'57 Overlander Questions

[uwe]

I need to buy a 1957 Overlander real bad. The bug has got me again.....
The seller mentions Hydraulic brakes? Did they have hydraulic brakes back then?
Umbilical cord? Does it have the Bargman 7-pin connection? Anyone have one of these 57's or been around one? What will I need to get this thing to light up at least, having the 7-pin round on my Tow Vehicle ( 1/2 ton Suburban) ?
The weight of the trailer is supposed to be about 3200lbs, tongue weight about 260lbs. Does this seem right? I got those numbers off the Airstram faq page.
Do these have a 2" hitch ball? What about hitch height?
Leaf spring axles or dura torque? It's a California model, dual wheels and slanted wheel wells. Too cool. Gotta get it.
Anything else you might think of that I need to know before getting this trailer would be appreciated. I am set up to tow a 1971 tradewind, which seems much heavier, with almost twice the tongue weight. Will I need my weigh t distributing hitch?
The trailer is a little ways away, about a day's drive.

[Ken J]

Uwe

I've got a 58. Yes it could have hydaulic brakes, it should have a 7 pin connection, weight sounds about right, 2 inch ball in correct, leaf springs - cool - duel axle is a little unusual, but great, when I pulled mine it did not need distribution bars.

I'm on vacation now, so don't have a whole lot of time, e-mail me and I'll answer any questions I can

Ken

[85MH325]

Uwe, I briefly owned a '57 Overlander rear double bed, side bath model with tandem axles and the slanted wheelwells. It had a 2" ball, hydraulic brakes that didn't work, leaf springs and, if I remember right, 16" split rims. The weights you have are pretty close. Yours could have any kind of connector on it. I believe that the one that I had was a factory six pin round connector with round terminals as there were no electric brakes to activate. If it has been 'modernized' and pulled behind anything in the last ten years, it may have been converted to the Bargman 7 spade round. If it hasn't it's an easy conversion you can do in a half-hour before you tow it.

A WD hitch won't be a necessity for your Sub, but I'd recommend it and sway control just because it'll make your drive a lot more comfortable. It should tow just fine. When I sold mine, the new owner towed it as-is behind a 3/4 ton pickup from Iowa to Santa Rosa CA without incident on questionable tires.

Please post photos when you have them!

Roger

[uwe]

I did not win this auction. The price doubled in teh last 2 hours of bidding. Too high to buy sight unseen.
Thanks to all for their input.

[tinker333]

I am looking at what I believe is a '57 Overlander but the serial number seems to be too short and there are no letters. The plate indicates that it is a Jackson Center unit but beyond that it just reads 07286. It is approximately 22', single axle with a rear bath and side kitchen. The previous owner has added a window air conditioner in the front window. It looks to be in fair shape but some of the panels are missing from the underbelly. Can these be purchased or will they have to be custom fabricated? The frame has some rust in the vicinity of the rear bumper. Any comments on things in particular to look for when evaluating would be greatly appreciated. This will be my first Airstream and I look forward to the challenge of restoration and cannot wait to get started so I can be on the road sooner!
When I was in high school (60's) our family had a 17' Garway that saw a lot of action through the years and Airstreams were always a dream. Now that dream is becoming reality.
Thanks to all.

[Ken J]

Tinker

An Overlander would be 26' measured bumper to coupler - make sure the rear is complete except for glass - would be hard to replace hardware, underbelly is easy - fairly inexpensive sheet aluminum, just cut to fit, any frame rust should be surface only.

Welcome to the forum! We love restoration projects!

Kinda funny, UWE, when I first brought this post up, thought you were looking for another trailer again - till I read the date. Whew!

Ken

[85MH325]

Tinker, if the trailer is 22' bumper to ball and it's a '57 it would be either a Flying Cloud or a Caravanner, or potentially tagged as a "Custom" if it were custom-built for someone.

Roger

[tinker333]

Thanks Ken and Roger,
I just stepped (7 Paces @ 3'0" +/-) off the body without the tongue assembly for the guess-timate. The VIN plate says "Overlander". Also, the rear does not tuck under like the newer models. I don't know when that design change was made. As for the window, it appears that the modification was simply a substitution of plywood for glass to hold the window unit so I should be ok.
Greg

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Ken J

Kinda funny, UWE, when I first brought this post up, thought you were looking for another trailer again - till I read the date. Whew!

Ken

Not yet, Ken, not yet.... let me at least get the plywood on the 63's frame before starting a third project....

[Ken J]

Tinker

Plywood is good - can put the glass back in easily - molding is still avaliable. I think the fact that the rear does not tuck under is a good thing - those trailers tend to let water run into the belly and interior.

So if your saying the body is 22' add 3 for the tong - bit for the back and you have about a 26' overlander - if you could attach pictures, we would tell better.

Good luck - let us know what you do and welcome to the forum - we hope to hear from you alot before and after getting the trailer.

Ken