So, on May 2 2009 we adopted a new member into our family of dated, rusty, old and maintenance-intensive luxuries. King Gilbert the Land Commander joined Baby the '61 Plymouth Valiant, Nelson the '65 Ford F-250 and the 1921 Bungalow on our ongoing permanent and undending project list. As with all of the other family members, we didn't really intend to get into a major restoration project. We just seem to...attract them
Because restoration of a vintage trailer is of vast internet interest, evidently, I'm going to chronicle our adventures here.
So, meet King Gilbert, the way he was when we brought him home...
Straight off the hitch, as it were. Honestly, the photos all look better than the reality, which explains how we were fooled so easily by the shots on ebay. Does it look in this photo like it's been painted with flat housepaint, has broken windows, bowed walls and a general state of disrepair? I don't think so...
This is the bowed wall. It wasn't in any of the pictures online...
Here is the King's backside. That window is held in with ductape, and it seems there might have been a small impact on the back driver-side corner, but other than those things, this side seems to be in pretty decent shape.
This is a shot of the roof. The fact that a part of the roof is unfinished has lead us to think that perhaps parts of the trailer originally had a metal finish rather than paint. The nice thing here is that the roof doesn't seem to leak - at least, not from the top...
There are some interesting original details...
Two layers of carpet over the original linoleum flooring. We weren't sure how solid the floor would be after all the other flaws we've been identifying - but it felt okay. Floors are infamous trouble spots in these older trailers.
The kitchen unit - though nicely intact, also leans badly into the bowed wall. It's a bit like being in a carnival fun house...
The dining table which folds into one of the beds. The table is poorly attached and cracked on the bottom - the leg is not fastened on right. But, the benches work, and under there is a heater (not original) and a water tank (I think original). Upholstry and foam will need to be redone...
Water damage under one window, with an original light fixture. This sort of cosmetic damage can hide much bigger problems in the wall...
The heater and battery. The heater is an after-market item, and though nice to have seems to cause some problems of its own...
The closet and this whole side of the trailer seem to be in good enough condition...
This is under the bed/sofa at the rear of the trailer. There must be a problem down here somewhere, since bermuda grass was able to grow inside the trailer. There also seems to be more water damage here...
Looking toward the back of the trailer. It's, well, all sorta bent and warped. This will take a little work...
These are some of the lights that are intact. Most seem pretty original - there are propane, ac and dc units for every lighting need!
The step is original - bent, but original.
The shade and rock gaurd at the front is rusty and barely holding on, and a couple of the window panes are broken or missing. But, heck, that's all easy, right?
Apparently someone ran into a tree or post or something with the front. On both sides. Someone needed practice pulling a trailer, methinks...
Anyhow...watch for more demolition photos. Trust me, this gets interesting. Actually, it gets funny, as long as you're on the outside looking in.
2 comments:
This appears to be a two-step project. Step 1: Remove broken shell from suspension and hitch. Step 2: Build new shell.
There is definitely more rebuild than restore in this project. So much for getting a camp-ready trailer!
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