1963 Shasta 1500

Owner: Craig Fraki -

Location: Ojai, CA

It is difficult to make this long story short but I will do my best. I found my trailer sitting neglected on the side of the road in a quiet neighborhood not far from where I live. It looked pretty complete and straight. I could tell that it had never been repainted. I had never owned a travel trailer but this cute little winged thing was calling me. One slight problem, I didn’t know who owned it nor did I know if they would sell it. In short, I found them and they did.

I was quickly online trying to figure out what model it was, what to do with this trailer, and how to do it. It turned out to be a 1963 model 1500. Once I saw some pictures of several restored Shastas, I was on a mission. My goal was to have it ready for a 3 day camping and music festival in Santa Barbara. The catch was that the festival was only 2 months away.

The Vintage Shasta website was my home base. From there I went out in all directions; calling and emailing people all over the country. I had no shame about contacting complete strangers in search of advice or parts. I became so totally obsessed with my new project that I was oblivious to my surroundings. My family would have to snap me out of it from time to time so I would stop and eat a meal.

The first order of business was making it towable and getting the lights to work. I had the wheel bearings repacked and put new tires on it. What controversy trailer tires are! I decided against biased ply and trailer rated tires going instead for the look I was after. A not-too-wide and not-too-skinny whitewall radial. I do not regret that decision. Once I got the trailer home, the real work began.

I must have been turned down by 15 body shops before one reluctantly agreed to smuggle it in on weekends. I’m not sure if it’s the aluminum, the size, the lack of mobility, or what, but NOBODY wants to paint these old trailers. I did all the prep and masking, I even supplied the paint and primer and it was still like pulling teeth to get it painted.

I went to a huge car show in Santa Barbara looking for the perfect red. I knew that the trailer was going to be red and off white, I just didn’t know which red. I found my color on a 57 Chevy Nomad station wagon. It was from House of Kolors and it was called “Panty Dropper Red”. I also settled on 1960’s Ford “Wimbledon White” for the top. While at the show, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a totally restored coral and white 50’s Shasta Compact in the show. I met the owner and his roommate who had helped him restore the trailer. I quickly recruited him onto my team. Within a few days I had him in my driveway polishing all the aluminum with a special buffing compound and wheel.

Once the exterior was done and put back together, I started on the inside. With the online help of some fellow Shasta owners, I figured out how to rebuild the missing dinette framework and rear beds. The worn and faded paneling was sanded, stained, and polyurethaned. The old floor tiles were scraped off and a new layer of ½” plywood was added. After choosing a Hawaiian bark cloth for the curtains I decided on a red Sunbrella material for the cushions. The cushion sizes were very critical in order for all the beds to fold down properly. The last thing I absolutely had to have for my first outing was an awning. I splurged and went for the top of the line from Canvas Replacements. It turned out beautiful. I got the awning the day before I left for the Live Oak Music Festival. The Shasta was a huge hit at the festival. I quickly realized that you cannot have a Shasta trailer and expect peace and quiet. I think we must have given tours to all 2,000 people there.

I greatly appreciate all of the help online and otherwise from other trailer owners. I have enjoyed the people at the events and I look forward to meeting more of you as time goes on. Look for the red and white Shasta with the license plate “TIN 10T”.