In my ongoing efforts to regroup from the warehouse fire, I have decided to finally let this piece of fine vintage Americana go from my collection. As indicated by the name tag under the bed, the trailer was originally made and sold by Utility, the company that makes the big tractor trailers, in 1940. Yes I said 1940. I bought it from the second owner, who happily used it for car camping until 1986. Then the resto mod began.
I purchased a brand new HD axle for it with a six lug bolt pattern from an adventure trailer manufacturer in Bakersfield. I stripped the front and rear gates down, dumping the original shiplap panels and varnishing a new set. I stripped, sanded and re-varnished the original oak staves from the gates. Then I built the boxes. As you can see from the photos, the passenger side box was more or less finished. The driver's side was one of those get-around-to-it projects that never happened, so the box is just one big storage container.
After our first off road adventure with it in Anza Borrego, I decided to add the additional stabilizer bars across the top of the bed. I ran it in this form until 1993, for our last real off road adventure into the Panamint Mountains. Didn't use it again until Surf N Turf in 2006, and haven't used it again since. In other words, it needs a new home.
Probably have close to a hundred hours of labor into it, but that's all water under the bridge now. First $1500 takes it. No Pms please.
I purchased a brand new HD axle for it with a six lug bolt pattern from an adventure trailer manufacturer in Bakersfield. I stripped the front and rear gates down, dumping the original shiplap panels and varnishing a new set. I stripped, sanded and re-varnished the original oak staves from the gates. Then I built the boxes. As you can see from the photos, the passenger side box was more or less finished. The driver's side was one of those get-around-to-it projects that never happened, so the box is just one big storage container.
After our first off road adventure with it in Anza Borrego, I decided to add the additional stabilizer bars across the top of the bed. I ran it in this form until 1993, for our last real off road adventure into the Panamint Mountains. Didn't use it again until Surf N Turf in 2006, and haven't used it again since. In other words, it needs a new home.
Probably have close to a hundred hours of labor into it, but that's all water under the bridge now. First $1500 takes it. No Pms please.
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