Around The World Caravan, Fran and Tallie Hall's 1962 Airstream Found

[flyrc]

“Around The World Caravan” Fran and Tallie Hall’s Airstream Found

On Tuesday June 5th, I received an email from Scott Goranson that the historic #83, Fran and Tallie Hall’s trailer was up for sale on eBay. His first question was did I want to bid, and then the questions were always about how serious a bidder was I.
Chris and Jim located the trailer and confirmed that it had the ghost number 83, the ghost of the Hall name, and the ghost names of the countries the caravan traveled to on the 1963/64 journey.
The seven day wait was almost more than I was up to, but the bid closed Monday night and I was now the owner of #83.
All day Monday I located items I felt I needed to tow a trailer 1200 miles. I knew the axle would be worn out and the lights, brakes, etc… wouldn’t work. Chris had emailed that the trailer was “rough” but somehow that got lost in the bidding.
Tuesday morning I got an early start and drove 14 hours of the 17 hour trip. Wednesday started in a new time zone with a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call. I arrived at the trailer around 9:00 that morning. The treasure’s location was really an hour further away from the stated town where we were to meet. By 10:00 a.m., I had the tires removed and the new ones installed and I was ready to head for home.
You never pay much attention to poor road conditions until you are towing a rare trailer that has a dead axle. Each bump, swell, and pothole, do their best to make the towing experience a memorable one. I completed the 2400 miles on Thursday afternoon with a stop at Scott’s to celebrate. It was something to know that there are only 7 known ATW trailers around and here we were looking at two of them. His trailer is # 8671. His thread is “63 Safari it ‘bee’ traded” If you have followed his journey, 75 pages at this point, you have a good idea what lies ahead with #83.
This will be the biggest challenge I have ever taken on and I hope I won’t let anyone down. I am such a perfectionist that I have a hard time starting some tasks. When Scott and I walked around the trailer this morning, we discussed what would be the first order of business. It was comforting to know I could have a small dent or blemish and it could be attributed to the trailers “long journey”.
My plans are to bring it back to its caravan condition. I have a little more than 12 months before the 50th anniversary get together on the 4th of July 2013. I guess I’m expected to bring #83 to the party. Hopefully my journey ahead will be as successful as the 1963/64 adventure!

[Frank's Trailer Works]

very happy for you Wally!!!

[flyrc]

Frank I'm sure that this is a "life changing event". Thanks for all your past help with parts etc...
I have the front floor out of the 55 Flying Cloud and just received my order of parts to rebuild the windows. I now have a whole new list of needed parts and a huge project. I guess the old saying,"when it rains, it pours" is appropriate.This is happy rain :-)

[pbearsailor]

That is really fantastic news.

You and Scott have turned Eastern Washington into the Around the World Trailer hub.

cheers,
steve

[flyrc]

Thanks Steve. Scott is always looking out for me, he doesn't want me to be bored. I use to spend time scratch building and flying RC planes, now it's all about Airstream. My flying buddies now call me "trailer trash".

[InsideOut]

Awesome...I wondered where that one would land! It is cool to own a legend - now the hard part begins, enjoy the journey!

Should be a great rally - we are going to try to have our Model 2 ready as well. While not a ATW trailer or even a "real Airstream" for that matter, with all the Wally Byam history buffs in attendance it'd be a shame not to bring it out. We'll see...gotta finish our Scotty first.

Shari

[safari62]

I sense your other trailers may receive less attention in the coming year...

I think this may be the same tag as seen in the first photo. Was it with the trailer? I thought this was on Helen Schwamborns Trailer?....photo credit from Pee Wee Schwamborn.

Gary

[goransons]

Here's Wally's baby coming up the street for the 49 year reunion. These things haven't been together in a LONG time. Would have had Wally back into our driveway but that axle is so bad he would have taken the top 1" of concrete off it.

