110 Volt Electrical Done

My 110 volt wiring is complete. It’s all on the interior of the trailer, not inside the walls. I did it this way so that I didn’t have to notch out the 1×2 framing, I didn’t interfere with the insulation, and I didn’t take the chance of hitting it with a nail or screw after it was inaccessible. The wiring runs are mostly inside of the cabinets behind drawers or protected by false shelves.
wire hiding
I cut down a shower curtain pole to run the wiring from the upper kitchen cabinets down to the lower cabinet and I used two metal surface mounted boxes with metal raceway for the wiring that I couldn’t conceal.
The circuit protection is a huge upgrade from the original ceramic fuse block (that’s the original fuse block sitting there between the outlet and the power cord).
Shasta Breaker Box
I used a 100 amp 6 space 12 circuit Square D load center with a 30 amp main breaker and 4 – 15 amp circuits. It’s located just inside the roadside rear hatch. I can finish the interior in well lit air conditioned comfort now.
Shasta lights
Got some glare and reflections on that picture… hey, there’s my teardrop!

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1956 Shasta painted

I finally got the outside finished! The paint has been on for about 2 weeks now and the windows are in, so all I need to do is finish on the inside. I’m going to complete the electrical first – that way I can turn on the air conditioner.
1956 Shasta 1500
For the paint, I used Valspar Rust Armor from Lowes. It’s an enamel paint like Rustoleum, but it can be tinted, so you can choose from a lot of different colors. I primed the Shasta with Rustoleum Aluminum primer (latex). I put two coats of color on – thinned 12% with mineral spirits – and applied it with a brush and roller, sanding between coats. Total cost – about $100 for a new paint job.

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Plumbing finished

I hate working with plumbing, but this wasn’t too bad. Water goes into the left connection to the spigot and water drains out from the sink through the right connection. Both male and female hose connectors are chrome plated brass and made by Perko. They’re usually pretty pricey, but if you’re patient, you can find them on Ebay for $23 – $28. They’re a lot nicer than the stamped metal or plastic ones that they sell at Camping Mart and they should last a lifetime.
Water Inlet/Outlet

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Cutting my Vinyl Tiles

My special ordered tiles came in yesterday, so I started cutting them up today.
They’re 12” x 12” vinyl composition tiles (VCT) and I want to do a little different pattern, so I needed to make a jig to cut them up into:
45 – 3 7/8” x 11 5/8”
5 – 3 7/8” x 7 3/4”
70 – 3 7/8” x 3 7/8”
The odd sizes let me get the maximum number of pieces out of each tile by accounting for the saw blade width.
I ripped the tiles into 3 7/8” x full length first, and then turned some long rips sideways to get my 3 7/8” x 3 7/8”. After I had all of my small squares done, I cut the other two lengths.
Here’s a picture of my sliding table jig on my table saw:
tile jig

And here’s the pattern that I’m going with in the 1956 Shasta 1500:
1956 Shasta tile

1956 Shasta paint preview

I was lucky enough to buy some wings and an emblem off of craigslist a while back, and even though the 1956 Shasta didn’t have wings or the metal tag, I’m putting them on because they’ll look great and I’m not a vintage trailer purist nazi.

Shasta wings clipped

I finished painting my 1956 Shasta 1500. Want to see it? Sorry, not yet, I want to put the windows and lights in first – but here’s a glimpse.

Shasta tag

shasta door handle
It’ll look a little more (South Carolina) “peachy” in the sunlight.

Getting ready for paint!

barn_free
It’s been almost a year since the 1956 Shasta went into the barn to go under the knife, and it’s finally back out in the daylight… on temporary spares and foam insulation windows. It looks pretty much the same on the outside as it did 12 months ago, but that’s getting ready to change. I’m going to let the South Carolina heat warm everything up as I get it ready for primer and paint.
Here it was on May 27th, 2013 on it’s way to the barn – before I tore it all the way down to the frame.
ready for tear-down
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Beehive Marker Lights

I got this idea from Vintage Trailer Supply – using back-up lights, replace the clear lens with red and amber beehive lens. I read that the chrome plating wasn’t very good on these newer lights so I clearcoated the trim rings as suggested. I used glass beehives lens and I think that they turned out pretty good for about $15 apiece.
beehive markers
Here’s their link with the how-to:
http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Beehive_Marker_Lights_p/vts-073.htm