Shelter Sweet Shelter...

Some work to make more work...

I finally had time and decent weather to get the shelter put back up. It was a pain but it will facilitate the work that needs to get done later. The broken pieces were replaced and the tarp patched. I anchored the shelter with a much better system to replace the previously broken anchors. Here it is back inside the shelter...

I even installed 3 shop lights to give some general overhead lighting. I will use other work lights that I can move around in and around the trailer when I need it. These lights will allow me to work past sun down...

The shelter is large but you can see that it is a bit tight on the sides. I gave myself more room on the curbside for the door to swing. I will have to move the trailer to really work on the street side...

Here is the damage that occurred when the shelter was blown around. It is not the end of the world but I was excited to find a trailer that needed very little skin repair. This repair is in such a unfortunate location. It isn't a simple fix...

Hopefully the shelter will make the rest of the restoration easy and quicker than if we had not had it. I am crossing my fingers that the shelter stays up this time around. No more wind storms please. Stay tuned for more soon.

Louise and the Blustery Day...

A few folks have asked about the status of the trailer resto. I don't have any progress pictures or before/after shots. Just a little tale. Well, it goes a little something like this...

Last October my folks grew tired of listening to me complain that I had nowhere to fix the trailer. A nice sized Shelter Logic shelter went on sale at Menards and they were awesome and plopped down some cash for one. My Dad was cool and not only helped me go down to Janesville once to pick up the shelter but went back down again to get the second box that should have came home with us the first time around. Dad also helped me put together the shelter skeleton which is a pain but we got it done. We put on the tarps later with the help of my friend Kurt. All was well. I was happy as hell. I thought the shelter would serve as a great home for the trailer this last winter. Things didn't remain great for long.

About 1 week after getting the shelter up we had some trouble blow in. We were set to have a pretty good size wind storm come in one day. I thought it would cause some problems but wasn't thinking it would cause the catastrophe it caused. I had come home from work in the morning and waited up for a guy that was set to come to do a home inspection around 11:00am. The wind had already started to blow by the time I had gotten home. I went out and put a few more good sized stakes in the ground to help out the insanely small sized anchors that came with the shelter. I was planning to get a better set of anchors in the ground at some point. It just didn't happen in the small time frame after getting the shelter up.

Anyway, I kept looking out the window a little nervous about how it was going to fair in the increasing winds. About 15 minutes before the guy was suppose to show up to do the inspection I looked out the kitchen window to see the shelter crumpled in the front and in a odd position. I raced outside to find the shelter had broken some of the tiny cables and pulled a few anchors and stakes out of the ground. The back of the shelter had been blown up on to the Shasta. One of the feet of the shelter was blowing back and forth on the skin making a deep rut in the aluminum and opening part of the Pittsburgh seam. I pushed the shelter off of the trailer and tried to hold it down while I though about my options. While I was struggling trying to hold the shelter in place with my weight the winds kept blowing. The shelter was a horribly shaped kite in the wind and literally picked my big ass up off the ground and threw me into the back of the trailer a few times. So I franticly called Molly to call the inspection guy and cancel the inspection. The guy ended up showing up while I was using my body weight to hold the shelter. I told him to just do the inspection while I figure out what to do. Molly raced home and helped me hold the frame as I tried to take off the main tarp. Once I got the main tarp off the skeleton was more manageable to stake back down. The skeleton was bent up a bit in the front door area but wasn't that bad over all. Just a bit out of shape. I moved the trailer out of what was the shelter and inspected the damage a little closer. So far I haven't been able to see any cuts in the skin so that was one plus but it will be a lot of cosmetic repair besides repairing the Pittsburgh seam.

We left the shelter staked in place while we waited for the storm to stop and I could get some sleep. The storm went on for another 24 hours or so. It wasn't done doing it's damage. The back fixed tarp panel of the shelter isn't easy to take off so we left it in place. That panel acted like a sail during the remaining winds and crumpled the rest of the shelter down to the ground. The winds had broken many of the bolts and twisted and bent a bunch of the poles. Later I took down the rest of the shelter. I placed a order for almost 200 dollars in replacement parts to Shelter Logic. I was defeated.

I hate to sound so dramatic about the situation but that was how I felt. I pretty much threw a tarp over the Shasta and walked away. I didn't want to think about it at all. I was pretty burnt out by that point. I think it was about a month ago I started thinking about the project again. Sooooo.....

