1947 Spartan Manor

2009-11-14T23:27:00.002-06:00

This is the damage to the aluminum of the ceiling from heat. It will have to be repaired. If this as bad as the surprises get, I am happy.

2009-11-14T23:25:00.000-06:00

Here you can see charred wire in the same cavity.

2009-11-14T23:19:00.002-06:00

One surprise that I found was that the area around the heater vent has been damaged by heat. It also appears that for the most part that the insulation in that cavity burned, as it was basically ash.

2009-11-14T23:07:00.003-06:00

A bunch of screws and brads later, the curb side and front of the observation lounge have been cleaned up.

2009-11-14T23:01:00.003-06:00

Here you see the electric panel. Not sure if this trailer was manufactured on one breaker or if someone over the years moved everything to one side, but the breaker on the left side of the box was not in use and everything was wired to the right side. I am going to re-wire the trailer with a grounded system.

2009-11-14T22:57:00.002-06:00

Out come the closet and bureau. Nothing too exciting there, just a lot of screws holding them to the walls that need to be found and removed.

2009-11-14T22:51:00.003-06:00

To dismantle the wood walls between the galley and the observation lounge, the ceiling panel have to removed in both areas. Because of this, I moved into the observation lounge to start the process of dismantling in there. Here in this picture, you can get a good idea of the original color and finish. This area was covered by a mirror, so it was well protected. Now to replicate that when I get it put back together will be the trick.

2009-11-14T22:42:00.003-06:00

It has been nearly a month since my last update... OK, it has been a whole month.

Not a lot of work has been accomplished in that time. On top of not getting much accomplished, my computer has been acting up, so updating this is like watching paint dry and doesn't do much good for my blood preasure.

2009-10-15T20:17:00.002-05:00

I was then able to see the window track. This is what brought me to this point, as I could not repair the window track without opening the wall, which meant removing all the cabinets.

In one picture, you can see some of the concealed, all be it mild, water damage. I will have to clean that up and seek a cure for that problem.

2009-10-15T20:14:00.003-05:00

All the paneling was then removed and the insulation cleaned up.

2009-10-15T20:10:00.002-05:00

The curbside base cabinets were next to come out. This was held in place by 4 screws on the top below the window line and 3 screws from the closet in the observation lounge.

2009-10-15T20:06:00.002-05:00

Followed by the curbside counter top. I taped the edging in place after I unscrewed them. The edges are sharp and I will know where they are as well as what they go to when I go to put it back together.

2009-10-15T20:01:00.001-05:00

Next to come out is the wardrobe. 6 screws and it was free.

2009-10-13T16:02:00.002-05:00

I was then able to remove the ceiling panels and the insulation. An interesting note is that the ceiling only had 1 layer of insulation, while the walls had 2.

2009-10-13T16:01:00.001-05:00

The sliding door between the observation lounge and the kitchen need to removed also.

2009-10-13T15:57:00.002-05:00

Next I had to remove the vanity / refrigerator cabinet so that I could remove the ceiling panel in the bedroom area.

2009-10-13T15:47:00.002-05:00

I then worked my way around removing panels and the insulation. The panels are attached with a combination of brads and screws. Takes a bit of patients to pry up the brads by using a flat edge under the panel. I then used pliers to pull the brads out.

2009-10-13T15:42:00.003-05:00

After it was cleaned out.

I removed the damaged panel, surprsingly, there is not water damage to the old paper insulation or to the floor below the window.

2009-10-13T15:40:00.003-05:00

The bed was removed as well. From what I can tell so far, this panel below the rear center window and one ceiling panel in the front of the trailer are the only two that will have to be replaced.

2009-10-13T15:37:00.002-05:00

I next reoved the old tattered wooden blinds, and also all the original lamp fixtures.

2009-10-13T15:34:00.002-05:00

The only other damage was on the street side lower front corner and to the street side rear corner rubrail.

2009-10-13T15:32:00.002-05:00

There was also this area near the curbside door. Each should be easy repairs.

2009-10-13T15:22:00.002-05:00

My next task was cleaning the silicone caulk off the front window area. I scrapped most of the big stuff off with a plastic scraper and then used lacquer thinner to get the rest of. While using the lacquer thinner, I uncovered two spots of bondo that had been painted over with silver spray paint. Not sure how the damage occurred, but the repairs blended in well enough with the oxidized aluminum that I didn't notice them. Because I want to polish the trailer, I will have to replace these two sections.

2009-10-13T13:46:00.002-05:00

Of the 4 marker lights, only 1 is broken. The insides of all them look like this one. The glass on them has deteriorated due to weather, so I will have to make a decision about them in the future. I have all 4 marker light rings, so I could use plastic reproduction lenses.

2009-10-13T13:42:00.001-05:00

The 3rd brake light / license plate light is in much better condition and can be saved.

2009-10-13T13:36:00.003-05:00

I removed the exterior lights for safe keeping. As you can see, they look good from the outside, but the insides are not salvageable.

