Anybody know what I am?

[vintagecaryn]

I have a travel trailer that I can not identify the make or model number or anything about it.
I have a few numbers off of the front left side of the hitch 1518 A6JB57 and
I know it was authorized by the California Housing authority to be registered in Cali. but after that nothing.
I have no paperwork, I had a handwritten bill of sale and later a flood and lost the paper, the previous owner is unreachable currently and the DMV said to get the vin and fill out some paperwork etc.
They also said it was not a "homemade" and that it had been properly registered in Utah as of 2006.
I have been a member here for a little bit, reading and reading about all kinds of fun stuff and looking for a look-alike but I have not seen one yet, so Anyone out there seen one like mine? Thanks for looking

 

[poppyandnana]

Sorry I can't help but it sure looks like it is in good condition.....does the tarp o ver the roof indicate a leak????

 

[JohnGB]

Hi Vintage,

I myself do not know the brand but may be able to help a little.

The features of the camper and that you are out west point to that odds are very high it is not a Sunline camper. We know them pretty well and the flavor of the design rings through all of them.

This may be a long shot but never know it might create a good lead. Sunline would place a tag with the camper VIN number under the floor plate of the main entry door. I do not know if this was a Sunline thing or industry standard and companies may have gone in and out of doing it.

See here on mine. I had to pull the door out to re-square it and my tag showed up. You really do not have to take the door out or in my case the door frame, just the cover plate that is inside the camper that spans from the door sill plate to the inside floor.

Here the entire door frame is out. You can see the black tag. Sometimes they were metal. Mine was the older plastic punch and stick label.

You can see here the door frame is on and the tag is still exposed as the tread plate cover that spans from the door sill to the floor is not on yet.

If by chance yours has a vin tag there it is the start of a hunt to the manufacture.

Sunline also on the older camper stamp in the steel of the ball coupler area a VIN number. Again this may be a Sunline thing but others here on SOC have found their VIN on the camper tongue. Somewhere on the forum there is a pic of this stamped number location. Sunline Fan may have posted it or another member. Sunline stopped that practice a long time ago and the newer camper have a VIN plate on the front left side of the camper.

They may be a long shot, but might help. And then there is, did old time campers even have VIN numbers?

Old boats did not have hull tags or VIN plates like they do now. I had to register a 1965 sail boat for the Boy Scouts and had to take the 4 digit hull number to the ODNR to prove it was a boat and they issued a new VIN tag before we could register it.

A lot of this VIN system was created to help stop theft. When that serial number popped up trying to get plates for it, it better not come up stolen. In Ohio when my camper which was born in PA came over I had to prove the VIN on the camper was on the camper. Had to haul it to the BMV for inspection, that was fun.... 32 foot camper in a mall parking lot. Seems OH does not trust a PA title.

Good luck.

If and when you get into fixing the camper, many are built in the same methods and we can help a lot more in that area.

John

 

[Sunline Fan]

I think we went through all of this before.

It is DEFINITELY NOT a Sunline.

The only real hope of ID you have is to contact Tim Heintz now that you have close up pics of those door plates. He may not be able to identify it, but he may be able to narrow down a year. Send him a PM: Sunline Coach Owner's Club - View Profile: HeintzDesign

Another option you have is if you have a Facebook account, join the Tin Can Tourists group. Post your pics there. Tim is on there, but a few others with a more limited knowledge are on there a lot and may be able to ID it for you. The California brands were very regional back then like Sunline was always regional to the east coast. So it's possible you have a brand that it rarely seen on the east coast and Tim wouldn't recognize it being in Florida.

 

[vintagecaryn]

Thank You, actually the tarp is because the two vents on top have no covers and have not had so for a while before I got her. there are windows by the front up under the tarp and in the rear as well. I am waiting for the weather to let me take a better photo.

 

[justatourist]

Of the two badges in the picture are there any numbers readable on them? Did you try to contact the badge organizations? For instance the California Department of Housing and Community Development might have records of the registration number. That number might indicate who built the unit since the plans had to be submitted and approved. Same for the Trailer Coach Association.

 

[JohnGB]

Did you try to contact the badge organizations? For instance the California Department of Housing and Community Development might have records of the registration number. That number might indicate who built the unit since the plans had to be submitted and approved. Same for the Trailer Coach Association.

H'mm good point. If they kept those old records it might just show up.

 

[Sunliner]

Hi

You may want to try a post on the "Tin Can Tourist" site. They have a lot of folks who own, collect, and admire old RV's.