Repacking the Bearings on your trailer...You really can find everything on YouTube!

Because I am so excited to share this with you, I will start this entry with The Tip of The Day:
Here is an excellent link to a YouTube video on how to repack the bearings on a trailer  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akh0WhkudrM

Watch this video and you will have all the information you need to repack the bearings on your vintage trailer. Besides, the guy in the video has such a soothing voice and down-to-earth style, you too will feel (mostly) relaxed about the process, as I (mostly) did!

As I continued my quest to get new tires on my camper, I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to do something called "repack the bearings" in order to insure many miles of smooth, safe travels on this old axle. Geez, who knew getting new tires on this baby would involve so many steps? As it turns out, it wasn't as complicated as I thought once I came across the YouTube video (link above).

The other saving factor for me was visiting "The Wizard" at Six Roblees in a gritty part of Oakland. I had to gather my courage to walk in to the place, gripping the greasy old hub, and asking for parts I had only just heard of for the first time in a Youtube video the day before. These guys were awesome, and I quickly appreciated why this guy was called The Wizard. You see, I didn't know what size grease seal I needed, but I had found some old notes from the previous owner (often referred to in the vintage camper community as "PO") in a dusty corner of a drawer in the trailer. These hieroglyphics were all The Wizard needed to know exactly what I needed. Amazing! What was like Greek to me, was as plain as the nose on your face to The Wiz. Apparently, the original seals were Hadco 3077. The Wiz quickly recognized my need for current grease seal part #PHLE AE2592N on this 1964 Aristocrat travel trailer. It is important that the grease seal is the correct size as they are made to the millimeter of the size needed for the inner and outer diameter of the seal (creating a snug, leakproof fit).

Additionally, I had some trouble "banging out" the grease seals (looks so easy in the YouTube video). The Wizard perhaps took pity on me, but without making me feel incompetent, and with a decisive whack of a hammer and dowel, made quick work of the old grease seals for me. As he wouldn't accept money for this, I paid him  instead with a much stronger currency... I am talking of course about beef jerky and beer!

Note the old, rusted dust cap (center). As with most projects, the simple act of removing the cap wasn't that simple. I again used some PB Blaster to help free it up. It also requires some patience tapping the edge of the screwdriver around the rim, making sure it frees up in an even manner as opposed to coming out "wedged".

Dust cap removed. Cotter pins can be difficult to remove, but with perseverance, pliers and a strong grip, it can be done. The trick is to use pliers to crimp the ends of the pin back to as straight a configuration as possible (reverse the bend) so she will slide right out.

Dirty hub with old grease seal that The Wiz quickly identified. Of course it is imperative to get the correct size measured to the millimeter for inner and outer diameter (ID, OD). It is best to have the part number which can be tricky for older parts, as I discovered.

Old, dirty axle

Cleaned up axle

Cleaned up hub with brake cleaner (see outer race inset here). The Wiz did mention to take care of this hub as "they don't make these anymore".

Repacked bearing with new grease seal in place. Looking NICE!!! And I thought I would only get this excited about the cushions and curtains. Who knew?

Outer bearing repacked with castle nut and cotter pin in place.

Dust cap cleaned up with vinegar, water and a good scrubbing.

Thanking The Wizard at Six Roblees Oakland!!! You guys are awesome!

New "Shoes" (trailer tires)...Not exactly a trip to Nordstrom's!

Ok, to get you all up to speed with any progress that has been made on my vintage camper, I feel I must start with the wheels. Priority one was to get tires so that if I needed to tow her out of my driveway in a jiffy, I might have a fighting chance. Actually, the first priority was to transfer title at the DMV which proved to be as relaxing as oral surgery without the benefit of anesthesia, AND proved again that the "free" camper was quickly becoming "not exactly free" (more on that later).  And because I feel that my DMV adventure is unfortunately not totally resolved (I'd like to qualify for PTI plates for the travel trailer), I will leave that for a subsequent post.

Finding tires was also a challenge though as the rusted lug nuts were not wanting to budge. I found some advice on line that recommended a product called PB Blaster. This will easily be the best $5 you spend renovating a rusty camper! When I researched this product on line, the post said something to the effect of, "spray the stuff on...go inside and have a beer...and when you are done, the rusted component will be free". If I was solving this word problem correctly,  4 lug nuts times 2 tires equals a LOT of beer for 1 afternoon. So, in the end, I decided that I did not have to follow his protocol to a tee, or at least substitute with some iced tea, and the results were just as good (maybe just not as fun)! This product works great!

The next question was...what is your bolt pattern? My what?!  Here is a link that helps explain this for those who are initially confused by this term as I was. http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=92 Turns out my bolt pattern on my 13' Aristocrat Lo Liner is 4 x 4.5. Big O Tires told me I needed trailer tires and sent me to see "The Wizard" at Six Roblees Trailer Supply in Oakland, CA (see Repacking the Bearings in subsequent post for more info). I was told www.cokertire.com is a good resource for nice looking vintage, white wall tires, but I wasn't prepared to spend that kind of money yet  (remember this travel trailer was supposed to be mostly "free").

Below are images of the original tires, the rims restored with Rustoleum primer, followed by Rustoleum black gloss rattle can. Of course this is a project you want to do outdoors, wearing a mask, and sanding lightly between coats. 

Tip of the day: PB Blaster is a great product to free up rusted components on a camper (lug nuts, trailer hitch, screws, etc). Easily found at Home Depot and most hardware stores.

Nice old tires but not holding air. Details, details...

Here are my 4 x 4.5 wheels, sanded in preparation for primer.

Rustoleum etching primer

Looking Sweet!!!

In the beginning...My vintage Aristocrat travel trailer adventure

Sometimes we like to believe that fate has chosen us for a certain task. Was it  destiny that I happened upon a seemingly benign Craigslist ad for a vintage Aristocrat camper on my lunch break on an October day in 2014?  I am searching for a rational reason for spending countless hours (not to mention blood, sweat, tears, sleepless nights and dollars) to renovate a trailer that many would see as nothing more than a salvaged heap of aluminum, rust and rotting wood on (flat) tires.

I have to admit that she is a little rough around the edges. And I will also admit that even the tow truck driver (who I had to pay generously to tow my so called "free", vintage trailer home --- more on that later) saw fear and anxiety in my eyes as he helped this leaning, dusty project limp awkwardly down my driveway. But, in fact, I look forward to the rewarding use of power tools and physical labor to restore this old girl (just to be clear, when I say "old girl", I am talking about the trailer). I am also drawn to the idea of  simpler living with the freedom to explore...we can call that one my midlife crisis. Sometimes though, you just shouldn't over think things. This 1964 Aristocrat travel trailer was home, and our new life together was about to begin.

In this blog I hope to share any and all useful tips I gather along the way on my glamping journey to renovate this vintage travel trailer. I hope it can foster some community discussion as I am already finding how useful it is to share ideas in this process. So please offer your own comments as you see fit! I look forward to hearing from you.

Here is how I found her on the lot.

She should clean right up, yes?

My heart sees camping by the lake, while my head sees rust, dust & wood rot.

Tea time...Happy hour, anyone? Anyone?!!?