Post by theresa on Jan 31, 2017 18:39:38 GMT -8
So, as I'm sure all of you have gone through since your first sign of any interest in the vintage camper world, your friends and family are sure to alert you of any campers they see, for sale or not, or camper-related items, or vintage camper decor or crafts, etc. I always respond very nicely, even if I know it's nothing I'm interested in. If it's a link or a Facebook post for a vintage for sale, I always go to look, even if I KNOW I'm not interested in buying it. I look in case someone else is interested and I can make a referral, I look because I want to see what everyone else has done with their camper, and I look out of morbid curiosity. Sometimes I'll even engage the seller in conversation, just to see what the price is, even if it's irrelevant to me.
This evening a family member alerted me to a '63 Shasta for sale in central Maine (about 2.5 hours one way). Though I'm not looking for another restoration project just yet, I looked at it. This was the information provided in the original post:
"We have a vintage 63 Shasta we will be selling this spring due to moving ~ Is there any interest on here ? We belong to Tin Can Tourist and know it would sell there but wanted to offer it for sale to someone local looking to restore it
PM for more info:) "
I sent the seller a message and this is how the conversation went:
Me: Hi Donisa, I'm interesting in knowing more about your Shasta. 🙂 I have one I'm currently restoring back to original factory condition. I just love these old things and I want to see them all brought back to their natural beauty. 🙂
Seller: HI we actually were in the process of restoring it and than things got too busy ~ (Side note: The original post said it was for sale because they were moving)
Me: it's a HUGE undertaking! Most people who start don't quite know what they're getting themselves into. 🙂 How much have you done to it so far? And what model is it?
Seller: we gutted the whole inside out ~ I honestly don't know that much about it ~ Its covered out in the yard right now ~ Let me see if I have any pictures on my computer of it ~
Me: ahhh, that's too bad. The way to restore them is from the outside in... i.e. taking the skins off, then repair the rotted framing, then replace the rotten wall panels, etc. Did you keep the stuff you took out of it, such as the cabinets and appliances and bench frames, etc.?
Seller: Airflyte ? Yes it has all of that stuff didn't have a fridge though...
Me: cool. Same as mine, except mine is a '60, but the same model. How much are you asking, and where do you live?
(At this point, she posts the photos that I'll post some of below)
Me: were the original dinette and couch cushions there as well?
Seller: It didn't have a dining room table if you look on the blueprint it has two fold down tables and the cushions are original.
Me: I don't believe it's an Airflyte then. And it also has a space for a toilet?
Seller: I'm not sure the name that's what we thought
Me: I don't believe so. In '63, I'm quite sure an Airflyte had dinette cushions on either side with the table in the middle, and a couch that spanned the whole the back, and no toilet. How much are you looking to get for it?
Seller: We'd like $2000. We payed more than that for it but don't have time to finish it
Me: oh, that's too far overpriced for me, and especially knowing how they need to be taken apart to be put together correctly. I paid $600 for each of the two I currently have, and both need a total restoration, but they were intact and not gutted. Good luck though; I'm sure there will be someone who will be happy to have it.
If for some reason you aren't able to sell it, please get back in touch with me though!
Seller: No problem ~ this is our third camper we have restored so we know what they entail to restore we just don't have the time ~
Me: Well, to get at the rot and decay that's likely on the skirt boards, etc., you can't access or even see some of that framing without taking the skins off. And the cabinetry is screwed in from the outside, so gutting it isn't the general method most restorers use. But again, this is a hot market, so I'm sure someone will love to have your Shasta for a project.
Seller: thanks for your interest ~
I'll be so so so glad when these flippers stop buying campers, gutting them, and trying to sell it for thousands of dollars. I know we've all made mistakes along the way, that's how they learn. But to proclaim to know HOW to restore a camper, and insist that gutting it is the way to go... UGH. I just get frustrated when I talk to these people. (End rant)
Below are the two photos she sent me.
This evening a family member alerted me to a '63 Shasta for sale in central Maine (about 2.5 hours one way). Though I'm not looking for another restoration project just yet, I looked at it. This was the information provided in the original post:
"We have a vintage 63 Shasta we will be selling this spring due to moving ~ Is there any interest on here ? We belong to Tin Can Tourist and know it would sell there but wanted to offer it for sale to someone local looking to restore it
PM for more info:) " I sent the seller a message and this is how the conversation went:
Me: Hi Donisa, I'm interesting in knowing more about your Shasta. 🙂 I have one I'm currently restoring back to original factory condition. I just love these old things and I want to see them all brought back to their natural beauty. 🙂
Seller: HI we actually were in the process of restoring it and than things got too busy ~ (Side note: The original post said it was for sale because they were moving)
Me: it's a HUGE undertaking! Most people who start don't quite know what they're getting themselves into. 🙂 How much have you done to it so far? And what model is it?
Seller: we gutted the whole inside out ~ I honestly don't know that much about it ~ Its covered out in the yard right now ~ Let me see if I have any pictures on my computer of it ~
Me: ahhh, that's too bad. The way to restore them is from the outside in... i.e. taking the skins off, then repair the rotted framing, then replace the rotten wall panels, etc. Did you keep the stuff you took out of it, such as the cabinets and appliances and bench frames, etc.?
Seller: Airflyte ? Yes it has all of that stuff didn't have a fridge though...
Me: cool. Same as mine, except mine is a '60, but the same model. How much are you asking, and where do you live?
(At this point, she posts the photos that I'll post some of below)
Me: were the original dinette and couch cushions there as well?
Seller: It didn't have a dining room table if you look on the blueprint it has two fold down tables and the cushions are original.
Me: I don't believe it's an Airflyte then. And it also has a space for a toilet?
Seller: I'm not sure the name that's what we thought
Me: I don't believe so. In '63, I'm quite sure an Airflyte had dinette cushions on either side with the table in the middle, and a couch that spanned the whole the back, and no toilet. How much are you looking to get for it?
Seller: We'd like $2000. We payed more than that for it but don't have time to finish it
Me: oh, that's too far overpriced for me, and especially knowing how they need to be taken apart to be put together correctly. I paid $600 for each of the two I currently have, and both need a total restoration, but they were intact and not gutted. Good luck though; I'm sure there will be someone who will be happy to have it.
If for some reason you aren't able to sell it, please get back in touch with me though!
Seller: No problem ~ this is our third camper we have restored so we know what they entail to restore we just don't have the time ~
Me: Well, to get at the rot and decay that's likely on the skirt boards, etc., you can't access or even see some of that framing without taking the skins off. And the cabinetry is screwed in from the outside, so gutting it isn't the general method most restorers use. But again, this is a hot market, so I'm sure someone will love to have your Shasta for a project.
Seller: thanks for your interest ~
I'll be so so so glad when these flippers stop buying campers, gutting them, and trying to sell it for thousands of dollars. I know we've all made mistakes along the way, that's how they learn. But to proclaim to know HOW to restore a camper, and insist that gutting it is the way to go... UGH. I just get frustrated when I talk to these people. (End rant)
Below are the two photos she sent me.
