56 skin edges did not overlap!

[Gone Kayaking]

Got a call from my sheet metal guy this afternoon. I had hoped that they could do the curve and the return on the back of my trailer (the curved canned ham end) He called to say he couldn't do the return and the bend without crimping the skin....what to do? told him I'd call him right back.
Well web to the rescue found...did a quick spin on our forum....no answers. Then came across www.retrorestoration.com/56shasta.htm and spoke with the owner Larry. Shared my aguadream tale and guess what....he's done nearly a dozen 55-57 reno's of 1500's and back then they did not have a return that overlaps the sides, the front and back met but didn't overlap.....they just covered it with a 90 deg piece of trim. When he reno's them he does add a return and says he does it by hand....and that it's a b...ch (technical trailer term) He says he has the sheet metal place cut the pieces about 2 inches too long to make up for things being out of square.

So I call the sheet metal guy back and much to his relief, tell him to forget about the return, just focus on the bend.

Boy I hope I can make this work. I hope some friends with skills and the minds of engineers show up at my party on Sunday.

[Redwings]

Oh my! I hope it all works out for you!!!

Could it be the same piece this person was trying to find?

vintageshasta.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=skin&action=display&thread=2417

[Gone Kayaking]

I think probably so. Answer is the same though. That design is prone to leaking, so convert to the way it was done in later years.

[Redwings]

You are learning so much along this restore, huh? As are we all! I always thought I wanted a 1957 Shasta....so am paying very close attention to you '56 restore.

[Gone Kayaking]

The first new skin for my trailer is back on as of yesterday, with an overlap! It fit like a tight glove. Just noticed the brakes don't perfectly line up... but at this point perfect is the enemy of the good and this is VERY GOOD.

[jessie]

YEAH!! Looks great!! And I think that no one will notice the alignment, especially once the trim is on!

[harrison429]

i bet it was so exciting putting it on and seeing how beautifully it fit! i had thought not to replace any of my skin but seeing how great that looks i may have to rethink my plan.

[Gone Kayaking]

I would only do it if you were forced to as I was. It's a big expense, and it's also a big pain to get it to fit exactly right. The first one for the front was actually done incorrectly so I had to get a whole new sheet cut and braked. It does look nice though doesn't it.

[mmeyer]

How many inches between the breaks?

Thanks,
Michelle

[Hamlet]

Not sure about the "pre wing" models, but the later ones (through 1963, at least) have a 6" break. That's what Gone Kayaking's look like.

[paigenmarc]

Awesome job! I hope ours looks as good. We just picked up a new aluminum panel because, when we redid the rotten wood on the back end, the aluminum didn't fit anymore. I don't know if it was out of plumb then or now, but we decided to just order a new piece and overlap it ourselves. It's good to see that it can be done, and done well.