Hopefully this week 83 will be water tight again. Cracking the whip on Wally to get this thing ready for the Flamingo rally

I'll leave the details to Wally, but the missing jalousie window is rebuilt with donor parts from my garage and Wally and I took off the A/C unit (I was just grunt labor, Wally did all the work).

Should be fun to have these both at the same Rally in July.

[flyrc]

Originally Posted by safari62

I sense your other trailers may receive less attention in the coming year...

I think this may be the same tag as seen in the first photo. Was it with the trailer? I thought this was on Helen Schwamborns Trailer?....photo credit from Pee Wee Schwamborn.

Gary

Less attention for sure.
Then another distraction was added when my wife called me Wednesday, I was somewhere in Utah, and asked if she should buy a 55 FC that she had run across. You guessed it, we now have two whale tail 55's.

[goransons]

A health tip Wally, don't hold your breath for sympathy posts

[flyrc]

Originally Posted by safari62

I sense your other trailers may receive less attention in the coming year...

I think this may be the same tag as seen in the first photo. Was it with the trailer? I thought this was on Helen Schwamborns Trailer?....photo credit from Pee Wee Schwamborn.

Gary

The only plate I have is from Arizona. If anyone has the original tag it would be great to have it back on the trailer.

[flyrc]

Originally Posted by goransons

A health tip Wally, don't hold your breath for sympathy posts

The only place I have ever found sympathy has been in the dictionary

[66Overlander]

Hi Wally,
Congrats! When I first found this trailer on eBay and told Scott and a few other friends, I hoped it would find a worthy new owner. It sounds like it has! It is great you have a willing accomplice so close (Scott) to help with the parts gathering and restoration.

You are also lucky that you got the ATW photographers Airstream. It shows up in more ATW photos (including some color photos) than almost any other trailer on the caravan, so you will be able to put a nice photo story.

And as Scott mentioned, the VAC is starting to plan a 50th Anniversary celebration for the Around the World Caravan next summer. It will be great if you and #83 can make it. That would mean that 5 of the 7 known survivors might reunite for the first time in decades! Details are just in the planning stages, more will be said when details start to firm up.

P.S. I fully understand the prioritization issue. My '55 Safari is now "on hold" until I get my ATW '62 Safari back in usable condition.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by safari62

I sense your other trailers may receive less attention in the coming year...

I think this may be the same tag as seen in the first photo. Was it with the trailer? I thought this was on Helen Schwamborns Trailer?....photo credit from Pee Wee Schwamborn.

Gary

Originally Posted by flyrc

The only plate I have is from Arizona. If anyone has the original tag it would be great to have it back on the trailer.

"1961 Ohio House Vehicle 2" may have been Helen Byam Schwamborns license plate (in green). I believe "1963 Ohio House Vehicle 2" in blue was on #83 during the ATW caravan. I have been looking for 1963 Ohio House Vehicle plates for a while now, just in case one of these trailers was ever rediscovered. So far no luck in Michgan and Ohio antique shops, nor on eBay, but I've only checked eBay a couple of times and I have seen 1964 to 1967 Ohio House Vehicle plates on eBay, just not 1963. I have also seen normal 1963 Ohio Trailer plates in both antique shops and on eBay, but they are not correct for this trailer. I'll keep my eye's peeled. Even if I can't find "#2" maybe I can at least find a 1963 Ohio House Vehicle plate bearing a different number.

There is a place on line that makes reproduction vintage license plates for any year, state, and type you prefer, but I do not know if they do "house vehicle" variants. They claim to be close to original, but not necessarily exact (e.g. there may be slight font differences, etc.).

In my case, the synthesized photo on that web site for a reproduction of the original plate for my ATW Airstream just did not look close enough for me (font size differences), so I didn't pursue it and found a reasonable used plate on eBay (same year and state, proper font and font sizes, same letter, reasonably close 4 digit number). I guess that'll have to do for me.

[danlehosky]

I wish I would have seen this last week.My son was on his annual National Guard two week training in Yakima or as they call it Yakistan and I just picked him up. I would have loved to have seen this.

