I have worked in the automotive service business most of my life. RV's are somewhat new to me, but there are many similarities with them and their cousins... cars and trucks. I am a long time automotive enthusiast and hope to help others by providing any info I can. In the following blogs I will attempt to describe repairs and maintenance in terms that everyone can understand.
Thanks for reading my blog!
1964 Airstream Streamline Travel Car Motorhome RV
Posted 05-31-2011 at 09:18 PM by Wanabee FTer
Tags aluminum, caboose, coach, silver streak, vintage rv
What were the odds of spotting one of these rare vintage motorhomes in the So Cal area while we were camping at a local RV Resort. I talked briefly to the 82 year old owner, he did not know too much about the actual history of the MH but really enjoyed talking about all the upgrades and modifications he made to the rig since he purchased it in the mid 90's. It's a 1964 Travel Car built by Streamline Trailer Company. It was originally built on a 1964 Ford 1 ton truck chassis with a 330 big block truck engine. When Paul purchased the Travel Car in the mid 90's someone had already removed the original motor and haphazardly put a 460 Lincoln motor and transmission in it's place. He then drove it on on a wing and a prayer to his home stating "it drove like a wet sponge rolling downhill on marbles". Realizing he had much work to do, he began to restore and modernize the coach to his taste. He rebuilt the 460 with a mild cam, aluminum heads and installed new headers and exhaust. He had the transmission overhauled and installed an after market GearVendors overdrive unit. He updated the steering gear box and rebuilt the front end and suspension. He then replaced the rear end and had rear dually wheels custom made to fit within the confines of the existing rear wheel wells. Hard to imagine driving this 32 foot beast with single rear wheels on a 10,000 pound coach, Yikes
He rebuilt the brakes and updated the power brake booster. He also made various other updates to the appliances and holding tanks. "It was only built with one waste tank" he said, so he plumbed in a separate black and grey tank for it.
He now drives the coach anywhere with confidence stating he drives up the grapevine (a long 6% grade) cruising 60 mph with ease.
As far as I could tell from my research only 70 Travel Cars were ever produced between 1964 to 1967. One somewhat famous Travel Car nicknamed The Silver Bullet was originally owned by David Janssen (the star of The Fugitive TV series). It has been recently rediscovered and is in process of a full restoration.
Only a few of these Vista View models with rear porch were ever made. At least half of the total production of 70 units came with the standard enclosed rear cap.
Now for a little history...
Streamline Trailer Manufacturing Company began life as a travel trailer company founded in 1957. The owner James Patterson sold part ownership in Silver Streak Trailer Company to be able to start his new company.
It definitely has that Airstream look and I was able to trace it's lineage all the way back to the Airstream founder Wally Byam.
Airstream was founded in 1931 by Byam and first produced the famous "Clipper" travel trailer in 1936. Airstream closed it's doors when the war started due to lack of raw materials. Byam was then hired by Curtis Wright Manufacturing (not to be confused with Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Co) during the war and they worked together until 1948.
In 1947 Curtis Wright (with help from Byam) took over production of the Clipper travel trailer. Byam left Curtis Wright in 1948 to resurrect the Airstream Company. In 1949 three partners (including James Patterson) bought Curtis Wright trailer manufacturing and renamed the company "Silver Streak"
Silver Streak continued on to build travel trailers until the demise of the company in 1986. It is rumored that the owners went on to build a limited number of custom built TT's until 1997.
The Travel Car did not die in 1967. L.K. Newell purchased a new Travel Car from Silver Streak trailers that very same year. He brought it back to the manufacture and made a few "suggestions" on how to improve it's functionality. After exchanging a few words, the builder said "If you think you can build a better coach, then why don't you just buy the company". So he did. A few hours of negotiations later the motorhome division of Silver Streak was now his. He kept the name Travel Car for the first year of production and later changed it to Newell Coach Company. According to Newell Coach's web site, the beach boys owned one of the first models produced by Newell in 1967.
