Brakes and electrical questions. Need help!

[L'air 1960]

Does my 1960 overlander have electric brakes? where can i get thee replacement harnesses from thee tow vehicle to thee trailer,and the adapter for shore power?

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by L'air 1960

Does my 1960 overlander have electric brakes? where can i get thee replacement harnesses from thee tow vehicle to thee trailer,and the adapter for shore power?

The city power plug/socket must be converted to new style, as the socket you need has not been available for many years.

The pigtail at the front, requires about 7 to 8 feet of 7 way cable, or more, if you have to splice the wires in the front underbelly.

Then you should use round terminal connectors which are much better then the flat blade connectors.

Andy

[L'air 1960]

thank you,what type of plug do i get?and will i havee the cut the skin or is it a direct replacement

[overlander64]

Greetings L'air 1960!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Overlander ownership!

Originally Posted by L'air 1960

Does my 1960 overlander have electric brakes? where can i get thee replacement harnesses from thee tow vehicle to thee trailer,and the adapter for shore power?

Beginning in the mid-1950s, the RV industry was transitioning from hydraulic trailer brakes that connected directly to the rear brake circuit of the tow vehicle. Most 1960 Airstreams had Kelsey Hayes or Dexter electrict drum trailer brakes, but a few tandem axle units had one axle with electric brakes and the other with hydraulic brakes that permitted the owner to tow with a vehicle having a modern electric trailer brake controller as well as a tow vehicle with the older hydraulic brakes. Today, most Airstreams that had this dual system have been converted to electric brakes on both axles (my '64 Overlander was converted from the dual setup to all electrics in the very early 1970s).

As Andy mentioned, the Theo Bargman 30-Amp electric fixture is very nearly unobtainium. Once in a great while, one might turn up on E-Bay or via another RV restoration forum, but there have been very few turn up in the past five years. The Marinco connectors are much heavier duty, and compliment the form and function of our Airstreams. My coach was switched over to a Marinco 30-Amp electrical connector a little over two years ago, and I am thorough pleased with the conversion. You can find the Marinco fixtures at this link.

You will likely find similar problems with chafing of the umbilical cord that I had with my '64 Overlander. I purchased 12 feet of seven conductor trailer chassis wiring cable to rewire from the junction box in the front curbside corner of the bellypan out to the tow-vehicle connector plug. As Andy suggests, I also upgraded to the round-pin connector at the same time, and can report that it has been trouble-free when compared to the twice annual disassembly of the blade-type connector to remove corrossion. I went with the trailer end found in this link -- and the tow vehicle end found in this link.

Good luck with your Overlander!

Kevin