Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Dime Tour...

Overall, Louise is in good shape for her age. There are a few problems and water damage but nothing major... hopefully. She has been relatively untouched. The missing wings are probably the biggest deal. The loss of the rear window to a bad AC unit being the second place winner. In recent years she has been "dressed up" with some wall paper and some newer flooring. I believe that the female half of the previous owners thought the original aspects were not that great. Those changes are easy enough to undo. We really want to get the Shasta back to the vintage look. We dig that and think that this trailer will be a good candidate for such restoration. There will be some real challenges along the way I have no doubt. However we will cover that in later posts. Lets get to the tour...
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-The curb side shot. The skin is really in pretty good shape. There is a small crack in the skin just above the door which will be repaired. The Bargman L-66 door handle is broken and need to find a replacement for it. Need those wings!
Street side. No major problems. You can see some staining from rusty screws and parts on the paint. No matter. It will get repainted anyway. The white on white isn't my favorite color scheme. Besides, the paint is worn and oxidizing...
Front view. You can see the dent in the front left side. Nothing major. I'm glad that is one of the only bad spots...
That damn AC unit. How I hate it so...
Original wheels with the new temporary tires on it. They need a repaint and some slick hubcaps...
I HATE you...
Exterior entrance door and screen door are in decent shape. They will get some attention though...
The grab handle is a bit pitted. You can see the Bargman door handle is broken...

One of my favorite parts of a Shasta! The great big name plate. A small amount of pitting. It needs some polish...
All of the windows are there (except for the back) and in good shape. These will get pulled, taken apart, polished, re-weatherstripped, and reputtied back in the trailer...
The original license plate light and holder is in rough shape. It will be take all apart and cleaned up. Hopefully it won't be too far gone to save...
One of the original hubcaps. Too bad he is an only child...
The marker lights are too far gone. Good thing replacements are only 5 bucks a pop...
I love original badges. A Shasta made in Indiana, Sold in Missouri. Lived in Illinois. And now stays in Wisconsin...
The original Bargman No. 99 "Wedding Cake" tail lights. These will be restored also...
Twin propane tanks...
Original water fill spout...
Original Mobile Home Manufacturers Association badge...
Now to the interior...
Shot of the dinette. Some snazzy wall paper border as you can see. The table top has been recovered but I'm told the original yellow and gold flecked formica is still under there. We will see. The dinette benches will get a new upholstery...
The overhead storage...
Another one of my favorite features of the Shastas... The magazine rack. All of the sconces are there too which is a great thing. You can see one of the canvas bunk brackets too...
Some of the bad stuff. Water damage under the curb side window...
The fresh water tank. You can also see the rear window drip rail laying there. I'm glad they saved it...
The kitchenette. Most of the cabinets are in good shape. The original cabinet pulls are replaced but I'm trying to find the best replacements. The stove and fridge work good and are just in need of a bit of polish...
The original vent has some leak issues. The vent lifters work but need some TLC. The vent will get pulled and restored. My favorite light is there above the stove...
The original yellow and gold flecked formica is OK condition. It is 45 years old after all. We will clean it up and keep it. You can't get formica like this anymore... 
The tiny potty area. Is it bad of me for not wanting a toilet? I am thinking of turning this into a storage area. There are plenty of campers out there with out a toilet. There are toilets available at most camp sites. I may buy a mini porta-potty for cases of emergency. We will get into that more later...
Original propane lamp. Don't you just love that wall paper? Yuck...
The nasty air conditioner has caused a bunch of problems. The back panel is messed up and needs to be replaced. I can't wait to pull this out...
The small plywood box that makes up the cargo area is delaminated from moisture and will have to get rebuilt...
The shelf and cabinet above the rear pull out couch/bed...
The canvas bunk was in it's storage area under the rear plywood box that was messed up. Water had dripped down and rotted out the bunk. I think I will restore the bunk but I'm not sure if it will see any use...
Well there you go. That will be 10 cents please. I could use the dime to fix her up! I'm sure I will be posting much more detailed pictures and information when I get to each part of the restoration. Stay tuned!

8 comments:

Tikimama said...

Looks like you got a trailer with good bones, and it sounds like you know what you're doing! It's going to be fun to watch your progress.

My 2 cents: make sure your wife can live without the toilet before you go taking it out. Having a toilet would be a number one priority for me! (and number two...ugh, sorry, couldn't help myself)

MCHEEKS said...

Tikimama....
As his wife, I really appreciate the support on the toilet issue. He is bound and determined to take it out! Since we'll have a little one camping with us a toilet might come in handy during the middle of the night. We'll see who wins out!
Molly

Heidi Ann said...

Hmmm- wanted to weigh in on the toilet issue - I would only want a vintage trailer if it DID or could have a toilet in it! And I really LOVE vintage trailers, too. But, everyone's needs are different, I suppose!

Jim said...

Is that a Meynell range?
Even if it isn't could you take a picture of the inside of the oven specialy the burner for me please?

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Unknown said...

Hey just found this sight after hours of trying to determine what kind of trailer I have. I think it is a 1968 Shasta, ownership says 1968 anyway. I think I got a steal on it. Anyway all they Shasta signage is not there as the young lad who sold it to me didn't know what he had. It was his granddads originally. Original stove and sink (its yellow) and the fridge is still there. Apparently they work. lights are all good. There is some water damage inside so that will have to be attended to. I am looking forward to this project. I was hoping to get the original colours but it seems hard to determine. I saw some red under the other paint. It has the black footstep, and the poles are still inside. The windows are all louvered as well as the door is louvered. Any information on colours would be great.

Thanks Christine in Canada

Unknown said...

Hey just found this sight after hours of trying to determine what kind of trailer I have. I think it is a 1968 Shasta, ownership says 1968 anyway. I think I got a steal on it. Anyway all they Shasta signage is not there as the young lad who sold it to me didn't know what he had. It was his granddads originally. Original stove and sink (its yellow) and the fridge is still there. Apparently they work. lights are all good. There is some water damage inside so that will have to be attended to. I am looking forward to this project. I was hoping to get the original colours but it seems hard to determine. I saw some red under the other paint. It has the black footstep, and the poles are still inside. The windows are all louvered as well as the door is louvered. Any information on colours would be great.

Thanks Christine in Canada