Looking for advice on bringing home '53 FC

[cycletahoe]

First post....so many forums I wasn't sure best place to post my questions. I inherited a '53 FC and now it's time to bring it home. It has been sitting for over 20 years. I'm excitied about going to get it!!! Should be quite an adventure.....I live in Reno, NV and trailor is located near Peoria, IL. I plan on putting on new wheels/tires and repacking the bearings on site. Where is the best place to purchase/order replacement rims/tires? My brother lives in the area and is going to view the trailor in a couple of weeks to look it over. Beyond obvious frame/axel/tongue cracks; what other things do we need to consider? Are my expectations of slapping on new wheels/tires, repacking the bearing and towing her across the country after sitting for 20 plus years a little whacked or not? Appreciate any advice.

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by cycletahoe

First post....so many forums I wasn't sure best place to post my questions. I inherited a '53 FC and now it's time to bring it home. It has been sitting for over 20 years. I'm excitied about going to get it!!! Should be quite an adventure.....I live in Reno, NV and trailor is located near Peoria, IL. I plan on putting on new wheels/tires and repacking the bearings on site. Where is the best place to purchase/order replacement rims/tires? My brother lives in the area and is going to view the trailor in a couple of weeks to look it over. Beyond obvious frame/axel/tongue cracks; what other things do we need to consider? Are my expectations of slapping on new wheels/tires, repacking the bearing and towing her across the country after sitting for 20 plus years a little whacked or not? Appreciate any advice.

Cycletahoe,

Another important item is brakes. You are considering exactly what we did in bringing home our 1954 Liner, from Florida to California. The new brakes and backing plates do not fit the 1954 drums, also we wanted to go from 5 bolt to 6 bolt wheels, so we bought new axles and springs. The axles were replaced in Florida before towing home. Our thread is here: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f334/

Good luck and keep all of us posted.

Bill

[Kevin245]

Welcome,

What a wonderful aquisition. You're on the right track with the tire/wheels, and bearings. I'd also perform a good overall visual inspection looking for loose skin, vents, hatches, windows, and lights. Be prepared to tape up, remove, or otherwise anything not deemed secure enough for transit. Also check the coupler for wear and corrosion, and check the tongue area for corrosion as well.

Be prepared to rig some temporary running lights if needed, and check the brakes.

If you see any sign of sag, body tilt, or droop when you stand back and sight the trailer, you could have some underlying frame issues that would warrant an additional look around under the belly.

She's a classic, so go slow and take your time bringing her home.

Best of luck, and post some pictures when you are able.

Kevin

[soldiermedic]

Cycletahoe,

Congrats on receiving a great gift.

I took home a 53 Flying Cloud last August, and a lot of the advice given so far is good advice. My lights didn't work at all, and I wish I had brought some temp lights to use. My jack did not work, and I had to purchase a floor jack just to get the thing up enough to get it on the hitch ball. The hitch size of my trailer was originally a 1 7/8 hitch ball, and I had to buy one when I go to the trailer. My tires were completely shot, and new ones would be an excellent idea.

Please check out the link to my streaming soldiers blog below, and head to the posts from Aug 2008. This will give you an excellent idea what you are up against. We are in St. Louis, MO and would love to see the trailer on your return trip if possible.

Good luck,

Steve

[easyride]

I think if I inherited a 53 FC ,I would put that on a car trailer,and not take a chance until everything is checked out.Dave

[cycletahoe]

Originally Posted by wkerfoot

Cycletahoe,

Another important item is brakes. You are considering exactly what we did in bringing home our 1954 Liner, from Florida to California. The new brakes and backing plates do not fit the 1954 drums, also we wanted to go from 5 bolt to 6 bolt wheels, so we bought new axles and springs. The axles were replaced in Florida before towing home. Our thread is here: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f334/

Good luck and keep all of us posted.

Bill

Thanks Bill - great thread

'53 FC is a single axle, not sure if she has brakes or not. Another thing for my brother to look at when he checks it out. Would I need to worry about trailer brakes if we have a big enough truck to pull it home (1/2 ton Dodge Ram)?

I'll definately post trip home.

Best - Scott Smith

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by cycletahoe

Thanks Bill - great thread

'53 FC is a single axle, not sure if she has brakes or not. Another thing for my brother to look at when he checks it out. Would I need to worry about trailer brakes if we have a big enough truck to pull it home (1/2 ton Dodge Ram)?

I'll definately post trip home.

Best - Scott Smith

Scott,

Yes, you always need to worry about brakes, regardless of the size of your tow vehicle. Although I am a Dodge fan, a 1/2 T truck is not big enough.

Bill

[cycletahoe]

Originally Posted by Kevin245

Welcome,

What a wonderful aquisition. You're on the right track with the tire/wheels, and bearings. I'd also perform a good overall visual inspection looking for loose skin, vents, hatches, windows, and lights. Be prepared to tape up, remove, or otherwise anything not deemed secure enough for transit. Also check the coupler for wear and corrosion, and check the tongue area for corrosion as well.

Be prepared to rig some temporary running lights if needed, and check the brakes.

If you see any sign of sag, body tilt, or droop when you stand back and sight the trailer, you could have some underlying frame issues that would warrant an additional look around under the belly.

She's a classic, so go slow and take your time bringing her home.

Best of luck, and post some pictures when you are able.

Kevin

Thanks for the advice Kevin!

I will be sure to secure any loose pieces. My brother is going to inspect the lights and can fix any moderate issues. Otherwise we will run temporary lights.

