The Free Trailer Is Now My Science Project

The free trailer from Mr. Frank (see earlier post) is now running a tab. I'm giving her an exterior rehab, including new seals and paint, and am undertaking it as a science project.

In other words, I'm learning how to do this as I go.

The trailer is a 1961 Aloha compact--small, and fairly uncomplicated in how it's put together. Nevertheless, I won't say I didn't start out feeling a little intimidated at the thought of taking things apart. But that ended pretty quickly as soon as I got my hands on the first power tool. I also was able to hire a part-time helper, 'Randyman,' and he keeps things moving along when I have to be at work.

The first thing we had to do was get the old sealant paint off the roof (it was peeling up in hunks) and off the trim rail. It had been put on so thick that you could barely see the grooves in the trim-rail screw heads, so there was no way to get the trim rail off until the paint was removed. Even with power tools, these are time-consuming jobs.

The roof came clean with a heat gun and a scraper. For the trim rail, I used a wire wheel at the end of a power drill to clean the screw heads and get the trim rail free enough of old goo that I could get it off. The wire wheel spit out millions of tiny bits that infiltrated everything. I hadn't taken the light fixtures off yet, so I covered them up with Press'n Seal from the kitchen drawer. No sense doing any more cleaning than I already had to do.

These two jobs--cleaning the roof and getting the heavily coated trim ready to take off--each took about 10 hours of persistence, divided up over several days.

The next step for the roof went fast, comparatively speaking. We took the vent out, cleaned it up, and put it back on over new putty tape. Then we used EternaBond roof seal tape over the long top seams (there are two on this trailer). The vinyl tape comes in a roll. We measured and cut, centered the tape over a seam, peeled off the backing, and pressed it down tight with a wallpaper roller. We sealed the edges of the vent with the same tape.

Then we used a long-handle paint roller to apply Elastomeric roof paint to the rest of the surface. This product is weather resistant, reflects heat, holds up under heat and cold,  and is flexible to RV movement. We did a north-south coat, then an east-west coat, per instructions.

Next, we took off all the trim and the light fixtures, removed the windows, and covered the openings with cardboard and painter's tape. Randyman got busy with a light sanding of the surface, while I applied paint stripper to the trim rail once it was off the trailer.

Once the stripper had loosened the paint on the trim rail, I went to work on getting it off, first with an electric tool called a Wagner Paint Eater (awesome tool) and then with a Dremel tip. I had to be careful not to bend or twist the loose aluminum rail, and even with the Paint Eater, this was a tedious and messy job that took hours. Along with old paint, every tiny bit of old silicone had to be located and ground off (it just laughed at stripper), even around the pilot holes for the new screws.

Today, the trailer gets washed down with TSP (trisodium phosphate), which removes grime, grease, and fingerprints. Then she'll be ready to prime and paint.  Randy will do that part and I'll be cleaning and polishing the windows and the drip-cap rails with aluminum polish and a buffer.

In case you're wondering, it's taken about 40 hours of labor to get the trailer to this point of being nearly ready for painting. Had the trim rail not been encased in layers of paint, silicone, and roof coating, the time would have been about half that. Considering the labor involved, new trim would have been cheaper....but like I said, this is a science project!

The Free Trailer, Transformed by Decor (Also Known as 'Shopping the House')

This is the 1961 Aloha compact that came my way, free, through a piece of good fortune. She had not been used in about 15 years, and is now undergoing the necessary rehab/maintenance to make her shine again.

But before I turned her into a shop project, I couldn't resist dolling her up a little, and making her comfy enough for a few nights' stay out in our yard. There's no better way to get to know a trailer before you get serious about the rehab.

The interim project called for an episode of Shop the House.

I found of set of trailer-sized curtains, sewn of vintage white chenille. I'd gotten these earlier from someone who wasn't using them anymore. They fit the windows perfectly. (It's amazing what curtains alone will do to create a sense of home in an old trailer, and with sliding clip rings, you make them instantly out of just about anything.)

I'd recently purchased some red and white enamelware, a small kitchen's worth, and the small red and white trailer is the perfect place for it.

The red tulips were a no-brainer--they were blooming in the garden at the time.

The tin toy sink and drainboard, from the '50s, found a perfect home on the trailer's small counter. It was down in our basement, with some other old toys.

