Another Spartan For TulsaBoy

[astixjr]

Here's a Spartan that needs some restoration but when finished, would save the hotel/motel expense at the next flyin. If you're going to fly down the road as a "tin can tourist", you may as well do it in retro-style! Seriously, I've always wanted one of these. I'd like to turn one into a mobile airport themed bar/man cave. I'd put a tail turret on it.

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/rvs/2803298946.html

[The Inspector]

WOW! retro 50's travel trailers are VERY collectible, and when restored very desirable, and that one looks pretty solid. There are several vintage trailer clubs around the country who's members hook up their vintage trailers to their restored 1956 Ford Ranch Wagon (or whatever) and spend weekends camped out together. Older station wagons are becoming very collectable also. If I had someplace to store it and it were closer, I'd be on that like a Robert Hall suit.

[carlisle1926]

The Spartan trailers had a major Achilles heel to them. It is almost impossible to find one that the frame has not rotted out from under it because the frames were made of C-channel steel that held water. The tongue of the trailer will often look great until you go down the road and presto, you now have a tongueless trailer. Unless that particular trailer has no frame rot and the interior has little to no water damage, the asking price of $3700 is high. The rule with antique trailers is the shorter they are the more expensive they are.
I've restored a few of them, and when they are done they are absolutely beautiful. Spartan really built a neat trailer.

[Chris Brame]

My boss had one - a '51 Royal Spartanette that he rescued from an estate sale for $100.00 many years ago; unfortunately some stupid kids torched it before he could restore it. I salvaged one taillight that surprisingly still worked; the rest got scrapped.

[The Inspector]

Don't ever look at the bucktails on an AIRSTREAM, maybe 1 in 100 is done correctly the rest are clinched, bent, too high or have 50% of the hole showing-

[tulsaboy]

Hey Al- Aren't those just the coolest? They came about because J.Paul Getty wanted to keep the Spartan folks employed post-war, but correctly guessed that the availability of cheap war surplus aircraft, along with the now massive "big boys" like Douglas, Cessna, Lockheed, Boeing etc. would soak up whatever market might exist for private aircraft. Instead, he (again correctly) forecast that ther would be a large market for families wanting to travel around the United States, given the inability of Americans to travel freely for the previous 5-6 years. Spartan made some of the neatest and highest quality trailers of the 1950's and 1960's. Their interiors were done in aircraft-grade maple and birch plywood, with aircraft grade aluminum on the exteriors. They were pretty cool trailers.

I have always thought that it would be really cool for the museum here in Tulsa (located about 1 mile from the old Spartan factory) to restore one as a travelling gift shop, were we to have a touring aircraft that we wanted to fly regionally. How cool would it be to have a Tulsa-built Spartan trailer, restored and loaded with cool gift shop merchandise, on the tarmac near your Tulsa-related flying history lesson? Can you tell I've thought about this one for a while?

And while we're on the subject of Spartans, Al, how goes the 7W lurking up there in your neck of the woods? Any recent progress?

Thanks for the heads up on the trailer. I may have to scoot down the turnpike to take a look.

kevin

[carlisle1926]

There are several Spartan and Airstream trailers that have been converted into concession stands along South Congress Street in Austin, Texas. Some of them are really well done. My favorite one is a polished Spartan that they sell chicken out of. I think the one listed on Craigslist is a Spartan Royal Mansion. It should look pretty close to the chicken stand in Austin.