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Post by wisconsinjoe on Nov 6, 2014 6:50:21 GMT -8
Vintagebruce and Vikx, thanks. Wish i could find a good vintage door near Wisconsin. But now I'm intrigued about building one myself. Wondering how to make the hinge for both door and screen door as well as general construction components. I do have access to a great sheet metal fabrication shop. And, where to find a vintage style latch. Tips anyone?
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Post by danrhodes on Nov 6, 2014 8:31:00 GMT -8
One of the first restorations that I saw online was an engineer who basically rebuilt the framing out of aluminum tubing. Wish I could find it now.
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John Palmer
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Post by John Palmer on Nov 6, 2014 8:48:07 GMT -8
Vintagebruce and Vikx, thanks. Wish i could find a good vintage door near Wisconsin. But now I'm intrigued about building one myself. Wondering how to make the hinge for both door and screen door as well as general construction components. I do have access to a great sheet metal fabrication shop. And, where to find a vintage style latch. Tips anyone? You need to steal the door hinge, from the same "donor trailer" that is giving up it's windows, frame, and title.
I have "a great sheet metal shop" also, but I'm telling you to just find a donor hinge, due to the difficulty of fabricating the correct brackets for the screen door. It's not worth the effort.
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Nov 6, 2014 12:21:56 GMT -8
Thanks. I can do that. It's sort of a rusty mess, but I bet I can make it work. So I'd be interested in hearing more details about the door construction. Wood frame? Seals and latches?
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John Palmer
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Post by John Palmer on Nov 6, 2014 20:38:14 GMT -8
Thanks. I can do that. It's sort of a rusty mess, but I bet I can make it work. So I'd be interested in hearing more details about the door construction. Wood frame? Seals and latches? It always comes down to your available tools. If you have access to an eight foot sheet metal brake you can bend your own lipped edges. But you can also build a very nice and strong door using the "store bought" offset T-molding like you see on the Tear Drop sites. So. Cal. Teardrop sells it, and many others.
I like to use poplar hard wood (ugly but cheap), but I stopped at Home Depot yesterday and I saw it's taken about a 30% increase in price, Yikes! I guess the trees are demanding a better health care, and benefit package in their new labor contract.
I use 3/4" by 2" and 3" material. I use lap joints for the joints by cutting out the material on a radial saw. Determine the size and shape of the window and build the window framing into the door frame to gain strength. I make two frames, and glue and staple them together to make a 1 1/2" thick door. Fill the holes with ridged Styrofoam, wrap it in house wrap, skin it with your new metal, and staple a birch panel on the inside. Using this construction will make a very ridged door and it will shut and seal well. Make sure you build the door to fit the trailer door frame. By that I mean make sure the trailer door frame is square and plumb in both directions, VERY DOUBTFUL! Depending on your degree of total rebuild, you may need to build a crooked door to fit a crooked trailer, LOL. It's one of the reasons I like to only do full rebuilds, and take no shortcuts. Doors are fun, but time consuming.
Make sure you don't build it "too wide" because of the type of crude hinges found on these trailers do not swing in a tight arc very well. You can build a very nice screen door at the same time, but do not use Poplar because it does not stain and shellac very nice. Birch, Maple, or Oak look nice on a screen door.
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Post by kto17 on Nov 6, 2014 20:44:58 GMT -8
I've been looking for something in the 25-30' range like a Spartan to restore but keep thinking I could just build a 7'-6" wide 25' fake Shasta from scratch and probably spend about the same amount.
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John Palmer
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Post by John Palmer on Nov 6, 2014 20:56:28 GMT -8
I've been looking for something in the 25-30' range like a Spartan to restore but keep thinking I could just build a 7'-6" wide 25' fake Shasta from scratch and probably spend about the same amount. I'm picking up a 1948 24' "single axle" Spartan over Thanksgiving week, LOL.
It will receive some needed metal work on the outside, and the closet will be transformed into a bathroom. It's actually in pretty good condition, but all of the paneling inside need replaced due to graffiti vandals. I'm looking for a small "bathroom sized" window and window frame from a early Spartan.
I know of a 35' Spartanette that might be for sale in So. Cal., not sure of the price? This guy also has a late 40's Vagabond 24' tandem axle and will only be keeping one, and might rebuild the other to flip.
I know of "at least" six Spartans that are currently being rebuilt in our local area. The damm things will be everywhere like Airstreams, before very long, LOL.
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Post by vikx on Nov 6, 2014 22:39:46 GMT -8
I agree on the door hinge. That's the hardest part to come by! There's always somebody at the rallies trying to sell doors but no hinges. They look at me like I'm nuts when I ask about the elusive hinge...
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Post by kto17 on Nov 7, 2014 10:05:53 GMT -8
I've been looking for something in the 25-30' range like a Spartan to restore but keep thinking I could just build a 7'-6" wide 25' fake Shasta from scratch and probably spend about the same amount. I'm picking up a 1948 24' "single axle" Spartan over Thanksgiving week, LOL.
