V TRAILERS e g a t in
CAMPER Vol. 7, No. 2, Issue: 36 March-April 2018
Host Your Own
Vintage Trailer
Rally! MORE THAN
50 Rallies listed inside!
The magazine for all vintage camper trailer collectors, restorers, admirers and dreamers.
RESCUE
R E S TO R E
R A L LY
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Inside This Issue Index 2nd Annual Malibu Rally
6
The Cabin, An Aristocrat Conversion 15 The Gathering of The Times Rally
18
@thebunnyboxvb (On Instagram)
20
11th Annual TCT Florida Homecoming 33
Lil Hotdish- Page 10
Terry Trailer, Rescued and Restored
28
Camper Chef - Beer Mussels
38
Trailer Friends, Orbie and Arv
31
Before They Were Vintage
36
Juke Boxes, Past and Present
38
USA Rally Calendar
42
Vintage Camper Trailers
Rally Starter Kit
Ready to host your own rally? We can help.
1957 Trotwood Cub- Page 24
Visit our website for details on our Rally Starter Kit that includes our new book.
Cover Photo Courtesy of
Rick Rajewski 4
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VintageCamperTrailers.com
American Tr a i l e r i t e By Paul Lacitinola Publisher VCT Magazine Volume: 7 - Number: 2 - Issue: 36 PO Box 354, Elverta CA 95626 (916) 572-8554
www.vintagecampertrailers.com vintagecampertrailers@gmail.com Published by: Paul and Caroline Lacitinola American Trailerites The VCT Magazine is published bi-monthly January, March, May, July, September & November. Talkin' on the phone is not my speed Don't send me no letter 'cause I can't read Don't be long 'cause I'll be gone We gonna rock and roll all night long - Fats Domino Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine is a non-denominational supporter of the vintage camper trailer hobby. We welcome all collectors, restorers, admirers and dreamers. Subscribe Today - See page 40 for details.
Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine reserves the exclusive right to reject or accept advertising or editorial material submitted for publication. The editorial content contained in this magazine does not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine (USPS Publication Number 15940) is published bimonthly (in January, March, May, July, September, November) by Vintage Camper Trailers, 8416 Elwyn Avenue, Elverta, CA 95626-9552. Periodical postage paid at Elverta, CA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Camper Trailers, PO Box 354, Elverta, CA 95626-0354.
WE BUY Vintage Camper Trailers, Bicycles, Cars, and Pick-Ups. (916) 992-1427
If you have subscribed to the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine for a year or more I would hope that you see us constantly improving on a good thing. You may also notice that we try to include a variety of certain elements in every issue. Ideally our mix of pictorials would include a high-end build, a self-build, under 30 trailerites, rally recaps and a “how-to” or “tips” column. When we have material we also like to include Vintage Vendors, Before They Were Vintage and destination related features. We make every attempt to include the input that we receive from our readers in the magazine. We welcome articles from coast to coast and are fortunate to have supporters that take the time to send us photos and stories. If you would like your trailer featured, all you must do is ask! The VCT Magazine wants to represent the variety of hobbyists that enjoy vintage trailering. I found it ironic that as we are packing to leave for Boot Camp and have just released a “how-to” book on Vintage Camper Trailer Rallies, this issue does not contain a how-to article! We received so much other great input from the Tin Can Tourists, Richard Cook, bloggers like Tiffany and Jenny and photos from Rick Rajewski that we simply ran out of room! We even have last minute additions to the rally calendar that will have to go in the next issue. We have a great network of “how-to” writers and we will make sure to include them in upcoming issues. If you have something to share, we invite you to give us your input on trailer restorations, vintage camping or anything else you think fellow trailerites might enjoy seeing and reading about. In the meantime, our “how-to” book about Vintage Camper Trailer Rallies is available on our website. In the book we share a dozen years of rallying experience along with hundreds of photos of rallies we have attended. We tell you how we host rallies like Trailerfest and Boot Camp with over 250 trailers! We give you ideas on how you can host your own rally, and how we can help you. We even created a Rally Starter Kit! The kit includes the VCT Rallies book, full color glossy window signs for each attendee, three of our favorite stickers for each of your guests, sample magazines to pass out and back issues of the magazine that you can raffle off or use as door prizes. Use our starter kit and we also pay you for any new subscribers! If you still need help getting a rally going, we’ll set up a time to get on the phone and answer any questions we can. Go to the “Camp Store” on our website and find “Host A Rally” for more information. We didn't have room for a feature in this issue on our 1955 Spartan Mobile Museum. We did finish it, and took it to some shows in Oregon. We will have it at Boot Camp and we will do a spread on it in the magazine. Until then, you can check out the photos at: www.midcenturymobile.com/museum.html
