BEFORE
AFTER
The canoe on the roof racks is
used as extra storage space
sleeping area. During the restoration,
they added the kitchen and put in a sink,
stove and recycled vintage cabinetry.
They also added an electric heater in the
sleeping area to keep it nice and cozy on
those cooler fall evenings. The mattress is
a four-inch thick memory foam mattress
that the Dietrichs say is “surprisingly
comfortable”.
“The wheel bearings on the teardrop
were an early ball bearing style from the
front of a 1930s vintage Chevrolet truck,
so we upgraded to roller bearings sold
by The Filling Station in Lebanon Oregon.
We then wired the teardrop for 110-volt
and installed the little propane tank for
the stove. We’ve found that we can go
for several weeks before needing a refill.
While we were preparing for our trip, I
realized that we would be a bit short on
storage space, so the little canoe-style
storage box was built to sit on the roof
rack that was already on the trailer when
we purchased it. The canoe has a locking
cover and is easily accessible by standing
on the fender”.
Since the tow vehicle is running two
455 Old’s engines and is not exactly the
most economical vehicle on the road,
a gas can was mounted on the side of
the trailer. They then had to fabricate a
front mount for the spare tire as the gas
can took the place where the spare had
been. The tail light mounts were then
welded on and new lights and wiring was
installed along with battery powered LED
lights, curtains, and a clothes rack in the
sleeping area. Tom and Sarah chose to
stay with the original Naples yellow and
cream paint interior color scheme, using
it as the basis for the 50s color scheme
throughout. On the outside they modified
the color of the original green body only
slightly to match their ‘39 Chevy.
vintagetrailermagazine | 31