Sometimes I look at those old pictures of people hauling campers across the US back in the day and think "man they had some balls to do that". It takes a lot for me to remember that to the people in the pictures it's no different than me getting in my 4runner and doing the same today. They knew no different.
I was surprised at how light your camper is. Now, seeing old photos like your collection makes a little more sense. Before, I just couldn't imagine an old 100hp car with mediocre brakes, suspension, etc. pulling a heavy old camper.
Speak'en of not knowing any better. The wife and I used to drag this old camper around. I built it from the rear half of a 36 Dodge delivery. A farmer just gave it to me for free. Sounds like you had a FUN road trip Ryan. Thanks
Yeah... it's weirdly light... Here's a frame from one: See the center pipe? That's steel... Everything else you see is aluminum on a stock frame. In fact, EVERYTHING else on the trailer is aluminum - the cabinets, the bed base, the dinette, the skins, etc... I can fairly easily pick up the tongue of the trailer and move it around myself with a dolly attached. When I'm pulling it with my truck, I literally can't feel it back there - at all. It's almost dangerous cuz you kind of forget you have 22' of extended length. I think the thing to do would be to do a few 100 mile or less trips with an older pull car just to see what's what...
Congrats on making it home without any serious interaction with the bad weather - look forward to your follow up stories & pics
This image... I want a teardrop so bad it hurts! This one is exactly what I am shooting for. Now if I could just convince the wife that sleeping in a tiny box is a good plan... I'm glad you made it home ahead of the worst storms and without getting pounded in a hail storm or something. We have had every flavor of storm you can conjure up here in Missouri over the last two weeks. It's getting a bit annoying.
Very good to see you and glad you made it back safe. Pulling around town and secondary roads is ok for the vintage stuff, but todays highways and speed I cant beat the late model. You didn't realize how windy it was... Tech on these new trucks makes it so easy you don't even know what goes on back there. Pulling the Spartan (3800 lbs) I can creep up on 75mph and don't know it, add in the wife kids and dog and I'd be panicked in the '55 wagon. Oh also this scared the hell out of me: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...d-returning-home-from-back-to-the-50s.980685/
That entire frame is steel, it would be a neat trick to weld aluminum cross bars to a steel pipe. I have had and restored 3 Airstreams, and all of them had all steel frames.
It sure looks like welds when you blow the picture up. And what is the guy with the helmet welding on if not the crossbar to tube connection? But I have been wrong lots of times before.
That's a real cool bunch O' Cool Trailer pics there @Ryan...easy to see the why there is as much passion for them as the Wheels we pull them with. Look forward to more of the journey experienced through word and visuals. Glad all went reasonably well. That is some terrible stuff going on your way weather wise.
That’s a custom frame a friend of mine made. It’s all steel. However, my frame is stock. Steel tube and aluminum outriggers riveted to that tube. Airstream, Curtis Wright, and silver streak all used this frame until 1952 or so.
We have gone from pop-up tents to tear drop (homemade) to Airsream (1962 built from one that was almost junked) to Class C (really neat American Clipper) to a one time motor home test package that was a motor home then a bus for executives then to back to a motor home to older Class A's cause we live in them at Bonneville,,, we have sideways trailers that we use 1962 Santa Fe about 10 long, 1969 Chevy Long Horn with a Shasta raise and lower camper and a 1970 Avion almost a Airstream. The vintage stuff was and is way cool, but we prefer to tow with the large modern Ford for safety, you have to be aware of fish tailing and sudden braking, remember back in the 40 and 50's most people did not drive over 50 -55 mph, fewer sudden stops, and going up hill at 30 miles an hour in second gear, and overheating. Arriving cool is cool Arriving safe is cooler
“I think I could have pulled it off. I mean, they did this shit back in the day – right? Why couldn’t it be done now?” With your shoebox back in the day - yea... Every gas station along the way had a 51 Ford Radiator hose hanging on the wall or a 235 Chevy fan belt hanging right next to it. Water pumps and points too. I will admire your spirit doing it again with your shoebox and what is there to cover your ass if you blow a hose, belt, pump or points on the road again ? Your phone and HAMB’rs would be there in a New York Minute to fix and back on the road for more stories to print. But if you really want to replicate back in the day, leave your phone at home and flag somebody down. Those make the best stories.
Looks like you made the RIGHT DECISION, Ryan !!...Missouri... About this website KY3.COM Clean up continues at Lucas Oil Speedway after Monday's storms
Speaking of pulling a trailer with a HAMB-friendly car ... @rich roberts does it all the time: Rich towed his flathead-powered Deuce Roadster to the inaugural RPM Nationals with his '58 Ford Country Squire Wagon (photo by Marc Gewertz) Rich towed his Deuce Roadster to the (T.R.O.G.) Santa Barbara Drags with his '57 Buick Custom Rich is contemplating towing his Deuce Tudor to the Eagle Field Drags with his Deuce 5wd Coupe UPDATE: Rich ended up towing both cars to the "EAGLE FIELD Fresno Dragway Reunion" this weekend (May 31st - June 2nd):
Here is a pic of my travelling Rig. 1967 Olympic Riviera the 283 in the RPU does fine sits on 70 mph all day long with highway gears in the quickchange. Van weighs in at 3100lbs and so does the car. Van has electric brakes which help it stop on a dime.
Here's some pics of the late Randy (@randingo8) Perez' 1955 Airstream Bubble towed by his 1955 Hudson Rambler Wagon: photographer(s) unknown R.I.P. Randy
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