by KBS » Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:30 pm
OK, so my son and I worked on the trailer so much, I didn't get a chance to take any photos. He now has the trailer at a summer high adventure camp, so it will be a couple of months before I can get any pictures. But here's a run-down of what we did. We stripped everything down to the wood frame on the inside. There is a storage shelf that goes the width of the back of the trailer, and it was in good shape, so we left it in. We braced up the front and back to provide lateral stability. Replaced two spars across the roof. Replaced every stick of wood below eye level on the front end. My son used his considerable metal-working skills to cut custom-fitted angle pieces on all four corners where the original sheet metal and trim had separated. I fixed the loose and rattly windows in the door. I replaced and rewired the tail lights and installed a dome light. Replaced about 100 loose screws with new, larger ones. Caulked about 50 feet of seams. We pounded out some dents and spray painted some bad spots. After all the reconstruction was done, we paneled the interior with 1/8" plywood. I also filled all the spaces with blue foam insulation that the previous owner sent with the trailer. I replaced all four teardrop marker lights. We scrounged some used carpet from a local carpet store and cut it to fit the open floor pattern. I put a twin bed and mattress in, and used a hollow-core closet door (smooth surface) for a table across the front end. Without any sink or oven fixtures, it's pretty open and spacious for a 12 footer.
We plan to do more work on it when it's back home, but we were up until 3:00 a.m. the morning of his departure getting stuff done, so he took it as it was, which will be just fine for what he's doing. He has access to power (I wired a 110 outlet), and there are bathroom facilities at the camp, so he doesn't need anything in the trailer but a bed and table surface. I'll build out a closet over a wheel well to hold a porta potty and serve as storage. Plus I'd like to replace the twin bed with a full or queen for the rare occasions when I can convince my wife to be seen in such a relic. I'm pretty pleased with how turned out, especially since we worked so fast and furious to make it usable. It's not a thing of beauty, and our workmanship could be more polished, but for dragging something out into the hills for a night or two, it will do just great.
I paid $150 for the trailer, another $90 in gas to go get it, and about $200 on materials. The paneling was the biggest cost. 11 sheets at $13 each. 5 2x4s, screws, tail lights, marker lights, and a dome light. The rest I had on hand. The best part of all was spending time with my son and watching him work and solve problems. He really put his heart into it. He usually reserves that much dedication to risking his life on a cliff face or downhill bike run. The most amazing part was that last week he hiked rim to rim at the Grand Canyon. He got home Saturday after hiking from the river to the north rim, sitting in a car for four hours stiffening up, and then I put him to work for about 11 hours to finish up the trailer. He was exhausted and crippled by the time he went to bed, after having been up for 22 hours. When he said he would help me get it ready, he must have meant it.
Karl Stevens