Saturday, September 26, 2009

Nice and Shiny...

One thing I could get done is shine up the orginal script badge off of Louise. I think it sure looks better than it did before.

As you can see, it is pitted quite a bit. If I stay on top of it and polish it often it should not get any worse.

I know this isn't much of a post but it is the little things that count. Right?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Midwest Vintage Trailer Rally...

Yesterday, we attended the Midwest Vintage Trailer Rally. We were just there as spectators because Louise is far from being completed. I didn't get pics of all of the trailers there but I got a few...

This is our friends, Dave and Rebecca's 1968 Kencraft...

Of course I tried to get all of the Shastas that were there. I think this is the same colors that we will be going with for Louise...

This Yellowstone was pretty cool...

Love the color of this one...

Later model but still cool...

This Aljo was very cool...

We met some very nice people there. It was fun to see what other's were doing with their trailers. I hope we can get up there next year with trailer in tow. We will see!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Baby Steps...

I have done a very small amount of work to the trailer so far. Here is the work to this point...
- Filled 12 trash bags full of crap out of the trailer. Very little was of any use so I pitched it all.
- Pulled that stupid AC unit out of what was once the back window. I actually put that on the curb and somebody took it. Glad I don't have to deal with throwing it away. Now I have to find a back window to fit the hole.
- I removed the Bargman license plate light/bracket. As you can see from this picture that the plate bracket is almost toast. I don't think there is any saving this bracket. I will use it as a template to make a new one. I should be able to fab one out of aluminum or something like that. I don't think I will buy one unless it is DIRT cheap. I don't like buying stuff like this. It is a piece of metal with some holes and some bends. Shouldn't be too big of a chore...
- I removed the Bargman tail lights also. The screws holding them in were almost gone so I figured I would save some trouble latter when they would be even harder to remove. The putty tape under the light was some what soft under the right light. I was kinda surprised. The left light was a bit more dried out...
This is the right light. It isn't in too bad of shape. I will de-rust it and paint it to fight off any more rust. The left light assembly was just a tad worse shape...
The offending screws. As you can see they are in pretty bad shape. One was completly rusted in half. I will replace these with stainless during reassembly...
It is looking pretty bare back there now. Just a lot of aluminum tape to keep out the moisture. Glad that AC is gone...
- I removed all of the badges also to restore them as best as I can. Hopefully they clean up nicely...
Here is the LP gas info plate. It is pretty faded. Does anyone reproduce these? I would love to put them back on. I think it adds to the trailer. Little things like that make a difference to me...
Electric info plate that was attached under the exterior outlet...
Here is the dealership badge. It was mostly covered up by the AC unit. I hope to get this back to life. I'm not sure how I will do it but I will get it done. It is kinda hard to read so here is what it says...
CENTRAL
TRAILER SALES
6511 State Street
EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL
EXpress 7-5907
Because I know this trailer was only owned by one family I know this is the orginal badge when they first bought it. I was misinformed though. The Dad said he bought it in St. Louis. He forgot to mention the EAST part. I thought he ment over the river in BIG city. Anyway. Doesn't matter. The name Louise still fits. I really like this badge. I like the old 5 digit phone number.

I found these old leveling jacks in the exterior baggage area. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them. I won't be using them. I bought nice new stacking jacks. I will keep the old wheel though. It is HEAVY. This one has a metal wheel. Not rubber like the new ones. I think it is kinda cool. Don't ask me why.

-  I also pulled the propane tanks off of the rack and pitched the bolt on stabilizer brackets. I don't have that kind of stabilizer so I don't need them.

I hope to get around to pulling the wheels and starting to sort out the running gear before winter. Around here that could be next week for all I know.

Stay tuned for more...

Monday, September 14, 2009

Join The Vintage Shasta Trailer Forum!!!

When we bought Louise I really started looking all over the internet for information about vintage Shastas. I really was disappointed with what is out there. I was really looking something that would answer all of my questions in a neat, organized, and easy to use manner.

All I found were the two Yahoo Groups on Shasta. I am REALLY not a fan of the Yahoo Groups format. That is nothing against the creators of the Shasta Groups. It is really a knock on Yahoo Groups itself. I find the format outdated and hard to use.

The Vintage Shasta Trailer Forum is very easy to use and find information. 

I have run a few forums myself in the past and having seen how successful they can be. I think the need is out there. The Airstream Forum is huge and I hope at some point the VSTF can have that much success if even on a smaller level.

I think it will be a place where owners can come share, learn and enjoy themselves. I really hope that Shasta owners come and join the forum.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Blog Of The Month...

If for some reason you own a Shasta and have missed Red Dirt Shasta...shame on you. 
This is my favorite Shasta blog out there. Why? A few reasons...
Jeremy does a nice job of showing step by step progress on his Shasta. He is ahead of me in the game so it's a good reference point for me. He does insert a bit of humor now and again so it makes it easy to read along. One of the best parts is that he is doing this with a budget in mind so he is coming up with new ways of doing it well but cheap. That is important to me. I have read my share of Airstream blogs where guys POUR money into their trailers. They look great in the end but it doesn't give me any info because I am also on a tight budget. Nothing against you "Airstreamers" out there. It is just a example. Anyway...
HOWEVER...I hate Jeremy a bit too. He pulled this Shasta out of Wisconsin. Shame, shame, shame. AND...if I am putting two and two together correctly he snagged this trailer right before me off of Craigslist. I was heart broken when I called and it was gone. It is all good. I'm glad it has found a good home and he is doing it justice. I'm looking forward to his progress!
Check it out.... Red Dirt Shasta

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Vintage Coleman Resources...

I dig old camping stuff as much as I dig old trailers. I am not a expert on the subject but enjoy learning about the stuff that was used in the past. I figured I would pass along any information that I come across...
I recently picked up a Coleman 413G Two-Burner stove at a thrift store for $6.50. Not a bad deal. It needs some work and I will probably restore it at some point. I did a bit of looking around and found some good info out there for anyone that also uses or collects vintage Coleman stuff...
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This is a great website for anyone looking for information on Coleman lanterns and stoves. They have a great tutorials for anyone that is looking to repair or restore these items. I printed off the stove tutorial myself for a future rebuild. They also have original owner's manual PDFs for these products.
Maintains a parts inventory and has great parts diagrams for the Coleman products.
I haven't looked at this site too much but it could be a valuable resource.
I haven't had a chance to look to close to this either. There is a bunch of vintage camp stove info on their for Coleman and other makes.
Reproduction decals for your vintage restoration
A huge collection of vintage lanterns.

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I'm sure there are many more links out there. I just have not run across them yet. If you have a favorite vintage stove or lantern site let us know!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Parts Round Up...

Some parts from Ebay that my help some Shasta owners out there...
Time left: 5 days 23 hours
Current bid: US $76.00

Time left: 6 days 22 hours
Starting bid: US $4.99
Time left: 6 days 22 hours
Starting bid: US $1.99
Time left: 4 days 22 hours
Starting bid: US $0.99
Time left: 24 days 15 hours
Price: US $140.00 Buy It Now
Bargman Trail Lite # 5 LICENSE PLATE TAG LIGHT BRACKET
Time left: 16 days 11 hours
Price: US $15.00 Buy It Now

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Wing Watch...

We, of course, need some wings! I have been keeping my eye out on Ebay for a set. So far the results have been less then promising...
Winning bid: US $76.00
Winning bid: US $261.70
I know that these are the average prices that these fetch but... YIKES. I guess I will have to make my own.