For Sale $xxxx

SOLD

Thanks for your interest.

We bought this camper near the Utah border from a nice family who owned it for 27 years. Its entire life up to me owning it was spent in a dry climate and (as far as I can tell) under cover. They kept it for several years as a doll house for the girls in their family.

After touring the West for a month we brought it home to NC. Since then it has been kept under cover while I did some restoration work. It's sort of a hobby of mine.

We bought his camper because we needed something we could tow with our small V6 truck. Since getting home we bought a Tundra with a 5.7 Liter engine, so weight is no longer an issue. With that said, we've decided on something a little larger.

It's our hope that this blog will give you a clear idea of what our camper is like before you even see it. Click on any photo to see a larger version.

 THE INSIDE

I've been told the wood in this camper is Ash. Almost impossible to find now in panels. The grain is beautiful. No panel had ever been replaced because of water damage. Very unusual in a Shasta.

I sanded the inside then did three coats of amber shellac followed by two coats of clear. It took me forever, but shellac is the finished used 53 years ago and I wanted to stay as original as possible.

A 360 degree view

The stove is in truly remarkable condition.

The ice box has a few scuffs but is in good condition.

The counter top is original and aside from some scratch marks (middle) it's in fair condition. I considered replacing it at one point but it's 53 years old and that makes it special to me.

The sink is in excellent condition. Almost perfect. The people before me must have washed their dishes outside.

The land line water hookup works fine. Surprisingly, the hand pump works. The camper has a water tank that I took out and inspected for leaks. With none found I flushed and reinstalled it. But because we don't like water that's been sitting, I installed an under sink invention thought up by a very clever professional restoration person.

The line for the hand pump (not the main sink faucet) goes to a spring water bottle under the sink. Easy to fill or replace and always safe to drink. The line to the large tank is there if you decide to connect it. It takes about 5 minutes.

The original heater is there. We never used it but the last owner said it worked fine. We always use our little electric one.

As you may have seen, many people pull out the heater to create a porta potty room. I planned on taking out the heater and putting in an AC. The factory vent is perfect for a portable AC unit. I just never got around to it.

The camper includes the original table from 1962 for four adults. It's in excellent condition but it's huge. How they figured a family of four adults could camp in a Compact I'll never know. But this is a very solid 4' long table that comes with the camper.

The table I made is better for two people and much easier to take on and off than the large one.

The original floor was tan and the tiles were in good condition but the last owner 25 years ago decided they needed green carpet and glued it down.  I pulled up the carpet and redid the floor with a quality Armstrong tile. I put down three coast of polish for protection.

Here are some floor and lower cabinet photos.

The last owner used the gas light. We love the look of it, but we don't like the idea of gas lights in such a small space. However, people do use them. This one is original and looks almost new.

The electric at some point was updated to include a breaker box. I added an extra outlet in an overhead cabinet for iphone and computer charging. The input outlet (outside the camper) is new.

There is a canvas overhead bunk that is in excellent condition. I wouldn't recommend using it, but it's yours if you want it. One of the reasons I had to sand everything was the darn poles for the bunk really scraped the walls. If you have young kids, they'll love it.

The rear truck uses the same key as the door. It's the original lock set in both. I haven't seen another vintage camper with the original lock set in three years of looking.

The benches pull out to become beds. Some people bridge the gap with a piece of plywood and make it a King bed. (Sheets and pillows not included).

THE OUTSIDE

Unlike most vintage campers for sale, we didn't use any body filler on our Shasta. People who’ve done it have had problems with it cracking.
To avoid plastic filler, we went to the expense of replacing the front and rear sections of the skin with perfectly matched aluminum from a well-known fabricator in California. Aside from these areas, we left some minor dings showing.

How about a little closer look?

We're showing you such close-up detail so you can see any small dents or dings in full daylight. Look carefully at the side panels to see the dings. The most you'll find is just below and in front of the door and along the edge under the rear hatch and the edge of the jrail at the back. Nothing terrible (IMO) but be sure to look at every inch of her and know every detail possible.

The front

New skin up to the windows.

The rear

Again, new skin up to the windows.

The passenger side upper.

Brand new wings from a man up North known for doing excellent work. They are the exact size and shape as the originals in 1962. Yet made better. The cost? Don't ask.

The passenger side lower.

The driver's side upper

Driver side lower

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD ALWAYS LOOK AT CAREFULLY

Take a moment with any camper to look straight down the wall. There should be no wavy spots, no bulges, nothing but straight metal. If there is a wavy look to it, walk away. The framing in the walls is rotted.
Our walls are solid and straight.

The roof

Make sure the roof isn't sagging. It's a sign of rotten framing.
Our roof is as straight as you'll find in a 53 year old camper.
The vent was removed, polished, given a new screen, reinstalled using stainless steel screws and double taped (not cheap caulk) to assure a solid seal.

 The original lights all work and look great.

Every piece of chrome was removed, polished by hand and reinstalled using rust proof stainless steel screws.

The door and cargo locks still have the original keys that work. 

 Tires are trailer tires, not cheap car tires. We have only put about 2500 miles on them. The hubcaps are new vintage reproductions from Vintage Trailer Supply.

Notice the stripe is polished metal, not gray paint.

Improvements you won't see.

