Wakarusa IN







We had a few small repairs we wanted fixed so we booked into the Thor factory diesel service center.
They fixed everything on our list in two days then started their own inspection. including running it through the rain booth.



The factory is only about 1/2 mile away so we took a tour.












The frame work is all welded next door depending on the size and model of coach it is going on.








Then the insulation is installed


and you have a side wall.














 The roof is made the same way.
\













insulation added and red wiring conduits installed.













5/8 inch fiberglass installed and roof is ready.












The floor comes in a 40 X 8 sheet 3/4 inch thick.














After cut outs, floor is ready. This one is for the Plazzo model, note the center entrance cut out.












Freightliner chassis ready





Floor installed and tiled




some cabinets going on













ready for a slide out











slide outs in


















doors and windows mounted

ready for the paint booth.












Back from the paint booth and ready for an audit (quality control).








Then out the door headed for a dealer.











We are through here but, it is Labor Day weekend and all Shipshewana campgrounds are full. We will stay here for the weekend, besides
"HOME IS WHERE YOU HOOK UP"












We are in the RV capitol of the world so, what better place to have the RV/MH Hall of Fame.











Seems like a nice way to spend Sat.













Cathy likes the Tiny House.











Old vs New



15 ft Shasta built in 1954 on left

16 ft Shasta built in 2015 on right











1913 "Earl" Travel Trailer
Believed to be the oldest non-tent travel trailer in existence. Custom built for a Cal Tech professor and named after him.












shown being pulled by a Model T Ford














Table top lowers down to make a bed.














1916 Telescoping Apartment















Built to slide into a pickup truck bed















Sides opened up containing cookware and other items.











1958, the first year Airstream used this body style




Same body style is still in use today.


1931 Model AA Ford Housecar built on the Model AA chassis.
The Model AA had a 4 speed transmission, lower gears and was larger and heavier than the Model A


side view showing the stove pie for the wood stove




front














nice woodwork






Not the original seats, these were added later, The original was a bench seat with no back






1955 Ranger Crank-up was the forerunner of todays pop-up trailers.




The first known slide out in the rear added another bed making it 5 beds.












This was the start of Fleetwood
















Fleetwood Sporter














 These are still in production



Cathy likes these Tiny Houses













He never got past the third grade but, J.Roy Hunt is today revered as the founding father of the RV industry and a legendary cinematographer. His cinematic CV includes such movies as Beau Geste, an acclaimed foreign legion epic and ‘Flying down to Rio’




His House Car was the first to have a working shower







Lindbergh's travel trailer.

He hated to stay in hotels, so he would have this towed to where he was flying.



Note that it is a four wheel trailer. 















Paramount Pictures had this built for Mae West to entice her to sign with them.






Not actually an overnight unit but more for her comfort at the studio when filming. They would pick her up in the morning in it and take her home in the evening.



She had a rocking chair on this back porch.
  The Star Streak II is a custom made aluminum-bodied motor home built by Paul Jones of Cape Coral, Florida. It sits atop a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado chassis and is powered by a 455 cubic inch Oldsmobile Toronado V-8 and front wheel drive train. At 84 inches high, the outrageously styled RV was designed to fit in a standard garage yet contain all the creature comforts of a larger, more cumbersome motor home.

Due to the front wheel drive, no drive shaft,
an average sized person can stand up in certain parts of this car



Two were built, one is in a California museum













The picture tells it all










Built like a covered wagon


An overhead view






Now time to move on to Shipshewana and Amish cooking
























































































































Comments

Hey Guys, another great post. Very interesting accounting of the building of an RV. Learned things about the process. Thanks.

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