Post by slowlady on Oct 2, 2017 8:58:27 GMT -8
Hello, I am so happy to have found a forum that (a) doesn't exclude trailers built in the 70s and (b) is so active. It's a bit shocking that 40 year old trailers are not neccesarily considered vintage, but I get it. The older models are cooler. But I'm a single mom who wanted a bathroom so I didn't have to leave my then 5-year-old alone to go to the bathhouse in the middle of the night, and the 1970s Jayco was what I found. I've been wrassling with it since 2012.
I am a cliche: I bought this trailer off Craigslist, had no idea what I was doing, barely blinked at the crumbling paneling inside, believed the previous owner who said that the trailer could be towed with a Honda Civic and that the toilet worked, and toted it home with the help of a pickup-owning family member.
It sat uncovered in my yard for a year while I shopped for a tow vehicle. Then I got the systems going, with my dad's help, and the local rv place got the LP going and "sealed" a piece of skin that had popped off at the corner. A neighbor mentioned I should seal the camper before painting it. I literally walked around the trailer with a tube of silicone caulk the size of a toothpaste tube before painting it a lovely shade of green. After camping in it for a couple of years, I got sick of rotten wood raining on me while I slept. I tried to repanel from the inside and (twice) pulled and resealed the windows.
I was serious about the lovely shade. That's the only thing I did right. Actually I did a decent job on the windows. The second time.
I am stubborn: I often see Mobiltec's phrase, "the wisdom to know the difference," and think: I am not wise. Most (all?) of the people who know me think I should cut my losses and buy an new trailer. But the times I've spent both camping and working on this trailer, no matter how misguided was the work, have been some of the best in my life. and while I've looked at some new trailers and some restored vintage ones, I still like the layout and potential of mine the best. It may be a case of diminishing returns. But I can't give up.
Right now: I think I am in the right place. After five years: begining. My camper is in a family member's barn with the skins off. My work generally consists of going out to the barn, staring at the trailer, going home, watching Mobiltec videos, rinse and repeat. Oh and I got Vikx's e-book!
I am a cliche: I bought this trailer off Craigslist, had no idea what I was doing, barely blinked at the crumbling paneling inside, believed the previous owner who said that the trailer could be towed with a Honda Civic and that the toilet worked, and toted it home with the help of a pickup-owning family member.
It sat uncovered in my yard for a year while I shopped for a tow vehicle. Then I got the systems going, with my dad's help, and the local rv place got the LP going and "sealed" a piece of skin that had popped off at the corner. A neighbor mentioned I should seal the camper before painting it. I literally walked around the trailer with a tube of silicone caulk the size of a toothpaste tube before painting it a lovely shade of green. After camping in it for a couple of years, I got sick of rotten wood raining on me while I slept. I tried to repanel from the inside and (twice) pulled and resealed the windows.
I was serious about the lovely shade. That's the only thing I did right. Actually I did a decent job on the windows. The second time.
I am stubborn: I often see Mobiltec's phrase, "the wisdom to know the difference," and think: I am not wise. Most (all?) of the people who know me think I should cut my losses and buy an new trailer. But the times I've spent both camping and working on this trailer, no matter how misguided was the work, have been some of the best in my life. and while I've looked at some new trailers and some restored vintage ones, I still like the layout and potential of mine the best. It may be a case of diminishing returns. But I can't give up.
Right now: I think I am in the right place. After five years: begining. My camper is in a family member's barn with the skins off. My work generally consists of going out to the barn, staring at the trailer, going home, watching Mobiltec videos, rinse and repeat. Oh and I got Vikx's e-book!
Kinda like the rest of us! Yours could have been worse, it could look like this:
Glad to hear you are watching Larry's videos. Here's hoping you get your old girl on the road soon. Just keep picking at it. You'll be surprised when it's done and be wondering how you ever accomplished it. Keep your chin up and keep at it! 
