gary350
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We should have gone camping today it is going to snow 6" tonight.
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1964 FAN
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Post by gary350 on Dec 8, 2020 9:01:09 GMT -8
I buy or get free all the old vintage campers I can find. I did a complete rebuild on #9 about 2 years ago. We decided we are tired of climbing over each other to pee at 3am so now I have another gutted 1963 Fan to rebuild so we can get out of bed on both sides. I had 2 other vintage gutted campers that I decided to get ride of. I advertised both gutted campers free on Craigslist & market place but jukes complained I want my garbage hauled away free they got both ADs removed 3 times. So I listed gutted campers for $200 and explained how it is an easy rebuild in this condition, new plywood floor, new walls, put on the skin, do electric wire, insulation, plumbing, etc. 3 people wanted to rebuild 1 for them self. The first person came quick before anyone else could get it before him. He gave me $200 and after talking to him 2 hours and helping him get the camper ready to pull 40 miles home I knew he was serious about restoring the camper so I gave him back his $200. 2nd person came got the second camper I did the same thing to him. $200 price keeps the scrap metal collector people away.
Now I have 1 gutted camper I would love to be working on but covid-19 has caused 2x4 boards to be $10 each they use to be $2.40 each. Plywood prices are 4 times more expensive too. I am not spending $5000 to restore this camper, if prices get back to normal again I will build it then. I cut 2x4s in ½ to many my own 2x2s that are straight not bent like bananas. 2x2s at Lowes & Home Depot are same price as 2x4s. When I cut a 2x4 is ½ the 2x2s are ½ price and not banana shape. 2
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John Palmer
Senior Member
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 Dec 8, 2020 9:44:21 GMT -8
I would not expect to see a drop in the cost of materials anytime soon. If you have tried to buy anything lately you would find many items are on Back Order, even at the higher new prices.
In my experience, the cost to rebuild one of my trailers exceeded $5K many years ago. I would guess it's well north of $10K today, if you start from scratch. Axle assembly $400, Tires are $100 each, wheels are $60 each, metal for a frame is $400, coupler and jack is $200. A single quart of Rust-o-leum paint is now $23. your correct, a decent 2 by 4 is close to $10 today, and quality plywood is $35 for 1/2" and $50 for 3/4", a new aluminum skin and roof is $2500 (with freight), etc. You have to expect to add 15% to all of these prices for todays increased shipping costs. It's just crazy. Today, "unrestored" vintage windows are at $250 to $800 per window.
High material costs have out priced the value of rebuilding the late 60's and 70's "toaster trailers". It makes more sense to focus on the late 40's, and early 50's canned ham era trailers. The cost to rebuild a trailer is basically the same for any era, but the resale value potential is much higher on the early 1950's trailers.
I think the real opportunity for some young guy is to pass on rebuilding vintage trailer's completely. Just focus on building the vintage trailer parts that are needed by the many people rebuilding trailers. Reproduce the obsolete vintage Bargman door locks for $500, how about brand new early Hehr window assembly's in any size, fully polished, with new seals, and double pane glass for $500 per window, maybe brand new high quality pressed and polished (correct vintage style) aluminum drip caps in every two inch increment for $50 per cap.
Just dreaming,
John
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turbodaddy
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17' 1965 Fan "Sunseeker"
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Post by turbodaddy on Dec 9, 2020 19:22:09 GMT -8
Dream on my friend,John!
Everything about rebuilding these old trailers would be so much easier if parts were more readily available. Not being a "young guy" I am acutely aware that the skills and equipment required to produce these things are not widely available these days.
In my day being a "machinist" was an esteemed trade and those guys (sorry ladies, but there just weren't opportunities for women then) could make almost anything from a blank piece of metal. It was magical to watch them work. They'd start with a chunk of metal and end up with a perfectly crafted part. It is now called a "subtractive" process since material was carefully removed to create a precisely machined part. Now we have "additive" manufacturing processes with 3D printing which is also pretty amazing, but doesn't require any of the old time hands on skills of old time machining.
That said, I must admit I find the concept of additive vs. subtractive processes intriguing.
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Dec 10, 2020 9:23:42 GMT -8
Dream on my friend,John! Everything about rebuilding these old trailers would be so much easier if parts were more readily available. Not being a "young guy" I am acutely aware that the skills and equipment required to produce these things are not widely available these days. In my day being a "machinist" was an esteemed trade and those guys (sorry ladies, but there just weren't opportunities for women then) could make almost anything from a blank piece of metal. It was magical to watch them work. They'd start with a chunk of metal and end up with a perfectly crafted part. It is now called a "subtractive" process since material was carefully removed to create a precisely machined part. Now we have "additive" manufacturing processes with 3D printing which is also pretty amazing, but doesn't require any of the old time hands on skills of old time machining. That said, I must admit I find the concept of additive vs. subtractive processes intriguing. A little like baking a cake using a boxed cake mix. It’s a totally different skill set. |
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Dec 14, 2020 9:50:23 GMT -8
I love the part about giving the folks their $200 back
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Dec 14, 2020 9:58:38 GMT -8
Gary, if you are designing a camper with a more friendly midnight pee option, check out my running documentation "Progress on the Scratch Build" where I'm copying and improving on our '63 Friendship Vacatioinaire, which has opposing sofas that work either singly or pulled together. The best part is that you sleep longwise in the trailer, making it easy to slip out of bed at the foot.
