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Sum75 · 05-06-2013, 05:40 PM

Good for you, Lonewolf! Can't wait to have another vintage Overlander thread to read up on! There's so much to learn and do- you won't be bored!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonewolf1977

Well, only after a couple of back & forth emails, we agreed on a price. It will be a couple of weeks before we can get her home. I think you & I are gonna be close friends

safari62 · 05-17-2013, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sum75

Good for you, Lonewolf! Can't wait to have another vintage Overlander thread to read up on! There's so much to learn and do- you won't be bored!

Sum & LW
I just came across your threads and it looks like you both have very interesting trailers and projects in the future.

We just joined the 57' club after owning and traveling with our 1962 Safari for the last ten years. Plans right now are to restore the 57', sell and keep on trucking with the Safari until the end of time.

The 1957 Custom 22' came to us after our friend decided it was still too small for his families needs and bought a 1957 Cruiser 26', which, at least to me looks like an earlier Overlander with the single axle.

My friends Cruiser was, like both of your trailers a single axle but was converted to a double axle during the floor and frame repair project by the prior owners. They decided to bale on the project as they were already juggling too many other projects.

The Cruiser is unique as it was ordered with only front and rear windows. Really. The interior had two long wardrobe cabinets and accrding to the title was owned by Henry Ford II of Dearborn, Michigan. We have not been able to find much other in the way of history on this trailer other then that.

I will include one photo (of the Cruiser) just so people won't think I am making this up. Good luck on your projects and thanks for sharing your stories.

Gary

NJtoNC · 05-17-2013, 07:21 AM

gary,
the story of that trailer is incredible. The photo is just so bizarre. do you have other photos? it seems as if this would be a very very valuable trailer.

lonewolf1977 · 05-17-2013, 07:22 AM

Gary, come join us in the fun!!! Interesting looking AS you have there. I may be too claustrophobic for that one!!

safari62 · 05-17-2013, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonewolf1977

Gary, come join us in the fun!!! Interesting looking AS you have there. I may be too claustrophobic for that one!!

Yes. we are looking for windows if anyone has some leads on them! I suggested to my friend Bruce this was more likely owned by Harold Hughes the famous recluse. But on the plus side less window leaks!

Our Custom may have too many windows....can one have too many? Only when it is time to rebuild them.

Love the window layout on Sums Overlander.

I am helping with the floorplan on the Cruiser while working on the custom and the extra few feet sure make it easier. But adding an extra axle puts a dent in the available floor space. Bruce is set on a rear double bed at this moment. Rear baths in pre-58' models can be a challenge with the slanted roof line.

Sum75 · 05-17-2013, 08:25 AM

Wow, Gary, that is quite the conversation piece! I wonder if it is most valuable left windowless? I'm hard pressed to imagine anyone wanting a windowless travel trailer, though! I'm guessing it would be better suited as a home art studio/ lounge/ movie screening room, etc etc! Do try to find more history if you can!

Of course, if you are sure you will be adding windows, you could have a lot of fun with that... At first when I saw your picture, I imagined a row of portholes- in keeping with the futuristic shiny bullet look (like a train or passenger plane or something).

Again, if staying original is out, I could also imagine a very cool food truck conversion (close your ears, you purists out there!).

It almost seems a shame to take this unique girl and to make her conform to what everyone else has got. But as I often hear on this site, it's your trailer so do what works for you! Just keep us posted, I'm intrigued now :-)

Colin H · 05-17-2013, 09:51 AM

I look at this trailer everyday when I come to work

.................as it's on my lot.
Colin

Sum75 · 05-17-2013, 11:34 AM

Cool, Colin! Does it ever speak to you about what it might like to be or to look like? It's such a perfect blank slate right now!

If I looked at it everyday I'm sure I would have dozens of ideas for it- layout, windows, etc etc!

NJtoNC · 05-17-2013, 11:42 AM

Quote:

I wonder if it is most valuable left windowless?

i agree. such an interesting piece of history, it's a real shame to modify it so severely.

NJtoNC · 05-17-2013, 11:52 AM

i am so sorry to contribute to the hijacking if this thread... but is the henry ford trailer perhaps this 26'? not a 22? 1956 Custom 26' - Vintage Airstream or did he get a 2nd custom AS the following yr?

Quote:

This is s/n O-4959, and was owned by Henry Ford II – who evidently didn’t like to see out – or people see in, as it didn’t have any side windows.

Sum75 · 05-17-2013, 12:14 PM

Great detective work, that has to be it, right? Yes, ultimately I agree with you, if it is historically significant, why not leave it as is, and find someone who likes it as is...

On the other hand, if nobody wants it (because a windowless trailer really isn't very appropriate for most people) and if it has languished for 50 years and is destined to more of the same... Well then I say the owner should do what works for him.

If the trailer this gentleman Bruce owns is indeed the one you posted the link to, it sounds like it has already been modified some: Gary described two long cabinets on the interior which I don't see in the photos-?