Shasta campers are a little lacking on framing. Sure, this camper survived 53 years just as we found her. But any weaknesses I found, I improve.

First I took off the rear skin, added additional framing, insulated, installed new ground wires to all lights and added a vapor barrier. Shasta never installed vapor barriers in the early 60s.

Then I did the same in the front. Notice the original insulation has no water stains.

Then I added new skin front and back.

To match the 1962 Shasta pattern perfectly I had the new skin made by one of the best fabricators in the country: Hemet Valley RV in CA. I went through the time and expense to avoid using body filler on every little ding and bump.

(There are still some dings and bumps here and there, which I'll show you in a moment.)

Notice the complete lack of water damage on the roof.  I added framing to make the roof stronger (example in second photo).

I used fresh putty tape on every seam. Not goopy sealer that lasts just a few years, not silicone caulk which lasts even less time, but 3/4" Butyl Putty Tape used by top restoration companies. On areas like the top vent I doubled the layer for an even better seal.

While the windows were out I took photos of every sill to show you there is no water damage. If you've shopped for a Shasta, you know that NOBODY is showing the sills. That's because they are half rotted.


Right side window.

Left window.

 Front window.

Rear window.

A few photos with the cushions and curtains removed. No matter which camper you consider, insist on seeing the campers without the cushions. The cushions and curtains are used to hide water damage.

And the underside is in very nice condition.

 When I picked up the camper there were a couple of support bolts missing. I added support beams for the trip home and once here replaced the bolts. I left the extra framing as added support.

A ridiculously close look at imperfections

This section shows you most of the dings from the last half century, if your face was a foot or two from the camper, in strong sunlight.

First, let me say that there are restoration people who sell campers with all new skin. These people are artists. If you have all the money in the world DON'T BUY AN $8500 CAMPER! Buy from these people.

http://www.flytecamp.com/portfolio.html

A Shasta Compact from them might cost $15,000-$20,000, but it's worth every penny. Want an even nicer camper? They have a few in the $60,000 range that will knock your socks off. Literally. 

Not rich? Don't want a camper covered in body filler? Then there will be a few bumps and dings.

Quote from a top restoration expert on using filler on vintage campers:
"Filler is NOT a good product for trailers for two reasons. First, the aluminum skin expands as it gets hot. The body filler will not expand. The long term result will be cracks. Second, filler also does not like to be flexed, and the skin on our trailers are not stiff like a car door. It will flex in the wind."

The area with the most dings is under the front door. Nothing horrible but I want you to see it as if you were sitting on the ground facing it.

The lid of the water fill is the only place the chrome isn't great. About a 1 inch by 2 inch area.

Towing info

You're going to read a lot of crazy things on the internet about how a Shasta Compact can be towed by a small 4 cylinder car. Don't believe it. If your car's manual says "Do not put a hitch on this car" stop reading now.

This is almost the lightest camper you can buy at around 1100 pounds. But when we towed it in the Rockies, up to 11,000 feet, our small 3.0L 6 cylinder was working very hard. Granted, it was a small V6, maybe the smallest. A 4L V6 makes more sense if you want to tackle large mountain ranges. If you have a 4 Cylinder car, buy a tent and be happy;-)

Shasta Compact specs can be found here:
http://oldtrailer.com/vintage-shasta-compact-trailer-specs.html

 That's the end of the show.

I've showed you everything I would want to see as a buyer. It's our hope to sell to somebody who will love this camper as much as we do.

A quick recap:
New paint.  
Inside was sanded and refinished with 5 coats of shellac.
New cushions and curtains.
New Armstrong tiles floor in keeping with the original tile color.
New screens.
Repacked bearings before our trip through the Rockies.
New tires 2500 miles ago.
New wings and hubcaps.

Original stove works perfectly. The oven was hardly ever used, as you can see.
Original ice box. A few scrapes but very nice shape.
Original gas lamp. I never used it but I was told it worked by the last owner.
Original heater. I never used it but I was told it worked by the last owner. My plan was to swap it out for an AC unit. The vent is perfect for a portable unit. Some people take out the old heat units and use the space as a bathroom.
Original table. I also made a smaller two person table.
Original key fits and works in both the door and hatch.

Our Shasta is not a flawless museum piece…we actually took it camping. It's not a $20,000 FlyteCamp restoration. It’s 53 years old and it’s being sold as-is with no warranty. It’s a solid, road worthy and (in my opinion) in excellent condition for it’s age.

I have a clear title.
Not a title somebody years ago signed that was never in my name.
It is a clear, clean NC title with the proper year of the camper. Even if you don’t buy our camper, don’t accept anything less.

$xxxx
Not negotiable.
No trades considered.
Serious inquiries only.

The camper is outside of Raleigh NC.

I will hold the camper for 14 days if a nonrefundable deposit of $500 is paid. By nonrefundable I mean I won't give the money back for any reason. So you really have to come see the camper to be completely safe.

Cash strongly preferred.

There has been an epidemic of phony cashiers checks lately. So a cashiers check will only be accepted if I meet you at your bank branch and sign over the title as the bank hands me the check.  If you are buying it long distance and arranging shipping, the full payment must be in our account (cleared) before the camper will be released. Sorry, no exceptions.

Email me your questions or your number if you want me to call. I will answer all inquiries in the order they are received.

GLM2808@yahoo.com

Have a great day!