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John Palmer
Senior Member
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,625
Likes: 575
Currently Offline
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Post by John Palmer on Dec 14, 2020 10:38:44 GMT -8
Gary, if you are designing a camper with a more friendly midnight pee option, check out my running documentation "Progress on the Scratch Build" where I'm copying and improving on our '63 Friendship Vacatioinaire, which has opposing sofas that work either singly or pulled together. The best part is that you sleep longwise in the trailer, making it easy to slip out of bed at the foot. I will second the advantages of "North/South" beds, in a small trailer. They can be done several ways. They can be "Twin Beds", as was done by Spartan originally in 1948 on my 24' Spartanette. Twin beds are my favorite, but they work best in trailers over 20 feet, because I like to keep a stationary table. In my 1958 Mallard rebuild, I adopted a originally available, optional (bathroom) floor plan that used a "North/South" Gaucho bed/sofa that pulls out into a twin bed. The good news is it allows the extra room for the bathroom space. The bad news, is your back to "crawling over", to get to the bathroom at night. All in all, It worked very good. In my 1957 Aljo (my current rebuild), I lengthened the trailer frame to 17', built a wider frame (now seven feet), and adopted the same "North/South" Gaucho/Sofa bed style used in the Mallard, with the rear corner bathroom. It has a pantry, and a "free hung" cabinet built over the foot of the bed. This trailer is being custom built for my son, who is a "big boy" at 6' 5", so we made many choices based on what works for comfort. It always boils down to trade off's for the best used of space. I have found adding six inches of width, generates more useable cubic space than adding a couple of feet of length in a canned ham shaped trailer. John |
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Dec 14, 2020 11:58:51 GMT -8
I'm fitting my 28 x 74 inch separate single to full size north/south bed in a 14' x 7' box. No bathroom.
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gary350
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We should have gone camping today it is going to snow 6" tonight.
Posts: 573
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1964 FAN
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Post by gary350 on Jan 5, 2021 20:00:09 GMT -8
Last time I checked lumber prices 2x4x8 were $10 each. I have been getting free lumber out of trash dumpsters at a construction site where they are building 75 new houses. I have to pull lots of bent nails. Soon as I get enough lumber we want a walk around bed in the next camper.
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WhitneyK
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'67 Shasta Compact
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Post by WhitneyK on Jan 5, 2021 20:20:53 GMT -8
In our area, poplar is priced better than pine! Poplar is sold by local mills / lumber supplies. Pine is a "building material" sold at home improvement stores.
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Jan 6, 2021 9:26:39 GMT -8
Just thought of this... for seasoned lumber at a really good price, you could check an architectural salvage place. We have bought an antique fireplace surround, an antique window for our chicken coop, and 120 feet of 4-foot chain link fencing. The fencing set us back $56. My fave purchase has been a stack of hand thrown, hand glazed antique 6x6 porcelain tiles to use around the fireplace and in an adjacent powder room. The tiles were the most expensive at $2 apiece, but we got a bunch, so they gave us a hefty discount. We’re hoping to be able to use some of their lumber to restore a very old farmhouse: if the guy who owns the property and will tear it down anyway (to build 50 “starter castles) will allow us to haul it away.
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gary350
Full Member
We should have gone camping today it is going to snow 6" tonight.
Posts: 573
Likes: 170
1964 FAN
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Post by gary350 on Jan 21, 2021 5:57:46 GMT -8
Gary, if you are designing a camper with a more friendly midnight pee option, check out my running documentation "Progress on the Scratch Build" where I'm copying and improving on our '63 Friendship Vacatioinaire, which has opposing sofas that work either singly or pulled together. The best part is that you sleep longwise in the trailer, making it easy to slip out of bed at the foot. Sofa on both sides sounds like an excellent idea. When we were younger getting out of bed at the foot was easy but not anymore. We bought a very good high quality pillow top mattress for a full time bed. We are tired of turning a sofa or table into a bed several times every day. It is not easy for us old fossils to get out of bed at the foot anymore. We take naps in the middle of the day our bed has large windows on 3 sides, we can see and hear birds & animals. We have a National Wilderness camp ground 2 hr drive from our house it is nice to camp there with windows open and wake up to the sound of 100s of animals & breeze blowing through the camper. We need 3 window awnings so we can sleep in the rain with windows open. Camp ground picnic table is where we cook & eat & live so camper will have no kitchen table. Our camper is bed on wheels with kitchen for hauling food to the camp ground, bathroom & 2 closets & other storage space. |
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