So I just bought my wife (next week) her wedding present. A 67 Shasta loflyte camper. 13 footer... Our plan is to retore her and of course get a decent kustom to tow with. I'm not talking trucks, I'm talking cars. I've ran across a few really good deals on early 50 chevy's but they have the inline 6's in them. Does the inline 6 have a chance in hell towing a camper? Highway speeds?
Check out the Shady Dell, in Arizona. Never been there, but want to go soon. http://www.theshadydell.com/ I believe there are several vintage camping threads already started.
It depends on how steep the hill you're going down is... Yes an old six will pull a trailer. But if you expect to run down the freeway at 75+ you're going to do a lot of work on that six first. If you are thinking a stock 216 you'll find most those cars aren't real happy at today's highway speeds when they are empty. Build up a GMC 302 or a Chevy 292 and you can come a lot closer.
for what it would cost to build up a six and put it in a Chevy, you could buy a nice Olds or Buick that would already have the ponies to pull you love shack. Or, instead of building a six, put in a sbc. easy conversion
Those old Chevy trucks were never built for today's highway speeds. They have the power. But gearing sucks. And if you are going to change out the transmission and rear end you might as well do what bobwop recommends and go with a SBC. If I was doing one today I would run one of the new fuel injected LS derived Gen IVs. Great mileage and plenty of towing power.
58-up fullsize car with a V8 engine, hands down. Longer, lower, wider and more powerful. Add an auxillary trans cooler, too.
thanks everyone. That was my first post... FYI, I'm in the market for a 49-61 car where the "hard-stuff" is already done and will tow.
I recently went to Asbury Park NJ (yes, people ACTUALLY go to that beach again!) and one of the store owners on the boardwalk bought a restored Airstream rather reasonably. Id like to in the near future look into getting something like that. He said he knew of one sitting, told me where but I forgot. Neat lil buggers!
If you want a 49'54 style car to make a custom out of and pull the trailer why not look for a car that someone has already updated the chassis on and installed a V8. Someone on the HAMB may even know of a car within a reasonable distance of you that has the chassis done and is ready to be turned into a nice custom. I towed my 15 foot camp trailer all over the northwest with my 51 Merc that had a Nova subframe, rear end and 350 Olds and turbo 350. The 58/61 Chevs (actually 58/61 just about anythings) would be a great choice too and as one of the other guys said already come with V8 engines and a chassis that will easily handle the trailer.
I've towed our '55 empire 14' with our '50 Buick (248 straight 8/dynaflow) and it towed flawlessly. But yea you won't be able to keep up with todays highway speeds, but then again thats what the right lane is for!!
Way freakin cool! Just recently I've leanded toward early 50's whips. I had a thing for late 50's dodge's (57-60) and i may be back on the hunt. I'm just sick of finding a good deal and then passing it up. FYI TO ALL HAMBRS APB for something cool within 150 miles from detroit. I've found the longer I drive to look at a car, the more disapointed I am on the way home...
also when your lookin for good go,,,don't forget about good whoa,,,,my 59 13ft shasta will push my s10 4x4 pretty good on hard brakin,,,
True-True... Our camping spot is about 300 miles away. There's a drive in theatre that hasn't changed in 50 years. Pretty freaking cool
I hear alot of talk about "TODAYS HIGHWAY SPEEDS", Are the speed limits different in other sates ? Here in California, When towing a trailer its 55 mph in the far RIGHT lane unless passing a slower vehicle. I think a six would be just boring after a while unless it had the Power to run up hills easy. '50s & '60s V8s would be my choice, I just sold a '60 Dodge Wagon that woulda been Perfect !
On I-90 and I-94 in the Norhthern states, the speed limit is 70, which actually means traffic does 75-80. I-44 (I think) in OK is 75 (toll road).
