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08-15-2013, 09:46 PM
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#21
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Rivet Master
1962 24' Tradewind
Buffalo
, Wyoming
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 686
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Sorry Mary, upholstery topics are probably the piece I know the least about. Even if I knew much, our TW has two twin beds instead of the double. Hopefully someone else will be able to help.
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08-16-2013, 08:23 AM
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#22
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Rivet Master
1966 24' Tradewind
1995 34' Excella
Lynchburg
, Virginia
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,225
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary Burris
Hi there, Hey, I just bought a 62 TW. Do you have any idea how much fabric I will need to recover the front gaucho (and I assume I need the same amount of fabric for the middle-double bed gaucho). Thank you!!
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Mary
Take some pictures of your gaucho and take some measurements and go to a fabric store. They will be able to tell you how many yards of fabric you need. It will depend on the width of the fabric that you want.
Dan
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09-17-2013, 02:19 PM
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#23
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Rivet Master
1962 24' Tradewind
Buffalo
, Wyoming
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 686
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Cabinet Tracks
I've been making progress on the Tradewind. In fact, the interior is almost finished. Primarily waiting on my new black tank to arrive to finish the bathroom. I didn't want to post much prior to finishing the inside, but there are a couple of issues I thought I'd share
I had some problems with the tracks for the sliding door cabinets in the bedroom. Two of the four were OK, one was busted up pretty bad, and one was missing. I searched the world over, and was unable to find replacements (Isn't that a song off of Hee-Haw?). So I went out to the shop a couple of nights ago to see what I could come up with.
I took some 1 1/2 inch oak that I had laying around and routed grooves to make tracks. I think ash would have been better, but I didn't have any. I figured it'd be weak and would crack, but it seems to be pretty strong. My biggest concern is that when I get to a more humid climate, the wood may expand and make the doors difficult to open. We may be taking a trip to Georgia next spring, I guess we'll find out then.
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12-19-2013, 11:00 AM
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#24
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Rivet Master
1962 24' Tradewind
Buffalo
, Wyoming
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 686
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Well, I put the trailer to bed for the winter a couple of weeks ago and figured it was about time I updated this post.
I had hoped to be pretty much done by this fall. That didn't work out so well. I got the axle installed with help from Lukes Maintenance out of Fort Collins, CO. Luke is a wealth of knowledge and very helpful. I got the cabinetry refinished and reinstalled. That was a challenge because I was trying to emulate the original finish. It took a lot of experimenting to get the color right. I built a new cabinetry for the bathroom, including hamper but haven't finished because I haven't found period correct hardware yet. MarkR, another forum member generously donated a sink for my project. Thanks again Mark. I painted it along with the bathtub. They came out looking great. I got all of the plumbing reinstalled with the exception of the drains in the bathroom. New pex is installed throughout the trailer. I got a new black tank from VTS, but still have to build a platform for the toilet to sit above it.
I stared polishing this fall. I began by using the Nuvite process but moved to the Jesco process because it was much faster. I got the first cut (grey bar) done on most of the trailer, and one side done with the red bar. Even though I was working in the garage, it started getting too cold to polish. So I'll finish in the spring.
I reinstalled all the exterior lighting but still have to go through much of the electrical system. I've also got to verify that the propane system is tight. I also need to rebuild the windows. My wife is making new curtains, but she is very slow. So hopefully she'll be done by spring.
The wife has committed to dragging the trailer out to Georgia next June for our nieces wedding. So hopefully spring comes early so I can get back to work on it.
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05-28-2014, 09:11 AM
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#25
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Rivet Master
1962 24' Tradewind
Buffalo
, Wyoming
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 686
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Finally on the road
When I bought the Tradewind I thought it should take about six months to restore it and have it on the road. Now, a little more than two years later, I’ve finally made it. Last winter I committed to taking the Tradewind on a trip to Arkansas near the end of May. I figured I could easily finish everything up on it by the first of May to give it a shakedown trip before the big trip to Arkansas. I didn’t make that deadline either, but we did make the Arkansas trip.
For the last several months I’ve been working on it every night. All those little details really add up. The polishing was the worst. I didn’t want to travel with a half polished trailer so I kept pushing to finish it. In the end I had to take some short-cuts. It looks OK, but it’s not what I had hoped. So it’ll need more work.
Two days before we left, I took it on the road for the first time to make sure it towed OK and the brakes worked. I found that the left turn/brake light was not working (it worked two weeks before). Somehow I had lost continuity between the tail light housing and the junction box at the front of the trailer. With no access to the wire, I was concerned about how to fix it. I ended up repurposing the old brake light wire that is no longer used to the left brake/turn light. Disaster averted.
I rebuilt the entire water supply system with PEX but I had not been able to pressurize the system until the day before we left. I had multiple leaks at fixture fittings. I thought I was able to fix them all before we left, but found a few more on the trip. Some I fixed on the road, some still need to be fixed. Aside from that, the old air pressure water system and the old Bowen water heater work beautifully.
The burner on the 1962 Dometic refrigerator went out a couple of times the first few days, but after that, it worked great. It took a little time to figure out the best adjustment to keep things from freezing, but I was impressed with its performance.
The trailer towed better than any other trailer I’ve ever towed. I installed a new axle, brakes, bearings, and tires. None of them gave me any problems. I used an Andersen weight distribution hitch, and after a couple of days practice hitching it up, it worked fine. It really controlled the sway very well, even in bad winds.
All-in-all, I was very happy with the old Tradewind. We towed it 2400 miles and learned a lot. Nothing major broke. Now I look forward to dragging it up to the Bighorns now once the snow melts.
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