I'm thinking about getting a vintage trailer!

surfnturf

surfnturf

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2023
Messages
70
Reaction score
153
Location
Woodside, California
As I am planning out our cross country and route 66 trip next year, the thought of towing a small vintage trailer is intriguing. Our 66 New Yorker is equipped with the 350HP version of the 440 and is completely stock. Do any of you see any issues with towing a small vintage trailer. I'm thinking of something in the range of a 15 foot Shasta AirFlyte. Any special modifications need to be done to the car?

358693697_6511922922162603_7480261933831269784_n.jpg


IMG_6662.JPG
 
Before I bought my '79 W150, I towed many trailers with my '66 Monaco 4 door with a 383 and 2.76 gears, including a car trailer with a '69 Roadrunner from Sacramento to Pasadena.
My car had A/C so it had the 26" rad, our C bodies are great towing platforms.
You won't have any issue towing a small trailer.
one note, make sure the trailer has the correct amount of tongue weight (from personal experience)
My $0.02
 
66 Monaco 500 365 said:
Before I bought my '79 W150, I towed many trailers with my '66 Monaco 4 door with a 383 and 2.76 gears, including a car trailer with a '69 Roadrunner from Sacramento to Pasadena.
My car had A/C so it had the 26" rad, our C bodies are great towing platforms.
You won't have any issue towing a small trailer.
one note, make sure the trailer has the correct amount of tongue weight (from personal experience)
My $0.02
Click to expand...
Good to know! The trailer I'm looking at weighs 2,300 lbs.
 
Consider a new retro look camper trailer instead of an expensive restored vintage camper. There are a lot of things to look at on a vintage trailer. You may find that the 15' Shasta type trailer is going to be too small. I would advocate find a used receiver style hitch for you car or having one made and using a weight adjusting hitch set up. Trailer brakes are a must for safety so you will need to install a trailer brake controller. Don't even consider a trailer with surge style brakes as there is no way to activate them if the trailer starts to sway. I have done a lot of towing in my life of various sized trailers so feel free to reach out to me. IMHO, something along the lines of a 20' trailer with dual axles may be a better option.

Here is a 1976 Prowler that is in good shape and reasonable priced as another option.

1976 Prowler Vintage Travel Trailer | eBay

You can't go wrong with a vintage Airstream, Shasta or Holiday Rambler brand camper.
 
To me, part of the allure of the Route 66 experience is that many refurbished "tourist courts" along the way. Some more famous that others. Places where you might spend the night and have some great photo-ops for the beautiful New Yorker out front of the cabin, for example.

Personally, I have never really gotten into the travel trailer life. To me, it can be another level of complexity added to an already possibly anxiety-producing excursion. Something else to deal with, possibly. Plus something "back there" to worry about and keep track of, as the trip progresses.

Otherwise . . . a good platform receiver hitch, with electric trailer brakes, AND new tires on the trailer. Might consider an external trans fluid cooler for the car, for good measure, plus a fresh ATF change before the trip.

There is also a "Route 66" magazine that is published. Many interesting historical and informative facts in it. Might do some online searching for digital copies!

Personally, I'd rather just take the car, but if y'all want to take your "bed on wheels" with you . . .

Have FUN!
CBODY67
 
FURYGT said:
Here is a 1976 Prowler that is in good shape and reasonable priced as another option.

1976 Prowler Vintage Travel Trailer | eBay

You can't go wrong with a vintage Airstream, Shasta or Holiday Rambler brand camper.
Click to expand...
That one is exactly like Dad's that he towed with a 71 Merc. Mine was a sibling with the same floorplan, but I used my D300. This was in 76, when both were new.

001.jpg
 
You can't go wrong adding a transmission oil cooler, and electric brakes are a must.

Is that Mercury a Marquis? My grandfather had a '71 Mercury Marquis--beautiful car!
 
CBODY67 said:
To me, part of the allure of the Route 66 experience is that many refurbished "tourist courts" along the way. Some more famous that others. Places where you might spend the night and have some great photo-ops for the beautiful New Yorker out front of the cabin, for example.

Personally, I have never really gotten into the travel trailer life. To me, it can be another level of complexity added to an already possibly anxiety-producing excursion. Something else to deal with, possibly. Plus something "back there" to worry about and keep track of, as the trip progresses.

Otherwise . . . a good platform receiver hitch, with electric trailer brakes, AND new tires on the trailer. Might consider an external trans fluid cooler for the car, for good measure, plus a fresh ATF change before the trip.

There is also a "Route 66" magazine that is published. Many interesting historical and informative facts in it. Might do some online searching for digital copies!

Personally, I'd rather just take the car, but if y'all want to take your "bed on wheels" with you . . .

Have FUN!
CBODY67
Click to expand...
Excellent advice. My thought was that we would do all of the above and stay at cool motor-inn's, cabins, as well as RV parks. But you are right, the trailer may add a level of cumbersomeness... Regardless, I still thinking a vintage trailer would be a great addition to the New Yorker for shorter trips around California.

I'll check out the "Route 66" magazine!
 
A nice retro trailer , Shasta ,Serro Scotty, Boler are just as expensive as the retro car.
Had a hitch plate bolted to the bumper of my 67 Newport, not sure it would have been good for anything over 12'.
I don't think the plate I have is factory made, it did not show on the build sheet neither.
That Shasta shown above is probably 10 to 12 k in Canada. Nice trailer!
 
I love the idea and say go for it. Having a vintage trailer is the same as having an old car. Team them together and you have a great combination that should get lots of attention and create some great conversations. The car shouldn’t have any issues towing it. I recommend an equalizer hitch, tranny cooler and electric brake setup if the trailer is equipped with them (most likely it won’t be). My biggest recommendation is repacking or replacing the wheel bearings and make sure the tires are good. Then hook her up and enjoy.
 
for that size trailer equalizer bars will be unnecessary. and trailer brakes are always a good idea, if thats only 2200 lb you cn get by without them.
with that car and a BB you should be able to pull at least 2-1/2x that weight..... with which both equalizer bars and trailer brakes would help immensely.
ive towed much more than 2200 lb without either trailer brakes or equalizer bars with such vehicles as a B250 van, various dodge trucks over the years. from Dakotas to D300s. my current camper is a lil over 4000 lb, I do have trailer brakes but my 12 ram 1500 2wd reg cab handles fine even with "only" a 4.7.....
I remember my dad pulling a much heavier "Pathfinder" camper back in the 70s with a 65 fury wagon, and 6 of us inside that wagon on way to campground
 
It may be overkill but adding a trans cooler is a good investment and make sure the cooling system is in good order. If your going in the summer the southwest is pretty hot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

surfnturf
New member from Northern California
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
surfnturf
surfnturf
R
Hello folks
Replies
11
Views
2K
firedome
firedome
R
C Body fan from long ago
Replies
17
Views
3K
polaraman66
P
ayilar
C-bodies At The Lake (CATL): A caravan from Rockford to Milwaukee, Sept. 7
2 3
Replies
42
Views
8K
1978 NYB
1978 NYB
Carmine
Well-done delMONACO, vintage 1972
2
Replies
34
Views
3K
MarPar
MarPar
Back
Top