1963 Asta Villa - I guess I'm restoring this thing

Hello and Welcome! 

Well, it sounds like you are well on your way and have accomplished quite a bit!

Thank you for wanting to share your journey with us. We don't get too many folks with vintage Canadian trailers here, but the build concepts are more or less the same. Pictures are always appreciated. Here is a link for how to post pix on the forum. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/7276/add-photos-hosted-flickr-tutoria Once you get the Flickr account set up, then it only takes a minute or two to add photos to your posts.

I know you are hungry for info on this trailer, but I have been here for over 10 years and this is not ringing any bells for me.  There are also American built trailers that are also missing background information.  We had hundreds of trailers produced during their hey day and production runs could have been less than a dozen or hundreds like Shasta.  Sometimes there just isn't anything left to find. 

Cheers,

Rod

Blue and yellow paint scheme is less faded on this side. Must have been the shady side. In case you're wondering, I paid under asking ;-)


The camper sits low due to undersized wheels/tires and, probably, sagging leaf springs. The first big improvement will be a new axle and leaf springs with electric brakes.


Manufacturer's plaque.


In case you missed it - "Esta" is for Estevan, Saskatchewan. "Stampeder" for Calgary Stampede(?). And "Villa" as a Spanish or south-west reference. Makes sense to me?! The curtains had a red floral pattern that looked southwestern as well. Other campers of the same brand sometimes have a rooster emblem.


Major floor damage after tree branch punctured the roof vent.


Embossed logo on sink.


The folding chess board table is a favorite of mine and one of the things I will salvage.


Rear fold-out bed. I plan to replace this with a double mattress with storage beneath.


Skin coming off. Substantial rot: everywhere.


You can see here how the walls meet the floor. The floor deck was tiled before the walls were added, meaning there is flooring material sandwiched between the floor plate and base of walls. This would have been a fast way to do it. Floor and wall framing is 1-5/8 inch square rough sawn lumber.


Obviously, what I have here is not so much a trailer, but a good template for the new trailer I'm going to build!

Hey Rod, It is a unique shape right? They made a half-hearted effort to turn a box into something curvy. I'm warming up to it:-)
I don't have much history on it. It apparently sat on blocks for many years, likely serving as a rural cabin here in the Muskoka area of Ontario. Aside from the water damage it seems to be completely intact. It was probably a nice trailer when initially parked. The guy who sold it to me was selling it for a friend. He obviously wanted to see it brought back to life.
Obviously there is no ownership. My plan is to register it as a homemade trailer. I understand that can be done with a letter and a weight slip. It will be mostly new materials by the end of it. We'll see how that goes (curious to hear from others whonhave tried this...).It will primarily serve as the site office for my business (home building), so it will be put to use even if not registered.
The dinette seats don't look terrible but the mice have been into them in a big way. They're also quite heavy. The fabic, frames and springs could possibly be salvaged (there may be a few small holes). But I was thinking to replace with dense foam cushions that might be more comfortable to sleep on anyway. I realize I may be speaking sacrilege to a serious restorer :-) I would aim for a fabric pattern that looks vintage.

I like it too-a lot to work with here. It has a lot of interesting differences and looks to have been top of the line back in the day.

Enjoy the build.

hey there newin62, as a matter of fact I just came in from the -12C cold (don't know what that is Fahrenheit lol). I had to clear the snow from the shelter i've been working under for the dozenth time. Walking up to the house I was googling "what temperature does PL Premium floor adhesive cure at". By coincidence, I learned it's good to -12C! lol

Yeah, i'd trade climates with Rod right about now!

Thanks for the suggestions on sourcing wood! I found another place called Monahan Lumber in Peterborough that seems to sell the same stuff as Peacock Lumber. Not sure if they're connected. They actually deliver around here once a week so I thought I'd give them a try. Hopefully it's the same stuff that you've used. It's hard to find birch plywood for less than about $60 a sheet. That adds up quick.

Hey Rod, cool I'll check that out!



I've laid out the plywood for the floor and assembled the substructure. Essentially what you see is the floor upside-down at the moment.

I will insulate this with extruded polystyrene, cover with 24" aluminum flashing (to protect the underside). Then the whole assembly will be flipped over before properly attaching the 5/8" subfloor with flooring adhesive and screws. The plywood has to be attached last or else it will be too heavy to flip!

Once the floor is complete I'll roll the chassis under it and attach it with the carriage bolts. This is the plan I came up with...

The chassis is still at the welding shop so i'm improvising as best I can.

btw, you see the conditions I'm working in? I should be building a workshop, not a trailer but alas.