2011. ..….Camping at The Jalopy Showdown Drags...…….Monsoon rains for 3 days and a bear in the garbage can below the tree to the right of the picture
Both works in progress, but my fiancé and I hope to be driving off in our 1955 Cadillac pulling our 1956 Shasta for our wedding in March Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Wife and I have camped in a two man tent with other car club members and their RVs at Dayton Wa. "All Wheels Weekend" a couple of times now. Takes some planning to fit tent, sleeping bags, air mattress, ice chest, snacks, refreshments, folding chairs and toiletries all in the trunk and backseat of a '47 Ford Coupe. We're both in our mid sixties and I think she likes the tent camping more than me. I've played with idea of getting an old Ford C.O.E. and having an old semi truck sleeper added to the back of the cab. That would be cool to pull in next to all the motorhomes at some Walmart.
John is that the year at the Showdown where I took pity on you and let you sleep in the back of my wagon the next night? lol
Please save the date for Jalopyfest! In Morris Illinois! More info to follow. Do a Facebook search under events,along with the band line up!
Great stuff here. We pulled a variety of campers behind our old '39 Ford coupe, mostly pop-ups but my favorite was this 13' Scamp upright - we dubbed it the "Hotrod Hilton". Put a lot of miles on it. Only drawback: at times, visibility to the rear (as in lane changing) was a little tricky. It helped to have a co-pilot. I've since downsized just a bit. A 1970's vintage Sears cabin tent works fine, at least when the weather cooperates! I won't rule out getting another small camper someday though, maybe once I get a trailer hitch on my Chevy II. Even though I love those teardrop campers, I really think I'd like to have something I can stand up and move around a bit in. I'm 6'2", mildly claustrophobic and I don't like to fold myself up!
I'm 6' 4" tall and standing up was important to me, at 68 years old I think I am as tall as I will get but I still have a few inches of head room. HRP .
Ya, I think I've read somewhere that as we age at some point we start shrinking... That's a really sharp camper, love the color!
Hello, Our version of hot rod camping took place 100 plus miles from our Long Beach home to the Southern border of the OC. We had driven down the coast to the ends of civilization at the military base, back then. After a long day of great surf, it certainly was a long, tiring drive home. Our surf adventures were dangerous, as plenty of people had to spend the day sitting in the Provost Marshall’s Office after they were caught surfing at this pristine beach. It was usually an overnight to a two day camping adventure in the back of the Flathead powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery. We did not have enough money to pay to camp just up the road from the surf spot at the state park. The money we had was used for gas, oil, and food. When two or more friends were going surfing in the 40 sedan delivery, the rear window had to be taken out so the longboards could be inserted for the road trip. But, when we went surfing at some beach, we reinserted the rear window for a locked secure look. When we went camping, that was a different story. The longboards were too long for the sedan delivery if we wanted to sleep inside. So, we found our secret place in the nearby, thick jungle and buried our long boards until the trip down to the beach. Arriving in the dark, the walk to the location was exciting. It also gave us a view of the waves for the following early morning, just a few hours away. At first, it was a walk back to our sedan delivery to sleep for a few hours, then make the long walk to pick up our boards in the jungle when we woke up. We would stop to pick up our longboards for the last paddle in the pond or walk on the trail to the separate beach surf spots. This had to take place with ears fixed to the horizon and our eyes peeled for surprise visits by the U.S. Marines. When we were planning on a two-day camp/surf session, the secure sedan delivery was perfect for our sleeping and naps. But for lunches, we had to plan on bringing a small bag of sandwiches and drinks with us to the beach. How safe was a removable rear window? As long as no one saw how we did the removal and installation, it was fine. No one was the wiser when they saw a locked vehicle parked. Jnaki The advantage of the sedan delivery over any station wagon is that despite the window coverings on any station wagon, the local police will bang on the windows to get the occupants up if parked in a residential zone near the surf areas. The sedan delivery has the solid walls that helps, the small rear window that is covered and the front drop down covering that goes to the floor from the inside roof, makes it look like a, well, “commercial sedan delivery” ready to make a “delivery.” So, it was an advantage plus. YRMV
Interesting fun thread, having a vintage camper looks like fun, becoming popular at shows here, Symco, Northern Roundup to name a few here in Wi. Many moons ago when I was chasing the dream, purchased a slide in truck camper, was great for my family, wife, 3 small kids, this is when I first realized I have claustrophobia, not crazy bad but it's there. When I crawled into that cab over bed with about 16" from face to roof, feelings I never experienced before so I slept in the tiny dinette area, usually outside on a air mattress on ground/picnic table with a screen tent around me. only lasted 3 summers with this tow vehicle. The Kids enjoyed the camping part, me not so much. I have several stories of sleeping in cars, my van at waysides, truck stops, dragged racers around the Midwest in neighborhood of 200K miles over 20+ years, never any problems, but also stayed Many nights in motels and will say for several years now my idea of camping is a Holiday Inn.
The Jalopy Journal
