All those photos are at Trailer Buff. I do not know if they have a web site, but I was there this weekend and took a tour. They have a bunch of trailers and the trailers are waiting for a buyer to come along that wants Dave Makel to restore it. This guy is a serious professional and his work is about as good as it gets. You do not buy a trailer and go off and restore it yourself, you buy a trailer that then gets finished.
Marcus,
The most important thing to me when I was looking for a vintage unit was a straight body. It was a bonus that the interior on the one I found was intact, but the interior was so nasty I'm going to have Frank re-do much of it. The floor on any trailer you find is most likely going to have to be replaced, or at least repaired, so the interior is going to come out anyway. I was going to try and reuse everything, but when the floor is done, it just doesn't seem right to put fixtures back in that have a little punky wood here, a break there, nasty mouse pee infused wood there (and there and there and there...). I say wait until you find one with straight skin, then jump on it. An intact interior just means that you will have a nice set of templates to use when you put the interior back in.
I have not been a member, just a "looky-loo", as I am now officially "looking" to maybe purchase the perfect trailer for me.
The '61 Overlander was listed on Ebay yesterday (now expired)...not in "Ebay Motors", but in "Antiques". Anybody looking for an Airstream RV would never find it there... It is in Sauk Centre Minnesota at a farm near a barn. I have the farmers phone number. He was originally asking $3500.00, but after our phone call to go see it, he raised the price on Ebay to $3950.00. We didn't think that was very minnesota nice! It was hard not to purchase the first convenient one I found, but I followed the advice I found here and was able to walk away. It needs EVERYTHING. 4 Panels have holes. Repaired with duct tape. Electrical HAS worked, as HAS Propane. Stove Has worked, and so on...Windows are good. Bearings haven't been packed in 3 years at least. It is otherwise a total gut job. The floor is soft in the whole front all along the edges. The rivets outside front bottom have all been replaced and tarnished and didn't look right. It is wet inside with water on the floor. I am a novice, and not a do it yourselfer, couldn't handle the extent of the damage here. On the other hand, it was California Coral colors for appliances, all woodwork was painted white, he had all original specs and paperwork about the mechanics, the pink table was still there...and I am still looking.
Let me know if you would like his phone number. He is vaguely optimistic about the condition of this trailer, I was not.
I just did a quick google search for Trailer buff...
I didn't find an actual website, but someone should encourage them to start one. Not only would they get more information on their services out there, but they'd be more available for the rest of us figuring out our trailers; one rivet at a time.
He was originally asking $3500.00, but after our phone call to go see it, he raised the price on Ebay to $3950.00.
There is a saying... "one man's trash is another man's treasure"
Here in the Midwest, when it comes to old stuff, you can often find folks...usually sitting on some rural farm/junk yard that look at their trash as your treasure. My guess is, that as the guy got inquiries he began to think he was sitting on a pot of gold. These are usually the guys that think a little "spit and polish" will bring a trailer from basket case to museum quality. Funny thing is... they are never willing to put in that "little time and effort" to do it themselves. They just want to overcharge you for the privilege.
Offer him $800 and bring him down from the clouds.
I just did a quick google search for Trailer buff...
I didn't find an actual website, but someone should encourage them to start one. Not only would they get more information on their services out there, but they'd be more available for the rest of us figuring out our trailers; one rivet at a time.
Good luck Utee!
Well, some guys do the type of work that sells it's self. A web site is not needed, for they have more than enough work to keep busy.
I have not been a member, just a "looky-loo", as I am now officially "looking" to maybe purchase the perfect trailer for me.
The '61 Overlander was listed on Ebay yesterday (now expired)...not in "Ebay Motors", but in "Antiques". Anybody looking for an Airstream RV would never find it there... It is in Sauk Centre Minnesota at a farm near a barn. I have the farmers phone number. He was originally asking $3500.00, but after our phone call to go see it, he raised the price on Ebay to $3950.00. We didn't think that was very minnesota nice! It was hard not to purchase the first convenient one I found, but I followed the advice I found here and was able to walk away. It needs EVERYTHING. 4 Panels have holes. Repaired with duct tape. Electrical HAS worked, as HAS Propane. Stove Has worked, and so on...Windows are good. Bearings haven't been packed in 3 years at least. It is otherwise a total gut job. The floor is soft in the whole front all along the edges. The rivets outside front bottom have all been replaced and tarnished and didn't look right. It is wet inside with water on the floor. I am a novice, and not a do it yourselfer, couldn't handle the extent of the damage here. On the other hand, it was California Coral colors for appliances, all woodwork was painted white, he had all original specs and paperwork about the mechanics, the pink table was still there...and I am still looking.
Let me know if you would like his phone number. He is vaguely optimistic about the condition of this trailer, I was not.
Welcome to the message board, I'm honored that your first post was to my thread.
Actually, due to my extensive network of vintage Airstream spies (most of whom chime in on this thread from time to time) I DID manage to find that listing on Ebay. Rob Baker of theVAP fame alerted me to it pretty much as soon as it went up. For me, the distance was pretty far, but if the body was straight and the frame was okay, then I'm not sure that the asing price of $3500/$3950 was so bad. I wasn't thrilled about all of that painted wood, but as RoverOwner already pointed out, quite often you're going to end up replacing most if not all of that stuff anyway. Heck, maybe the paint has protected the wood underneath it for all of these years and once you strip it, the wood might look great. Who knows?
Anyway, good luck on your search. From my own search over the past few months, it seems like units come up for sale pretty often in your neck of the woods (and by that, I mean anything North of Kansas! ). Lots of decent trailers end up for sale in Ohio and Indiana and Michigan, from what I've seen.
Marcus,
The most important thing to me when I was looking for a vintage unit was a straight body. It was a bonus that the interior on the one I found was intact, but the interior was so nasty I'm going to have Frank re-do much of it. The floor on any trailer you find is most likely going to have to be replaced, or at least repaired, so the interior is going to come out anyway. I was going to try and reuse everything, but when the floor is done, it just doesn't seem right to put fixtures back in that have a little punky wood here, a break there, nasty mouse pee infused wood there (and there and there and there...). I say wait until you find one with straight skin, then jump on it. An intact interior just means that you will have a nice set of templates to use when you put the interior back in.
Thanks John, I think that's pretty much the approach that I've decided upon.
Frank, it's certainly okay to highjack this thread, I'm nobody's thread police. The fellowship on this message board is what makes it so unique, and sticking to the topic so strictly doesn't really lend itself to a sense of community.
The Fidy Ate is still in play, and I really do like it quite a bit. I've figured out from looking at photos of Ken J's what those two plexi windows were originally supposed to look like, and now I'm wondering if I'd ever be able to find replacements.]? I suppose something could be fabricated, but I don't think it would ever look quite right. But, it would still look a lot better than the plexi...
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). Lots of decent trailers end up for sale in Ohio and Indiana and Michigan, from what I've seen.
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