demystifying the whale tail - 1954 Flying Cloud

[greenrig]

so the whale tail was made only in CA? and only up to 1957? so around half of the FC made during this era had whale tails. i notice adds on craigslist and ebay adds seller advertises the 'tails' rarity and prices usually reflect (way more expensive). but arent the non whale tails in the era just as rare? so the price increase is because of a more desirable panel configuration and not rarity? or were there really less whale tails made? does interior FC layout have a role in value as well? 1 more question. did any of the fc in early 50's have factory installed showers?

thanks !

[utee94]

I'm a big fan of whale tails. I don't know the answers to most of your questions, but I THINK that whale tails were only made in California for a couple of years, maybe 1956 and 1957, so that is why they are relatively rare.

If I'm wrong, I'm quite certain someone will be along to correct me.

[TWaugh]

IMHO any Flying Cloud is a treasure, if its in fair to good condition and if the price is reasonable.

As for the production years for the whale tail check this site for year by year comparisons.
Vintage Airstream Photo Archives
From what I can tell it looks as though they were produced from 54 through 57. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone more informed will correct me.

Tom

[SilverPal]

With all my infinite wisdom (install chuckle here) the Whales Tails were a California anomaly. They began in the 1950s and went up to the early 1957's. I agree! Any whale's tail is a prized possession!

[greenrig]

this is all due to the panel configuration? thats it?

[Distantdrummer]

Someone please post a pic of the whale tail configuration.
I have such a pic somewhere but cannot find it. Might make this thread a bit more useful for future (and current) users / readers.

[Distantdrummer]

Look here for classic whale tails (as I know them). And why would that thread be closed I wonder?
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f381...ail-38720.html

======================================
Now Here is pic of a '49 (reportedly)
Is there a Whale Tail here?

Would the keystone shaped panel above and behind the license plates be considered a whale's tail also?

[VIKING]

Here's your whale tail pic!

Rich

[VIKING]

The '49 has a trout tail, or maybe a goldfish tail

[Sugarfoot]

Here's a shot of Elvis, my 1956 California Sovereign of the Road. The whale tail consist of nine panels on the rear endcap, four on each side and a center panel coming from the roofline and flaring over the window. The "whale tail" is the section over the window.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that this was done by the California factory as an answer to labor savings. Instead of riveting 13 panels, they only had to rivet nine.

[Distantdrummer]

thanks
and finally is a dutchmans cap the same as a whale's tail?

[Sugarfoot]

Originally Posted by Distantdrummer

thanks
and finally is a dutchmans cap the same as a whale's tail?

That's what I've been told.

I'm not convinced they are all that rare, except that I believe California produced fewer trailers than Ohio over those years. But it is hard to deny the cool factor. I love 'em!

[utee94]

Originally Posted by Sugarfoot

That's what I've been told.

I'm not convinced they are all that rare, except that I believe California produced fewer trailers than Ohio over those years. But it is hard to deny the cool factor. I love 'em!

Well, I guess that, and also that they produced non-whale-tails both before (13 panels) and after (7 panels) the whale-tail production run, so even the California plant produced fewer whale tails over time, relative to the other endcap configurations.

Here's a shot of an internal whale tail-- these are quite rare I've heard.




-Marcus

[Sugarfoot]

Originally Posted by utee94

. . . Here's a shot of an internal whale tail-- these are quite rare I've heard.


-Marcus

Cool pic! Guess there could be a whole new meaning to being "in the belly of the whale".

[greenrig]

i really like this configuration. i wonder why it never stuck? i guess the 5 panels after 57 were even less riveting labor. so the whale tail went extinct. i'm trying to figure out pricing guidelines for whale tails in 'as found condition' and 'restored' how much different is the value of a restored whale tail FC vs ohio FC? anyone have comps? thought i saw one on ebay (yeah i know ha, ha!) 'restored' go for 30 some thousand. around the end of last summer -seems a bit high.
thanks

[SilverPal]

Here's our two whales tails....will see if we can get SilverPal2 to chime on on value of a restored FC whales tail vs. ohio FC of same year.

[greenrig]

utee94,
not all whale tail (exterior) interiors are created equal? if you have a WT exterior arent all the interiors WT configuration?

[utee94]

Hi gr--

There are actually no interior whale tails as far as I know, generally the aluminum paneled endcaps were 13 segments. There were also some fiberglass endcaps made in the mid-to-late 50s, and by the early 60s all of the interior endcaps were fiberglass rather than aluminum, and I believe this gave way to ABS sometime in the mid 60s.

Anyway, my trailer interior rear endcap is a custom one-off that I just completed. If there are any other interior whale tail endcaps out there in the world, I'd love to see pictures!

[greenrig]

got one. WT interior. hard to see the detail, but its there.

[slvrlng]

Maybe this shows it better.