new aluminum siding that came already
painted white from the manufacturer.
The door had been built of fiberglass
and leaked and was locked by a house
doorknob. Ray was able to build a
whole new door and Mary found a used
Bargeman latch for the door, which he
installed. Mary then added a deadbolt
lock for extra security.
When it came to colors and styling, Mary
chose to stick with the original shade of
baby blue that was on the trailer when
she bought it.
“I really liked the blue, so I found the
original stock color blue and replicated
the exterior colors and design to match
the original factory design. Chris Trevisiol
at Umpqua Auto Body in Roseburg,
Oregon did a fantastic job. He also
painted the wheels and propane tanks
for me”.
Mary also chose to continue the pale
blue color scheme on the Shasta’s interior
as well.
“I had the cushions upholstered in the
blue and white and went with a Route
66 theme. My son, Tom Dietrich, and my
brother, Ray Perry and their wives and I,
had experienced route 66 together and
I wanted to use that theme in memory
of our trip and adventures, so I made a
Route 66 quilt to commemorate our trip
which incorporated some photos of our
trip as well as some floor mats and place
mats made from photos from our trip.
The end result of this restoration is a true
testament to the skill and dedication of
Ray and Mary in bringing Shy Ann back to
life. I have to admit that when she rolled
in to Graffiti Weekend for her debut show
I had to do a double take myself to check
if it wasn’t one of the new Shasta Re-
Issues as it looks just like it would have
if it rolled off the factory floor back in
1959. Mary says she is very thankful for
the help of her brother, Ray Perry, as he
was the one doing the majority of the
construction.
“I did as much as possible but mainly did
the finish work and insulation. I had to
commute to work on my trailer! I would
go down with my kitty and stay with Ray
and his wife Carol for days on end to work
on it. The total process took one and a
half years and lots of time and money”.
Having taken Shy Ann out on a few more
outings since, Mary is now discovering
one of the many joys of vintage trailer
ownership; the thumbs up as you get as
you drive down the road!
“I also get lots of curiosity and delight
when they find out it is a 1959 model and
not a reproduction”, says Mary.
“I love the way she looks and how
comfortable she is. I have always been a
simple camper (think bicycle and teardrop
camping) and to me this is the ultimate in
luxury!”
36 | vintagetrailermagazine