"Skeeter" 72 Compact W/PICS

[boandsusan]

This is a 1972 Shasta Compact which Bo and I purchased in November 2011.

[boandsusan]

Pretty sad huh?

[Deleted]

Wait...

[Deleted]

Not the recent Florida find eh? Is this one still in the stable awaiting your loving touch?

[Hamlet]

Or are these the original pictures, and you are going to wow us with the finished ones next?

[Deleted]

That isn't "Mr. Sam" in disguise is it???

[boandsusan]

No guys to all the above. I`m re-posting the restore/fix of a past project as I had vikx delete the last one due to the pics all been lost. This is the Compact we did with a front dinette and an under the bed AC. Its taking me a while as I`m not familiar with Photobucket

[boandsusan]

Youngest son measuring for a new window before we removed the ugly AC

[boandsusan]

Bo removing 2 screws that were giving me a fit.

[boandsusan]

Rear window had been leaking for years, so a po had covered the existing paneling with a sheet of treated plywood.

[boandsusan]

We found this metal strap and understand that other members have come across them in their trailers too. Its above the rear window and have no idea what use it was as it was attached at the bottom but not the top?

[boandsusan]

I managed to get the rest of the paneling and ceiling removed without a problem. Found plenty of rotten framing. Imagine that

[boandsusan]

This tool was my best friend to remove all the little bits caught in the tracks, between the ceiling and walls.

[boandsusan]

Also found a surprising amount of clean dry insulation but we pulled it all anyway.

[boandsusan]

Skin came off next after bracing the roof with T`s made with 2x4`s.

[boandsusan]

And more rot...

[boandsusan]

Sooo, the last 2 feet of the floor was removed.

[boandsusan]

New framing went in but beefed up around the bottom and in the back wall for bed support and up front for table brackets as we intended changing the floor plan.

[boandsusan]

Skin went back on....

[boandsusan]

New wiring and all new insulation went in walls and ceiling.

[boandsusan]

I figured 13 sheets of 1/4 inch Birch for the interior (including wardrobe, benches and new kitchen facinc etc). I shellacked on a plastic covered pool table inside the house as I wanted it to dry in the AC . This is, one sheet raw, 1 sheet with one coat and one sheet with 3 coats Sanded lightly with sand paper between each coat. We decided on 3 coats but had the interior been larger, we would go with 4-5 coats of amber shellac.

[boandsusan]

It took about a week for me to shellac and install all the birch. It was my favorite part of this project.

[boandsusan]

I hadn`t cut out the back window yet in the above picture.

[boandsusan]

I used flat screen trim where the sheets butted up across the ceiling.

[boandsusan]

Close up of the trim screws that I chose to use.

[boandsusan]

I used 1/4 round (wood) on the corner seams. A 20 degree cut on the Horizontal flat trim where it butts upto the 1/4 round.

[boandsusan]

We decided on the wavy overhead cabinet up front.

[boandsusan]

At this point Bo finished up the wiring for me:)

[boandsusan]

Next was the 3/4 bed and new kitchen framing.

[boandsusan]

The weather was starting to warm up at this point so we decided to get the AC installed. We started by running the ac on a stand and determining where the water built up on the base. We had to remove the top and sides of the unit to do this. Once we found the lowest point in the floor of the AC, Bo drilled a 3/4 inch hole for the water to drain. Then we placed the AC in place and marked the trailer floor, where the drain hole needed to be. We drilled a hole through the camper floor for the drain tube.