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Lil Hotdish You could call it a "vintage fish house camper." It looked very shabby – and not the shabby chic kind of shabby. A matte grey painted exterior with dents, broken windows, and plenty of water damage. Submitted by: Jenny Anderson - Girl of 10,000 Lakes, @girlof10000lakes - girlof10000lakes.com
When I first saw the Lil Hotdish, it was far from love at first sight. I found it while scrolling through my Craigslist this past fall. I was actually looking for a fish house for ice fishing on our Minnesota lakes in the winter. This one happened to be a vintage camper that was converted to a fish house so it would work for all four seasons. You could call it a "vintage fish house camper." It looked very shabby – and not the shabby chic kind of shabby. A matte grey painted exterior with dents, broken windows, and plenty of water damage. But I saw the potential and so did my husband Nick. It would also make a great little sidekick to my Instagram and blog Girl of 10,000 Lakes which is dedicated to inspiring folks, especially women, to get outdoors. We had to have it. We got the camper for $1500 from the boonies of Buffalo, MN. It looked like something out of Breaking Bad. I was embarrassed to have it in our driveway. But with a ton of TLC, this ugly duckling would soon become my Lil Hotdish. It took around two months to get the Lil Hotdish into shape and bring back its vintage flare. The make is Monitor from Wakarusa, Indiana, 1960s era. The original owner of the camper converted it to a fish house. The trailer bed is a crank down mechanism, which means we can lower the entire camper close to the ice for fishing. There were five holes with covers on the floor for ice fishing (now there are four — I’ll explain why in a bit). 10
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There’s a propane gas heater that vents outside to keep us warm in the winter. It sleeps up to four people, quite snuggly. We did a $1000 DIY renovation to get it back into shape. Some updates include new luan boards, a copper foot pump sink which now covers one of the fish holes, wainscoting and faux tin walls, new floorboards and laminate flooring, fresh coat of exterior and interior paint, and a cooktop area for our Primus Tupike camping stove. There were definitely issues we had to fix, like the carpenter ants and wood rot. I still have goosebumps thinking about that. We patched up holes on the outside, fixed the brake lights, heater and windows, etc. We kept the original ceiling, cupboards, seating, table, and gas lamps. In the end, Nick and I decided the camper needed a super Minnesotan name. It was between the Minisota and the Lil Hotdish. Nick and I both agreed the Lil Hotdish was the clear winner, especially since I planned to cook up some hotdishes (some people call them casseroles) in the camper. This is the first winter Kiwi (our yorkie), Nick, and I took the Lil Hotdish out onto the ice. With the camper hitched on our SUV, we've rolled onto the ice roads of Mille Lacs Lake nearly every wintry weekend now. Mille Lacs is known for premium walleye and bass fishing. The ice is around 27" thick, which
Ice fishing on the lakes of Minnesota www.vintagecampertrailers.com 11
This Aristocrat sports an electric fireplace. The fireplace has been placed inside a charming chimney for coziness and ambiance. hammered copper sink as well as new hardware and fixtures. The bedroom area has a TV/DVD player with a swivel mount that allows it to be comfortably watched while lying on the brand new custom made, organic cotton, memory foam mattress. The TV can also be swiveled to watch while sitting in the dinette area. Right: Maverick, age 5, and Nash, age 4, with Katie. (Little sister/daughter, Bo, age 2, not pictured.) 16
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Features
•Sleeps up to 4 comfortably on dinette that folds out into bed w/ newly upholstered dinette cushions and a custom made memory foam, organic cotton, bed •3 burner stove w/ oven •New electric refrigerator •New handmade hammered copper sink •New oiled bronze faucet •New toilet •New hardware throughout •New lighting •New flooring •New 24" TV with DVD player on swivel mount •New electric fireplace w/ heat option •Lots of Storage throughout w/ hangers and baskets •All bedding and pillows included (brand new) •New battery •New wiring •USB port for cell phone charging •Fully stocked with a four place setting of Cabin appropriate speckled enamel plates, bowels, mugs and cookware, flatware, cast iron skillet, wood round coasters, coffee pot, and toaster... just about everything you would need for your next adventure!