By now, it was obvious that the trailer wanted to be red and white throughout. All these other R/W items were lurking in various closets and cubbies--even 'Life Goes to the Movies," from the '60s. The trailer needs little to make it charming and comfy, and that's good, because it isn't very big and would be cramped if overloaded with 'stuff.'

Outside: More red flowers, some small furniture, including the red and white screened cupboard, and her personality popped right out.

Then she got sassy, and demanded lights! She's just the right size for the 20-foot string.

After the fun, we're back to the dirty work, preparing to reseal and repaint. I like her in white, with a single red stripe, so I'm keeping that.

Oh, and I decided to name her Karma.

Inside My Surprise Free Trailer (1961 Aloha Compact)

She doesn't have a name yet, but this is the free trailer I brought home after accepting it sight unseen in an offer from a friend of a friend. I didn't even know the make or year when I set out to go pick it up...the ultimate surprise package.

The trailer turned out to be a 1961 Aloha compact, last registered in 1999 and parked ever since. I had a split second to peek inside before my benefactor had her hooked up to my truck and was wishing me a safe trip home.

Twenty-five miles later, the trailer was in my driveway. Inside the wood-lined door--right where you'd need them--were a homemade, carpeted trailer step and a set of homemade wheel chocks.

The kitchen is in the front, with a sink, brown stovetop and oven, and a rose-beige countertop with tiny gold flecks.

The little sink is enameled cast iron. How about those two faucets? One for water from a tank behind the wall, one for hose-input.

The icebox, plus three roomy cabinets, are on the street-side wall. Note the magazine rack and original coppertone reading light. (I took this photo during one of the cleanup rounds.)

The gaucho/pull-out bed is across the rear. The original upholstery in brown/orange plaid was intact (though ultimately too dusty to be kept). The trailer came with two tables that attach at the walls to make a tabletop the width of the gaucho.

There was a bunk over the bed at one point; note the wooden brackets.

The interior is lined with sheets of birch. I'm not sure when Aloha made the change over to paneling, but it wasn't long after this trailer was made. The light fixture runs on propane.

Here you can see the little built-in nightstand at the left side of the door. Handy!

I spent the rest of my first day with the trailer working on her initial exterior cleanup. She had about 15 years' worth of barn dust and lichen growth to get rid of.

The trailer turned out to have a tiny flag bracket on a front J-rail. So I got her a flag after she was 'de-barned,' and she seems to fly it rather proudly--as if to say, 'Hello, I'm back!'

Next: Transformed by decor.

Saga of the Surprise Free Trailer

Thanks to one of those friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend situations, I had the recent big surprise of being offered a free trailer by an older man who wasn't using it anymore and didn't want the hassle of trying to sell it. If I would just come and get it, I could have it--title, keys, and all.

'What kind of trailer is it?' I asked him on the phone. 'Oh, it's just like those other little old trailers you girls like to run around with,' he said. 'It's not a piece of junk or anything like that--do you want it or not?'

Sight unseen and with no more information than that, I said yes. He gave me directions to his place, less than 25 miles away. I set out later that afternoon, wondering just what the surprise free trailer would turn out to be.

'It'll be an adventure, if nothing else.' I'll say!

The trailer was a few miles on the other side of Kendrick, Idaho.  That's my white Ford pickup parked at the hardware store, where I stopped to pick up a few things missing from my tool box.

I followed the directions out past the town, turning onto a country gravel road.

The road following a river for a while, where old farm buildings stood in a sliver of a valley.

Then the road got narrow and twisting as it rose up, and up, and up, to the top of a ridge I'd never been on. Hmm--I would soon be making my way back DOWN this road with a trailer. Did someone say 'adventure'?

After 2 miles of 'up,' I pulled into a manicured country yard and spotted the trailer immediately. If my heart had been pounding some while driving up the steep road, it skipped several beats when I saw the trailer--a canned ham, birch interior, all-intact little doll just waiting to be loved on again.

My benefactor, 'Mr. Frank,' helped me hook her up, and double-checked the door lock and key before I   left. 'I don't think you'll have any trouble getting her home,' he said. 'I hauled her to town and back yesterday on a test run. Did fine.' He handed me the title and I shook his hand to thank him. 'You bet,' he said. 'Have fun.'

Next thing I knew, I was headed down off the ridge with the trailer. Mr. Frank did not lie. She did fine.

Even on the switchbacks.

Half an hour later, the trailer was in our driveway, awaiting her initial cleanup.


Next time, I'll show you what I found behind the door!