Dan

[flyrc]

Originally Posted by danlehosky

I wish I would have seen this last week.My son was on his annual National Guard two week training in Yakima or as they call it Yakistan and I just picked him up. I would have loved to have seen this.

Dan

Dan you are welcome anytime you are in the area.Scott would love showing you his trailer I have heard our town called YakiVegas, but I like Yakistan better.

[47WeeWind]

Hi Wally H:

Congratulations on saving another ATW trailer! You may already know this but I'll mention it anyway. The Spring 2009 issue of Airstream Life magazine contains an article on Fran Hall and his photography. I interviewed Fran for the article during 2008 and he was a delight. Some of his adventures were recounted to me over hot Mexican food and cold beers at one of his favorite Boulder restaurants.

Sadly, Fran passed away on December 2, 2010. Here is a link to his obituary in the Boulder Daily Camera of December 15, 2010:

Francis "Fran" William Hall - Boulder Daily Camera

Restoring the Airstream trailer he and Tallie used on the ATW Caravan will be a great way to perpetuate his beautiful photographic contributions to Airstream lore and legend. God's speed with your restoration!

[goransons]

Trying to help Wally get this aluminum tent campable for the 14th of July. Inland RV is out of stock on a new axle. Anyone know of a good supplier in the Western US that might have one in stock? 3500lb 35 degrees I believe, not sure what other specs to ask for since our other trailers I've always had Inland ship based off year and serial #.

[reinergirl]

Did you try Colin Hyde? He'd know what you need and as he drop ships them they don't come from the east coast.... Give him a call, his website is here.
https://sites.google.com/a/colinhyde...ions.com/home/

[goransons]

Work day #2 at Wally's.

Day 1 Wally cleaned all the window frames and I helped by installing the bulb seal on the 5 windows. Wally and I reinstalled the newly welded window frames, but with no glass and a considerable amount of clean up left.

Wally spent the days between removing all the old glazing tape, silicone, and God knows what else they used to hold the old glass in.


So then today, the big work party.

Wally spent time working at a glass shop at some point so I decided to work on the tow lighting.

Wally masked off every window frame, polished it, cleaned, installed the glazing tape, glass, and glazing strips. He's good at miters and has this awesome little hobbie miter saw for his model airplanes that made very precise work (along with my cool utility knife that also was the perfect shape to help snap that plastic strip in).

While he did the 5 windows, I removed the glass from the top jalousie window and re-weatherstripped it and put the glass in with new rubber disks, however one side needs new glass clips as the top retainers are broken off. Time to check the salvage yards to see if we can find some.

Wally was able to find a bottom jalousie window, well the sides anyway that had the mechanism which was totally missing when he brought #83 home. The glass was just a hair to long, so it will get a sanding at the glass shop on Monday and then the last window is complete.

We were lucky that Wally had a few bargman clearance lights from an old camper so we managed to get them all working with proper lenses, new reproduction tail lenses, all new bulbs. Replaced some pretty nasty wiring in the trailer plug but all the marker lights, turn signals and brake lights are working correctly and so is the scare light.

Finally the dead A/C unit came off the roof a few days back and due to Wally's luck at the same salvage yard he found a nice roof vent, with working lifters, a working fan motor with good blades, and a good screen (what are the chances). Today it was all riveted in place and wired up.


So... it's almost road worthy. New axle this week, repro astrodome is ready for lifters to get it attached, and lots of interior clean up. After the rally then floor replacement, zolatone, cabinet rebuild and appliance rebuild can begin, but Wally can finally attend his first rally in 2 weeks!

Here's a few photos from today.

Picture #1 - first window done, new lights, good license light, waiting on a lock for the rear hatch and a new license frame.

Picture #2 - 3 more windows (man does this thing have a lot of glass!)

Picture #3 - A/C unit gone, hehr vent with trim now in place

Picture #4 - 1 jalousie window done, one waiting on new glass but otherwise ready to go.