Installing a 1950's Princess stove?

What vikx says.

Fabricate a strip of countertop to fill the gap behind the oven. This can be loose, sitting on top of a ledger so it can be lifted to access the inevitable item that falls down behind the oven without having to remove it.

No, the insulation will limit the combustion air. There are breather holes in the bottom of the stove. So it must sit about 3/4" higher than any flat surface. Princess' tend to be a bit better than the older stoves. If you use the asbestos under the metal, that will be enough. Sundance had asbestos sheets on all sides as well. I think they were added by the PO.

There seems to be a stark lack of photos in this thread.  Don't worry, I am here to clutter things up!

I took a couple shots today of the stove set in place in my '64.  This is a Shasta, but I have found that most of the manufacturers did a lot of things the same way.  It is also a Holiday stove, not a Princess, so that ought to help muddy things as well...

So, it sits up on top of a shelf, above a cupboard. Notice the shelf is not solid.  I also do not believe there was any type of shield or asbestos beneath the range, it sat directly on what you see.  In the foreground portion of the shelf, that is formica. 


I think it was anchored with screws into the shelf, and also through the panel to the right side.  I am not remembering if there was a spacer or not, but the footprint still shows on the formica.  (Note: In the Holiday stove, the bottom floor of the oven lifts out, giving access to the anchor screws underneath.)



This is the space on the other side, with it sitting close to the footprints.



This is behind the stove.  Notice there are braces for a shelf on either end of the "space" in question, the 3-inch gap out from the wall.



I can't find the shelf now which appears to have been nothing more than a one-inch board that sat on the braces.  I am not sure if this was original or a PO add-on. 




The real key to the whole question is this:  The oven vents out the back, and the vent from most of the stove hoods was directly above the stove, and most had no power fans.  Heat from the oven would naturally be removed by convection, and the more air flow the better.  Without the open air flow, the heat would just build up inside the trailer. 



So there is my take, and some photos on this thread. 

Stove is attached on the sides to the cabinets:





We placed the stove on a cabinet base and attached the stove to the base with straps:





The gap between the stove and the back wall is about two inches:





We wrapped the asbestos sheet in aluminum foil and placed it inside the stove, below the burner:





As installed the stove-top is nearly flush with the counter and the face plate for the knobs is flush with the cabinets:

I agree, good job. Love the green!