1951 Terry Rambler

This little Terry Rambler was a victim of a previous restoration that was poorly done, to a point it was actually unsafe to use.  Rebuilt from the inside the structure of the trailer was gone, it would flex and the sides would bow as it was towed.  The new gas fridge and stove top were plumbed with automotive rubber gas line and hose clamps... now that’s dangerous!  Electrical was all random, and plumbing was non-existent, notice no faucet at the sink.  The walls were coated with drywall mud, even the seams were filled before coats of ugly latex paint.  At least the floor feels solid.  Great trailer though, I love all the windows, unusual for a 1950’s era camper.

Apart it comes.  The patch jobs done were horrendous, one side was actually a piece of corrugated cardboard glued to rotten paneling and covered with the drywall compound.  The ceiling panels had insulation glued up to the tin, and then paneling glued up to the insulation to hold it up.  It was so bad it was to present a challenge, as it fell apart so bad during disassembly that  I wouldn’t even have good patterns.  Remember the solid floor?  A first for me, a 1/2” layer of concrete (yes, concrete!) had been poured over the rotted floor and then had cheap vinyl flooring glued to it.  Once it was all said and done all I had left was a bare frame.

This one ended up being a complete frame up restoration, we saved the chassis, the windows and the sink.  Everything else was completely new.  The owner is a custom kitchen designer by trade so she designed her own cabinetry, sent me blueprints and I built them to her design.  On the exterior we used our polished aluminum matching the original factory patterns.

With her design skills the trailer turned out absolutely beautiful.  The cabinets were built out of a combo of birch and hemlock,  then fitted with flush mount floating panel doors with some great antique looking hardware the owner supplied.  She also located the light fixtures which really added a vintage touch once I refinished the metal parts to match the antique hardware.  We added one of our custom built refrigerators, this one done in coppertone to match the restored stove.  The seats were covered in leatherette, a great choice of materials.  Leatherette is a processed material made from real leather but is not limited to hide sizes, a real cost effective way of getting the feel and aroma of durable leather.

What a combo... The Terry Rambler parked behind the Starlite’s 1950 Dodge for a photo shoot at the park.