2009-10-13T13:20:00.002-05:00

After my discovery of Spartan Gold, I set about doing a general clean up inside the trailer. There was a fair bit of old brittle plastic window debris that had been blown around inside, so I did a good vacuum job.

I then sat on the sofa and said.... HHHHhhhhmmmmm.... What have I gotten myself into!?

Originally, I was not going to tear the trailer apart. The trailer is about an 8 out of 10 in quality, but for certain the electrical needed to be updated. I had planned on doing this from the underside of the trailer.

While sitting there on the couch with the trailer out in the Texas sun, I came to the realization that it was HOT in there. The heat radiating from the ceiling was insane. So, it was at that point that I decided that I was going to have to open the walls to and install new insulation. I was going to do just the living room and the bedroom along with the ceilings in both and the kitchen. The builders had other ideas for me. Because of the way the cabinets are installed, you can not remove ceiling panels without first removing cabinets.

What follows will be the process of the renovation.

2009-10-13T12:28:00.004-05:00

So besides my great find in a trailer that had not been molested, one that was complete and original, along with my little pot of Spartan Gold, I have the history.

Joan Pagel, the grand daughter of the original owner, Albert Schuler, put together a history of the original owner and how Spartan Manor 3482 came to the family and then transitioned through their family through the years. Inlcuded are pictures of the original owner and the family with the trailer as the years progressed.

I have permission to reporduce the contents, now I just need the brain power to get it on here so that you can see it.

For now, I will re-write the history and work on getting the others posted when I get a chance.

THE HISTORY OF THIS SPARTAN MANOR

********************************************

Albert Schuler (original owner) and Larry Pagel (son-in-law) drove from Billion, WI to Kenosha, WO to look at Spartan Manors at a dealer. Albert purchased the Spartan Manor for $3,750.00 in 1947. The dealer from Kenosha, WI delivered it to Pagel Acres, (address redacted), Brillion WI.

Albert lived in the Spartan Manor from 1947 until 1954. He became ill and to move out. Albert passed away on April 7, 1955. He left the home to his daughter, Vesta (Schuler) Pagel in his last will and testament.

Larry and Vesta Pagel and their family, Jean, Jane and Joan used the SPartan Manor as a vacation home. They pulled it, using a Willy's Jeep, to Door County, WI in 1955, 1956 and 1957. In 1958 the family pulled the home to Shawano Lake, WI.

After that trip in 1958 it was parked in the backyard of Pagel Acres. It was used for sleepover parties by the Pagel girls. It was also used as a guest room for visitors to Pagel Acres. John A. Holzchuh, husband of Jaon Pagel (albert's grand-daughter), slept in it July 19, 1974 the night before their wedding.

In the spring of 1976 the Spartan Manor was moved one mile south of Pagel Acres to the property of Jean (Pagel) (Albert's grand-daughter) and her husband Roger Schwahn. They and their son, Adam Schwahn, lived in the home until the fall of 1976 when the remodeling of their farm home was complete.

It was then moved back to Pagel Acres. The Spartan Manor has remained at Pagel Acres (address redacted) Brillion, WI until the time of its sale in July 2009. It was purchased by Donald Hendricks of Live Oak, TX.

2009-10-13T12:04:00.002-05:00

WARNING: Don't even think about it!!!

2009-10-13T11:54:00.003-05:00

SPARTAN GOLD!!!!!

The exterior door handles for Spartan Manors are one of the items that are hard to find and harder to get someone to part with. Here, I have a EXTRA complete door latch assembly AND an EXTRA exterior handle, PLUS another handle that has a slight crack in it.

Oh yeah Spartan lovers... I now know what it was like at Sutters Mill in 1849 =)~

2009-10-13T11:48:00.002-05:00

First things first, was a hunt for hidden treasure. Surely after 62 years something would be found from days gone by. I looked high... I looked low... Unlike many other new vintage trailer owners, my hunt didn't reveal much.

EXCEPT, the greatest find on earth!!!!

2009-10-13T11:36:00.002-05:00

The trip home was 2 1/2 days, the weather was great. We didn't get any rain, which I was thankful for, as the front windows/tape/plastic bags/tape/card board/more tape wasn't going to make it through a thunderstorm. The further south we went, the more the tape peeled off. Likely due to heat and humidity. Nonetheless, it made it home and the windows were not in the back of the trailer.

Here is the new home of Spartan Manor #3482.

2009-10-13T11:32:00.002-05:00

Some where along the way dad asked me if I was keeping track of how much I had spent on gas...

No, I hadn't, I preferred the head in the sand approach.

2009-10-13T11:30:00.002-05:00

We made a few of these stops, dad operated the window washing stick, because it was free, and I operated the pump, because it wasn't free.

2009-10-13T11:22:00.000-05:00

2009-10-13T11:12:00.003-05:00

On the way home we made a stop at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, to see the Gateway Arch in St Louis, MO.

