After being “holed-up” in his shop for nearly four months, local man Brian McCool returned to his home Friday with the 1953 “Tini-Home” trailer he’d been working on in tow. Initially reported missing by his wife when he didn’t come home after starting the project, he was discovered in the garage nearly a month into the project, after reportedly simply losing track of time.
“My wife was pretty irritated with me,” says McCool, ” and she said if I wasn’t going to bother to even come in for supper or call, I could jolly well just stay out there untill the trailer was finished. So, that’s what I did.”
McCool said he did smooth things over at home by occasionally calling, remembered that this weekend was his wife’s birthday and even got her a card.
“She said I could come back home, but I’d have to sleep in the trailer. I think the Kuerig coffee maker I got for her birthday was a hit, she let me move back in after I made her coffee with it.”, said McCool from the shade of the JC Whitney awning his wife had ordered while he was away.
Said Mrs. McCool, “I felt sorry for him in the trailer because it snowed yesterday morning and the rear window leaked onto the bed, not because he’d remembered my birthday, which, really, he should have remembered after being married 37 years. He’s not out of the woods yet.”
The McCool’s are planning their first outing in the little trailer in 3 weeks, when they’ll attend a Tin Can Tourist meet in Milford, Michigan. They’ll be towing the trailer with their 1951 Pontiac wagon, and are excited to have the trailer among the featured trailers this year, “Made in Michigan”. The trailer was made in Flint Michigan, and the woody wagon built in Ionia Michigan.
When asked if his stint in the garage was over, McCool replied “Oh no. Now I can finish the Diamond T pickup, and get the top chopped on my ’59 T’Bird. I’ll be REALLY busy now!”
Mrs. McCool refused to comment.
Happy Birthday Kim!
Cool McCool's Garage 
You are one funny dude McCool. That 1951 Pontiac is complete evidence. Congratulations on the completion of your project & happy birthday to Kim.
McCool, where did you find the windows? Looks great!
Hey Brian, Brian here! Were did you get the siding material, and how expensive is it? I have an idea for a trailer, and that stuff looks like just what I need!
Hey Blinddady, the siding material is called “Filon”, it’s what most motorhomes and upscale trailers are sheeted with. It’s a fiberglass composite. We got it a place called “Bontragers RV Surplus” in White Pigeon MI. We also got the windows there. The Filon is intended to be bonded with a contact cement to Luan sheeting, RV manufacturers build the walls lying down as a sandwich and vacume bag them to stick it all together. Lacking a heated shop or the means to do that, I simply stapled the edges and am hoping for the best. It expands with heat (like out in the sun) so we’ll see how this works once we start using it. I can’t think it’ll expand any more than aluminum sheeting, so hopefully it’ll be OK. Brian