| Greetings Most Honored Surfer!
Why fix up an old travel trailer?
I live a simple "bottomfeeder" lifestyle in rural western Oregon as part of an intentional community with several other people. We share the main house on the land for cooking, sanitation and socializing, but everyone has their own cabin or trailer for private space as well, functioning as creative studios or bedrooms. I wanted either a yurt or a specific type of travel trailer from the 1950's; a flat-sided egg-shaped retro beauty, a silhouette like a canned ham turned on it's side. I love this streamlined shape and tidy curved space.
I spoke this wish to the universe, and *!poof!* one appeared, a 1955 14' Rainbow. Trim, tidy and cute lemon-yellow and white, a faded family treasure with serious water damage needing a new home.
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a comfortably aged retreat in the works...hiding in the willows
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Prelude
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We acquired the trailer on Nov 22, 2004, titled & legally registered. Prior owner's family had camped yearly with it since childhood, but there had been little or no maintenance that we could see, other than squirting each rusted exterior screw with a puff of grey primer paint. The tires are so new that the little rubber whiskers are still on the sides, even though the hubcaps are rusted. With a little air in the tires and some external running lights (propped & duct-taped into the wide back window) we towed it home. Randy said he could barely feel it there (our tow vehicle is a 1985 Dodge Ram Conversion with a 318 motor) and that it tracked and followed nicely.
The next day we removed the mildewy insides & evaluated the extensive water damage, broken rafters, corroded metal and collapsed cabinetry and promptly erected an "Oregon Garage"....a blue tarp from Bi-Mart....these garages are seen in all states i know....but our climate makes them even more necessary!
We have little money for restoration, but a large pile of materials; ends & scraps from R.'s construction jobs, and plenty of skills in plumbing, wiring, framing, automotive.....we forge ahead. Rural people with no money usually have time and ingenuity on their side. And truly, where there is a will and some skill, things DO happen. |
Set-up & Tools
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R. sets up indoors with various tools & fasteners and a 500w halogen worklight for light......and as a bonus, heat! I find myself going out and sitting in The Ham for the brilliant warmth, such a bonus in the damp winter. We do not need to sleep a whole pack of kids like they did in the Fifties. These mass-produced trailers were a welcome step up from the leaky, musty misery of the family frame-tents available then, (which were cotton canvas waterproofed with parrafin! Watch that gas lantern, Dad!)
So even though older travel-trailers seem flimsy and poorly built, remember they were not intended to be houses, just rigid waterproof tents that got used a few times a year. Of COURSE you can beef them up and re-build with better materials using the original plan as a guide That's what we do. Everything we use in this project is re-used, re-adapted, recycled, free, or secondhand, except for bar steel and new fasteners, caulk, glue, sandpaper and putty.
Tools used on this project include: air-driven pin-nailer, table saw, Skilsaw, jigsaw, 18v cordless drill, palm sander, and various common hand tools (hammer, level, screwdrivers, utility knife, wire strippers, etc. We don't have a garage or shop, all work is done under tarps and the large tools are set up in a small woodshed or in the trailer itself. Cabinetry, re-useable paneling, and appliances are stored in the main house. |
Framing, Insulation & Wiring
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Water damage is the "cancer" of wooden things, and is inevitable in our Pacific Northwest climate. The only thing to do is disassemble and replace the rotten wood and mildewed old insulation. The new silvery insulation (visible below window) is a 1/2" mylar-faced bubble wrap, combining a radiant barrier with closed air cells into a very efficient and light material, used by local yurt and camping gear manufacturers. They are happy to donate scraps to keep them useful and out of the landfill. About 2/3 of the trailer was eventually re-insulated with this material, including the rear and stove-facing walls of the icebox! Structurally sound ( free of knots & cracks) original wood was trimmed of rot and re-used in other places in the trailer when possible. Rotten-ended front ribs are replaced and have 1/2" bar-steel reinforcements screwed on top & botton to maintain the integrity of the body curves & add strength to the forward shell. |
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Metal reinforcement plates cut from sheet steel, screws & exterior-grade glues reinforce the flimsy pine "stick & staple" construction in the walls. The whole trailer begins to feel much more stable....a tough little birdcage!
Replacing and redesigning the wiring was possible once the port-side skin was removed. We hung the aluminum side-skins and rails on the side of the barn with screws through some of the original holes so they would not get creased or dented while we were working on the main frame of the trailer. Propane light in the dinette was removed and a 3-circuit breaker box was installed inside the kitchen cabinet for lighting and outlets, as well as a new grounded weatherproof cord socket on the exterior. Take pictures of the wiring while the skin is off, it WILL come in handy later! |
Appliances
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The stove, icebox and sink come indoors for cleaning & repair. The stove is adorable, a three burner "Princess" model with a speckled granite-ware type oven interior. The chromed top is rusty & covered with tinfoil, but the oven is spotless. Steel wool brightens up the top.