The parking attendant, a kid of not more than 18 years old, took one look at trailer and then said he didn't have any space available in the lot...

The lot was half full in his eyes, in mine, the lot was half empty. I parked anyway and he came over in a huff and collected his money.

2009-10-07T05:44:00.004-05:00

And we were off...

2009-10-07T05:41:00.003-05:00

We said our good byes, gave our thanks, and wished farewells with promises to take good care of the crown jewel.

2009-10-07T05:39:00.002-05:00

After a long day, two trips to Aplleton, DMV, Tires, packing bearings, hooking up lights, taping the front windows... and more, we were ready to roll.

2009-10-07T05:37:00.002-05:00

Here is the nice man, Larry Pagel, who sold me his beloved treasure, so that I can enjoy it as much as his family has for the last 62 years.

2009-10-07T05:35:00.002-05:00

A close up of dirty hands at work. =)

2009-10-07T05:32:00.003-05:00

Back to Brillion where we got to work on getting the trailer ready for the trip.

Note that I am on my feet taping windows and dad is cleaning and packing bearings. If you ask him he will tell you how it was I that got my hands greasy packing bearings... YEAH RIGHT! Anyone who knows me knows that isn't happening... AND he has no pictures to prove otherwise.

2009-10-07T05:19:00.005-05:00

On to find tires for the odd sized split rims... AGAIN, dad thought that we would be at it all day.

Second stop for tires was at Ray's Tire in Appleton. Of course after they said that they could help us out, dad was quick to say "with a name like Ray.... blah blah blah..."

BTW, my dads name is Ray.

2009-10-07T05:13:00.006-05:00

Early to rise, our first stop was at the DMV in Appleton to get the travel permit so that we could tow the trailer home. Dad, being from California, thought that we would be there the rest of the day. But, 20 minutes later we were out the door, permit in hand.

2009-10-07T04:58:00.005-05:00

We arrived in Brillion, WI., small town USA, the next evening. We stopped in to visit the trailer and picked up the wheels and paper work so we could get an early start the next morning.

2009-09-30T05:22:00.006-05:00

The next day we started East through the rest of South Dakota, stopping for lunch in Sioux Falls, SD. It wasn't until I got back home that I found out that a childhood friend lives in Sioux Falls, I thought that she was in Montana. We continued East through Minnesota. Somewhere along the way we came to the realization that people in the Midwest collect old fire trucks as yard ornaments.

2009-09-30T05:06:00.003-05:00

We set out to find Wisconsin but we didn't have a planned route. I drove truck cross country for a few years and have traveled the interstate highway system... while it will get you there, we wanted to see the real America and set out on back roads North out of Denver to see things we had never seen. The first day we made it to Mt. Rushmore.

2009-09-30T04:54:00.003-05:00

Next came the task of getting the beast home... oh, did I mention that the trailer was 1408 miles from my door in the small town of Brillion, WI? Because I put the cart before the horse, I do not yet have a vehicle of sufficient size and power to pull the trailer. I talked my dad into driving out from California to help with the task of getting the trailer home. Besides, I needed someone to pack the wheel bearings with new grease... you wouldn't expect me to do that would you?

I flew into Denver International Airport and met my dad there.

2009-09-30T04:51:00.000-05:00

2009-09-30T04:49:00.001-05:00

2009-09-30T04:46:00.003-05:00

Here are some more of the pics that were listed on eBay where I found the trailer.

2009-09-30T04:02:00.004-05:00

Back in 2007 I happened upon a Spartan Manor for sale on eBay and I instantly knew I wanted one. The one for sale was way above my price range as it had been fully restored. I did a few Google searches and found that there was a whole underground world of vintage trailer nuts who search vintage trailers out and bring them back to life. Many are nothing more then a heap of garbage, but with the will, desire and means they are brought back to life. Some are restored to near as original condition as possible, while others are complete custom fabrications with all the conveniences of the 21st Century. Many of the restorations fall in between then and now, a mix of all things great.

My search started... I checked Craigslist and Ebay regularly and kept my eye on a few websites that re-sell Spartans. Because I am well aware of my skill set, I was certain that I could not take on a garbage heap as my first restoration project. I needed and wanted something that was well taken care of and not something left in the woods to rot for 50+ years, something used for target practice or something that had been the victim of a less then skillful restoration in the 1970's and then left to rot. I saw trailers here and there, many had been painted inside, had toilets added, even saw one with a sliding glass door installed in the side of it.

And then... on June 2nd 2009 I found it... the one that I wanted... She was on eBay and no one had bid on it yet. It was perfect, no paint, no sliding glass door, no 1970's remodel... this is the one that I have been waiting for. It had original appliances, bed, couch, table and chair! I shot off an email to the seller and we struck a deal. They took it off eBay and we did a private party sale. They got their reserve price and I got the trailer that I wanted.

2009-09-30T01:28:00.000-05:00

This is going to be my spot on the WWW to allow those of you interested, to follow the progress of my 1947 Spartan Manor #3284 restoration project.