Relapse - 1956 Sovereign of the Road

[Melody Ranch]

I can hardly believe it. He is only an hour away....very close in Texas terms.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

...and I think his estimate is low for a DIY'r...ask me how I know ~

Shari

Well, thanks for straightening me out. I should have said "even at a discounted (just getting my feet wet, not having actually done a restoration, but willing to try)rate, this project is really going to add up."

Lots of hours, lots of sweat, a good bit of blood, and a wheel barrow of cash is what I was trying to say.

[bwoodtx]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

I can hardly believe it. He is only an hour away....very close in Texas terms.

If it was me I would be in Dave's driveway waiting.

[whitsend]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

I can hardly believe it. He is only an hour away....very close in Texas terms.

I can't believe Steve & Amy haven't been tent camping in Dave's front yard for the last few days, anxious to see their latest love?? I agree that July 4th celebrations are very important, but . . . . .

[soldiermedic]

Yes indeed it's true. I have not taken the time to head to Round Rock yet to see the trailer. Between two classes, being newly elected to my HOA, and July 4th planning/recovery I have been swamped. I plan to get up there sometime this week with Collin while Amy is at work.

Originally Posted by 62overlander

"even at a discounted (just getting my feet wet, not having actually done a restoration, but willing to try)rate, this project is really going to add up."

Frank...how many trailers did you rebuild before you opened up FTW? Had you rebuilt any trailer other than your own 62 Overlander before taking to work on other's trailers? Dave has had experience in doing restoration work on two previous trailers, and turned down an offer to work for an Airstream restoration shop over a year ago. If I can do the work that i did to my 53 with no experience, then I am capable Dave can handle it.

My family and I are grateful to have someone like Dave to do the work at a reduced rate in order to get their name out, and make a portfolio of their work. This is something that is rarely seen today. We are also fortunate that Texas has many great streamers willing to help in restoration projects in return for help on theirs. It's a lot easier and fiscally responsible than paying $70-100 an hour for us at this current time in our lives.

Steve

[Melody Ranch]

I am waiting for the first call to duty!!!

[bwoodtx]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

I am waiting for the first call to duty!!!

You know on HGTV they do yard crashes, etc. I think it would be way KEWEL to do an Airstream crash. Plan it out, have materials on hand, and go to work.

[VIKING]

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

Yes indeed it's true. I have not taken the time to head to Round Rock yet to see the trailer. Between two classes, being newly elected to my HOA, and July 4th planning/recovery I have been swamped. I plan to get up there sometime this week with Collin while Amy is at work.




Frank...how many trailers did you rebuild before you opened up FTW? Had you rebuilt any trailer other than your own 62 Overlander before taking to work on other's trailers? Dave has had experience in doing restoration work on two previous trailers, and turned down an offer to work for an Airstream restoration shop over a year ago. If I can do the work that i did to my 53 with no experience, then I am capable Dave can handle it.

My family and I are grateful to have someone like Dave to do the work at a reduced rate in order to get their name out, and make a portfolio of their work. This is something that is rarely seen today. We are also fortunate that Texas has many great streamers willing to help in restoration projects in return for help on theirs. It's a lot easier and fiscally responsible than paying $70-100 an hour for us at this current time in our lives.

Steve

Until we start doing this professionally we are all at various stages of apprenticeship. It doesn't keep a lot of folks from doing excellent work, partly because we put more thought, time and cash into these than most professionals can afford to.

[Dave Park]

I was professionally apprenticed by my father and his cabinetry/paneling company. I'm confident my skills exceed the need.

That said, I prefer to think of this as a fun project where I can build the library of tools needed to do some interesting things with airstreams.

What happens after that, who knows. It will be a nice showcase, though.

[robandzoe]

Have you begun to gut it yet??? I'm starting on a 1958 Caravanner I picked up this weekend!! Well, it was gutted already.. .I only have to remove all the interior that was all put back inside him (the trailer's name is LeRoy) when we picked it up.

Check him out:

YouTube - ‪58 Caravans‬‏

and this:

YouTube - ‪VIDEO0244‬‏

Looking forward to following you Dave and Steve!

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by robandzoe

Have you begun to gut it yet??? I'm starting on a 1958 Caravanner I picked up this weekend!! Well, it was gutted already.. .I only have to remove all the interior that was all put back inside him (the trailer's name is LeRoy) when we picked it up.

Check him out:

and this:

Looking forward to following you Dave and Steve!

Nice Rob,

Is that Truck Box polish? This is a one step polish? Like that idea far more than rouge bars or nuvite.

Tomorrow is the day...Collin and I are heading up to Round Rock to look at the trailer and brainstorm ideas with Dave. More pics to follow...I hope.

Steve

[robandzoe]

1 Step... gets it plenty fine for me... and every time I polish it gets better and better

http://www.dawsbetterbuilt.com/ebay/...bbt/polish.gif

[Dave Park]

It looks good, Rob.

[Dave Park]

Steve came by earlier and we had Rudy's - some mighty fine brisket...

Secondary to that, he looked at this old airstream, and WE ARE GO FOR RESTORATION!

SamS, if you want to photograph her pre-strip-out this week is your last chance.

[soldiermedic]

Today Collin and I made the trip up to see the SOTR at Dave's house in Round Rock. It's a nice 90 or so minute drive up there, and the traffic through Austin wasn't too horrific. We pulled up to the house to find Dave washing the exterior down and sweating profusely in the 96 degree heat (No shade).

