There might only be one thing all streamers agree on when it comes to renovation - a lift kit.
Unfortunately for us, it took us a couple weeks to get ours all figured out.. all because of the year, 1972.
For those of you who just want to know how to make it work & don't care to hear all the troubles we went through, scroll to the bottom :)
After searching the web, etrailer.com was the only company who sold the lift kit we needed. (you can find it here ). DJ, sat on hold for 20 minutes with etrailer before buying, to make certain this model was made for this year trailer (1972). After the axle arrived, you would assume 8 bolts per axle and done, right? I mean, you pay $200 and expect a product with the perfect fit. Instead what we received was a well produced piece of metal that lined all but just right (1/8" to be exact).
After calling etrailer back (who actually has great customer service) we were assured that we were being sent the right product for our year and axels, but they would send one that was very similar to see if it would work. After waiting another week, the new lift kit came in.. and it was roughly 2" shorter than the first.
After calling etrailer back now a 3rd time, we had the pleasure of working with a gentleman who went above and beyond to do research into the manufacturer of the axles. While we waited the 30 minutes for a return call we decided to do a little research of our own, and discovered that in our year (1972) majority of the trailers produced had axels that were NOT made by Dexter, and instead made by a company called Henschen. Lucky for us, Henschen is out of business and has been for quite a while. We were called back by etrailer who then confirmed what we discovered, and connected us directly with Dexter to discuss solutions.
Ultimately what it came down to was ordering the first axle again and making a very simple modification. Through the use of a pencil grinder, and lots of breath holding, we expanded the bolt hole to line up directly with the frame for the perfect fit, as there was no other option (unless you'd like to make a lift kit from scratch). If you learn anything from us, do the research into your year trailer and EVERYTHING you plan to purchase for an "easy" install.