The galvanized sheet-metal icebox is a horrible mess of masking tape and tinfoil and peeling paint. Soaking and scraping, the old goo comes off. Refrigeration will remain "original" that is, the racks and drains of the icebox. We prefer recycled simplicity over gadget-happy modernization. Plastic is a soulless material we prefer to avoid. The only plastic in the trailer when original is the knobs on the stove. We're adding new wiring and space-age insulation and poly-resin finishes on the floors.....but the tin icebox will remain, with it's shredded pressed wood dust (beaverboard) insulation. . |
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The icebox and range hood, getting a fresh coat of Rustoleum Red Gloss, which looks stunning with the deep heavy silver gleam of the Art-Deco stainless hinges and latch, which are polished and #0000 steel-woolled back to perfection, then given a light coat of sewing machine oil. The inside tray is left galvanized, the racks are painted black. |
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Exterior Nail Rails
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Outside, R. has drilled & chiseled all of the nails and rusty #6 sheet-metal screws out of the skin and has gently slid the top skin aside. These rotten plywood "nail-rails" are where the top and side skins join to the wooden framing with a blizzard of nails and screws. The water leakage delaminated the wood and rusted the fasteners, causing weakening of the joints and the beginnings of structural failure.
These 3/4 inch plywood strips all have to be replaced, soaking strips in water overnight to achieve the curves. Now with fresh wood to bite into the new screw & nails hold tightly. Beads of heavy-duty caulk under and between the skins ooze out the nailholes when seated. Yeah! Permeate that wood! woo Hoo!. Now just a strip of new putty tape and the rub rail can get screwed back on through the overlapped & caulked top and side skins with new one-inch #8 screws. Waiting for a sunny warm day to do this!...July.....? hahahahaha! |
Cabinet Restoration
Indoors where it's warm, I am taking off the cabinet hinges and latches, soaking them in a plastic tub of alcohol and scrubbing off the varnish overspray. From the looks of the interior, these trailers were completely assembled inside, then they turned a cranky, hungover assembly-line slacker loose with the varnish spray-gun. It's on the hinges, handles, hardware and screens, even drips on the stove and icebox!
To remove varnish from the screen-door screen i used a stiff wire brush on both sides of the screen. Got most of it....more twiddling with a smaller wire brush next to the edges will finish the job. Later. Wear a mask! |
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A few hours soaking in plain rubbing alcohol dissolves the old lacquer finish on the hardware into slippery goo. Some #0000 steel wool gets the stubborn spots and brings up the shine. The hardware and hinges are heavy well-made and very Art Deco under the dirty amber overspray. To clean the screws that had some rust: remove the bit from a cordless drill, insert screw with threads in the chuck, tighten LIGHTLY and spin the screwhead against sandpaper..... or make the 110 mile trip to the hardware store and spend money on new ones.....not an option! Sanding screws is very Zen.........
These badly mildewed birch plywood cabinet faces were sanded about halfway through the finish then rubbed with #2 steel wool and Howards Restore-a-Finish, followed by #0000 steel wool and soft cotton cloth and softened beeswax. they look mellowed and distressed. We resonate with the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi a graceful aging of natural materials.
before and after shots of cabinet hinges. ick! |
Ceiling
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Most of the ceiling rafters (pine 1x2s laid on their FLAT SIDES!) were broken where knots in the wood caused weakness....all it would take is one exuberant 8-year-old climbing on top to retrieve a parachuting toy soldier back in say 1966...Snap, Krackle, POP. Don't tell Mom!
Water then pooled around the roof and stove vents and ......leaked. Ceiling is in sagging and stained, in bad shape. Minor water stains on the panelling don't begin to tell of the damage inside the walls. Restorers, beware of "minor water stains", don't be fooled into complacency. Structural problems caused by previous rot in the frame don't magically go away when you fix the leaks. Open the wall and LOOK. Any vehicle actually being towed needs to be STRONG, for your safety, and the person driving behind you. Randy replaced all but two of the rafters and drilled & screwed 1/2" steel stock to the sides of each one for added security. The ceiling regains it's lovely slight convexity. Replacing the rotten paneling with cedar T&G makes it feel vaguely boat-like inside. Note the scaffolding supporting the ceiling until the interior cabinetry is re-installed. The closet and cabinets provide additional interior support for the ceiling span as originally designed. |
Rear Structure
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The back half of the curve under the bed was terribly rotten, as are most canned-ham shaped trailers that have spent serious time in wet locales. When exterior sealing putty dries out & fails, water follows the curve of the rub-rail and seeps into the walls. Same around the windows. We were generous with caulk and putty tape as we reassembled, every screwhole and joint is sealed. The rear half was reframed with added steel reinforcement, like the the roof and front The bedframe is raised and re-framed to accomodate a storage under-loft or " basement". The starboard luggage door is sealed and screwed shut and insulated. The port-side luggage door now opens into a utility compartment (cords, jacks, hoses) sealed against the interior. We haven't yet addressed the lock mechanism.