My family and I share such a love for these older trailers, in fact, our children have never known a life without a vintage trailer in the driveway starting with our 1977 Coachman so to share our passion and possibly inspire someone else to save one of these treasures from a landfill is what it’s all about.
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Te r r y Tr a i l e r Rescued and Restored . The original inspection certificate is still on the wall in the closet containing inspectors signatures. The paper was so fragile that we covered them with clear Plexiglas. Story and Photographs by Jim and Judy Lundal
We are relatively new to the Vintage Trailer arena. Over the past 7 years, all the work our trailers required was performed by us in the driveway. We’re not professional restorers, but we have built several garages, remodeled our kitchen and completed a lot of DIY projects, the work just seemed simple. Approximately 7 years ago, our daughter said she was going to bid on ebay for a vintage trailer located in Northern California. (We live in Southern CA.) She won the trailer with the high bid so her father, Jim, a friend and I, went to pick up the trailer. While driving north, we stayed the night with another friend just outside of Chico, CA. It was near the location where the trailer we were picking up was located. The next morning was a tour around the friend’s English walnut orchard and his neighbor’s property. While all were visiting with the neighbor, Jim was more interested in what he found behind the neighbor's house. (See adjacent picture.) 28 www.vintagecampertrailers.com
An inquiry to the owner revealed it was a 1953 Terry Rambler and the last DMV registration was in the 1980’s. It had been sitting since before that time for many years. Terry History: The owner recalled that in the 1960’s he was attending Chico State University and someone said he could live in the trailer. The transition is not clear but the current owner had the Pink Slip in his name. Since this trip involved picking up and towing home another trailer, my only interest at the time was sending the picture to my daughter. The Terry owner’s son told me (on the side), that his dad would probably let you have it to get more room. The trailer that was bought on ebay was a 1956 Aljo and we towed it home to Southern CA. It was a total ground-up restoration with rotten floor and structural frame and missing
some interior cabinets. Fast forward 1 year and I am tearing down the Aljo in our daughter’s backyard and documenting everything. “Life” interfered about this time and we decided to downsize our home and needed to buy and sell some things. Also, our daughter was planning to relocate out of state since the company she works for was relocating. End result: The Aljo was scrapped! About a year after we had downsized, we remembered the Terry, up north. A phone call revealed the trailer was still behind the house, amongst the old tires. We agreed on a price even though I had not been inside the Terry and had no idea of condition. The owner said: “as is”.
Jim Chico, CA in the northern part of the state, is not considered a “no rain” arid CA area. Summers can be very hot, and winters are subject to a considerable amount of rain. The Terry was located on a farm, between two major rivers, in an area noted for flooding. Although the trailer was never under-water, after 40+ years of sitting what could we expect. Our friends had greased the wheel bearings and we put on new tires. We set out to pick it up and tow it home. At home, an inspection revealed wood structure damage. The damaged area was limited to the “canned ham” curved back corner on the door side and under the front and back windows. The plywood floor was sound, and the floor still had undamaged original linoleum in excellent condition. Additional inspection indicated a very unused trailer. The Marvel refrigerator still worked, the stand alone, four burner Preway stove with oven and broiler appeared to have never been used and all the blue Formica counter top and table top surfaces were in good condition. Another item was the original wood removable rear bunk. Later when searching the rear storage area under the bed the original awning was still folded in a box.
Also, as a final discovery, the original inspection certificate is still on the wall in the closet containing inspectors signatures. The paper was becoming quite fragile so we covered them with clear plexiglass panels. Restoration/rebuilding was going to be limited to removing front and back aluminum siding and windows. Again, this was www.vintagecampertrailers.com 29
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PO Box 354, Elverta CA 95626
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