Help confirm that this is a '53 Flying Cloud?

[akas]

Hi all. Just picked this up a couple days ago. I'm a newbie so am not even positive of what I have and thought that might be the best place to start. Was advertised as a '58, but I think it is a '53 Flying Cloud. I'm not sure the recorded VIN is correct. It is something like CAL721294 on the title, but that doesn't fit the format I've read about. I looked high and low for a data plate but there is none. Numbers on the top of the A-frame are patent numbers. There is a number stamped on the side of the A-frame which is W717. Doesn't seem quite right either.

Can any of the experts out there take a look at the pics and help me identify this? Thanks.

[InsideOut]

Based on the number you posted, looks to me like it might even be a '52. But the stove is definately not that old...it was probably replaced somewhere along the way. If it were a '58 it wouldn't have 13 panels...the vertical back (opposed to sloped) lead me to believe it's either a '52 or '53 as in '54 the back was sloped and it was 22' instead of 21' long.

What is the stamped number on the plate beneath the stached windows next to the door? That is your real VIN number...looks like a nice find!

From the outside, it looks a lot like this one to me ~


Shari

[Excella CM]

Looks like the plate is missing?

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Excella CM

Looks like the plate is missing?

Hmmm...looks like you're right. I didn't blow-up the pic.

Shari

[InsideOut]

In my '56, the VIN number is stamped on a hidden face of the cabinet drawers/doors. Almost every piece of woodwork has our VIN number on it somewhere. Not sure when they started this...but you may want to look for a tiny (<1/8") black number on the end of a drawer...mine says 6421, in what looks like a datestamp sort of thing.

Shari

[akas]

That's not the data plate from Airstream. That's a dealer plate, so I know where it was purchased, but there's no VIN stamped in it. I should look closer and see if it's covering the original plate. Thanks for the tip on the cabinets, Shari. I'll do some more looking. BTW, I can't believe you guys replied so quickly. Thanks again!

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by akas

Thanks for the tip on the cabinets, Shari. I'll do some more looking.

It's easiest to find on drawers...usually on the outside, back of the side panel. Just pull out a drawer & look on all sides. For the doors it's either on the bottom or behind a hinge so you have to take the hinges off. The funny thing is, all our drawers/doors have 6421 except for four of the kitchen drawers which have 6424. This confirms that our friend's '56 Safari 6423 and ours were in the "womb" together. If we ever find 6424 I'd be curious if they have our drawers ~ Pretty funny!

Shari

[InsideOut]

Okay, so I got home & looked through some of the pictures I've taken...here's one that shows the number I am talking about. This was taken during stripping so that's what all the orange "goo" is...

Shari

[akas]

I looked high and low and none of the drawers have a number. The cabinetry does look like it was build for this Airstream and around the same period but lots of different materials were used, especially in the drawer construction so who knows how much of it is actually original. It's easy for things to look 'vintage' over a 50 year time span. I think I'll settle on a '53 and get on with the restoration. The VIN on the title is CAL129704. Maybe someone can decifer that.

[47WeeWind]

Originally Posted by akas

...The VIN on the title is CAL129704. Maybe someone can decifer that.

That title VIN looks like an arbitrary VIN that was assigned to the trailer by the CAL DMV because the trailer's real VIN was unknown, perhaps due to a missing data plate. The VIN's first three letters, CAL, lead me to that conclusion.

[85MH325]

I concur with the California-issued VIN thought.

It's definately a '52 or '53 Flying Cloud... there really wasn't much difference between the two. In '53 they began to differentiate the Ohio-built FCs by prefacing the VIN with an "O", and I believe that the Ohio VINs were in the 7,000 series and the Sante Fe Springs VINs in the 5,000 series. (Please correct me if I'm wrong, Fred!) Of course, absent other info on yours, you'll never know, without the original VIN, which plant it was built in!

Roger

[CaptainJones]

California Clouds began in 1950 with a starting vin of 7001 and went up to 84?? in late 1958 when they changed the numbering system.

Ohio clouds began in 1953 with a starting vin of 3001 and went to about 3500 before changing in 1959.

I have heard the Vin was also stamped on the frame tongue, but I have never looked for mine as my original plate was still there.

