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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2013 21:55:31 GMT -8
I received a 16 SCS for my birthday last month. I live a very basic nomadic lifestyle. My dad knew that I wanted a smaller trailer to tow behind my large van and happened to acquire this one through some "horse trading" so he gave it to me.
My Shasta is in reasonable condition. Everything in it is functional. It's been repainted on the outside (badly), some paint around the bed/dining area. I think this one originally came with wings on it, but they're long gone. Nothing's really sagging, although the front door is slightly off-square and missing a handle for the time being. There is 1 soft spot in the floor in the center of the dining area. Other than those things, everything looks/works great.
While it may not be good enough to show off in a parade or even show to a collector, I wouldn't be embarrassed to have family/friends over for dinner in my newly added 16 ft of home.
I plan on traveling in my little 16 footer and fixing it up during my downtime. I would like to bring it to vintage-resto quality on the exterior and bring the inside up to a more modernly functional finish.
If anybody has any advise or suggestions for me, I would appreciate any input.
Thanks,
Kevin
EDIT:
I just read the "READ ME FIRST" post.
Thanks for the info regarding framework. I checked the corner beams under the cabinets, and they look okay, however a tug on the non-square door frame causes the rear left corner of the trailer to pull with it and the frame moves when you push on the corner. All of the other corners are solid. I'm told that the sag in the floor is due to a water tank leak INSIDE the trailer and not from the outside.
I have an uncle in Vegas who I plan to visit soon is fairly experienced in vintage trailer restorations (mainly airstreams). I'm going to talk him into helping me out with this one. Do you think I will have any problems towing my Shasta down there? I would hate for the catastrophic failure you mentioned in the first post to occur and end up with my poor Shasta strewn all over across the highway.
I wouldn't mind pulling the skin off to check and repair any wood rot, just as long as the price isn't too insane, and I don't think it will be.. I'm also considering updating the insulation to a more lightweight and effective product.
From what I've seen inside I really don't think there's going to be much wood rot besides what's around the door. Then again, your first post does say that it's going to be worse than I think... What sort of dollar amount am I looking at for a budget restoration? I'm not looking to keep everything stock original but I would like to keep the vintage style on the outside.
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Post by bigbill on Oct 7, 2013 5:06:09 GMT -8
As to how much it will cost to restore that is a tough question, it depends on what you wish to wind up with and your personal talents. If you are knowledgeable with and have access to the tools needed that keeps the cost down, if you are a horse trader that can come up with materials that you can adapt to make repairs suitable to you then the cost can be kept low. If you go out and buy everything new to put it back in A number 1 shape then the cost goes higher (by a lot). Then if you have no talent for repairs and just drop it off to someone for a complete rebuild you may be looking at 15 to 20 thousand dollars. So as you can see it all depends on you, and maybe how generous your uncle is. I can say this by reading this site and visiting Mobiletech's web page you can get a much better idea of how to plan your repair/ restoration. My suggestion is make it safe to use then make it pretty as you can afford it. I know this probably isn't the answer you want but it is the best most honest answer I can give you as each one of us is totally different in what we want the finished product to be. I think you will have a very usable home once you make it safe and secure. The most important thing is try to have fun as you complete your project to a level that you can be proud of. Welcome to the board.
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Hellonwheels
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Post by Hellonwheels on Oct 7, 2013 11:21:07 GMT -8
Photos!?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2013 17:10:30 GMT -8
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2013 17:44:07 GMT -8
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Oct 11, 2013 19:47:26 GMT -8
I love that 360 pic...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2013 18:22:10 GMT -8
Thanks, it was taken with the Photosynth app from Microsoft, it's available on IOS and Windows Phone. Not sure about Android though. Got the title finally on Friday night. I'll be going in to get plates in the morning. The day after that I should be prepared to make my departure. I'll be traveling from Priest River, ID to Las Vegas, NV going through Spokane Washington, Butte Montana, and Salt Lake City Utah. I had 3 way old propane tanks (didn't come with the Shasta) and traded 2 of them in at the local grocery store for newer tanks, already filled for $30. Beats the cost of buying brand new tanks and having them filled by about $15 per-tank. Hope that info helps somebody out who's having trouble getting their old tanks filled. The trailer has hubcaps by the way. What do the stock caps look like? These are silver domed with some kind of black logo in the center. I'll post pictures when I can.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2013 18:26:50 GMT -8
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2013 15:37:34 GMT -8
Hey does anybody know the correct ball size to hitch this trailer up? I have a 1 7/8 ball which is quite obviously too small.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Oct 14, 2013 15:45:02 GMT -8
2 inch should do it. I wish I was about to drag a trailer half way across the country.... The Colorado trip wasn't enough for me. I wasn't able to have any fun on that one. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOME FUN on the way Kevin.....
