Hello All...I need help here.

[5455gypsy]

I recently purchased a 1955 or 1954 Airstream for 500 dollars! It has some structural issues(frame rusted, rotted subfloor, etc.) It has no clear title and I have been trying hard to track down the VIN... "6160" ... I am a new member and guarantee that I will be asking a lot of dumb questions in the future.

[eljay]

Hi! Welcome! The only dumb question is the one you don't ask! You may want to trying searching for info on trailer serial numbers here in the forum. There are great resources here.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Welcome Aboard!!

Should be on a plate similar to this around the entrance door...maybe.

Where do you see the 6160?

Bob

[azflycaster]

Based on the serial numbers provided here: Airstream, Inc :: Serial Numbers
I would guess that it is a 1955 Safari. That would make it a 22 foot long trailer.

[5455gypsy]

A safari...yay!

[5455gypsy]

My only issues with it being a 1955 Safari is that from all the pics I have seen, the door opens the opposite direction, the layout and windows are different as well...

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by 5455gypsy

My only issues with it being a 1955 Safari is that from all the pics I have seen, the door opens the opposite direction, the layout and windows are different as well...

So 6160 is the number on the plate by the door (like the photo above) or it's a red number above the front and rear windows?

[5455gypsy]

By the door. and there is a crazy set of 3 long numbers on the tongue. The number painted above the windows is faded to white but they read, 4565.

[wkerfoot]

Is this what you have: 1952 Cruiser 25' - Vintage Airstream

Bill

Originally Posted by 5455gypsy

By the door. and there is a crazy set of 3 long numbers on the tongue. The number painted above the windows is faded to white but they read, 4565.

[5455gypsy]

HOLY CRAP! That is it! Exact layout, windows, appliances and everything!

[Aage]

Congratulations on buying a fine old Airstream! Oh, and welcome to Airforums.com

There's lots of info here on trailers just like yours, you just have to look.

Yep, we're full of it.

[aceflys]

Originally Posted by 5455gypsy

HOLY CRAP! That is it! Exact layout, windows, appliances and everything!

Welcome 5455gypsy

We love Big Pine Key and the fried shrimp at the "No Name". Enjoy that Airstream.

Ace in PA

[5455gypsy]

Bought it right here, abandoned in someone's yard...I have been told that it was part of the original Caravans with Wally and there was a Cuban trip, I believe, back in 1953...

[Gene]

Before you do anything else, you have to get a good title. Call the DMV and see what they say, or go to the local office where they can't blow you off as easily. This could be difficult. In some states it is easy and others it is difficult.

Do you have a bill of sale? Is there any paperwork stashed away in the trailer? Did the guy you bought it from have anything to say about it's history or how he got it? Are there WBCCI numbers on it—that may make it easier to trace down the trailer's history? If the 4565 is above the front or rear window, it may be faded WBCCI numbers, though they should be decals—or the shadow of decals pulled off. Did it come from another state? The more information you can track down, the easier it will be to title it. You may have to get a builder's title.

You've got a lot of work ahead of you—how's the inside? Photos?

Gene

[tfbeitz]

I needed a title for NJ.
I "sold" the trailer to a buddy who lives in Georgia (a state that does not require title for pre XXXX (i cant remember the year). Who inturn resold the trailer to me with a notarized bill of sale. When I took the Bill of Sale to NJ MVS, they asked for a Georgia registration. My reply was "It was bought in GA as a project trailer that proved to be too much and was never registered and then sold to me.
I have my NJ registration and title.

[Wanlessrm]

NJ is a nightmare. Your buddy in GA will have to register it with the DMV and show he paid the county tax on it.
With the BOS and tax receipt you should be able to register it NJ.

[NJtoNC]

I needed a title for NJ.
I "sold" the trailer to a buddy who lives in Georgia (a state that does not require title for pre XXXX (i cant remember the year). Who inturn resold the trailer to me with a notarized bill of sale. When I took the Bill of Sale to NJ MVS, they asked for a Georgia registration. My reply was "It was bought in GA as a project trailer that proved to be too much and was never registered and then sold to me.
I have my NJ registration and title.
__________________

this also works if you have friends in TN or Alabama, and i've heard NY. AL and TN don't require titles for vintage vehicles.

[Jimbcole]

I like the shrimp pizza at No Name! And the bagel shop near the grocery store. Wish I could remember the name. :-)

[Jimbcole]

Maybe there is a Georgia forum member that could help on this? If that would work for SC, I'd be willing to pay a little bit to get a title for one of my old campers. SC is very strict. Must always have a bill of sale and a title, or bill of sale and registration from states not requiring a title.