Right now I am putting up the shelter again. I am also working again on the front window restoration and rehabbing the screen door at the same time. Before the shelter incident I was scraping up the crappy linoleum and original tile in the Shasta. Once I can open up the trailer again I will be trying to finish up that mess. I have a ton of work to do. It is a bit daunting at this point.

Stay tuned for more!

VSTF Stickers Now In Stock!!!

I am happy to announce that VSTF stickers are now for sale. The stickers are printed on outdoor grade vinyl and measure 4.5" X 3". These are premium quality stickers and should hold up to weather on your trailer or tow vehicle.

The price for these stickers are $5.00 USD EACH or BUY 3 & GET ONE FREE.

The price includes shipping in the US.

Please see the VSTF thread for more details...

Parts Round Up...

Merry Xmas From The VSTF & Shasta Louise...

Reconditioned Spring-A-Grab Handle...

It's all about little victories with "Louise".  I like to tackle the little stuff while doing the big things. One reason is to to take my mind off of being bogged down on a big project. The other reason is to have stuff like this done when it comes time to button everything back up. 

As you can see our Bargman Spring-A-Grab handle shown below is in real rough shape. The crappy pot metal these things are made of don't hold up real well. The thin chrome job they were given chips and flakes off exposing the metal below that quickly starts to oxidize and begins to pit badly. This isn't something that can be buffed out of the chrome. The chrome is basically gone. I would love to get these original pieces re-chromed but that may be a huge waste of money. Besides a few pieces sent to the chrome shop would be out of our budget. I thought I would paint instead. 

The picture of the handle prior to hitting it with a wire wheel to remove the flaking chrome and scuff the surface...

After wire wheeling the hell out of it and hitting a few spots with some heavy sand paper I cleaned and sprayed the first coat of primer. You can see that I am using Duplicolor Self Etching Primer. I thought I would give Duplicolor a shot even though it is a little bit pricey Vs something like Krylon. I would think of using Rustoleum if I hadn't used Duplicolor. I have had good luck in the past with some of Rustoleum  products but went with a the Duplicolor because they spray well and seem to look real good. I'm not sure about durability but we will get into that more later...

You can see here that it the pitting looks like the surface of the moon...

The pitting is so bad that a filler is needed. I thought for a bit that I could use a Filler Primer but it was really just that bad so I used Bondo's Glazing & Spot Putty. The stuff works real well. Just spread it on and sand it down. Once you sand smooth just go ahead and prime with a regular primer. I went back and forth sanding and priming until I figured it would be fine to spray the top coat...

I used Duplicolor's Chrome paint. It laid down real nice. I can't rally complain. It looks pretty good for a rattle can paint. I could have done better with the filling and sanding the primer to give me a smoother overall finish. One reason is I didn't because it started out as a test to see if the process would work. Second is that it is just a stupid grab handle...

Here is my big reservation... I hope it holds up for a few years. No chrome paint is ever real tough. I'm just hoping that it isn't a chipped and cracked mess in a couple seasons. Time will only tell. At this point I'm pretty happy with the outcome. The Bargman licence plate light will soon get the similar treatment. I believe that the interior lights will also. Stay tuned for those.

Little Progress...

It has been entirely too long since my last post. I have been working here and there but it seems to be REAL slow going at this point. I also have to say that I am TIRED of working on windows. It is becoming a real drag to work on them. I have pulled the front window and that thing is a bear. I am almost done wet sanding that and will be moving on to polish. I'm very ready to do other things. But here is my update...

Here are the curbside Jalouise window and the "kitchen" Jalouise window screens. I polished these up and fit new screen material and splines. It isn't a real WOW picture but it is progress...

I was finally able to get the kitchen window back together today. It had been polished but I needed to get a time when Molly and I could sit and rivet the mechanisms back together. I need someone to hold the pieces while I hammer them back together. Having a rambunctious two year old in the house makes it terribly tough to sit and get stuff like that done. However, the kitchen window is now crossed off the list...

Just some detailed shots...

The newly riveted mechanisms look and more importantly work so much better than before. You would be surprised how much those old steel rivets would bind up the operation. I also dig out all of the old dirty grease from the torpedo opener's gears. I add new grease and it seems to help also...

New seals for the window. Look at that crud built up in the window. Looks so much better now...

That is it for now. Nothing major but I can cross it off the list. 

