I want to restore it, but need some advice from those who have restored one of their own.It is a 1968 Jet.
Our main website is: Alaska Live
We hope to have it ready for the spring, We live in Alaska.. a family of 5.
We are on an extreme budget.. so any ideas how to restore it economically would be awesome.
Here is a group for you.....'Club Alaska' vintage trailer group....Copy and post.
ReplyDeletehttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/Club-Alaska-USAVTN/
Hello... I just saw your post on the Vintage Trailer Club group forum.
ReplyDeleteHow long is your trailer?
Will you be using it to camp away from hookups (asking because of your heater question)?
Is there a reason you want to buy new aluminum skin? Is there a lot of damage to the existing aluminum?
Looking forward to seeing your progress... I've done two restorations/refurbish, but I have not gone down to the framework (yet). I hope I can help you along the way.
Christian
Great to hear from you...
ReplyDeleteMy trailer is 12 feet long
We are going to travel around Alaska... see what we can see...
We do not have much money, so we need to get out of the house on a budget.
We have never owned a trailer.. only camped in tents.. but with bears and moose up here.. we want to be a little more protected.. ya know?
I am not sure if we will be going to places with hookups or not...
We have propane tanks for our working stove and oven.. but when I tried to light the furnace, the whole thing caught on fire...
just blew it out.
There are some signs of water leaks on the ceiling.. , wood damaged...so, I thought of having to re-skin the thing.
No idea what would be involved.
I really, want to make this thing like new, or close to new.. as I love it!
But again, we are not very well blessed with huge amounts of money...
I only paid $500.00 for it... I guess that was ok price?
I have no idea if you will get this.
$500 is a great price!! Congrats on that!
ReplyDeleteUnless the aluminum is really damaged, don't worry about replacing it. Carefully remove the interior wood panels that are damaged. Save them as best you can because you can use them for templates for the replacements.
Once you remove those panels, you will be able to see the framework and determine which, if any, need to be replaced. If you do need to replace them, you will need to remove the skin (aluminum) to do so.
I recently saw a blog that showed an extensive re-build. Let me go look for that, and I'll post the link for you here.
Found it!
ReplyDeleteThis person did EVERYTHING. You're most likely not going to need/want to go to that extent (to save money).
The first trailer I worked on did need a few of the frame pieces replaced, but I was able to do them from the inside.
Anyway... This site will give you some insight.
Do you have pictures you can post? I'd love to see it.
http://mobilesportsman.blogspot.com/
Christian
Awesome, thanks for all you do.
ReplyDeleteI have not taken any photos yet.. but that blog you sent, OMG, I made that whole blog into a PDF file...
That is the perfect blog...
I would love to do what he did, totally restore that thing.
Unfortunately, I am a bit scared of doing it.. as I do not have a garage or anything.. and I do not have a huge supply of tools..
I am going to study it all and see if I can afford to do it...
I went out pricing wood paneling.. not a lot of selections up here.. may get plain wood paneling.. and stain it...
One site said to use 1/8 inch paneling on the ceiling instead of 1/4 inch.. I hope to find some of that..
But some of the things I am perplexed about.. if I remove the paneling from the ceiling and the wood is damaged, that means the Aluminum is leaking? So, I thought I might have to replace the Aluminum.. to stop the roof from leaking?
And was wondering if I could use paint remover to remove all the paint from the exterior and make it all metal, polished aluminum...I would love for it to be that polished aluminum look.
Thanks again for the awesome link.. omg, that site is perfect.
ReplyDeleteHere it is for anyone else who wants it.
http://mobilesportsman.blogspot.com/
It sounds like you definitely have leaks, but you don't have to replace the aluminum for that. You want to go over the entire exterior and look at every place you have a seam.
ReplyDeleteYou'll probably see old sealant on the seams. Take a utility knife or something along those lines and remove as much of the old sealant as you can. Then you need to apply new sealant to every crevice where water could get into. I always start on the roof and work my way down.
