New here w/ a 1954 Ranger and a U-Haul

[socalvintagetraile]

Hello everyone,

I thought this might be a place where you'd be interested in seeing a couple of projects. The 1954 Ranger came together in about 2 weeks so it could be shown at the Vintage Trailer Exhibit during Modernism Week in Palm Springs. The U-Haul has been in work for a while.

Denny

[Ron in BC]

Wow, those are a blast from the past. Thanks for sharing.

Ron

[Roger Kimble]

Very nice, thank you for letting us see them.

[Thomas G.]

Welcome. You've done some interesting things to your UHaul. Tell us about the door lock, the furnace vent light and the wheels.

[socalvintagetraile]

Thanks, the previous owner(s) had made some changes including glassing in an insert for a standard doorknob and deadbolt, we fabricated a new steel strike plate and cleaned up the surround. It's a pretty clean, secure setup now. The wheels are standard aluminum slotted mags, it looks to me like someone in the past had enlarged the wheel well. I pulled the furnace out and the installed a 12v light that's used as a porch light on vintage Airstreams and Silver Streaks (I have a couple). The lights are available from Vintage Trailer Supply for $30 and fit the opening perfectly. In another change, a previous owner had cut most of the countertop out to make room for a funky stovetop. This is a photo of the new kitchen installation I did to try to create something functional that didn't look too bad -- it's a SMEV combination sink/cooktop. The original side windows were also missing when I got it. I installed new sliding windows that are slightly larger but still fit within the contours of the bodywork around the windows. It's been a pretty fun project. Let me know if you have any other questions or would like some more photos.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by socalvintagetraile

.......... Let me know if you have any other questions or would like some more photos.

Nicely done. I'm sure others would be interested in your source for the side windows.

[keekers]

Denny,
Nice looking rigs. Glad to find another CT13 owner. Don't know where they are all coming from. Since you are in CA and might have more resources for parts than I'm finding, have you found a source for the tail light lens grommet? Were your lenses and grommets perfect when you got her or did you make/fabricate your own? What frig did you replace the ice box with? Love the stove/sink combo and the overlay counter top.
Welcome!
Thanks,
Patti

[socalvintagetraile]

Patti,
The tail light gaskets aren't great but they do seal. When I pull them apart again I'll probably try to fill in any gaps with something liquid that'll form and then harden to the shape. I installed a new ice box that both the Scamp factory and Vintage Trailer Supply carry (google both, they sell on-line). Scamp's only comes with a brown woodgrain face, VTS gives a couple of choices. In the end I replaced the face with the same laminate I used on the tabletops and counter facing so it didn't matter anyway. The cutout for the icebox had been messed with a couple of times by previous owners but with a little trimming and filling it worked out fine. Thanks for the feedback, the counter top was a necessity as the old counter was cut out pretty crudely before I got it.
Denny

[Donna D.]

Hi Denny! Welcome to FiberglassRV. As you've already seen, lots of friendly folks hang out here. Too you can see we're a bit partial to molded trailers

In years past, I've attended the Unfinished Nationals in Elma, Washington and had the opportunity to see a 1954 Ranger first hand! Cool vintage tent trailer. Here's a couple of pictures I posted: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f....html#post9789 and a couple of pictures posted by Roger H too.

[Carol H]

The 54 Ranger that Donna posted the link and photos of is one of my favs and it has attended our local meets in BC a number of times. Here is a photo of it taken last summer with the canvas off

[socalvintagetraile]

Thanks Donna and Carol! This one you posted looks to have been well cared for and well used. I've had two now, the first one was really shot and I sold it without restoring it. The one I posted was a better place to start but still needed all the interior wood and cabinets replaced, including completely rebuilding the rear sliding bed. This photo is of what we were left to start with when we removed everything that was rotted and/or delaminated. Luckily, there was enough to see how it was put together -- kind of like a fiberglas canoe as it turns out. Thanks again for the kind welcome and the photos of the Ranger!

[socalvintagetraile]

... I meant to attach.

[Carol H]

Boy you have put a lot of work into it! Well done. Now all you need is the car to go with it! I saw this set up at a meet in Lynden Washington last fall.

[Jeff Richardson]

Here are some more pictures of the Ranger trailer and '56 Chevy convertible at Lynden, WA last September. The event was the Mt. Baker Vintage Trailer Rally. There were over 100 vintage trailers of all kinds there. A quick count of my pictues show there were at least 19 fiberglass trailers: 7 Bolers, 3 Scamps, 2 Surfsides, 2 Trilliums, 2 Rangers, 1 Bigfoot, 1 Fiberstream and 1 Trailorboat.

I talked to the woman who owns this Ranger trailer. She said they've had it for several decades, possibly back to the 1970's. I'm pretty sure she told me they used to tow it with a 1959 Chevrolet and so the Ranger had matching tail lights. It now has 1956 Chevrolet tail lights and matching paint job to go with the current tow vehicle which I think she said the have had for a long time as well.

I like what you've done to your trailers, Denny. I'm restoring and upgrading a 1977 Scamp 13-foot. I'm always looking at what other people have done to their trailers regardless of brand. Thanks for sharing your modifications. I like them all. Great job!!

Jeff

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Nicely done. I'm sure others would be interested in your source for the side windows.

So where did you source the CT13 side windows?

[keekers]

Denny,
Thanks for the info on your re-do's.
Patti

[socalvintagetraile]

Sorry, I didn't see there was a second page of comments.

They're standard, current issue RV sliders. I got mine from Callen Campers in El Cajon. They buy overstocks from the manufacturer. If you want the dimensions I can get a measurement for you. Let me know.

Thanks!

Denny

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by socalvintagetraile

Sorry, I didn't see there was a second page of comments.

They're standard, current issue RV sliders. I got mine from Callen Campers in El Cajon. They buy overstocks from the manufacturer. If you want the dimensions I can get a measurement for you. Let me know.

Thanks!

Denny

Thanks Denny. If you post it, it will be part of our permanent archive and will help future readers researching UHaul window replacement.

[socalvintagetraile]

I had to enlarge the opening slightly to fit the new windows. I also trimmed the top and bottom of the outside flange on the window itself to allow it to seat within the contours of the bodywork. Painting the graphics black to match the windows helped blend everything together. Here's a photo that shows the slightly larger openings before the windows were installed.