Frame replacement

[Secretriver]

Mid 70's Excella 500. The A- frame for towing is cracked and most of the undercarriage/frame is very rusty. There is no belly skin, the floor seems basically ok but I want to replace that as well. My question is what is a ballpark cost? I'm pretty handy and can do the welding and carpentry myself. Does anybody have a ballpark cost estimate on that work?

[n2916s]

You are talking about a full bore frame-off restoration. The materials are going to run a couple of grand. Then of course, you will probably need axles and brakes all around, new tires as well. Appliances are probably dead or near dead... Then there is the problem of the hundreds of hours of your time. If you ever finish (and many give up when the true extent of the job becomes apparent) you will own a relatively pristine example of an old trailer. Realistically, when you go to sell it, you will find out that your time earned you much less than minimum wage.

Now, if you are looking to do it as something fun and hope to end up with a trailer that you will own until you die, well, why not? Keep you off the streets and out of the bars...

If you actually want to go camping in the near future, keep looking.

Just my 2 cents...

Mike

[Secretriver]

So you're saying it's not a get rich quick scheme?
Seriously though, what you said is what I figured thus the quandry. It would be a neat project and very satisfying if completed.