Photo Booth Project

Wow...that poor trailer is in sad shape. I know that there are vendors who make repro decals for various trailer brands, and I'm sure someone here will supply some links. From your photos it looks like a compete frame-off rebuild is what your (Corvette?) will require, but I can promise you that if you do it yourself, you will have an heirloom and a trailer you can USE and have lots of memories with. It is worth the effort!

The good thing about a complete frame up rebuild is that it's easier and quicker than a partial. Sometimes I think I should just rebuild the whole dang thing and be done with it but I have no place to do such work. I have to work on my trailers outside, restoring one piece at a time. What I need is a good size barn. Maybe the kind you live upstairs in. Work on the trailers below. Anyone have one they want to rent out?

As you saw earlier this trailer could be worth the effort if you want to restore it and make it a classic. Maybe use something less rare and less neat for the photo booth? 

mobiltec it makes sense that the frame up rebuild could be quicker and cleaner. I can see how that could work to my advantage. I agree with the barn idea. I am actually going to try to find such a space (barn, garage, or vacant warehouse) to move my trailer to. I am up on a hill, unprotected, in a breezy area, and it would be nearly impossible to move around these large pieces of plywood and aluminum in this environment.

After looking at the pictures of other Corvette projects, I would like to restore mine, but there is mostly nothing left of the original interior, so there is nothing to save, other than the shape. Also, I would rather take the money that I would need to spend just to buy another travel trailer and put into rehabbing this one that I have already. I can rebuild it so that it can be solid as an empty trailer, then if I decide to make it a camper later, then I can just add the cabinetry and fixtures. What do you think?

Your skins look to be in pretty decent condition, although I have not seen full on shots of all 4 sides and top. One thing to consider when re-purposing the Corvette for the photo booth, is the comment you made about the fun of a group of wedding guests standing inside waiting for their turn at the unique photo booth. If you are rebuilding, consider the available headroom throughout the camper. If you think you will have a reasonable number of 6 foot plus people inside it try to factor in where to put the, I assume, "sitting for the photo section" (the rear) to take advantage of the taller headroom area which would be at the entry door and forward.

One final comment...what mobiltec mentioned about restoring the Corvette to a desirable camper definitely has merit. Even the name Corvette catches people's attention (thank you Chevrolet for that word association).

You have $150 invested now, plus expenses to retrieve...not a ton of money invested yet. Might find a next gen Shasta Compact or other canned ham to make a cool vintage photo booth at a bargain buy-in price.

If you have more time than money, you may want to fix the aluminum sides.  I strip mine with aircraft stripper. It is not as strong as the normal stripper. But the regular metal stripper will eat the aluminum. I found with many layers of paint you might have to put 4 coats of stripper on.  Another option is to use a heat gun. Make sure there is nothing on the other side you don't want to start a fire. Then scrape it off with a sharp putty knife. you will have to sharpen the knife every hour of use. I stripped the roof this way  For repairing the dents, you will have to anneal the aluminum first. Use a zippo lighter to blacken the paint free surface (carbon it up)  then use a normal propane torch to burn off the black. Stop went the black disappears. Look up video's on it.  From here you can start hammering out the dents with a hammer and a block on the otherside.  There is no need to sand the side. 

Hope this helps
Brent

bagpipeswest, unfortunately neither time nor money are on my side right now. I just know that I have a personal history of doing what I think sounds best, with no experience to back it up, only to create more work for myself and shoot myself in the foot. I am just trying to avoid that, if possible. Not having experience in prepping old aluminum skins, it just seems simpler to get new ones. The repair work on the aluminum sounds intimidating. On the other hand, I would rather put the $1,500-$2,000 into the rest of the trailer, if the skins are worth saving.

When you say that there is no need to sand the sides, what do you mean? The caked spray paint is everywhere - top and sides. I would think that if I am going to strip and sand the top, I would have to do the same to the sides.

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. How long has it been since you did yours? Have you has any issue with the stripper messing with your paint job later on?