Post by pdalber on Jun 4, 2017 23:29:11 GMT -8
Update: My thread was recently hijacked by Photobucket, so I will be working to edit/update and repost the photos.
After lurking on this site for quite some time, reading lots of threads, and learning from other people's builds, it's probably about time that I share my project with the members of the forum. A little over a year ago, my family purchased a 10-foot Carolina Traveler. We weren't familiar with the brand (and have yet to find any information about them), but finding a vintage camper anywhere in the vicinity of South Florida was a challenge. We had been searching for some time when we found the trailer on the opposite side of the state. Upon inspection, it looked to be in pretty decent condition and we liked that it had all of the original appliances and fixtures. The camper also appeared to be roadworthy (which is more than I can say about other trailers we looked at), so we made a deal and crossed our fingers as we started the two hour drive home. Not ten minutes into the drive, my heart sank when another driver started honking and waving his hand to gain my attention. To my suprise, when I rolled down the window, he asked if I was interested in selling my new prize! I politely refused his offer and finished the rest of the trip without incident.
photos.app.goo.gl/uMOsNPUbYgABWfDn1
photos.app.goo.gl/AbwedTAm3Oz3PI8j1
We knew from the beginning that it would be a total tear down and rebuild. So, over the course of the next few weekends, we worked on demolition.
photos.app.goo.gl/B9nKAWAKqdU4LZXi2
photos.app.goo.gl/xbO5TLI1yJD6vW2I3
Overall, the framing was in pretty decent shape and we wound up reusing much of the original wood. I was pretty surprised at the lack of craftsmanship in some of the original build.
photos.app.goo.gl/OdbeE2aJIEmOA6S63
There was quite a bit of water damage, mainly to the interior paneling and some less than ideal repairs by the previous owners. So deconstruction continued until we reached the frame. I did try to save and re-use or re-purpose as much of the original wood as possible.
photos.app.goo.gl/hGndoJXsCj8JIzKx2
photos.app.goo.gl/GAisjEauNkl6IIk93
photos.app.goo.gl/ZdtRcI2BiYuVRCUW2
During the process, I took LOTS of detailed pictures and later learned that was very important. Having pictures to refer back to was critical in the coming months as the build progressed. Looking at pictures from other builds on this forum also played an important role in our project. This is especially true of exceptional work that RinTin has documented in 1965 Aloha project; he'll see quite a few similarities here. Tonight I'll try and post up some of our progress pictures.
After lurking on this site for quite some time, reading lots of threads, and learning from other people's builds, it's probably about time that I share my project with the members of the forum. A little over a year ago, my family purchased a 10-foot Carolina Traveler. We weren't familiar with the brand (and have yet to find any information about them), but finding a vintage camper anywhere in the vicinity of South Florida was a challenge. We had been searching for some time when we found the trailer on the opposite side of the state. Upon inspection, it looked to be in pretty decent condition and we liked that it had all of the original appliances and fixtures. The camper also appeared to be roadworthy (which is more than I can say about other trailers we looked at), so we made a deal and crossed our fingers as we started the two hour drive home. Not ten minutes into the drive, my heart sank when another driver started honking and waving his hand to gain my attention. To my suprise, when I rolled down the window, he asked if I was interested in selling my new prize! I politely refused his offer and finished the rest of the trip without incident.
photos.app.goo.gl/uMOsNPUbYgABWfDn1
photos.app.goo.gl/AbwedTAm3Oz3PI8j1
We knew from the beginning that it would be a total tear down and rebuild. So, over the course of the next few weekends, we worked on demolition.
photos.app.goo.gl/B9nKAWAKqdU4LZXi2
photos.app.goo.gl/xbO5TLI1yJD6vW2I3
Overall, the framing was in pretty decent shape and we wound up reusing much of the original wood. I was pretty surprised at the lack of craftsmanship in some of the original build.
photos.app.goo.gl/OdbeE2aJIEmOA6S63
There was quite a bit of water damage, mainly to the interior paneling and some less than ideal repairs by the previous owners. So deconstruction continued until we reached the frame. I did try to save and re-use or re-purpose as much of the original wood as possible.
photos.app.goo.gl/hGndoJXsCj8JIzKx2
photos.app.goo.gl/GAisjEauNkl6IIk93
photos.app.goo.gl/ZdtRcI2BiYuVRCUW2
During the process, I took LOTS of detailed pictures and later learned that was very important. Having pictures to refer back to was critical in the coming months as the build progressed. Looking at pictures from other builds on this forum also played an important role in our project. This is especially true of exceptional work that RinTin has documented in 1965 Aloha project; he'll see quite a few similarities here. Tonight I'll try and post up some of our progress pictures.