On a side note... the Vintage Shasta Trailer Forum is doing very well lately. A LOT of new members showing up with newly purchased Shastas. I have been having to devote more and more time over there. That is a good thing but taking time away from restoration. But I guess that is a good thing. 

Reproduction Shasta Plate Available For PreOrder...

I contacted Steve from Vintage Trailer Supply a little while ago to see if he would be interested in reproducing the green factory nameplates that Shasta put on their trailers. The nameplates indicated which factory the trailer was assembled at and the address of that factory. I sent Steve my original name plate and he was able to get it in the reproduction process. I got to hand it to him. The plate artwork looks spot on...

The plates are not in stock yet. They are still being produced. Steve said they would be a few weeks out. However you can sign up to be notified when they are done. Go to the link below and click "Email Me When In Stock". You will receive the email when they are available. The current price is $12.99.

At this time VTS is just doing the Goshen, IN plant because that is the plate I sent him. If you have a plate from another factory and would like to have it reproduced. Get in contact with Steve and send him your plate.  He will most likely give you a reproduction plate for your troubles. He is interested in doing the other factory plates but needs a original example to get it accurate.

Follow the link to the nameplate page...
VINTAGE TRAILER SUPPLY SHASTA NAMEPLATE- GOSHEN, IN

Ironing Board Update...

My suspicions were on track and THIS is in fact a ironing board storage bracket. A few folks were nice enough to point it out and give me the info I needed. VSTF member Distant75 sent me some additional info...

Here are the measurements he sent me...

I hope to reproduce this item for our trailer at some point. It is one of those original features that makes the Shasta a Shasta. Again, not a critical item but hey, I think it is a feature from a bygone era. You don't usually see a ironing board in a 16 foot trailer now a days. Not exactly looking forward to ironing my slacks at a State park or anything like that. I hope this helps another owner recreate their ironing board if they wanted to.

Curb Side Jalouise Window Part 2...

Made more progress and was able to get the window riveted and back together...

I ordered new aluminum DF11-10-ST rivets from Hanson Rivet & Supply Co. I have to say thank you to VSTF member Joek for the information on which rivets to buy. They are spot on and were a needed replacement.  I bought the overpriced squeezer dies from Hanson to set the rivets but didn't get the hand tool to put the dies in. Those tools are CRAZY expensive and I didn't want to blow more budget on something like that. Having done a bit hand riveting while leather working I knew I could do it with a hammer. The softer aluminum rivets are pretty easy to set unlike something like a steel rivet. I just took the bottom die and placed it in a mini vice I have. The other die got stuck into a socket screwdriver that was just about the right size. I set one on my own and it worked fine. The problem was I needed another hand to hold the part while I held the screwdriver and hammer. I roped Molly into the project and she became that third hand. She was a good sport about it and was a big help. The rivets were pretty easy to get to roll and flare. 

Here you can see the steel rivets the Hehr factory put in their windows and the new replacement rivets in the cleaned up parts. You can see some pitting on these parts still remains but overall they look a hundred times better...

Here you can see the right side (as you are looking at it from the outside) with the new felt weather strip installed. 8 rivets per side. Some advice for anyone out there taking their Jalouise windows apart: Take pictures before you take it apart. That way you know how to put it back together. It can get a bit confusing and you don't want to have to drill out rivets you just set...

Here is the outside of the window. As you can see the steel rivets are done and barely holding on. Shined up and new aluminum rivets now set. They will probably last longer than the trailer...

Here is the whole window before and after. The after is missing the insect screen in the picture...

Here you can see the bulb seal and the felt strip weatherstrips...

Just some details. The window works so much better and I'm not so worried about breaking the opening mechanism gears...

And thats really is about it. I have been saying that I will do a in depth step by step for folks that want to redo their Jalouise but that process is pretty time consuming. I just want to keep moving on with the project. Thats it for now.

Ironing Board Storage Bracket???

Alright boys and girls...

What the heck is this. Is it a storage area for one of those cutting-board-slot-mounted-ironing boards?

This is in the back of my long cabinet on the curb side. I am wondering if it is factory. I know some trailers came with the ironing board that slid into the cutting board slot. The bracket looks pretty decent in it's construction like it could come from the factory. The bracket rotates on the one mounting screw. Whatever it secures would be flat enough to sit against the back of the cabinet. There appears to be a slot in the bottom of the cabinet that would accept something like a board.