It will receive some needed metal work on the outside, and the closet will be transformed into a bathroom. It's actually in pretty good condition, but all of the paneling inside need replaced due to graffiti vandals. I'm looking for a small "bathroom sized" window and window frame from a early Spartan.
I know of a 35' Spartanette that might be for sale in So. Cal., not sure of the price? This guy also has a late 40's Vagabond 24' tandem axle and will only be keeping one, and might rebuild the other to flip.
I know of "at least" six Spartans that are currently being rebuilt in our local area. The damm things will be everywhere like Airstreams, before very long, LOL.
You west coasters make me jealous!
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Nov 7, 2014 21:22:38 GMT -8
I'm picking up a 1948 24' "single axle" Spartan over Thanksgiving week, LOL.
It will receive some needed metal work on the outside, and the closet will be transformed into a bathroom. It's actually in pretty good condition, but all of the paneling inside need replaced due to graffiti vandals. I'm looking for a small "bathroom sized" window and window frame from a early Spartan.
I know of a 35' Spartanette that might be for sale in So. Cal., not sure of the price? This guy also has a late 40's Vagabond 24' tandem axle and will only be keeping one, and might rebuild the other to flip.
I know of "at least" six Spartans that are currently being rebuilt in our local area. The damm things will be everywhere like Airstreams, before very long, LOL.
You west coasters make me jealous! Hey, I filled up my truck tonight with sub $3.00 per gallon gas (actually $2.99). Maybe it time for a trailer project scouting trip out west? I've got a 1967 24' Boles Aero for sale.
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Post by bigbill on Nov 8, 2014 15:13:27 GMT -8
I paid $2.86 earlier this week to fill my truck and today saw it for $2.79. I like the thought of a fill up costing 60 or 70 dollars instead of a hundred or so. Wouldn't be nice to see gas around two dollars again? I doubt that that ever happens but one can dream, of course when I start dreaming I think about when I paid 18 cents a gallon which wouldn't even start to pay the taxes today. At 18 cents I didn't mind four MPG, now I whine if the truck falls below 18 mpg.
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ladywendolyn
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1964 Golden Falcon
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Post by ladywendolyn on Nov 8, 2014 15:52:18 GMT -8
Would you like me to cheer you up big bill? In Canada gas was $4.65 a gallon today
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Dec 4, 2014 6:26:37 GMT -8
I agree on the door hinge. That's the hardest part to come by! There's always somebody at the rallies trying to sell doors but no hinges. They look at me like I'm nuts when I ask about the elusive hinge... I noticed that Vintage Trailer Supply is now selling offset hinges that look like the kind used to hang a screen door at the same fulcrum point as the exterior door. Wonder if they could be used in combination with runs of piano hinges to make the combined exterior/screen door.
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Post by danrhodes on Dec 4, 2014 7:55:52 GMT -8
I paid $2.86 earlier this week to fill my truck and today saw it for $2.79. I like the thought of a fill up costing 60 or 70 dollars instead of a hundred or so. Wouldn't be nice to see gas around two dollars again? I doubt that that ever happens but one can dream, of course when I start dreaming I think about when I paid 18 cents a gallon which wouldn't even start to pay the taxes today. At 18 cents I didn't mind four MPG, now I whine if the truck falls below 18 mpg. www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2014/12/03/its-official-1-gas-shows-up-in-oklahoma-city/
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gomesie
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1964 Scotty Highlander
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Post by gomesie on Dec 16, 2014 8:16:25 GMT -8
Interesting thread. Okume marine plywood is far superior to construction grade in both durability and strength. AB Okume 1/2" is 9 ply @ $95.00 compare a good grade of BC 1/2" construction grade 4 ply @ $40.00, ( best grade I could find to build my scotty walls) 1/4" okume is 5 ply @ $60.00. Getting okume plywood can be a problem depending on location.
To the point stitch and glue boat construction uses this plywood with epoxy to construct very strong lite weight boats, some of these same method could be used to built a very light weight strong plywood box using marine plywood laminated and glued with urethane glue to construct a strong rafter. If I still have the desire when I finish with my scotty my son wants to build a tear drop and this is the method I will use.
As an example of this kind of consruction used by me in my job as an off campus construction trade teacher at a Voc Tech high school we were asked to build a full scale model on the side of the middle school of the nose for the space shuttle for their science department. They were taking trips to space camp at the time. Well General Dynamic engineer provided us with a work drawing of all the ribs and interior dect layout. They had us construct the largest and brace up in the shop and hang a sling from the center loaded with a ton of concrete blocks for a couple of weeks a came back and measured for deflection. I can not remember how many laminations maybe 4. It passed and codes for schools are more than double residential.
I built a lot of homes with these kids over the years and other projects as well but this was the most unusual. Me 12 kids, a plastic model of the space shuttle trying to get the shape of the wind shield and nose cone so some guy could spray it with some gunite fiberglass after we wire lathed it. It was a trip. To bad the ripped it down when they remodeled the middle school a few years ago.
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