If you know what car you want, put in an engine that's interesting, with plenty of oomph to pull the trailer, and keep up with highway speeds. A Cummins 4BT diesel could go in there, it's a little tall (aren't all inlines though) and come with either Chevy or Dodge bellhousing patterns on them, so you can bolt on any number of good transmissions. I think it'd be pretty bitchin to hear an old Chevy with the diesel clatter. Put a 5 speed behind it, and you can likely get near 30 mpg empty. Another quite capable engine, is the Ford 300. A torque monster, built for decades, with tons and tons of potential. Any SBF transmission can be bolted to them. Here's something else to consider: making it go is pretty easy, I'd look really hard at upgrading the brakes to bring that sucker to a stop as well. I know it's not 'pure' to run discs, but their superior stopping power cannot be denied. I'd also look at putting trailer brakes on your trailer, and a controller in your vehicle. Nothing's more precious than family, and keeping them safe is what is first on my mind.
My old rig. Sold both. Now selling a 70 Tag-a-long, and just bought a 62 Serro Scotty. Gonna pull the scotty with a 54 chevy truck. And have my wife or daughter follow in the 63 bug I just bought them. Ahh, good times to come.
Do yourself a favor and get a 55 or later if you go GM. The drivelines on the pre 55 cars were "closed". The super simple explanation is you can't upgrade the rearend and transmission independent of each other, they're kinda one continuous unit. The post 55 cars had transmissions and rearends that are much easier to upgrade when one fails. And with an old car towing a camper, it's only a matter of time til you're replacing the transmission or rearend. Obviously if you're looking at a pre 55 that's been modified for a later transmission/rearend then it's not an issue any more. Consider front disc brakes mandatory. The stopping ability of the car in front of you today is far superior to what shared the road in the 50s. If the car you're looking at isn't already converted, price out a conversion kit before making an offer. If you can't do the work yourself, $500 plus the kit is probably a reasonable estimate. happy camping
I should probably just walk away from this 51 then. Extremely clean and solid for $4500, but then add 2-2500 for engine/trans/rear end swap. Would it be worth it, prolly not consider the market.
Nothing says torque like "Nailhead" Nothing says pretty like "Nailhead" Those are the only two I could think of, but you get the idea. P.S. Disc brakes in the front, brakes on the trailer.
I can't overemphasize brakes. Brakes and cooling. And a rear swaybar, which means you'll also need a front one. They're more important than motor, hands down. Although I'd avoid a non-full pressure oiling 6.
My wife bought us a 68 Golden Falcon 17 footer to tag along at the swap meets. Funny thing was it had never ever been registered since new. After researching through multiple owners I found out that when it was bought new it was barged out to an island on Georgian Bay! There it was used as a guest cabin.I had to jump through alot of DMV hoops to get an ownership but determination prevails.Follows my parts chaser truck just fine and dandy.Gonna make sleeping in a tent drunk a thing of the past....
Are you talking 2 door or 4 door? If you're talking 4 door, $4500 would buy a real nice car. And if you buy a later car it won't need the majority of the improvements that the early one will. If you're talking 2 door, $7500 is probably more reasonable. What you need for mechanicals is common stuff. Shop carefully and you can probably find a great car that's already got disc brakes, V8, late model trans, etc. There's no reason you should have to do much more than add a hitch, overload springs, and trailer brake controller. Modifications are always cheaper when they're already on the car you're buying. Always. good luck
If that car had been modified with a stock 283 V8 backed by a powerglide or th350 trans, and equipped with a disc brake conversion, it would be perfect. And it honestly wouldn't be worth much more than the stocker in the ad. There are ALOT of these cars modified as I describe, it's a standard formula. As it is, not something I'd nominate to pull a camper a couple hundred miles. good luck
We tow a '46 Spartan Manor (25 foot) behind our '51 Pontiac Tin Woody wagon and our '48 Pontiac convert. I have two words of advice regarding towing with a stock early '50's Chevvy. FORGET IT. If you're going to actually travel and use the trailer, and are looking for a car, get something that's already rodded, or something like a Buick or Caddy that's already got enough beans to do the job.
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