Get around vents, windows, doors, where the sides meet the front/back, etc... Be thorough. If you are having rainy weather and can't get around to the new sealant just yet, then put that baby under a cover...even if it is just a tarp. Don't let anymore water get in there.
As for the sealant, I used Sikaflex 221 sealant but you can search around for other brands.
If your aluminum skin is not damaged, then keep it. First off, I think it's cool to have the original. Secondly, that's a cost you don't need to take on.
Some people have used a thin plywood called Luan to replace ceiling panels. I used some on the first trailer we had and it looked great. We got ours at Home Depot. I found it easy to work with and not all that expensive.
And, yes, you can use paint remover to get down to the shiny aluminum. Well, you might have to work to get the shine; but you can definitely get the paint off and start working on it. I used Jasco paint remover and liked it a lot!
I started my own blog today. I'm not nearly caught up with where I am on my Aloha, but I did get to the polishing section. Check it out for before and after pics.
http://aloha-adventures.blogspot.com/
I looked at your blog, awesome find.. I must ask.. how much did you have to pay for that great find?
ReplyDeleteJust wondering.. as yours looks great.. awesome.. love to know what type of toilet to purchase, like yours.
I took photos today.Will be posting soon.
We paid $1,000 for the Aloha. It was definitely more than we wanted to spend on it, but we had already talked the lady down from $1,200. Mostly, we just wanted that ONE; so we caved.
ReplyDeleteWe took it in and had the "legs" replaced.....new axle, wheels, brakes, tires, bearings, etc... We had a little accident with our first one involving those parts and didn't want a repeat performance!
The toilet is from Eastern Marine; although, you can find that same one in a lot of places. I like it because it sits high and is VERY light. Here's a link to the one we have.
http://www.easternmarine.com/Aqua-Magic-V-Hand-Flush-High-Profile-Permanent-RV-Toilet-31667/
That was a great buy, not much work to get it like you want it.. looks like I have a huge job.. but not that bad if I research first...
ReplyDeleteI love that toilet you bought.. I will be ordering one myself. Dumb question, where does the waste go from the toilet?
We have set up the Aloha to be a park model, which means we will only use it at campgrounds with full hookups. For our situation, we will hook up the RV sewer hose to the piece of the flange that sticks out of the floor of the trailer. The sewer hose will take waste to the sewer receptacle (hookup in the ground) at our campsite.
ReplyDeleteMost RV owners have holding tanks. There is a fresh water tank that provides water for sinks/toilet/shower. A grey water tank is where your sink/shower water goes and then you empty it upon leaving camp. A black water tank is where sewage goes...also emptied at the end of camping.
Some of the smaller trailers combine the grey and black tanks to conserve space.
Now, even those with holding tanks can use the full hookups at a campground. The holding tanks come in handy when you want to camp out on your own and don't have the luxury of someone else's water, electricity, and sewage receptacle.
And don't be embarrassed to ask ANY questions. I like focusing on one thing, getting some answers, and then moving on.....doesn't feel so overwhelming that way.
When I first started doing this, I bought a couple of books. I had all kinds of anxiety because I was looking at ALL of it at one time and figured it to be impossible for me.
But one thing at a time, one day at a time... You're gonna do great!!
Hey, I think I saw your camper on craigslist awhile back. Thought about buying it because the camper I bought last summer was in alot worse shape than originally thought. If you haven't seen this site yet, you should check it out. Good people to talk with and great information. http://repairingyesterdaystrailers.yuku.com/directory
ReplyDeleteI live in Wasilla, are you in the valley or in Anchorage? Good to see others interested in restoring vintage campers. Good luck and have fun...
i'm so happy i came across this! we live in anchorage on elmendorf and just purchased a 1968 travelaire, and we are wanting to restore some of it. i am following this closely!!
ReplyDeleteI've acquired a travel trailer recently and have no clue what year make model it is. Anyone have an idea how to find out?
ReplyDelete