Repair or move on ... .

You won't know until you take a look, many women on here either are now or have already rebuilt their trailer.I would bet that you could to, then think how proud you will be to say that you did it.

The kitchen is actually on the side, and right next to where the former owner had a blowout. I am expecting to have to peel back the skin and reinforce the deck and wall framing. This site has the most inspirational people and after lurking around I am sure I could manage a teardown and appropriate rebuild. And the women especially have dropped my jaw as I read through these threads. However, I now see that I ought to go the whole way to fix everything since the trailer has so much beauty already. I am not in a place in life where I want to devote that kind of time to it, my desire is to have an efficient piece of equipment for camping. These threads have really opened my eyes to this vintage world and made me re-evaluate what it is I want out of a trailer. Truly I want something small and older that I don't mind getting dirty and can take into areas that may be rocky or densely forested. And that will get me through frozen 28-degree August summer nights above timberline. I bought my trailer from a hunting family that had installed a floor heater, and combined with the beautiful wood I was sold on it. So, I think I will list it for the price I purchased it for, continue camping while the season lasts, and if I don't get a response I will go ahead and reinforce the deck and framing for mountain use - checking these threads throughout the build because there are incredible instructions and experts here for any problem I could ever encounter.

May I ask, where do vintage trailer lovers look for trailer ads? Would you recommend just going through Craigslist, do I list on vintage trailer sights? You all have made me look at my trailer much differently, I now feel that thrill of my vintage appliances and wood and floor, when days ago I was considering sawing up the closets for a large refrigerator and laying carpeting over really cool linoleum. If I had the money and space time, I now would park my Terry and bring back her glory and pick up a second trailer for the rough areas we go to. Your passion and comraderie are infectious, and I am grateful for the time you took to answer my questions. Ok, I am off to research vintage trailer ads, but also to get some killer wiring tricks from all the experts here. I will be watching for each of you on the road, your awesome trailers have opened a whole new world of appreciation for me. Thanks again!

Wow, encouragement from actual vintage trailer rock stars - thank you! I think I was just reading advice from SusieQ in another thread about partial panel replacement and insulation help, wish I had found this site long ago. Began to take pictures to sell my trailer, sat inside for a moment with all that golden wood, looked at all my equipment stashed away just waiting to go out on the road again, and finally acknowledged that I deeply, truly love this little tin box. It has been a good friend and it is just what I wanted. Then I looked above me at the damp paneling around the vent, stared long and hard at my leaning stove ... and came right back in and started reading here about framing and mildew and proper disassembly and old electrical wiring. Finding this site and now conversing with these passionate souls has been as lucky as finding my little trailer. I have gone from discouragement and doubt to hope and determination in a single day, thank you for taking the time to talk me through this!

Very few people expect to buy a mid-50's camper, enjoy it until it needs obvious remedial repairs and expect to sell it off at that point and recoup their initial investment. That's not how it works. Even those that are very skilled and rebuild campers into show quality, when they factor in the hundreds of hours spent on the rebuild/restore, do not make much of a profit, since their hourly rate ends out averaging about $2.75/hr. in the equation. I too think your Terry is an excellent example of the best of the canned ham era. You might be hard pressed to find another if you sold this one and decided later to get back into another canned ham. I would encourage you to inspect the suspect areas and do the repairs needed to continue safe camping/towing. You do not have to repair back to "original" as long as you don't slap crap in cheap modern stuff helter skelter in the repair process, really destroying the original ambiance. I think you can continue being a great caretaker of your Treasure. Good luck with your decision. Oh, and if you decide to sell, start posting like crazy until you get 50, and then post it for sale here. I'm beginning to think selling on Craigslist is kind of like a woman going to Alaska looking for a husband...the odds are good, but the goods are odd! (This coming from a guy who married his wife, who was visiting from the lower 48, while I was living in Alaska).

VintageBruce, you are right that if I sold this one I would be looking for another old one. I have not owned this very long, but now that I have had it a while I know things that I thought I was careful about when purchasing. I was aware of water damage and knew I would be attempting wood work, but after using it a few times and actually being enclosed inside for awhile, I realize the mildew odor is so strong inside that it produces serious migraines. The seller had air fresheners everywhere when showing the trailer, I never picked up on how toxic the air actually is. I am at the point where I cannot use the trailer at all until a thorough and correctly-done repair is completed, and if I were to attempt the correct repairs myself I would not be able to start such a project right away. That was my first discouragement, but watching the videos produced by members here make me think perhaps I may give it a try. The water damage is practically the only thing wrong with it, the original flooring and seats w/original upholstery and appliances are all just fine. Also, I had intended to remove the ancient sink, ice box, floor heater, and Princess oven/stove and install more modern appliances. However, these things are all in pristine and working condition, and after reading here I feel almost guilty to dismantle it - people are working hard to put together what I already have. And perhaps I could live with these old things, not sure my replacements would really be better than what is already there. I did not realize what a great little vintage package this is, I just wanted to camp. I am surprised to realize that there are things I love about this trailer other than its functionality, I had to read these threads to appreciate what I have. For days now, I am waffling between selling or repairing. After watching the videos I think a fix is not so unattainable - but I need something I can use now, the timing is not working for me. I am going through these threads, trying to contribute where I can to attain enough posts, then I will probably list the trailer here and see what happens. If I can't get enough money for it without taking a huge loss, I now know the needed repairs are possible for me to accomplish. But I see the members here are looking for builders, and I am confused about how much they are actually paying. I bought my trailer as a reasonable deal for a fully functioning camper, I am thinking I could not take a huge loss to sell it as a builder - I saved and saved to have this opportunity and I am kicking myself that I find myself with a totally unusable trailer because of the air quality which was cleverly disguised. Blah, blah - you guys have turned my panic and heartache into maybe not such a bad problem after all. I am still bouncing between selling and repairing, but finding this site and encountering everyone's knowledge and encouragement and kindness has helped me so much, many thanks to every one of you! I know I will be hanging around here for a very long time, either with my little trailer, or with my next one ...