Vintage Tow Vehicles

[Globie64]

Hey Bill and Phyl, is the Monarch like a US-Fairlane? Is the 7.5 stock with a stick/overdrive set up, or have you changed out the motor?

best of luck to you, and it's so great to see a vintage AS with a vintage car

[Action]

Monarch Source

The 7.5l engine (460 CID) would have been from another vehicle. The 385 engine series (429-460) block wasn't manufactured until after 1968/1969. That 1957 Monarch would have had a 312 or a 368 as an engine choice.

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[safari57]

What a beauty. If I only had the room and hadn't just bought a truck I think I'd be in big trouble with the wife........

1969 Chevrolet Impala 427 Wagon


"1969 Chevrolet Impala Wagon, 427, 4-bbl., turbo 400, a/c, power steering, power disc brakes, power windows, tilt, solid, black plate California car, runs well, looks great, $8900/offer, Larry 408-483-9414"




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[aztlanco]

!958 Traveler
1956 Vette

[Globie64]

Wow, I love that station wagon... and it's only a couple of hours drive away.

[Clyde-2]

1972 Toyota FJ-55. Needs some suspension upgrades before I tow the AS with it. Most people think it's some sort of Jeep. Only going to use it for short trips.

[safari57]

Originally Posted by Globie64

Wow, I love that station wagon... and it's only a couple of hours drive away.

Just think of the wagon reflecting off your Airstream as you drive down the highway. And when you are parked in the campground.

And how neat it is zipping down the highway.

Yep, just think those thoughts on your way to pick it up. I can't remember the last time I saw one with these options for less than 20 grand, but it has been a lot of years.

Barry

[2airishuman]

awesome pix in this legacy thread !

the retro question is

old pre'burb like thing...



or crewcab powerstroke from the 30s...



cheers
2air'

[RVGuyRaleigh]

I am looking at ourchasing a 67 Chrysler Imperial with a 440 TNT engine. I have a 31' 1975 Excella 500, just under 5000lbs dry so maybe 5500lbs or so loaded. Love the car and want to see if you all think this would work well. I know it has the torque and power, as most of the 60's cars do.

Any reason why I should not proceed??

Thanks

[wkerfoot]

The only issue is that the Chrysler is unibody and you need to find a hitch fabricator who is familiar with unibody cars to fabricate the hitch. Mid 60's Chryslers are cool.

Bill

Originally Posted by RVGuyRaleigh

I am looking at ourchasing a 67 Chrysler Imperial with a 440 TNT engine. I have a 31' 1975 Excella 500, just under 5000lbs dry so maybe 5500lbs or so loaded. Love the car and want to see if you all think this would work well. I know it has the torque and power, as most of the 60's cars do.

Any reason why I should not proceed??

Thanks

[RVGuyRaleigh]

Javier,

I am looking at a 67 Imperial to tow my 31' Excella (1975). Dry weight is 5000 and loaded maybe 5500-5700lbs. It has the 440 TNT Engine. I know the torque and HP are there. Since you are an Imperial owner, do you see any issues?

Thanks
Neil

Originally Posted by GolfStream

I'm the Javier who had the hitch manufactured for the 1968 Imperial. Hello everyone! It tastes great and is less filling.

With the weight distributing hitch (must have) and the receiver bolted into two spots along the uniframe, the Imperial pulls better than my back up tow vehicle (an '06 4Runner).

That said, My 19 foot Bambi International is well under the tow capacity of the Imperial with the tow package and i wouldn't try to pull anything heavier than that. The car still has that sixties luxury car ride slopiness and the steering will never have the road feel and tightness of a modern car. (All of this makes the car just not as safe as a newer tow vehicle with abs, etc and so forth.) But i believe, because I'm not playing Tim Taylor with my rig, i have a very safe, and extremely cool ride.

