Much Happenin’ ‘Round These Parts
Sorry folks that it’s been so long. Our little trailer had to wait through a busy spell while I started up a new division of my company and my hubby was working hard on a special project for work. We also did something really unexpected and found yet ANOTHER project, but this one is MUCH, MUCH bigger…
Yep, that’s our new home! It’s our dream house. Well, with a lot of TLC it will be our dream house anyway. This craftsman home built in 1905 is Riverside, CA structure of merit #148 and now home to young newlyweds with big dreams to fill its 5 bedrooms with little rugrats and it’s long circular drive with vintage American cars (and our Aristocratica of course!). So, in addition to the Aristocratica we’re about to embark on another HUGE renovation project.
Needless to say, we hadn’t made much progress on our trailer until this weekend. However, this weekend the hubby got it tow-ready with new wiring for the lights and I busied myself painting the hardware from inside. Yes, I gave up on polishing it. Painting was so much easier and faster. Now it’s done, looks great and I don’t have sore fingers. We also replaced ALL of the rusty hexhead screws on the body with new stainless ones, polished some of the aluminum bits and cleaned the inside. She’s now full of most of the supplies we’ll need too.
There were other miscellaneous things we did, but the biggest of those was that we towed it! Well, just a few trips around the neighborhood, but we did it and everything worked great. Just a few things to finish up and she’ll be ready for a test run. Of course, with our schedule these days, who knows when that will be. We’ll keep y’all posted though!
Hidden Vintage Gems
One of the best parts of anything vintage or antique is that it has a history. Oftentimes these vintage goodies come to us via a road where things have been lost along the way. However, it’s those moments when you find those old gems that allow you to imagine a past you weren’t part of, or in my case, weren’t even alive for. We’ve been lucky enough to have a few of these moments over the past two weeks.
The discovery of some of the original paperwork complete with notes handwritten on them that might be from the original owner.
Lighting the original propane light and realizing it still works! (sorry, this photo is not while it’s lit, but I’ll get one to add later)
Opening a panel to discover the inside is a blue/green color which must be original.
Taking the license plate off and scraping off the old registrations and finding the 1969 registration sticker perfectly intact at the bottom.
Finding this large canvas piece rolled up and unrolling it to discover that it is a huge sunshade that was probably put in the trailer by the original owner. All of the poles and stakes are there too. We’ll have to set this up and get a photo of it.
These are just a few of the things we’ve come to love about exploring our vintage Aristocrat. She’s full of surprises each day.
FirePower: Or, More Accurately, Fire and Power
We have them both! Last night was the first test. I stood, fire extinguisher ready, as we plugged the old gal in for the first time. Thank goodness the only thing that lit up were the lights inside. All of them work and we’ve only got one burned out bulb. Sweet.
Now, on to the propane. Tank was full so we started by closing off the valves to all of the appliances. Then we opened the main valve and let the tubes pressure up. After that we sprayed a mixture of soap and water on all of the fittings to make sure there were no leaks (if there’s a leak, it will start to bubble). We were good to go. We then tested the old propane lantern, which is missing the glass cover. It still works! Now all we need is the glass mantle for it and we can actually safely use it. Then we moved on to the appliances. The stove top works great – all three burners lit right up. The oven was a bit of a challenge. We’re still trying to figure out where to light it. Project for tonight.
The real effort went into the fridge. It’s the original Dometic that came with the trailer and the previous owners told us it didn’t work. Well, we thought we’d give it a try. We checked the gas lines and there was flow so it really came down to getting the pilot lit. This was no easy thing. First, the flint to create the spark is wasted. Not too bad, but it does mean that until it’s replaced lighting the fridge is a two person job. Then we figured out where the flow came from but couldn’t get the thing to light. I kept looking at it and saying it just didn’t look right, the gas was coming out of an open bolt and was at least 2-3 inches from the cooling unit. There was gas, but it wouldn’t stay lit. We tried everything. It was then that my husband spotted something shiny on the floor under a tube. It was the regulator!!! Ah ha! Now we know why it wouldn’t work. We screwed the regulator back on and it lit right up and stayed lit! However, we let it run for about 30 minutes and the fridge didn’t seem to cool down. I figured that meant it was toast, but when I called a service center today they said we have to let it run for 10 hours to cool down! So, it’s running now and we’ll hopefully have good news to report later tonight so I’ll update you on that when I know.
Fire – check!
Power – check!
Wohoo! Tonight we’ll be working on the water and the pump. We already know the water intake valve is toast so we’re hoping to find a replacement with this weekend’s adventure to Walt’s RV Surplus in Fontana. We hear they’ve got lots of parts for these old ladies. We’re hoping that’s true!
For those following along, since I’ve been doing all of this research and whatnot, I’m adding a resources page to the blog. Feel free to check it out if you’re looking for something or comment with your own great resources!