We discussed several options for the layout, and how he will proceed from here on out. There are several oddities with this trailer that I am no familiar with. Take for instance this little cone on the curbside roof. There is a hole in the interior skin near here, but it is unknown what it is for.

I had a good look at the A frame, and the metal is pretty worn on it. I don't know what they were thinking when they welded the extra metal to it, but it isn't doing us any favors. This area is a complete mess as you can see. I told Dave to cut off the LP tank rack since it is damaged, and remove the LP lines and wires. Once the shell if off, I am thinking that welding a new A frame with coupler will be a good idea.

While looking the trailer over, I decided that we will replace the roof panel that had the stack going through it. We are also going to replace the rear street side panel, and overlay a small portion of the panel just forward of the door since it is torn up from someone screwing the door shut. The stack is uglier in person, and I have taken a better shot of it. Lot's of tar.

On the trailer there are three exterior outlets with the old school plugs. We are going to keep the outlets on the port and starboard sides, but taking out the one in the rear corner. I will also be upgrading these to current code exterior outlets instead of the old plug covers. Here is a picture of one to be replaced. Wonder what the oval is from?

The interior piece for the range vent is missing, and now I need to either locate an interior piece or purchase a new unit from VTS. The bathroom hehr vent is missing and the trailer was exposed to WA rain for who knows how long. The floor is pretty much gone in that area, but we were able to get back to get some pictures. The tub is unique as I personally have not seen other trailers with this type of shower head. To me, this shower hear would spray all over the back wall and get over the floor. We are still planning to remove the tub in favor of t pedestal toilet on the curbside rear corner, and a shower directly next to it.

Another priority for me was to see the metal endcap condition. Dave thinks he can bank everything out other than the point of impact. We will try it and see what happens, but we can always replace them. I hope it works, yesterday I had to pass on a storm destroyed 57 Caravanner that I wanted to use for endcaps and the door latch, but the guy had others in the state who wanted it and I wasn't prepared to drive up to Indiana the next day to get it. Kip asked for a picture of the bead so I have a pic that I hope works for him. I'm not as optimistic of the dent coming out, but we can redo them if the lead shot and mallet doesn't get the job done.

Of course in closing I had to include the obligatory dead mouse shot. Dave saved it especially for me.

I am about to place a nice big order to Steve at Vintage Trailer Supply to get Dave started. I know he is planning tear down beginning tomorrow. Once gutted, I believe we are going to round us up a Texas streamer posse and do the shell lifting with as many people as possible, and prepare the frame for new metal/paint.

I was thinking about plumbing and Dave lifted up the street side mattress to reveal the electric water heater. I don't think Airstream had any loyalty back in the day as I have seen three different brands of these in three different 50's trailers. My 53 had a "Lectro" brand. This trailer's water heater was by Payne. Dave is going to test to see if it works, and if anyone wants it then they can let me know.

The last thing we discussed before heading to Rudy's for lunch was the running gear. Dave feels that the trailer would benefit greatly from new axles. The current axles are extremely heavy duty looking, and ride very rough up and down. On both my 53 and 56 in the past I kept the springs and had no problems. I wonder if this trailer was ordered with a beefier set of axles and gear because of the size. Would like to keep them springs if they will be okay, but it is undeniable that Torsions would make the ride nice. Also I didn't see any shocks or mounts for them, so those would require fabrication.

All for now.

Steve

[Melody Ranch]

Nice! However, at this stage of the game....what in the world would you need from Vintage? The stuff you need now is available locally and WAY cheaper.

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

Nice! However, at this stage of the game....what in the world would you need from Vintage? The stuff you need now is available locally and WAY cheaper.

We are missing the rear vent. The front and rear are being replaced with Fantastic fans (No not the grey ones...we want light from the vents).

I remember a wise man once told me to start getting parts now when I find them cheap. I have a 10% off coupon from VTS that expires the 31st of the month and I want to ensure I use it. Figure to save alot of money now so Dave has what he needs when he gets to it. I plan to go buy a roll of Romex, and Dave is shopping for plywood and sealant. Will be scouting a metal shop as well.

Steve

[nmbosa]

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

We are missing the rear vent. The front and rear are being replaced with Fantastic fans (No not the grey ones...we want light from the vents).

Steve

Good call. I just sent you a PM offering a Herh vent, but I personally think the Fantastic Fans are a good upgrade on our old trailers if you don't mind some modern upgrades.

Norm

[overlander64]

Greetings Steve!

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

The tub is unique as I personally have not seen other trailers with this type of shower head. To me, this shower head would spray all over the back wall and get over the floor. We are still planning to remove the tub in favor of a pedestal toilet on the curbside rear corner, and a shower directly next to it.

Steve

If you have ever watched The Long, Long Trailer, Nicky did battle with that exact style of shower head in one of the early scenes following their purchase of the New Moon travel trailer.

YouTube - ‪quot;The Long, Long Trailer quot; 4‬‏

I had always wondered if that shower head was a theatrical prop or an actual production item -- it looks like it was a regular production item!

Good luck with your Sovereign of the Road!

Kevin

[soldiermedic]

Hey Norm,

We are definitely going modern with this trailer. It needs to be livable for us, and that even includes the 15k BTU AC unit on the roof! Everything for the most part will be upgraded and new.

Steve