Ten
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70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
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Post by Ten on Feb 14, 2016 21:23:24 GMT -8
The difference is an interesting topic for discussion. There would be plenty of work and money just to get the first one home, before you could even start to evaluate what actually needs doing. One positive for the first one, the interior is probably totaled, and for someone looking for one to remodel, customize, "glamp", even "glump"...it is a much better candidate for it.
In the Lakewood thread, mobiltec mentioned that the clear registration is worth a grand to a buyer in California, where it is listed. That issue does not apply in my home state of NY. Be that as it may, the rarity of such finds in the eastern portion of the states raises the stakes. One in this condition near here would be well worth consideration for its price. I'm definitely with Vikx on this one, the Lakewood definitely, because it could possibly be ready to go in fairly easy order.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 14, 2016 18:28:17 GMT -8
I like Dan's suggestion here. I would recommend talking to a good welding shop or trailer shop/dealer. You really should find out first what can actually be done to cure the frame problems.
I would however disagree mildly with the idea of removing the skin. If the cabin is cut completely loose from the metal frame, then it would retain most of its structural integrity by being completely intact, just the way that it holds its strength for going down the road by being intact inside and out. It would have to be jacked slowly and evenly and supported the same way once loose. But if they can move whole houses down the road intact, then removing the cabin from a travel trailer should also be possible.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 14, 2016 12:04:25 GMT -8
It may be that the weight of the kitchenette and its connection to the wall support is what is causing the failure. Judging by the top edge of the interior wall, it has been infiltrated with moisture from the roof/wall seam for a long period of time. That is caused by the putty tape, which is used to seal the joint, and the J-rail outside as well, drying, shrinking, and failing. Long-term leakage is usually the problem, and I am believing you probably have a rot issue higher up than you are looking. The skirt (bottom) boards are usually found to contribute the most to this type of sag, but it is not the only part holding it up. The roof works the other way around...rather than pushing down, it normally would act to "hold it up". I would suggest that you will most likely have to pull the skins completely and be ready to reframe the wall.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 14, 2016 5:39:10 GMT -8
Was that final closure done with a zipper, or velcro? I was watching this morning with the sound off, so sorry if you answered that in the vid and I missed it.
I saw this done one time by a professional upholsterer, and wondered how it looked being done by us laymen. Now I'm pretty sure I can handle doing it. Thanks for posting this!
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 13, 2016 18:43:16 GMT -8
The "cap" looks to actually be a "plug". The points that resemble a ship's wheel would be where you grasp to unscrew the plug. The air valve in the center is where the pressure is added by means of compressed air. You might try soaking it down with a good penetrating oil from inside the filler pipe. You likely will have to clamp the filler into a tight grip like a vice to hold it steady, and use some good leverage to unscrew with. HOWEVER, it looks like it may be cast out of pot metal, which is very brittle. It could be quite easy to break off the tips on the points of the "ship's wheel", or the filler as a whole. Patience is a huge virtue. Let your penetrating oil have a good amount of time to soak in. And be gently persuasive.
The other opening in the filler plug was probably an access port for a pressure gauge.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 13, 2016 14:00:27 GMT -8
I am believing that this pull-out was kept narrower than usual because it is located in the front end, beneath the loft bunk. If there is anyone using both to sleep at the same time, access to and from the upper bunk would be near impossible over the top of a wider pullout base. If I am not mistaken there was a similar layout used in the early-60's Shasta Astrodome. While many of the Astrodomes were built with a front dinette, and the bunk overhead of it, there were some built with the front gaucho, with the swing-away tables.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 13, 2016 13:53:25 GMT -8
Kinda takes the advantages of the "LO flyte" away from it, don't it? Definitely looks flipped to me. The gold-stripe body style and the Loflyte models came out at the late-67 stage of the company's history, and I see by your other post that the trailer was built in Battleground Washington. It looks like it is going to be a fun project, especially since you have prior experience with other vintage trailers. Is this one the front-kitchen, or front-dinette version?
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 13, 2016 11:43:05 GMT -8
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 12, 2016 20:10:35 GMT -8
Then, if the only question, the Primary question, is, "what do I think of trailer brakes?" I would have to answer that you will not spend a better couple hundred bucks on this trailer. I have driven all types and sizes of trailers and I love having the brakes. One of my most scary rides was pulling for my Dad one time, with a long and heavy cargo draped over the ends of a snowmobile trailer with no brakes, and pulled down the mile-and-a-half long hill to the lake. The truck's brakes were smoked by the bottom, and that was the exact time in life that I determined that he really truly was nuts.