In case you were wondering:

Bambi - a photoset on Flickr

My car is a strong #2- driver and it is important to me to keep the rig as safe as possible. Once i have the (reese dual cam) sway control and the heavier springs, sway control bars on the car, and higher gear ratio upgrades made, i'll be confident on mountain roads.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

But to anyone else considering towing with a vintage car, GO FOR IT. The airstream alone is somewhat of an odity, but it doubles when some passes you to see that fine vintage convertible at the lead.

Cheers,

Javier

[RVGuyRaleigh]

Just got this 66 DeVille Conv to pull my 1975- 31' Excella. Looking forward to hitting the road.

[overlander64]

Greetings RVGuyRaleigh!

Congratulations on one fine Cadillac!

Originally Posted by RVGuyRaleigh

Attachment 153055

Just got this 66 DeVille Conv to pull my 1975- 31' Excella. Looking forward to hitting the road.

I have always considered the late 1960s to 1970 Cadillac DeVille convertible the superior tow vehicle when compared to the 1971 to 1976 Eldorado convertible that was its successor. With the DeVille you at least have the option of a comparatively easy differential gear change while the later Eldorados only had one option if you had the 2.70 final drive and that was 3.07 and the change was prohibitively expensive.

Enjoy the challenges of introducing your Cadillac to your Airstream!

Kevin

[RVGuyRaleigh]

Thanks Kevin. It's in the shop now getting a little engine work done. As it stands now it has more HP and more Torque than my 08 Tahoe so I am going to give it a try without changing the differential just yet. Plus, I am having a newer auto leveling system installed, oversized Trans cooler, as I live in the mountains of Western NC and have more than one 7% grade to contend with. My mechanic found a hitch that will work with monir modification. The Airstream is in it's final stages of repolishing now so it should be a site to see. lol.

[aztlanco]

[QUOTE=RVGuyRaleigh; The Airstream is in it's final stages of repolishing now so it should be a site to see. lol.[/QUOTE]


Would love to see a picture of both the Caddy and the Airstream "hooked-up" together. Congratulations on your set-up!
Maaann,, I love old stuff!

Ernie
1958 Traveler, 18 ft.

[slowmover]

My folks used their '76 DeVille as TV for over 12-years. Don't know about year-to-year interchange, but he had it switched to the optional 3.21 ratio, IIRC (maybe 3.15 according to some sources). Posi-Trac was also present (and a good idea). A rear anti-roll bar was also added, as were two-stage "progressive" rear coil springs (MOOG Cargo Coil CC511; with new insulators).

Monroe Sensatrac is about the only choice for shock absorbers it looks like.

ADDCO 897 and 940 are the anti-roll bar numbers (poly bushings recommended).

ATF and PSF coolers/filters are also a good idea.

Sorry the Imperial didn't make the cut . . it would have been the better car for towing.

[crazeevw]

Just found this thread! Love it!
Thanks, Derek

[rems]

hi there, i'm a new guy on this forum and i'm from france. I love airstreams for many years now and my dream is to bring back one from US. We currently have a 2007 shelby gt500, 1966 mustang convertible and a 1955 chevy pick up.

Do you think i can tow an airstream ( and which one) with my pick up. It's a V8 265 ci, has IFS and disk brakes, power sterring and soon air ride suspension. Has independant rear suspension and disk brakes too. 3 speed manual, no leaks or any problem. I dont have a hitch. The manual says that the truck can tow up to 5000 lbs but that was a long time ago...

What do you think ?

[aztlanco]

If you get a good hitch installed (to the frame and not the bumper),, I think you could tow one of the smaller Airstreams under 20ft, like a Bambi, Traveler, Caravel, Globerotter etc. Make shure your trailert has good brakes to help your truck with the stoping. Good luck!
Ernie
1958 Traveler, 18ft

[SeeMore]

Your pickup should tow any matching era Airstream no problem with a frame mounted hitch and brake upgrade The newer the Airstream, the smaller the unit it would need to be. As many of us do, Airstreams gained weight every year as time passed. You can look up specifications for various years and models here:

Airstream, Inc :: Specifications