Finally....my very own vintage trailer!

I've been looking at pictures of beautifully restored or remodeled vintage trailers for a little over a year.  Each time I see another picture, my eyes zero in and my heart beats just a little faster at the thought of seeing every detail of the finished product.  They are all so unique and interesting.  Many of the designs are simply stunning!  I knew that one day I would find one of my own to design, remodel and beautify!  I couldn't shake the thought of it!  The key was finding just the right one.  And, anyone who knows me knows that when I set my mind on something, I'm not likely to stop until I achieve my goal! 

 I knew that this project would be a huge undertaking, not only to find the right one, but to do the work once I found it!  It would take time and patience to find a trailer that didn't require a complete gutting, and would be within my limited budget.  To my surprise, within just a few short weeks I found the perfect trailer for me!  A 1965 Shasta Super 18 - with wings!  Everything inside was original except the refrigerator.  The owner said that it had been in his family since it was brand new!  His father purchased it in 1965 and the whole family enjoyed many camping trips for years!  But he also said that it was in very bad shape and needed a total renovation, which he would have liked to do himself, but didn't have the time to do it.   I could see that this trailer had so many memories and sentimental value to him that it just had to be brought back to life!  I called my then ex-boyfriend and asked him to come with me because he is the only person I knew that I would trust helping me make my dream happen. We brought her home that same night.  Now the fun begins!  There was a very serious roof leak which had to be addressed right away to stop further damage.  The interior had an awful smell and was full of ants.  The ceiling was sagging and full of water, but the metal roof was in good shape.  Immediately, he began taking out the ceiling and all of the wet insulation and damaged wood.  It wasn't more than a few days before he had the roof resealed and the new wood framing for the ceiling ready to go!  He replaced the old roof vents with new ones and sealed everything.  No more leaks!  Now at least she can stay outside without the risk of leaking while we attend to all her other needs!  First things first though....She needs a really good bath!  

And...on a side note...something special happened while we were cleaning her up.  We just happened to remember how much in love we still were!  :-)  Stay tuned!  

Here are the first pictures of the day we brought her home and as we began the demolition.  I will post more as we begin the process of making memories for ourselves in this beautiful treasure!  

 






June 1, 2015 - Well, It's been almost a year since my last post.  
Here is an update on our renovation:  July and August, 2014.  Electric was completely updated to include 30 amp service.  We also added a 12 volt converter, a new 110 breaker box and new lighting. The 7 way plug was replaced.  We then tested the lights and found that the exterior running lights were not functioning properly which we then traced to find that there was a ground problem with the license plate light.  Once that was repaired, all the lights worked properly!   We also installed two new tires and repacked the bearings.  Now at least we are ready for the road!  But we were just getting started!!!  Fall came and then winter, and what we thought would be a great winter project now had been put on the back burner because it was too cold and snowy most of the winter to do anything outside.  Now it's June, 2015.  We been working on her since March and what a difference!  Actually, my very talented boyfriend has been doing most of the work, but I've managed to be a great cheerleader!  :-)    He put in all new fresh water lines and fittings, including a city water inlet.  The existing old metal water tank was replaced by a new plastic fresh water tank.  We installed a new fresh water pump, and a new 6 gallon water heater.  We were able to keep the vintage metal fresh water tank inlet on the outside.  We also had to reinforce the floor which was damaged due to the roof leaks.  The back wall also had to be replaced.  Since we didn't have the exact same wood to match the walls, we found a luan panel that is normally used in new trailers, but it matches beautifully and looks great!  We took out the sofa frame and built a new frame for a permanent bed in it's place. The biggest surprise was a roof top air conditioner!  That will make our summer travel so much nicer!  There was an old window air conditioner in the back window.  The window slats and screen had been removed by the previous owner to install the window ac and we didn't have them.  We found a local hardware store that was able to make new glass slats to replace the missing ones.  They also made us a new screen to replace the missing one. Before installing the new interior ceiling, we reinforced the roof from the inside to support the rooftop air conditioner.  We replaced the damaged ceiling insulation with new foam panel insulation and installed white ceiling panels.  The ceiling trim was accented with decorative rosettes.  It looks so amazing!!  What a difference that makes!  Since we used the 14"x 14" vent over the kitchen to install the rooftop air conditioner, we added new new 14"x 14" vent over the dinette.  

Next up:  Our first trip is in 13 days.  We have lots of details yet to finish and a short time to get there!  I hope to add lots of updates over the next two weeks!  So stay tuned!  The floor, the bathroom, making her functional!   The decorating...making her beautiful!!!  That's my job!  I have collected so many beautiful things to use!  Did I tell you my colors?  Pink, Black and light green.  

Have I told you her name???   Stay tuned for the unveiling of Ruby Marie!  A precious tribute to my mother who passed away in 2005.  Love and miss you mom!!  <3

Here are some additional pics.  We are really rocking Ruby Marie now!!!  She is starting to look ready to decorate!  I finished making curtains this morning and the mattress and dinette cushions are in.  The floor is going in over the next few days and lots of cleaning and decorating are going to be happening this week.  Come back soon to see more pics!

July 5, 2015

Ruby Marie's maiden voyage was perfect!  We still have lots of work to do, but we can use her while we continue to make improvements!  The dinette cushions turned out great!  We used the same covers which I don't think were original but were still in great shape after soaking them in the tub and air drying them outside.  Not a mark on them!  We found a local foam dealer and got a pretty good deal on new foam.  They even stuffed them for us.  I paid approximately $200 which I thought was fair.  The mattress is an 8" memory foam that I bought through Overstock.com.  It's a 3/4 size so a little smaller than a full but fits the two of us just right!  ;-).  I made all the curtains and started decorating.  I actually put down the floor myself.  It looks like real hardwood but it's actually vinyl planks which were so easy to install.  I have more to do and may change a few things but I love how she looks so far!  The bathroom still needs done and we haven't found a refrigerator or a heater yet but we are not in a big hurry.  We also have to finish hooking up the water system.  

The original stripe on the outside was orange.  I painted it black with Rustoleum spray paint.  I think it turned out pretty good!  The outside will eventually be painted pink on the bottom and white on top but I am keeping the black stripe.  Hopefully that will be done by fall. 

My family all came over for the 4th and Ruby Marie was a big hit!  I think I've started something!  Two of my nieces are now looking for their own gem to create!   What I love most is that even if I'm not camping, I can escape with a book or take a nice afternoon nap!  I've already gone missing a few times but they keep finding me!!  :-)

Here she is!  Our Love Story - Ruby Marie
 

April 1, 2016

Here we go again! Time to pick up where we left off last summer. There are still a few things left to finish. The outside still needs painted. The bathroom has not been started yet. We have the plan, but

it's a little more complicated than we originally thought. We also have to buy a new refrigerator and heater, and finalize the plumbing. There are some trim pieces that were so water damaged that we are trying to match everything. At first I was planning on painting the interior white, but we decided to keep it original for the real vintage look. The original stove needs to be restored so I am looking for someone that knows how to do this. We have a temporary one installed for now.  Otherwise, we are camping-ready. In fact, we are planning a trip to a vintage camper rally in early June.  This will give us the motivation to finish everything before we go. This has been so much fun and the pride of seeing Ruby Marie almost finished is worth all of the hard work. Stay tuned for more updates!  <3