Dumb as a nail?

I started to take of the skins and got the millions of rusty screws out without a problem, but then realized that they are also held on by nails. What gives? Anyway, tried to take off several of the nails and it was a big pain in the butt to quickly get them off with any tool I could think of. To get around this problem I used my Dremel multimax tool to chop of the nail heads from under the top skin. A word of caution here, once you cut through the nail do not keep pressing you will go through the skin. Taking out the nails with pliers and such took a couple on minuets each , but with the Dremel each nail took about ten seconds. This thing cut through the nails like butter and I got the entire top skin off in about 30 minutes. The only downside is that I will need to use different places to nail the skin back in place as part of the nail will not be removed. I will post a video when I can.

Anyone want to take an Oven Holiday?

What is a Restomod anyway?

Okay, so the project is well on the way but it looks like it will be a total teardown. I was thinking about what a “restomod” is, in my head it means that someone is restoring something but modifying its original design to suit the needs of the current owner. I make no claims to being any kind of expert on any subject so I looked up the word. A dictionary defined it as:
Restomod (res'-tow-mod) n. 1. The act or habit of altering a motorvehicle in such a way as to increase performance, reliability, style, or comfort exceeding the original manufacturer's design. 2. A method by which impotent or otherwise personality-challenged owners gain respect from similarly lacking individuals within the community.

I did not like the dictionary version or the definition that accumulated in my head as the result of watching too many car shows and auctions, so I came up with the definition which best applies to my Shasta rebuild project:
Restomod-Restored and modernized to suit the need of the current owner (me).
I arrived at this definition for a couple of reasons; first, I wanted to keep the trailer as original as possible. But as the Shasta was coming apart it became pretty clear these trailers were built for the masses and some major modifications to the structure and set up hardware will be necessary to make this trailer safe, rugged, and comfortable so that it will last for another 50+ years. Second, even though they might look cool, the functionality and efficiency of some of the parts such as the refrigerator are in my humble opinion not up to par. As such, these are the areas where I expect to make the biggest changes.

Piece of Art!

Only one day into the rebuild and I found a piece of art under the bed! Not my style but hopefully its worth enough to pay for the restoration. Too bad its not a velvet painting of Elvis, I might consider holding on to it.

Finding and picking up the trailer

So I found the trailer on Craigslist, it was advertised as a “17’ 61 Winged Shasta.” Having no experience or clue, I bought the trailer. It turns out there is no such thing and the trailer is a 16’ 63 Shasta 16-SC (I think). The paper on the inside of the kitchen cabinets references two trailer types the Astrodome and 16-SC. Since there is no overhang I am assuming it is the 16-SC. The trip home was an adventure all by itself but I will not go into that for now.

Because of my inexperience, I might have paid more that it was worth but not by much. My current plan for the trailer is going to be a total interior restore. For the outside, because I want to use the trailer as quickly as possible, besides restoring the windows, I am only going to repair safety issues. As is always the case, I am sure once I dig in I will find surprises that require I get more involved with the restore than planned.

The Need

Everyone has unique reasons for needing a camper. My need developed as a result of my family’s emerging addiction over the last year to hiking California landmarks like Half-Dome and Whitney. We needed something small enough to get in and out of small campsites but big enough to house my wife and two kids. Originally, I wanted a teardrop but they are a little small for our needs, so we started looking for larger small trailers. I am also restoring a 60 Mercury Monterey, having found a couple of classic trailers, I thought that the lines of the Shastas complemented the Mercury. As such, I hope to convert that car into a matching tow car.
I have already learned a lot from fellow restores, thank you. Hopefully this blog will help others in their attempts to bring vintage trailers back to life.