Our Shady Future
Some talk about a shady past, and, given the awning rail along the top of the Aristocratica, we’re gonna assume our gal has one. However, that shady portion of the old gal has been lost along the way. Therefore, we’re going to need a replacement awning to provide the shade we’ll need for the California sunshine (and my whiter than white skin).
We started looking for these right away and quickly stumbled upon the great ones on VintageTrailerSupply.com. Given our budget those, these were a bit pricy, so we shopped around. We talked about just buying some Sunbrella fabric and doing it ourselves, but I’m not much of a wiz on the sewing machine. Luckily eBay provided the answer. We found someone selling the awnings for $160-$180. We reached out and found Marti D. (I would l provide an email address and referral upon request) who specialize in hand sewing these awnings! A quick email and we found out that for $175+$20 shipping an awning like this could be ours. SOLD! Order is currently being finalized and placed and in two weeks we will have some new shade similar to this…
As for that list of things we need – we’re still just scratching the surface. There are more important pieces that will be tackled this week – new glass for the front windows (only broken ones) and a new rock guard are high on the list. Rumors are swirling in the house about an overnight trip next weekend to test it out. We’ll see if we can make that happen. Lots to test between now and then to make it happen.
One of the Cool Kids
It’s taken 33 years, but I’ve arrived. I can finally truly say I’m one of the “cool kids.” YES!!! All it took was the purchase of The Aristocratica. In poking around the internet for parts and resources, I discovered an amazing group of cool kids – other Aristocrat owners!
I got down with filling out a profile and posting a link to this blog right away. Within an hour I heard from two other owners!
My new friend Bob shared the story of how he came to own his own new Aristocrat Lo-Liner AND he gave me the nod of approval on my BBQ choice. (I like him already!) My other new buddy Rex is hooking us up with all new emblems for the trailer which he makes himself – Ahhh Mazing, right? Order will be placed tomorrow. Check out these gorgeous emblems that will be coming our way soon courtesy of Mr. Rex.
Finally, for those of you keeping tabs, there is still no list. Got home after dark and was too tired to work on it. Tomorrow will be list day. Oh, and we found the BBQ for 1/2 price on Craigslist! We’ll be picking up that bad boy tomorrow too.
Where to Start?
I may have mentioned that our girl needs a little love and restoration. This, of course, can turn into a huge project. Being a girl, I know I approach this differently than a guy. My husband immediately started talking about jack stands, corrugated steel and propane tanks. He even had the audacity to mention the word “budget” last night. GAH! If you know me, you know, budgeting is something I only believe in for my clients and my business. My personal life is a whole different story.
Therefore, being my irresponsible and impulsive self, I began searching for a cute red BBQ to match her adorable interior. Here’s the one I’m thinking of:
Cute, right? I realize that this is probably not the most critical item, but let’s be honest here, we tend to BBQ more than anything else at home so I can’t see it being any different while camping. Plus, this is far less intimidating for me than having to find a source for the custom cut glass we need for the front window.
While I will probably check Craigslist for the BBQ, I’ve decided my goal for today is to make a list of all of the things that need to be done (that we know of anyway) and then tonight I can sit down and prioritize this. Oh, and take more photos!
Introducing The Little Red Vixen
The moment I saw her, I fell in love. It could have been her sleek simple lines. The racy hint of red just at the waistline. The shiny quilted metallic finish over her shiny red appliances. Or perhaps it was just her welcoming demeanor. Either way, when I first laid eyes on this 1966 Aristocrat Mainliner, I new she had to be mine.
Her craigslist photos called to me and I drug my husband to take a look. Up close she’s got some worn bits, but overall the old girl has held up well. She’s been loved though. When we left after that first meeting it was hard to part from her. Knowing she was a bit out of my price range, I tried to put it out of my mind while I searched high and low for another option.
We dated around a bit. Checking out the local options. But nothing could live up to her.
Finally, after a few pouty looks and some bargaining which may mean the addition of a ’57 Chevy Wagon to the growing car collection, my loving husband called to make an offer. However, he sadly told me that she’d been sold.
I was CRUSHED.
I tried to convince myself that it just wasn’t meant to be and got back to scouring the web for another option. I knew that in time another one like her would come along. Today I’d actually found a few online that looked liked good options. I was printing out photos of them to show my hubby when he came back and said someone was at the door to see me. I wasn’t expecting anyone. As I opened the door, I couldn’t understand why there was a trailer in front of the house. Suddenly I realized what was going on…
SHE WAS MINE!!!
I’d been had, but in the sweetest, best possible way. Pulling into my driveway was this gorgeous red and white 1966 Aristocrat Mainliner. Unfortunately it was dark out, so I have no photos of her in her new home yet, but here are the original photos from the eBay listing. Tomorrow I’ll post more photos and begin making some decisions on which projects I’m going to tackle first. SO EXCITED!!!
Without further ado…
