John Palmer
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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 Mar 26, 2015 21:45:23 GMT -8
"Frame off" rebuilds usually is a term used in car restoration. They pull the car body off the frame, then put it on a rotisserie for the bodywork.
On stick and tin trailers we usually dissemble the wood frame, replace the bad framing and paneling, but leave it on the steel frame.
Well today I'm starting a different path on trailer rebuilds. I have purchased a 13' 1957 Deville trailer that was sold last year to one of my former trailer customer's by "a local restorer/flipper" as a fully restored trailer. It has a beautiful birch interior, but you guessed it, it's got wood rot, a good dose of termite damage, and is sprayed full of foam, and has tons of silicone and butyl caulking to hold it all together. It was very poorly rebuilt, with most of the damage covered up. This is NOT a case where the seller had no idea of the damaged condition, it was "a covered up"! This guy has been preying on Sister's on the Fly members, selling them junk, and for big bucks. It just makes me sick to have dishonest people like this in our small hobby, and I will meet up with him someday! But.......it's fully the buyers responsibility to know what they are buying before the money changes hands. Buyer's beware!
Yesterday I removed all the windows, and stripped all the aluminum skin, insulation, and wiring. Today, I built a scaffold of 2" x 8" stilts, raised the trailer. screwed the stilts to the framework, added some 2" x 8" through the window holes, and some 2" x 4" for diagonal strength bracing. The trailer is now standing on four stilts, awaiting for the frame bolts to be cutoff, and then the steel frame will be lowered, and removed for a full frame rebuild. The frame rails are broken, has bent and broken cross members, and some previous owner installed a new axle and because new trailer springs are longer length than original 1950's springs, the axle is now not centered in the wheel wells. While the frame is off the body, it will have "drop down" rear corner stabilizers added, and a bicycle receiver hitch will be added, and a secure step and additional cross members will be added for strength. It also needs a new propane tank mount. It will be sanded, and repainted before it get put back under the old trailer body.
After the frame is again sound, the body will be reinstalled, and rebuilt as needed, before it gets re-skinned with new skin and roof metal. I want to save as much as possible of the restored interior to save duplicate work.
Sorry, I have no photos to post.
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Mar 27, 2015 6:54:16 GMT -8
Sorry, I have no photos to post. Yes I'm new here but sorry, I have to say this, you really need to get with it on the picture thing John. All seriousness aside, I look forward to following along. I'll be nice from now on.
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Post by danrhodes on Mar 27, 2015 7:16:50 GMT -8
Sounds like a good example of an exception to the sunk cost fallacy to me. I'd hate to think what they paid for that glowing birch, covering rot and rust, but the final product will be better than new.
I'm with RinTin though...can we all chip in and buy you a smartphone that auto syncs to the cloud so we can see some photos of these masterpieces?
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ladywendolyn
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1964 Golden Falcon
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Post by ladywendolyn on Mar 27, 2015 9:09:13 GMT -8
I hope you will post some pics John.. I really need to see this... But you are a good story teller, so I can almost imagine it
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Mar 27, 2015 9:53:24 GMT -8
I'm in for $20 on the smart phone. C'mon John, heck even Mobiltec posts pics and he makes all the mistakes so we don't have to.
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Post by vintagebruce on Mar 27, 2015 13:12:13 GMT -8
The jury is still out with me John, about the pics I mean. People just don't use their imagination enough. I see perfectly what you are saying.
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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 Mar 27, 2015 15:11:15 GMT -8
LOL, Your all so SMART! My wife already bought me a SMART phone, on the last go around, "and failed" to bring me into the current times. I took it back to the store, and told the guy at the counter that I wanted something I could sit on, and did not do anything but connect to a phone line. He told me they no longer make anything like that, but maybe I could still find a Pink Princess Phone in a second hand store if I was lucky.
Today was a parts run day to let the Arthritis in my knee to settle down. I drove out to see Chris, the Trailer Trasher in El Mirage, CA. and came home with a truck load of old junk for the Deville, and the Spartan rebuilds. He's quite a vintage parts knowledge resource for the So. Cal builder's, I'm surprised more don't know about his extensive parts inventory. Hope to get the frame cut off the body tomorrow.
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Post by danrhodes on Mar 27, 2015 15:26:28 GMT -8
LOL, Your all so SMART! My wife already bought me a SMART phone, on the last go around, "and failed" to bring me into the current times. I took it back to the store, and told the guy at the counter that I wanted something I could sit on, and did not do anything but connect to a phone line. He told me they no longer make anything like that, but maybe I could still find a Pink Princess Phone in a second hand store if I was lucky. Today was a parts run day to let the Arthritis in my knee to settle down. I drove out to see Chris, the Trailer Trasher in El Mirage, CA. and came home with a truck load of old junk for the Deville, and the Spartan rebuilds. He's quite a vintage parts knowledge resource for the So. Cal builder's, I'm surprised more don't know about his extensive parts inventory. Hope to get the frame cut off the body tomorrow. They still make those phones...you get them in the mobility scooter aisle ;-) www.jitterbugdirect.com/
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Post by vikx on Mar 27, 2015 21:13:52 GMT -8
I'll help you John! Just email me a few and I'll post them for you. Don't listen to these SMART ALECKS...
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Post by vintagebruce on Mar 28, 2015 5:18:32 GMT -8
John, I simply recharge my jitterbug and cruise to the electronics section of Wal-Mart and buy a $14.99 Samsung flip phone that is activated on my carrier (AT&T). It does some fancy data stuff, but what it does for me is rings and when I flip it and push the green telephone button, I can talk to the caller. I can also auto dial my wife. They are not washing machine proof. That is why I am on my third one in the last 4 years...My wife and I bought the first I-phones, she now prefers the latest Smart Samsung phone...I finally perched my I-phone on a fence post and dialed zero with a nice little .410 I have...most satisfying moment I ever had with that phone.
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Ten
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70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
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Post by Ten on Mar 28, 2015 7:10:26 GMT -8
I don't get it, I still can't get any photos to load from my phone either..................
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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 Mar 28, 2015 7:37:06 GMT -8
You guys make me feel like I'm talking with a bunch of OLD GIZZER's at the donut shop.
LOL
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Mar 28, 2015 9:19:18 GMT -8
I don't get it, I still can't get any photos to load from my phone either.................. The folks across the path from us have one of these (except with a dial) in their entry. They've had it for 70 years and still use it. Now if they could only make a "Smart" phone that lasted that long! I use one all week at work and am perfectly happy to go back to the "stupid" version on the weekends!
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Mar 28, 2015 12:21:55 GMT -8
Pic removed, thread back on track.
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Post by vikx on Mar 28, 2015 22:17:12 GMT -8
OK, back to work People: Here's JP's trailer from the front: Showing frame dropped: This is IT: And cross braces:
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