I have new ones on my SC, and the rig pulls like a dream. I have not had the experience of loading up all the gear and taking off with it yet, but I am confident that the rig is going to pull and it is going to stop and it will stay straight. That's the peace of mind you can't put a price on.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 12, 2016 10:52:08 GMT -8
The thought of Hamlet cozied up with a hot toddy, feet up in front of the fire, waiting for some TLC and a rubdown really warms the spirit....
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 12, 2016 10:49:02 GMT -8
If they are already present, it will only cost a little time and screwing-around to run some leads to the cut wire ends to see if there is any hope they still do work. I would not count on them much though, and would plan on spending to replace them anyway.
I know that the brakes had to have been an optional-equipment add-on for the Compact, and not many had them. However, since they are present it shouldn't take a lot to be able to renew them. There will be some expense involved, like the brake assemblies, possibly drums, wiring, and the controller for your tow vehicle. But it is not a prohibitive cost factor. Personally, I would start rounding up the parts to get the job done, small-trailer question or not. All of the recent discussion about safe towing is enough to convince me of the added safety bonus it would be giving you. Mountains of Tennessee or no, safety first!
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 12, 2016 10:40:02 GMT -8
Everything is there . I have had it a few years and have been using it. I wanted to see some pics to see what the interior looked like for a redo. I will try some other brands and get some ideas . Thanks ton all. Good idea. You will find as you are looking around that, as was mentioned, many of the same sizes had similar layouts. There really is a limited number of ways you can lay out a pattern within any given space, and keep it lightweight enough to travel as well as being functional. Even though there may not be lots of information available for the Winnie-brand specifically, you will also find that many brands were built with similar construction methods, as well as mostly the same appliances and fixtures. This follows much in the footsteps of the logic that there are only so many layouts... Information on the pieces that make up the whole may be easier to find, and like putting a puzzle together, will make sense of the big picture when you have all those pieces. This seems like it is a common size amongst trailers ini the same era, so you should find many examples of similar trailers that have been made-over.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 10, 2016 19:50:50 GMT -8
I don't have a lot to compare to, as I didn't get photos like I should have before removing the gaucho in the Airflyte. You are on the right track with it, and it sounds pretty similar to most that I have seen. The support of the framing always seems quite flimsy, but it is really substantial considering that weight is spread out over a greater area when you are lying flat. The sheeting on mine was the same 1/8" birch plywood panel that was used for the wall boards. This is also another example of the engineering that gains strength from the whole of the structure, as the cushions work to spread the pressure out more evenly over a thin plywood. The reason for the overlap is that they have to be able to push back in when you make up the couch arrangement. If they laid side-by-side, then it would be quite difficult to push it back, and especially with the cushions in place. If you replace using a 4 - 5 inch thick foam, the ridge will be unnoticeable.
I can't say for sure that all the cushions were designed to lie flat. They may have been resized, or they may have been replaced at one time, or they were never designed to go completely flat. Most make out to a "super-twin" or a pretty tight "full". This is because they are designed to maximize a minimal amount of space. I guess that our grandparents and young parents were a lot less demanding for sleeping space then we tend to be....
Be sure to post your findings with the dinette too.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 9, 2016 10:21:43 GMT -8
There are no vital organs or brains to worry about, it is not that type of surgery. Learning what you can ahead of the project is the best advice, and there will still be things you don't understand until you are up to your elbows in it. There is a certain feeling of "no turning back" once you turn out the first screws, and things start to come apart, hopefully as they should. But once you are into it and past that tight feeling in your stomach, you are going to be totally addicted, if not totally sure.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Feb 9, 2016 10:13:35 GMT -8
I am not too sure how the transition to the Coachmen era of the Shasta trailers affected the paint codes. They may have changed them up by the time the '76-s were coming out, but I found a Rustoleum color that came pretty close to the weathered white of my 1970. It is called "Canvas White", product number is 7789 (UPC code = 20066-77898), Gloss finish protective enamel, spray-can version. I had found it on the shelf at our local hardware, however after they changed over to become the latest store swallowed up by Ace, they were not stocking it (or many other Rustoleum colors either...) but they were good enough to order me a 6-pk case. I'm not even certain it is not discontinued, which would be my luck, but I do still find it available through sellers on ebay. I also purchased a quart can of the same color through a seller on ebay. I'm planning to paint the roof over again, but that may not happen for a couple summers. Tough to get a true representation of the shade of it on the camera, but here is a weak attempt...
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