The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Art Deco Big Bolt Camper?

I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried fabricating a vintage looking camper box onto a stock 1.5 or 2 ton Advance Design Cab and Chassis? I have not seen anything that really looked attractive in my searches. They all seemed amateurish and ugly (along with rusty and rotten plywood) or were old milk/bread delivery vans, not real standard trucks.

I was thinking it would be cool to custom build a self contained "boondocking" unit on a short wheelbase 1.5 ton. Generator, atmospheric watermaker, toilet, kitchenette,propane furnace/stove etc etc. Most parts could be recycled from old scrapper camper trailers. Under framework in steel, rest in wood and insulated. Sheath it in flatstock roofing steel. Roll out awnings... trailer hitch to tow your boat or 4 wheeler/skidoo/whatever.

It would have to be somewhat streamlined to match the period (40's/50's)

Any pictures online?
edit: On further thought, I suppose you could just use the truck to pull a vintage trailer like a semi unit or bumper pull leaving the truck free to carry stuff and serve as transportation...

There is a beautiful 1945 school bus converted to a camper in the Gallery.

A couple of years ago I downloaded this picture of an Advance Design 1-ton I guess with a frame mounted camper here but this may not be what you have in mind.

Frank50,
That is cool! Not quite "Art Deco" looking, but still looks like a nice camping rig.

here is a pic of a retro shaped camper body I found on the net on what looks like about a '51 Ford COE

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2690466890104889838WNekNo

I'd like to build a camper that sits on my flat bed, which comes off easily when I don't need it.
Chris

i am giving thought to moding an old airstream onto my '42.

Doms Go here http://home.comcast.net/~robmorg/oldmh/oldmh.htm
It is a buss but it's Art Deco.

I cant say I have ever seen any streamlined campers placed onto trucks. They are mostly boxy looking things.

I think it would be hard to use an Airstream trailer to make into a removable camper without it looking exactly like that is what you did. I would do some computer editing to combine a picture of your airstream with your '42. It doesn't take much skill to use Microsoft paint, although the quality you can achieve is limited as well. If you can't do that take a couple of pictures and cut-and-paste with a real photo. Make sure your pictures are taken from the same angle and from the same distance in either case.

Whatever you do if you plan well you will be more likely to be happy with the way it turns out. Many people do not plan enough and just start putting things together.

I found this one nearby and always thought it would be a great one to start with as it already has an art deco van;
http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL366/751691/16744682/385788346.jpg

That is awesome

I know this thread is almost a year old, but...

Streamline, I think, made a camper shell. They were a similar looking aircraft aluminum competitor of Airstream.

It would look great on an old bolt. Rounded corners, etc. There are some creative mods to vintage campers out there on the net. I think with sheet metal skills a nice camper could be fab'ed out of one of those old Airstreams.

Dave.