Bits by bit we get work done on Lolo the 1959 Shasta Airflyte. She had no original light or step assist so we went shopping. ( Yay! Shopping is one of the best things about restoration projects.) Love the LED porch light we found and the step assist is a stainless handicap grab bar. I think they look good! Ron got the DOT exterior marker lights on and working while I worked on stripping the nasty black paint off all the original cabinet hardware. It’s an icky job but this CitriStrip at least smells like oranges. I plan on stripping the black paint off her wings and shining them up. I am also planning on adding a silver stripe in the black.
Vintage Shasta Resoration
Project Red aka Painted Pig
This is what happens when you start undoing all the bad things the previous owner did. New flooring looked nice but there is rotted wood underneath the edges. So the seating had to be taken out so we could see the extent of the damage. See those arrows? That’s the front wall that is no longer attached to the trailer frame. HUGE repair that cannot be ignored. They did the walls and not the floor. Dumb dumb dumb. Ron has the AC going out there now so he will be able to work without getting heat stroke. We were hoping we could get some camping in this fall but there is a lot of work ahead.
All the cabinet doors and drawers had to come off to correct the really messy paint job. So very sad they painted the original birch paneling in this 1959 Shasta. To make it worse they spray painted the cabinet hardware black and it is chipping off big time.
Project Red Lolo is Getting an Awning
I had an awning made for Lolo to go over the door area so the fur kids can go in an out and Ron won’t get soaked. Love the awning. I forgot to have tabs sewn into the hem to hang lights from so now I have to add them myself.
It’s the preparation that takes so much time. After the tabs are cut, I pinned the tabs to hold the D-rings in place. They are plastic to avoid rust. Next I had to burn the ends of the tabs so they don’t unravel. Now onto sewing! I located my spool of heavy upholstery poly thread for stitching and a No. 16 Jeans needle. Nothing will do this job better than my wonderful vintage Singer 403A. I moved to the dining room table since my studio is a disaster and not enough room for the awning. Can’t wait to get this on Lolo!
Lolo, the word for Red in Romani
This lovely old lady came to live with us a few weeks ago. She was born in 1959 in Goshen, Indiana. She is a Shasta Airflyte. We are her 4th owner and she was not treated well by previous owners, sort of like a pet rescue. And like a rescued pet she is going to take a lot out of our pocket book. But we will love her and make her a well cared for family member.
She had been painted red on the outside by the previous owner. Since we are travelers in our souls it seemed fitting to give her a Romani name. I hope you will follow along as we restore and remodel her to her new glory.
Janice Paine Dawes, Artist 