Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Kamper Karma


So the story went like this. I needed a hitch put on my new car. I thought...why not get it done while I was home for Thanksgiving in Ithaca. Dad said to check out Fletchers...where they have gotten trailer, hitches and truck caps. I googled Fletchers and up pops their site...all about vintage trailers. I checked out what they had for sale.. and they were all biggies.
On Monday, I decided to just go with U-haul and got an appointment on Friday to have the hitch installed. I picked up my new car on Wednesday... and decided to drive up to Ithaca on Thursday.
Early Thursday morning (like 5am early) I was having coffee and poking around the internet. Thought I would check out Craigslist to see if any campers were worth looking at in the area. And there it was...the night before someone posted the 1962 Metzendorf for $400. I shot him an email..and then by the time I got to Ithaca...the owner responded. I called him the next morning and went to go look at it. My good old dad is always up for an adventure and came with me.
Jim, the owner said the trailer was located on a property with no houses...as it turns out....it was located right next to the softball complex in the middle of nowhere ..but I knew it from my days at Binghamton. I used to go watch friends play here. One day while watching ball, I took my dog for a walk...and actually saw where this camper sat.
Dad and I looked the trailer over for a while..and offered the Jim $350...which he gladly accepted. One tire was flat and the other had dry rot. We decided to go home and come back the next day to get new tires before driving home.
I called up Fletchers and asked if they would work on the trailer..and the said yes. So we put two new tires on the trailer and she trailed just great all the way to Perry City.
At Fletchers, the are replacing all the electric as needed and getting all the components functioning. They are also replacing a patch in the roof with a new vent.
Today, I went to the DMV...with my registration signed over...that was from 1985 and a receipt signed by the son. To much of my suprise....I walked out with a trailer plate! Karma.....Kamper Karma.

The Inside Story

The 1962 interior has formica with gold and blue stars. I starting poking around looking for fabrics, as the cushions do not exist anymore. I need a good retro fabric...the big question, circles or squares!





Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Dorf on the Road to Renovation

So here we are with new tires and ready to hit the road. She hadn't left her home by the Chenango River in over 20 years. The Metzendorf is 15 foot...and only about 6.5 feet high. Weighing in at 1,400 pounds...it was an easy tow with the Outback





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