L.K. Newel was an innovator of coach building in the 60's and 70's. He built the first rear engine motorhome in 1969, and the first diesel powered coach in 1970 complete with a custom frame that allowed for another first, pass thru storage. The company was sold in 1979 and renamed "Newell Coach Corporation", and is still in business today producing some of the nicest top end coaches on the market.
Ref;
Vintageairstream.com Frequently Asked Questions
Wally Byam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silver Palaces - Google Books
Newell Coach Adds Fresh Look to 2011 Model | RV Business
Newell Coach Luxury Motorhomes
References I believe to be incorrect;
silver_streak [Tin Can Tourists Wiki]
Total Comments 7
Comments
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What an amazing pair!Posted 06-01-2011 at 06:58 PM by Guy an a dog 
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Beautiful Travel car and interesting history!Posted 06-09-2011 at 09:17 PM by Juanita N Fl
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Eager to see the interior....
watch windersPosted 07-23-2011 at 01:30 AM by Ruella83Fred
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You have done a great job. Can't wait to see the interiors. keep updating.Posted 08-10-2011 at 06:11 AM by AnthonyRyan
Updated 11-13-2013 at 12:48 AM by AnthonyRyan -
These cars are still being made at the Jackson Center Ohio. The first Airstreams were wood and canvas kits, the Model 2 and Silver Cloud being the two most noteworthy. The first all aluminum Airstream was the Clipper in 1936, and was made until aluminum was needed for WWII support in 1938. Many are still on the road today.
sell my carPosted 12-24-2011 at 05:01 AM by chrisbowie86
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Posted 07-22-2019 at 03:13 AM by Kemp25
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Hi,
My name is Therese Becker and I need your help!!!
By the luck of god I became the proud owner of a 1964 Travel Lodge Motor Car a couple years ago and had it transported to my friends home to start the long process and expensive process of totally rehabbing it and all it's mechanics. I NEVER in my wildest dreams thought I could ever find this diamond in the rough let alone ever be able to afford to buy one. But in an amazing story too long to post here I got one because a set of owners read my story of how I wanted one ever since I saw one 10 years ago and what my dreams were for style to fix it up and agreed to sell me this one over time even though they had cash buyers set to come buy it that night. I thought all my prayers were answered until this past month when I as home visiting my parents and my dads diagnosed cancer had worsened so now I have to move back home and need the money I saved to fix up my dream camper to move home and help my mom with my father. I am having to sell it to my friends son because I need to sell it as soon as possible to get it out of their way so they can store the other campers they are currently working on. I'm trying to find any ads for previous sales of these campers to help my friend show the bank comps. but they are so rare I was wondering if anyone had any recent ones to send me pictures of that I could send her. I got an AMAZINNG BARGAIN on mine and I know they always go a lot higher generally. Mine is now gutted to the frame and being rehabbed from the ground up but the original outside is in perfect condition and the inside will be also when finished by my friends too. They do everything above and beyond when they rehab campers for people, so she is in good hands but still it isn't keeping my heart from breaking just the same for having to give up on my dreams I saved years to make happen. I know I could sell it for a lot more than I am selling it to my friend but it's what I have into it and I don't want them to have to store it any longer for me and have people coming to their house to see it if they aren't serious buyers. Since I can't finish the work I intended to do on it now that I was going to hire them to do I felt like I should only charge what I had into it already and just break even. Her son got a real deal and can easily sell it as is for probably 2-3 times as much immediately if he wanted to and when fixed up probably more than 10 times the amount I paid for it. I knew I would NEVER sell it once I finished it. I was to stay in the family I told my children or I would come back from the dead and haunt them. lol Anyway I digress....if anyone knows where to find recent listing of any sales of the caboose type or regular ones without the caboose I would greatly appreciate a copy of the advertisement emailed to me at therese.becker@gmx.com
Thank you for any help,
Therese Becker
Proud owner for a minute of my life it only seemed.Posted 11-24-2020 at 06:54 PM by Tbecker