Anyway, I don't mind the thread hijack at all... It's an interesting trailer, and it sure is getting us talking, isn't it :-)

Sum75 · 05-17-2013, 12:20 PM

Ooh, one more thing-- it has already been altered significantly by the addition of a second axle... So I would be more inclined for the new owner to do what he wants... Seems any value related to the historical aspect has already been destroyed. Just my 2 cents!

Melody Ranch · 05-17-2013, 12:25 PM

I see no historical relevance to this at all. Just a real nice Airstream with some stories about it.

Sum75 · 05-17-2013, 12:34 PM

So, Melody... Would you keep it windowless because that's what's makes it an interesting trailer, or would you add windows as desired?

Melody Ranch · 05-17-2013, 01:40 PM

I like interesting. If I had a great interior figured out I'd probably go with it. You can have a lot of fun with it and the people it will draw. Start looking for windows....they are hard to find, as you know. Then if you go the other way you can have fun with it in that direction. There are those who attribute value to previous ownerships....I don't. Want to know what I think about a Celebrity owned Car or Airstream? Not much. You still have a great Airstream which I admire you for.

lonewolf1977 · 05-17-2013, 02:15 PM

reminds me of that Seinfeld episode when George thought he had bought Jon Voigt's convertible....

safari62 · 05-17-2013, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sum75

Cool, Colin! Does it ever speak to you about what it might like to be or to look like? It's such a perfect blank slate right now!

If I looked at it everyday I'm sure I would have dozens of ideas for it- layout, windows, etc etc!

Sum75

Thanks for letting us jump in to your thread. I brought it up as I thought it would be interesting to compare to your and lonewolfs single axle 26' models. The year model would explain the Cruiser vs Overlander as I remembered it as a 57' . My bad. It is the same trailer listed on AJ Dial's Archive webpage section. What a great resource and many thanks to him for starting this.

As far as added historical and dollar added value I guess this is in the eye of the beholder. The previous owners contacted the Henry Ford Museum and they had no interest in it. It was offered for sale to them and they declined. What it does have is very good skin condition from relatively little road use.

Colin...is it speaking to you yet? Can you hear it above all those other voices in your head? The little voice in my head (Jane) just told me you have not cashed that check I sent you for the black tank converter plate. Ha Ha better do that before the date expires.

Thanks again Sum. Back to Phoebe (Great name!)

Gary

Sum75 · 05-17-2013, 05:00 PM

Well, Jane and Gary... Don't just get me interested in the trailer then leave me hanging! Will there be a thread about it? If so, I'd love to follow along! Interesting is interesting! :-)

As for Phoebe... I'm finally pregnant with my first and likely only baby (well, babies: twins!)... So Phoebe isn't getting a lot of attention right now :-( Though I do now have new motivation for getting her restored! I need a guest room in the near future and family camping headquarters longer term! But I won't be doing any heavy lifting/ stripping/ polishing/ you name it for the next few months at least.

So-- I really really need links to cool threads during this down time! If you don't have a thread started on the Henry Ford trailer, then by all means start one! Waiting impatiently... :-)

Summer

Colin H · 05-18-2013, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

I see no historical relevance to this at all. Just a real nice Airstream with some stories about it.

You're right, that's exactly what it is. Henry Ford II's dodo stank just like ours does. This trailer was on ebay about 6 or 7 years ago & was purchased by the previous owner as a great starting point to a "period correct" customization. Keep in mind that Wally would build whatever you wanted back then............for a price, so turning this into a camper with your own interior layout was not out of the question. I am probably more of a "purist" than most, but this trailer had few options, other than becoming what we are creating, or a hotdog stand. The interior consisted of a bulkhead just aft of the door that included a Panel Ray wall mount heater, along with clothing rails attached to the ceiling, running the full length of the trailer. Another previous owner had installed some very crude cabinets, & had used the trailer as a Deer camp in Northern Michigan for some time. As it didn't see much road time, the body is in remarkable condition. The floor had the typical rot so it had to be replaced. As it never had side windows, the interior layout was very open to whatever design the client wanted. This is possible with any Airstream refurbishment, but it creates a lot more work when you have to move windows to suit the layout. It was decided that during the chassis/floor work, that the original single axle leaf spring suspension would be replaced with a modern tandem torsion axle suspension. Work stopped on the project not long after the axles were installed, & after several years of languishing in the owners yard, they decided to sell it, so someone else could complete it's recreation. I hooked the previous owner up with Bruce & the story starts again. So, I guess the question will still remain, should this trailer have been left in it's original state, & perhaps gone into a museum somewhere to be gawked at, or become the basis of someones dream & go onto another wonderful life.
There are assorted, far more historically significant trailers sitting in the front parking lot at the Airstream factory right now, that spend their lives in the sun, rain & snow, that are more deserving than Henry Ford II's wardrobe trailer. Perhaps these ones should be preserved in a museum for future generations?
Thanks,
Colin