Wagon Camper, Ever Seen One?

Too bad the El Camino wasn't in the entire photo. This was taken when REAL campers camped. I'll bet you didn't have internet, TV, phone, maybe not even electric, and you actually had fun!

 

Sorry for the old thread bump, but I know something about one of these~

An example of the fiberglass one (on the right) SURVIVES in Bellingham, WA.
It is installed in the back of a very well optioned '65 Studebaker Wagonaire- as it has been for all it's life.
I'll see about getting updated pics if folks would like me too...

I would LOVE to see that thing in 1:1 scale!!!
But in the meantime- wanna build more then one...?

 

I would love to see some good updated pics. There are several campers i would like to model to fit on toy cars. The better pics I have the better replicas I can make. And then I will cast them in resin for other enthusiasts.

 

I'll see what I can do. The bigger 'if' is really more like when I can do it...

I'll keep you posted.






StudeDave '57

 

I'll second that...I would like to see up dated pics also...Thanks.

 

Of course you have the time to do it!

 

Here is a picture of the '65 I mentioned above~




That's a change of ownership you are seeing right there.

This rig and many many more can be seen when James (the current owner) holds his 3rd Annual Open House on September 8th. A host of events put on by the Whatcom County Studebaker Driver's Club are planned for the weekend of 7-9 September here in my local area of Bellingham, Washington. One event in which any and all are invited to Hovander Park in Ferndale for our 'Classic Car Show' on Sunday the 9th.

I will post more information a bit later, as some details are still being worked out...

 

Here is what I have done so far for making a replica to fit on the Matchbox #42 Studebaker. The real one slides in with the tailgate down. Since the Matchbox has the tailgate molded as part of the body, I am making the camper drop in from above and fit over the tailgate. That way it can be put on any Matchbox Studebaker without having to modify the body.
I have a lot of cleanup, filling and detail to add before I am ready to make a mold from it for duplicates.

 

I'm the guy who originally posted this picture; that is my father standing beside it. The photo was taken during a school break camping trip to Georgia in the spring of 1966. My Dad bought it from the local Studebaker dealer in London Ontario Canada; when we got it she had yellow on black California plates, it was a show car. The camper would slide in and out of the Daytona wagon and attach with two 3/4 inch bolts through the floor to the vehicle frame and up front to a special gutter mount roof rack. It was an extremely cool vehicle as there was a passage way between the vehicle back seat and the inside of the camper. We did alot of travelling in this rig!

 

Model Studebaker camper

Bob - you are incorrect. The tailgate was removed on the real camper car to fit the camper in. Studebaker wagon tailgates where the same as similar vintage pickups; they had a coated wire on both sides of the tailgate and a easy pull set of hinges that you could "wiggle" the tail gate out of from the open position, once the wires were disconnected. Otherwise your camper model looks very authentic! If you need help with any of the details, just drop me a line. Cheers, BlakeFarmer@Sympatico.ca

 

Here's Butch's original post pic.....

 

Thanks Silverfox: good to see a photo of Dad; he is still around but not in too good of shape; he's my most favourite P-51, Spitfire fighter pilot. We have other photos around if anyone needs to seem them; like HotwheelsBob who's building the scale model. Since the photo didn't show the right side, he needs to know that there is a window in the passenger side of the camper.

 

These rigs are very interesting...

I'd like to know a bit more on the engineering....

Wondering what the weight of each rig (camper part only) is, and how the rear suspension was modified to support it.

 

Butch, It is good to see you post again. I thought I saw the tailgate under the camper in the Motor Trend picture. It turned out to be a shadow. I bought the Magazine on ebay so I would have a better picture of the rear of the camper. I see several things I need to change on my model.
I would love to see more pictures. Are the windows on the passenger side just opposite the ones on the drivers side or are they different?

 

The interior layout of the camper is such that it has central door; the right (pass) side is the kitchen counter with a long window above and cupboards below; a small bar size sink with a pump tap and a four burner propane stove with a small oven (a 20lb LP tank was accessed through a vented door to the lower right of the outer rear (entrance door); the left interior side had a tall hanging clothes cupboard (at the left upper rear widow) immediate to the back door that could have been converted into a privee; the balance of the wall was various drawers, an icebox fridge and immediate to the bed, a place to park a small portable TV. The "bed" was about double wide with a crank window at the "head" of each side. It easily fit a teenage me plus my two younger brothers and one old cat. The entrance to the vehicle was through a 3 x 3 "porthole" in the lower front of the camper. It did not come with a door so my Dad rigged up a suitable piece of plywood that hooked to the inside. The interior of the car had black leatherette (60's vinyl) seats and the front bench had dual reclining backs. When we "camped" both front seats reclined fully and we moved down a couple of plywood sheets, cut to fit to support a 2 piece foam mattress, also made to fit. There were no interior curtains so Mom "zipped" some up on her machine to provide my parents privacy in the evenings. I will look around for more stuff, please contact me by email so I can send you anything I dig up. I keep one of those Matchbox Stude Wagons in my travel bag so I can show fishing buddies what a sliding roof Stude was all about...... most don't believe me, even after I show them the Dinky toy. When ever you get one of those campers made up, I would love to buy one from you to fit my Wagon! Cheers, BlakeFarmer@Sympatico.ca