FOUND!! Wally Byam's '55 Cruiser - 1956 European Caravan trailer

[goransons]

A total of 5 new divider wall panels are all scribed and test fitted. I’ve almost finished sanding all the trim, shelves etc so if I’m lucky stain and poly this weekend and I can reinstall next week.







We received over 3/4 of an inch of rain today and we stayed dry, but progress slowed as the lake started forming.




I had a bed frame from a later trailer in my loft. With some minor reconfiguring it will perfect with the 50’s drawers I got from Jim.

It will get the drawer framing adjusted and refaced in ash.

[goransons]

The original wood has oranged out a lot from UV over the years. Since I’m reusing virtually every remaining piece of the interior possible the wood color is slighty darker than original.

At first I thought that the wood was whitewashed (based on the black and white photos) but I found zero evidence of any whitewash on any wood in the trailer so I’m convinced it was just clear coated.

All the original face frames were sanded and clear coated then we tinted stain to match as close as possible and this is where we ended up.

Both wardrobes are nearly complete. I’m starting on doors and still need to reinstall the closet rod and shelf in each and recreate the missing header for the bathroom folding door.



This shows the old face frame and new plywood together in the bathroom. Trim will cover the seam just as it did originally (once that’s poly’d)


Bed frame test fitted. Some work to do including making it 2 1/2” narrower and then a new face and finish.

Stella’s shelf over her bed is repaired and sanded. Wally’s side must have been hippy firewood so as soon as my ash 1x stock arrives I can copy the good one.



Do they make black knobs like these chromed or were they white if chrome or black if brass? I know at least the bathroom one was black.



I need a bunch of white ones if anyone has any for sale.

Anyone know exactly which curtain slide I need for these tracks?



Lastly my rechromed light is up and working

[57Vintage]

If the slot faces down (at top of window) I believe these are what you need.
https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com...-p/vts-259.htm

That's what was in my Overlander.

[goransons]

Progress on the cabinets. It’s slow work remaking parts. Everything is custom ripped to size, plained down to match then run through the router to cut the slots etc. I figure I have 25 hours in this divider wall, including the time spent last weekend sanding down all the original pieces we could save.

I still have to build the header over the shelves, finish remaking the shelf trim and reinstall all the Byam hooks. The plywood is new, the street side verticals are new (they had warped like a hockey stick due to outrigger failure) but everything else is original, repaired (with some character). The opening looks funny in the picture (it’s offset because of the radio shelf) but I promise everything is square. I’ve measured over and over, everything fits in its original holes but my camera doesn’t like the angles.

[rmkrum]

Anything worth doing right is worth taking time to get it ‘just right’. It’s really looking good from here.

I now it takes me 3-4 times as long as a “professional “ to do woodwork, tile jobs, plumbing, and electrical stuff, but when it’s done, even DW, who has a sharp eye for detail, can’t complain...

[MsRivet]

The progress you are making is amazing. Your eye for detail is spot on. Thanks for having the passion and thanks so much for sharing this great story. I love watching it come to life and in COLOR!

[Argosy man]

I went back and looked at the picture with the radio on the first page compared to now. You are truly creating a time capsule- stunning.

Thanks for letting us all share in the journey.

Shawn

[goransons]

Thank you! I'm excited it's starting to come together. The radio will be hooked up as I get closer, I need to take the feet off it like Wally did so it will sit on the shelf and let the lid fold all the way back.

The curb side bed frame is making progress tonight, routing out the drawer openings, so that will go in this weekend. I've got several weeks of work to finish up the bedroom and bathroom before I can start the front. Everything of course is slower than I want. This bed frame was salvaged from a donor that was getting a new modern interior. The street side will be built new because it was taller to clear the water heater



I'm also trying to lock in a facility that can do the paint work without my children giving up dreams of going to college. I'm waiting on another estimate but prices are looking upwards of 7-10k so far, which is not in my budget. My hope was to do all the prep myself and hire a painter to shoot it but nobody around here with a big enough booth wants that type of business. I'll know more soon!

[goransons]

I’m cleaning the inside out to minimize future clog issues but about to por-15 the tub trap. I’ve never seen this type before

[goransons]

With each step my garage looks less like a bomb went off.

Curb bed frame is almost done. Clear going on the return face of the cabinet tonight. Then the track for each drawer can go in once those are sanded and cleaned up this week and the plywood deck.



