So close and yet

SO FAR.

This summer... let's call it the summer of the Trailer-Reality-Check. The reality is owning a cool, vintage trailer is more work than owning a new (made in China) version. While many aspects of it will last longer than a modern trailer, it requires maintenances the modern person is not used to having to perform, such as re-lining the window seals with silver rubber composite to prevent leaks. (More on this in a later post.)

One of the major flaws Alice had when I bought her was her door. It appears to have opened in transit, or perhaps was thrown open in some past argument, or even opened against another trailer parked too close. Whatever happened, the result is the door is very distorted, and this causes terrible leaking around the door (which means the floor, woodwork and counter near the door need to be replaced eventually--no point in ding it till the door is fixed though). And the first day I was working on Alice, the lock was giving me problems, then promptly fell apart. I did not know how much trouble that would be...

Alice's door handle is a Bergman L-66, which in the vintage trailer world, is like a bar of gold. No, something more rare. A bar of uranium. Or rhodium. Something rare and expensive and coveted. Luckily, my local locksmith had an ancient cylinder replacement kit for my L66 ("I think it's been back there for 20 years!"), and so now I have a functioning lock. But it is fragile. Something inside the handle was bent, and my locksmith told me "it's only a matter of time before you need a new one." But as I have already explained and I was soon to find out, they are hard to find. I haven't found one for any amount of money, though they used to retail for $100.

That's where the above picture comes in. Do you see that crappy, abandoned little shack? Do you see the "custom" door someone built for it? No? Look closer:

Yes, that is a f***ing Bergman L-66.



Eventually, when I feel like I have disposable income again (I miss those days), I will have a new door made that fits snugly against the body, and maybe has a window (she's a little dark in that corner), and has an Airstream-style handle.* That will be great.


* Because vintage Airstreams are more common and popular, all their parts are still made.