The replacement paneling on the inside curve has dark blotches from the factory, but this will not be visible in the finished interior. Note the dreary dark 1970's panelling re-used for underbed partitions! New insulation and wiring are behind the panelling
The undercarriage frame was also rotted at the edges on both sides. and was replaced with pressure treated wood and steel bar reinforcement and carriage- bolted more securely to the main steelframe. The subfloor itself was in excellent condition, but sadly, the swirly peach & tan linoleum was cracked and dirty so we scraped it out, to be replaced with oak T&G. |
Kitchen Cabinetry
To gain interior space, the floor to ceiling closet on the port side was cut back from 24" to 19" depth (the width of a coat hanger carrying my heaviest coat). The kitchen upper and lower cabinets were sagging and racked from water damage loosening the fasteners and rotting the hidden support in the wall. The lower kitchen cabinet was also trimmed back 4" to more snugly fit the Princess stove. The sink we feel is too large for our intended uses (and it won't fit the trimmed cabinet!) so we are looking for a very small stainless sink. There are no water tanks, and plumbing consists of a drain hose from the icebox and another from the sink and a hose bibb underneath for attaching a fresh water supply. Upper cabinets painted pistaschio green inside for a clean scrubbable light surface with a vintage flair. Entire interior cabinets, paneling, etc. again rejuvenated with Howard "Restore-a- Finish" in Golden Oak. These upper cabinets were not as badly marred & scuffed as the lower ones, so refinishing was accomplished with #0000 steel wool followed with soft rags. All hardware was removed and polished.
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Here you can see the starboard wall of the kitchen and back into the bedroom. Notice the new cedar T&G on the back wall and trims in the bedroom, repainted original kitchen light (was SO rusty before!) and range hood and painted oak beadboard behind stove. The lamp sitting on the stove a portable vintage desk lamp. You can see it's cord dangling from the side of the cabinet, where we installed a 110v outlet. Also note the mitered cedar trim on the windows. I did not like the look or the sharp edges and screws of the original aluminum frames on the interior. All windows work, withthe exception of the starboard "lounge" window, which we have sealed shut and removed the screen & mechanism from (using to repair other windows). The reason for this being that a sharp window corner (when opened) at face level near the door looks like an accident waiting to happen to me. So this will be nicely trimmed with a wood sill and rail for an ever changing collection of beach finds and other natural oddities. |
Floor & Basement
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A shot of the floor, already dusty! We ran out of oak pieces, so R. cleverly arranged and mixed in some maple boards cut from antique bedrails our landmate no longer wanted...sanded, polyurethaned and looking good! The maple defines the kitchen area. Defining spaces with the use of different but harmonious materials helps keep a small environment feeling ordered and tidy.
Also visible is the opening to the 30x60 "basement" as we call the underbed storage area. The industrial black netting (also from the yurt factory scrap bag) on the underbed supports defines a loose storage area in the previously wasted space in the curved part of the trailer's behind, perfect for stowing soft, awkward or easily crushed items. The basement walls are insulated, soon there will be carpet for added quietness and to stop things from sliding or rolling in motion. |
Windows & Wiring
 Sometimes we're on a roll, overcome with "Ham Fever" ... working well into the night ....look at the shine on those windows! A week of January nights sitting by the woodstove in the main house listening to the rain and taking apart and polishing every piece of each window assembly, cutting glass for the three that are broken, peening bent aluminum back into shape, replacing and lubricating all the hardware and replacing a bazillion more #6 screws on the windows and their rain hoods, which were also cleaned. peened & polished.
R. is a caulk-gun & viscous-goo sort of guy, not enamoured of the originality of the gaskets. Plus we didn't have the funds, and the overriding vision of this trailer was to use what we had on hand as much as possible. No fancy gaskets. So the windows are not historically correct..... but they don' t leak. :). Yes, the old propane bottle will be replaced. The entire gas system is out of the trailer currently. he's in there measuring for the fold-down table. I'm getting a midnight snack.... |
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Gas lighting removed, hate the noise & smell. Added a 110V plug behind the light over the table. Also a plug inside the fore-cabinet for the eventual stereo....all wiring will eventually be hidden in the cabinet under a false bottom. This is the original fixture, however its integral 2-prong outlet was disconnected (but left in place for appearance), the clamp re-used as the grounding point for the new wiring. We did this with all three original 110v light fixtures. 
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Installed a mirror on the side of the cabinet, Look at the reflections! Also see the original RAINBOW logo and the one screw discreetly holding the lounge window shut. |
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We redesigned the booth area with the two rear swiveling captain's chairs from the Dodge van (more room for hauling the music gear now!). Also cut-down the original yellow formica folding table (re bending & re-using the original metal trim!) and beefed it up strong enough to handle the energetic use of an old Singer hand-crank cast-iron sewing machine without wobbling. Table can be dropped for room to play guitars. The weird congenitally-downcurved floor contour which used to be under the dining benches was solved with a raised carpeted platform, defining the "lounge" area. Askew postcard of the late, great, Ken Kesey and his magic bus "FURTHUR" pinned where the gaslight used to be, egging us on to greater travels........
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