Stella’s bedside long shelf was repaired, Wally’s was gone but I’m making an exact replacement. Also two small corner shelves as well.



My attention next is finishing the bathroom.

Medicine cabinet is ready to bolt in



We have elected to use a modern toilet. Sorry but Wally never sat on the throne we have so modern and clean it is. For those not here at the beginning this is what everything looks like to start. This is the hamper in the bathroom.







Once the toilet arrives I can finish the black tank install, run my water lines, do the final bathtub install and the vanity as well. Then on to the street side bed, then kitchen then eating area

[goransons]

Alright, it was time. Time to clean out petrified “stuff” out of the black tank. My Saturday was spent scraping a Home Depot bucket full of composted material inside the tank.

The top had already been modified for a modern toilet, but had been done with a rusty steel plate. The tank is stainless and is and was exposed in the trailer, nothing over the top of it.

I fabricated an 1/8” thick stainless top for the tank to solve the oil canning problem and to create a solid base for the new toilet.

Sealed up all the seams with a marine epoxy. After a full day of fabrication, repair, cleaning and sanding the tank looked like this



After install today...



Lights, backsplash, medicine cabinet and 12 volt outlet installed today as well



The awesome magazine rack DDickey sent me is up.



I’m starting to rebuild the hamper (under back window) and little storage bin next to the toilet and finishing up the tub surround this week.

Sorry about the angles on the photos. There isn’t much room for fancy photography.

[DDickey]

Heyyyyyyyy, I recognize that thing. It's looking great goransons!

[steinVT]

What is going on with the two light sockets in the bathroom?

I just cleaned up mine last night(one with the globe), but can't figure out why someone would put an additional 115v fixture there. The medicine cabinet and the magazine rack look very familiar too.

Finally caught up with the rest of your build. It's looking great.
Mark

[goransons]

Hi Mark, why two different light fixtures? GOOD QUESTION but everything from the same nuts and bolts to the same connectors on the wires showed that these had been there. The porcelain fixture is 12 volt, the other fixture is 110 and the only outlet the bathroom. I did tuck away the original chrome fixture base because it only has a 2 prong plug and needs to be re chromed and used a modern base and the original shade so the bathroom can be GFCI protected.

Wally had a couple 12 volt lights and a couple 110 lights in the trailer. In my rewiring I did all the lights on 12 volt with medium base LED bulbs so that we can use it on and off the grid. No fixtures were dual voltage, just that one kitchen light, and one bathroom light were 12 volt.

I've also heard that Wally changed bulbs out on the road to 12 volt and back fed the circuit panel with a battery to have lights when they were on the caravans.

[steinVT]

Don't you have a circular florescent light as well? Thought I remember seeing one in earlier pictures.

I have two in mine and was resigned to having to keep them 115v. Would love to find a 12v source.
Mark

[goransons]

Yes I do, in the living/dining area. You can buy a LED bulb for it and run it on 12 volt. We left that one fixture 110. There are 6 other 12 volt bulbs in that “room” so we didn’t worry about it.

[goransons]

The little hamper under the back window had rotted out to the point I decided to rebuild it.

I also made the missing trim and header for the bathroom door curtain. All have a coat of stain and will get clear tomorrow after work.










The hamper has a tilt up counter top, that’s all glued up and clamped to repair the delamination in the plywood.

[goransons]

It took 6 hours of fussing with it but I was successful in getting the tub hooked up to the drain and all the aluminum and trim back on it. It was quite the puzzle to reassemble.



I still need to pick up some aluminum cove for the floor. The original was corroded away.

The view looking in. Hamper lid is drying and will go back on tomorrow and I’ll finish installing the bathroom door header.



We also built the street side bed frame. Sanding and finishing tomorrow. It has two high drawers to clear the water tank and one standard drawer. This bed was missing as well so it’s being built from scratch using 5/4 Poplar.

[Bubba L]

Originally Posted by goransons

Yes I do, in the living/dining area. You can buy a LED bulb for it and run it on 12 volt. We left that one fixture 110. There are 6 other 12 volt bulbs in that “room” so we didn’t worry about it.

Scott, are you referring to the original fixture on the ceiling with the round fluorescent bulb that have LED bulbs available that would fit? If so, who has them? It’s encouraging to me to see things coming together on your project. . All looks great. Thanks, Bubba

[goransons]

Yes. Check out T9 circular led on Amazon. Thanks! It feels good to be wrapping up parts