I have no idea where the cabinets once were. They drove this little home all over the U.S. and basically used it as a shelter from the element's by putting a blow up bed on the floor, they had 2 camping chairs in it and 2 TV trays for a table. It was just a box, however they used scrap wood and a hodge podge of wood pieces all over to cover the walls. Nothing matched, seams overlapping and in some places they didn't meet at all. Some painted, some not, that all had to come out so we could start over. We have to wire it so there can be some lights inside too. All the wiring had been removed prior to us getting out and even the brake, marker lights were no longer functioning. It's a lot of work, we've re-done campers, trailers and motorhomes in the past. It's going to be fine when we are done with it. It's solid as a rock. We already peeled back the skin and fixed everything under there before putting it back down.
|
|
/Campers/67%20Shasta?preview=2019-02-03+18.01.00.jpg)