I dunno. Anyone have an original ironing board the could measure? If I have the measurements for one of the ironing boards I think I could determine if it is mounted in the right place to fit one in. I'm really curious about this.

Curb Side Jalouise Window Part 1...

I had a pretty good day today. I pulled the "kitchen" Jalouise window and a few drip caps to get polished. I also removed a lot of the stuff from inside the trailer. I pulled the interior lights, bunk brackets, and started removing the cabinet doors. Nothing major but it really gives you a idea of what you need to wrap you head around and concentrate on. I hope to soon sand and re-shellac the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. It isn't mission critical but something that can take awhile and there isn't reason to rush a project like it. I'm still tackling one thing at a time.


Ultimately, I still need to find a shelter to get the trailer in so I can really dig into it. I can't move ahead with pulling some of the skin back and repairing some of the rot. Opening up the trailer to get things repaired to move ahead with the projects needs to happen at some point. My painting process itself will take a few days itself. I have been trying to track down one of those portable shelters that I can store it under. Most I find on Craigslist are too small, junky, or not tall enough. Cheap is the name of the game here. I don't have a budget that I can just go to a supplier like Shelter Logic and buy one so I have been scouring Craigslist trying to find a used one that works. I will keep everyone in the loop on that side project.


Back to the restoration...


Here is the curb side Jalouise window. I pulled this window a while ago. You can see most of it in that jumble of parts I showed you before. I pulled it apart to really give it a good polish. Unfortunately you can't do that when the window is whole. One of the downsides of these windows is the the were assembled with steel tubular rivets. The rivets on my Jalouise widows are almost completely gone. I will be replacing them with aluminum rivets. The level of oxidation of the aluminum was surprising also. I really wasn't expecting what I found. There was quite a bit of pitting on some parts like the lower sill. The rubber seals were hard and brittle and there was hardly any pile left on the strips. Everything will also get replaced. Here is the window straight from the trailer...

I really didn't take too many shots of the window before I disassembled it. Everything got the wet sand and polish treatment. I am still loving that buffer. It does a great job on these thicker frame pieces...

Good looking stuff...

Here are the glass holders and rods....

And thats it for now...

I did get my new rivets. Now I just have to set them, reinstall the seals, and reassemble the window. Look for a part 2 soon.

More Shiny Stuff...

Not a huge post today but sometimes it's the little stuff that counts...

I finished up some of the window trim today. Here you can see the small bathroom window interior trim (inner), the curbside Jalouise window insect screen frame (middle), and the curbside Jalousie window interior trim (outer)...

They turned out alright even though the 6" bench buffer likes to grab these really thin pieces and try to turn them into pretzels. I learned a small trick to take a long thin piece of 3/4" scrap plywood and hold it in inside the 90 degree angle to support the thin frame. This allows you to put some pressure on the piece without bending it. This also doesn't allow the wheel to grab the edges of the trim. I did have a few times before the wooden support where the buffer would yank the trim and damage it. Oh well. Live and learn I guess. 

Here is then curbside Jalouise window drip rail and the small bathroom drip rail. The side by side of the before and after really shows how the wet sanding along with the new buffer really does a nice job...

I have actually crossed this pile of parts off of my polishing list. I am just waiting for my new rivets to come so I can can put my Jalouise window back together. I hope they come in a day or so. They better. I'm getting worried. Anyway... I will update this when they do finally show and I'm able to get it back together.

Hehr Bathroom Window Resto...

I managed to knock another window of the list today.

The Hehr Standard pop-out bathroom window really wasn't in bad shape. The textured glass was there and solid I have noticed that even though there isn't much damage the aluminum on all of the trailer's existing windows was starting to oxidize. It is a good thing they are getting attention now. I disassembled the windows and wet sanded all of the aluminum.

I picked up a 6" Craftsman Buffer from Sears the other day. WOW... what a difference it makes in polishing. I still use my drill and buffing cones to get into the hard to reach places but the 6" wheels really get the shine to come out quicker and is less mind numbing.

Once polished I put in a new Hehr gasket from VTS and reassembled the window using their Hehr Standard fasteners. I think it turned out real nice. The polish looks so much better than the last window.

Click on the pictures for a better view...

SHINY!!!

The details. You can actually read the Hehr LA Calif now...

One more down...

Quickie Update...

Because I know someone out there cares...

I'll be wet sanding until my hands fall off.