[47WeeWind]

It looks to me to be a late 1953 California built 21' Flying Cloud. I base that on the mid-body height of the side marker lights, which show up on 1953 Flying Clouds. Of the three having them on RJ's web site:

53FC

only one trailer has a serial number listed, 7521, which is a late 1953 model year California serial number. That trailer is listed under 53FC5. The other two, 53FC1 and 53FC4, don't have their serial numbers listed but also have mid-body height side marker lights. So going by the admittedly unreliable sample of one example, I'd say yours is a late 1953 Flying Cloud. Earlier FC's all seem to have the side marker lights very low on the body sides, just above floor level.

[safari57]

My 51 and my buddies 51 registerd as a 52 both had rectanglular tail lights (since replaced in the past with Bargman 99's) but you can still see where that was done. My buddies, S/n is 30 away from mine, has lower but not quite at the bottom marker lights only, mine has bottom and top. Also, the front window is different. Ours have the two panes of glass, so I believe yours is a 1953. Good find, congratulations. It looks in reasonable shape. Oh yeah, one other thing, my cupboards are similar to yours where the other one is quite ornate (I'm so jealous and I have kindly offered to trade him cupboards/counters but he has so far declined - but I'm working on him).

Barry

[safari57]

You can view mine on RJ Dial's site, under 1951,
1951FlyingCloud2
. The s/n is 7173. The '52's I've seen in pictures all resemble mine for front and rear windows.

Barry

[85MH325]

Originally Posted by 47WeeWind

It looks to me to be a late 1953 California built 21' Flying Cloud. I base that on the mid-body height of the side marker lights, which show up on 1953 Flying Clouds. Of the three having them on RJ's web site:

53FC

only one trailer has a serial number listed, 7521, which is a late 1953 model year California serial number. That trailer is listed under 53FC5. The other two, 53FC1 and 53FC4, don't have their serial numbers listed but also have mid-body height side marker lights. So going by the admittedly unreliable sample of one example, I'd say yours is a late 1953 Flying Cloud. Earlier FC's all seem to have the side marker lights very low on the body sides, just above floor level.

Captain Jones, thanks for straightening me out on the VIN series. If I'd have looked at my own photos I'd have gotten it right!

Here is a photo of two '53 Flying Clouds together, both Ohio production, and less then 30 units apart in production. The one on the left is the one T.Gray has restored so beautifully and has a VIN of "3009", note that there is no "O" in front of it. It has the low side marker lights Fred mentioned. It also had square Bargman taillights as original equipment. The one on the right had, I believe, a VIN of "O-3031" or close to that and has the higher side marker lights. Note that neither has a water tank fill neck in the same location as the one shown earlier in this thread.

Roger

[47WeeWind]

Originally Posted by 85MH325

Here is a photo of two '53 Flying Clouds together, both Ohio production, and less then 30 units apart in production. The one on the left is the one T.Gray has restored so beautifully and has a VIN of "3009", note that there is no "O" in front of it. Roger

Roger:

Thanks for posting the photo of that early Ohio serial number plate for Flying Cloud "3009". Note the only factory address on these early Ohio trailer s/n plates is the Los Angeles factory, which makes me theorize the "O" was quickly added as a serial number preface to denote the Jackson Center, Ohio factory before new serial number plates were made that listed both factories. Once those new s/n plates arrived, the Ohio factory kept the "O" as it was now useful to distinguish the Ohio from Calif. factories that appeared together on the revised s/n plates. Besides, "O"ld habits die hard.

[akas]

Thanks again everybody. The amount of knowledge you bring to these forums is amazing! Now that I'm sure of what I have I can make some better decisions as to the restoration. We're going to go for a semi-custom rather than all original restore. I plan to start with doing the floor/frame/holding tank combo that many have done. It'll all be with shell on since I don't have a shop and I can use the shell as a shelter during colder months. (Nine out of 12 months could be considered colder in Alaska) I'm sure you'll see me in the other threads.

[urbanfood]

haven't been on this thread before. great find akas!

fred, there is no california whale tail on this one which may mean it was ohio built BUT i don't know when they started making the california whale tails. any idea?