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2013 17:58:35 GMT -8
Thanks for the info, I just went over to a friends place and borrowed his 2 inch, it was a good fit, but still a little wiggle room. I tried the next one up which is the 2 5/16 or something.. It was too big. Looks like it's going to be the 2 inch.. I just want to take out as much of the back and forth jerking as I can. I towed the trailer a short 5 miles from my friends place in Newport, WA to my uncles place in Priest River, ID. There was a few moderately steep hills on the way up and it was enough to cause my van to overheat, also when I went to unhitch it I noticed the lock had popped out of place and it was in the UNLOCKED position. I definitely do not want that to happen down the road. I had my friend take a look at it and he says I'm missing a safety mechanism. But just to get me to Vegas a little bit of tie wire or even some electrical tape should remedy the situation. As for the overheating issue.. Well my radiator was slightly low to begin with... A stop to the hardware store for some good quality antifreeze is in order. But it became painfully obvious that this Shasta is going to be a lot tougher on my vehicle than the boat that I towed from Vegas to Colorado Springs. There are some pretty good size hills along my route, I've driven it many times before.. It would be wise for me to give my van a through check up. I have already addressed several issues that have been needing attention. My right motor mount and transmission mount were both completely blown out which caused my transmission to come into the driveline at an angle, which caused my front ujoint to go bad in a really bad way when I was in Colorado Springs. The thing was ready to fall apart, but thankfully it didn't. Anyhow, after replacing all of that I've still got a vibration at 40-50 mph and I think my driveline is bent slightly at the front end, at least I don't think it was manufactured that way. I will most likely be making a stop at the wrecking yard for a replacement which should only require a 3/8 wrench, 5 minutes of wrenching, and less than $20.
My vehicle is a 1991 Dodge B350 extended van with the 360 engine. It really doesn't seem like it has any trouble towing this thing, just a little more work than what the engine is used to.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Oct 14, 2013 18:33:17 GMT -8
You might want to hook up the brakes too. That means you need a brake controller installed.
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shastabear
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Post by shastabear on Oct 14, 2013 20:00:59 GMT -8
Also Kevin Bigbill created a thread called SAFE TOWING. He has alot of great tips and suggestions. Its a great checklist to make for yourself as well. Go to: Vintage Trailer Discussion --> Vintage Owner Talk --> Safe Towing And DO have a safe and fun trip (with pics )
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Post by bigbill on Oct 15, 2013 4:48:24 GMT -8
Kevin DO NOT USE ELECTRICAL TAPE TO SECURE YOUR HITCH.... You should try to find the parts to repair it properly but at least wire it very secure. If it releases and comes loose it can cause a fatal accident. Also make sure that you have good strong safety chains properly hooked up. Another thing to check if your engine is over heating while towing is your transmission, if it is getting to hot it will overheat your engine plus burn up the transmission. Many vehicles require a aux. trans cooler when towing in the hills. Good luck and have a safe trip.
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soup
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Post by soup on Oct 15, 2013 5:31:36 GMT -8
There should be a hole in the frame just behind the moving hitch mechanism on the curb (passenger) side at the bottom edge of frame. This is where you insert a pad lock or tow pin lock through this hole. Even a big enough bolt and lock nut can be used. When something is inserted into this hole, it will prevent the hitch latch from moving backwards and coming unhitched. See pic Also as stated above, need brake control box, 2" Ball, safety chains (2), and brakes/bearings to be cleaned, inspected and repaired if needed. As far as the van, X2 Aux tranny cooler install ($50.00, proper mix of antifreeze/water ratio, look into getting the hood louvered (or buy one from an ambulance in a junk yard.) Sometimes you can find vented fenders from these in the junk yards too. The make, model, engine etc you have is a very reliable and capable MOPAR drive line. I love this power drive line. It's one of my favorite set ups for power and reliability. You can really tweek these out for more power. Check your thermostat by boiling water on the stove and dropping it in. Make sure it opens fast and all the way. Pull it out and watch as it cools. Should close all the way. You have to buy premium thermostats at like NAPA for these or at Dodge. The other places stats are cheap and not reliable. Check all hoses for leaks. Any leaks in system will make the 360 run hot on hard pulls. If thermostat needs replacing, don't forget to check the new one in boiling water the same way before install. I have bought 5 stats in a row that were bad from different vendors on the same day. Or just pay for the one at the MOPAR dealer. This is one of the few auto parts that it's worth paying a little more for MOPAR product. Good Luck and have fun!! soup Truckem Safe!
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