Hopefully no sag (got my fingers crossed) - anxious to get condition report back. Been sitting in fairly humid summers and cold winters

Does the single axle '53 FC have brakes for certain (not familar enough)?

Best - Scott

[cycletahoe]

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

Cycletahoe,

Congrats on receiving a great gift.

I took home a 53 Flying Cloud last August, and a lot of the advice given so far is good advice. My lights didn't work at all, and I wish I had brought some temp lights to use. My jack did not work, and I had to purchase a floor jack just to get the thing up enough to get it on the hitch ball. The hitch size of my trailer was originally a 1 7/8 hitch ball, and I had to buy one when I go to the trailer. My tires were completely shot, and new ones would be an excellent idea.

Please check out the link to my streaming soldiers blog below, and head to the posts from Aug 2008. This will give you an excellent idea what you are up against. We are in St. Louis, MO and would love to see the trailer on your return trip if possible.

Good luck,

Steve

Thanks Steve! I will check out your blog - sounds like a great reference for my trip.

Best - Scott

[cycletahoe]

Originally Posted by wkerfoot

Scott,

Yes, you always need to worry about brakes, regardless of the size of your tow vehicle. Although I am a Dodge fan, a 1/2 T truck is not big enough.

Bill

Thanks again Bill! Will do

[cycletahoe]

Originally Posted by easyride

I think if I inherited a 53 FC ,I would put that on a car trailer,and not take a chance until everything is checked out.Dave

Excellent point! May be best/safest option to get her home. I'll get condition report in a couple of weeks and may half to go this route.

- Scott

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by wkerfoot

Scott,

Yes, you always need to worry about brakes, regardless of the size of your tow vehicle. Although I am a Dodge fan, a 1/2 T truck is not big enough.

Bill

Bill, it's a 53 Flying Cloud, I'm sure a 1/2 ton truck will be more than enough to safely tow it. I apologize in advance if I've misread or otherwise misunderstood what you're saying.
MarkR

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by MarkR

Bill, it's a 53 Flying Cloud, I'm sure a 1/2 ton truck will be more than enough to safely tow it. I apologize in advance if I've misread or otherwise misunderstood what you're saying.
MarkR

Mark,

I was referring to the comment about the 1/2 T truck being enough truck to tow the FC without brakes, not that the 1/2 T truck would be enough for a FC with brakes.

Bill

[soldiermedic]

I towed my 53 FC without brakes over 8 hours, and my half ton was fine. I would not however repeat the trip again.

Steve

[Shacksman]

When I towed the 60 Ambassador home it had broken brake springs ratteling around in the drum. You may want to see if there is any loose parts in there before you start. Otherwise it pulled fine without the brakes hooked up.

[cycletahoe]

From what I could gather in other posts, a 15" heavy steel truck wheel and a heavy duty 700-15 6 ply tire should be good to get me on the road as far as wheels and tire are concerned. Does this sound right?

I plan on replacing the axle down the road, but to get her home my thought is to find reliable used 5 bolt rim and put new tires on them. I plan on going with 6 bolt pattern when replacing axle and don't want to sink too much money into 5 bold wheel.

- Scott

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by cycletahoe

From what I could gather in other posts, a 15" heavy steel truck wheel and a heavy duty 700-15 6 ply tire should be good to get me on the road as far as wheels and tire are concerned. Does this sound right?

I plan on replacing the axle down the road, but to get her home my thought is to find reliable used 5 bolt rim and put new tires on them. I plan on going with 6 bolt pattern when replacing axle and don't want to sink too much money into 5 bold wheel.

- Scott

Scott,

Something else which I just remembered. My 1954 Liner had 5 bolt wheels with a locater pin on the drum and a hole in the wheel to go over the pin. Check and make sure that your FC does not have the same thing or you will have to drill the wheel or cut off the pin.

Bill

[Minno]

We towed home a '72 Soverign from Mobile, AL to MN in April (about 1300 miles). We put temporary running and brake lights on her, ran new wiring to the brakes for the tow home, and sealed her up (missing vent, and the storage areas didn't stay shut). Gorilla tape works great - stronger than duct tape. One thing we didn't check carefully, and regretted, was the underbelly. We lost a piece on the way home somewhere, and nearly lost our electric cord stored in the rear bumper also. Something to check. Ours, too, had not been towed significantly for many many years. She towed like a dream except for that piece of belly skin. Good luck!

[cycletahoe]

Heading back in 3 weeks to pick her up. This photo of the tongue was just sent over to me....more on the way. Tongue is going to have to be replaced before I drag it home. Considering having the axel replaced while it's in the shop. - Scott

[DanB]

OK, let me get this straight. You were gifted an incredible trailer, you want to restore it, and you are going to go get it. But, it hasn't moved in 20 years. It it over 50 years old. The trip is 1,800 miles.

Now I'm not the brightess bulb in the lamp, but I don't like your odds!

I'm not saying it can't be done, but your crossing the rockies aren't you?

If I would do this I would consider two options:

- rent the carhauler.

- fix tounge, replace axle, tires, brakes.

Realistically, you probably have a rusty frame. That damage could range from surface, to completely missing major parts. You probably won't know this till you get there. Even then, you may not find them.

I would hate to have a major structural failure coming down the backside of a mountain at 2am.

You may want to take advantage of having an "inspection party" when you get to Perioa. I'm sure you could get lots of help from forum members to get this treasure properly readied for your trip home.

Heck, I bet you could arrange for enough courtesy parking and escorts to follow you home!

Man, I get envious when I read about adventures like this! Hope it can be me someday!

Good Luck