Vintage Travel Trailer-part6-plans

The holidays were great! Filled with laughter and shining-eyed children, who were hopped-up on candy canes and cookies. And I got to hang up our first-ever holiday lights on the new house.

Whoa.. how on earth do you home owners get all those light sets installed and plugged in without blowing several circuits? One of my neighbors simply shrugged and said he just hooks up all the lights and then if he trips a circuit, he throws an extension cord threw an open window or such and plugs the lights in there. Hhhmmph... Obviously, I'm going to have to do some serious electrical planning for adequate lighting for next Christmas.

So while stuffing myself with good food and cowering from the pouring rain, I made some progress on how I want to rebuild the wood frame of the trailer body.

Originally, the walls and ends of the trailer had been nailed to the sides of that mickymouse sandwiched floor set-up. So, in effect, most of the body weight had been resting on the strength of those nails..

Nuh uh... don't like that.

In the drawing, you can see two trailer cross-sections. The one on the left is the original layout. The one on the right is what I plan to do to improve on the original design.



Basically, replace that goofy, cardboard sandwiched between two sheets of 1/4" ply floor with solid, 3/4" plywood sheets. I'll have to shorten the side and end walls so that they rest ON TOP of the floor. The 3/4" plywood floor will be bolted to the steel frame first. Than the walls will be bolted to the plywood floor using upside down carriage bolts. The idea being that should I ever have the need. I'll be able to unbolt the body from the trailer frame and floor without having to completely disassemble the body and aluminum. The upside-down carriage bolts will be hidden inside the cabinets and bed storage spaces. Hidden from casual site, yet within reasonable reach should the need arise to lift the body for future floor repairs.

I'd like to re-use the old aluminum as much as possible. And tho I plan to paint the trailer, I won't be filling in the dents in the aluminum. I LIKE the scratches, dings and dents. They tell the story of the trailers character. And I don't want to lose that. Most of the roof pieces will have to be replaced tho. Thanks to that past attack on the trailer roof by a drug-crazed fool and his awl of destruction.