Just added 2/24/06
Fully Restored
1947 Westwood Tahoe
Howdy Vintage Trailer fans.
If you are in the market for a fully restored and Semi
modernized turn key trailer that is ready to go camping in,
this could be the trailer for you!
This 1947 Westwood Tahoe has just spent the past few months on the floor of the Vintage Vacations shop undergoing an extensive and thorough Restoration. No expense was spared in creating what I feel is my best spec trailer that I have offered for sale to date!
The Westwood Trailer Co. A subsidiary of Westcraft of Los Angeles Ca. built his style of Tahoe for only 2 years 1947 and 1948 with each of those having different interior finishes. In 47, the Tahoe and it's bigger brother the "Coronado" were built using several types of wood in the cabinetry and trim work. The face frames of the doors and cabinets as well as the trim moldings were Douglas Fir while the inset panels and paneling were Birch which created a wonderful two tone look and gave them a much more rustic and cabin feel than the 1948 and later models that had flat plywood doors of a single tone.
One of the oddities of the Tahoe is that the front, rear and roof of the trailer are riveted all aluminum aircraft construction while side walls are wood framed and the skin is screwed down. I never under stood why they did this as the Coronado was all riveted!
I bought this trailer about 2 years ago in WA. and had it delivered to me last winter. My hopes were that I could do a quick 30 day turn around restoration on it and put it up for sale, but no such luck! When the trailer arrived and I was able to give it a detailed inspection I soon discovered that in order to do this trailer right I would need to remove all of the cabinetry in order to simply remove the bed as it was built on a plywood platform and wasn't about to slip out the doorway of the bedroom as well as the fact that the linoleum flooring was shot, there was a few breaks in some of the cabinets and 3 of the 6 windows were so cancer ridden that they were unsalvageable and would need to be replaced and the list just kept growing!
After removing the entire interior down to the paneling I was able to do a much better job on refinishing the walls than when everything was still in place. All of the cabinetry, doors and trim was refinished outside of the trailer and then replaced when the time was right.
When it left the factory, the 47 Westwood was one of the finest trailers of it's time. Equipped with only a cold water garden hose in to the sink and another for the drain, 4- 110 volt lights each with single lamp receptacle, an ice box and an electrical system that consisted of a single light bulb base with a 15 amp glass screw in buss fuse.
As much as I love to do correct restorations, it doesn't make sense, so alter I did! When dealing with a very limited amount of space in an old trailer you can't always install the modern RV units that are your first choice and have to settle on what will will fit into the space.
Below is a list of some of the modernized updates that I made to the trailer
Electrical:
Installed new Edison power inlet
Installed a new 70 amp fuse box
Installed 6 extra 110 volt receptacles including 2 exterior,
one on each side.
Installed a new 12 volt battery
installed a new marine trickle charger for the battery.
Installed a 40 watt Solar panel and regulator.
Installed a new 12 volt Surflo 2.8 gpm water pump and
switch
Installed a new 110 volt Ariston water heater. I
Installed a new 110 refrigerator in place of the ice
box.
Installed 2 - 12 volt outlets
Installed a new 12 volt Breakaway system
Installed 5 period looking chrome 12 volt lights.
Wired for telephone.
Wired for cable television
All new wiring for running lights and brakes and new 7-way
flat connector.
Plumbing:
All new pressurized water system using the "Pex" and "Qest"
plumbing system.
New Faucet
All new drain system
new 20 gal fresh water tank and fittings.
All new Propane system including new tanks, switch able
regulator, pigtails and fittings
And all new copper line and flare fittings.
Completely restored "Panelray" propane heater and "Coleman"
cook stove (Both have been saftey tested
and are in perfect working order)
Finishes
Completely restored original window blinds
All new matching vintage looking upholstery on the sofa, bed
spread, Leg-o-matic chairs and window curtains.
All wood work has been sanded to bare wood. Sealed, stained
and coated with at least 3 coats of lacquer.
New Marmoleum counter top and backsplash with new vintage
style aluminum trim.
New built aluminum oven vent.
All new stainless steal screws in the interior.
Built in magazine rack.
And my favorite part of all, The floor! Upon a visit to my
local lumber yard one day I discovered a stack of old stock
plywood with a sign that read "Managers Special" What I
found was 1/4" thick, solid core, sheets that were veneered
both sides with 4" stripped clear douglas fir! What a find.
it looks just like the 100 year old floor in our Church. By
gluing the sheets down from side to side I had no butt seams
and once stained and coated with 3 coats of Gyn Seal Varnish
I looks like a Million Bucks. The bummer is after a few
months I went back for more just to have and it was all
gone!
Exterior:
All new lower aluminum body panels
Aluminum etching primer and automotive paint.
New vintage style tail lights.
New metal roof vents
Completely rebuilt windows with all new glass and rubber
16" wheels with new 6.00x16 tires 8 ply rated
And much much more
Below you will find many thumbnail photos that you can click on to take you to a larger version of the shot with more details about the trailer and the surface finishes.
This trailer comes complete with everything you see in these pictures including an awning made from old stock 1940's awning fabric that I had in my collection as well as 4 window awning and a storage bag to store it all. Also included are all of the poles, ropes and stakes. I am so including a step that I made and the 2 Leg-o-matic chairs that have been restored and upholstered to match.
trail-r-boy@vintage-vacations.com
$45,000 obo
