Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I went by a buddies house today to check out his new project. While it has some issues...it's a great starting place. There was minimal water damage visible and the beauty of how a Cardinal is put together that the side edges were wrapped with the top skin so it helps to minimize water issues. There are still some that will need to be tended to.

The door is really solid. The body could use a piece or 2 of skin material, but it's the 4" break so it won't be an issue. Lower front and rear needs some structural stuff...but I think he can get by with a cosmetic do-over on the interior. All glass is good, but all need to be removed and new butyl installed, same with the trim.

When he signs up, please give him a warm welcome as I'm sure you all will.....I think he'll be a great guy to have in the group. I've camped with them before. I'm posting these since he hasn't figured out the pic thing yet. I'll get him squared away. Doug

Doug the trailer looks to be in better shape than mine when i bought it. if he has any questions would be happy to answer them.
has the same kitchen layout some cardinals had the stove in the middle of the cabinets


solid bed frame not the couch set up same as mine



if he takes a look at my build pictures he can see what lies ahead to repair water damage, the rear skin can be reshaped mine was a lot worse and it looks ok after working on it.

Mike

Mike...I know it has a stove/oven issue right now. I think the back may not be there. It's unvented and there is a large gap between the stove back and the wall, and it appears that there is an opening near the bottom of the oven. He'll have to remove it and check it out. We're not sure what's up with it. If we can figure out what's missing, we could make up one. It's a Princess stove. The ice box appears to need some new gasket material, and a general, clean and repaint on the interior. Nice original decal on the interior shelf in it....Trail Aid. Doug

Doug - I figured out how it get on the site. Thanks for posting the pictures. I started taking the rust off the tail lights with a rust remover and picked up some polish from Napa Auto parts.

Bill....check Mikes album for pics of him Cardinal. He also has a build thread. Doug

Bill
from the look of the pictures the trailer looks to have water damage at the backend, because of the design of the trailer the water will run down the sides and settle in at the floor causing dry rot. it would be advisable to at least unscrew the back end aluminum sheeting to see what lies under it.on my trailer the side that showed the least water damage had the most dry rot. i ended up repairing all the rotten wood and one benifit is the trailer has no more bad smells [mold].

Good luck with your build and i will be happy to answer any questions and help in any way that i can

Mike

Bill,

Welcome aboard!

Rob

I think he's signed up with you as well Rob. Doug

to the playground Bill. Thanks for sharing your wonderful remodel with us!

Doug & Bill, how sure are you that it's a 57' Cardinal? Because of the paint scheme and interior. Even the stove and ice box is the same. It sure looks like a 56' Dalton. What's it say above the front window?
Here's a couple of pictures of my Dalton right after I got it.

Gage wrote:Doug & Bill, how sure are you that it's a 57' Cardinal? Because of the paint scheme and interior. Even the stove and ice box is the same. It sure looks like a 56' Dalton. What's it say above the front window?
Here's a couple of pictures of my Dalton right after I got it.

Gage if you look at the style of the aluminum on the side of the trailer there are 3 differences from the Dalton ,there is a seam that runs from top to bottom on both sides of the Cardinal trailer and the aluminum has a different style , and the size of the rear compartment doors on the cardinal are smaller. and the decal on the front of the trailer says Cardinal
I also noticed that all the windows are different from yours and your front cabinet has more of a straight edge where the cardinal has a rounded look.

but both trailers are still very good looking for being over 50 years old

Mike

Like Mike mentioned...doesn't show well in the pics, but the Cardinal logo on both the front and rear of the trailer and it's original stuff. The paint scheme is like the Dalton however. Doug

doug hodder wrote:Like Mike mentioned...doesn't show well in the pics, but the Cardinal logo on both the front and rear of the trailer and it's original stuff. The paint scheme is like the Dalton however. Doug

I wonder if the Dalton and Cardinal people worked together in some way. Guess I need to do some more research. One of the sons of the owner of Dalton contacted me awhile back. Now I need to find him again and ask some questions. The paint schemes were one thing that the different mfg's didn't copy because it was another way to identify the different trailers back in the 50's.

PS: I had also noticed that the wheel openings are a little different.

Thank you for the welcome and input. I will be starting some light sanding on drawer fronts and doors in the next few days. I am not willing to open up the front or back yet with rain projected for the next few weeks. I'll need to get the trailer under cover. Also picked up a new vent and still looking for some new lights.

Bill....if we get a break on the weather I'll come down and help. Strip and re-butyl the windows, and strip off the edge molding etc....We'll put a punch list of things to do. It's supposed to be bad weather for at least another week though. Doug