Registration includes three nights camping with full hook-up, available to first 22 Registrants. After those sites are full there are 9 additional sites with water and electric only. When the sites with hook- ups are filled, you will be placed on a dry camping site and receive a modest refund of the camping fee portion of the registration. In addition to the camping fee, your registration fee covers a rally window sign, BBQ Dinner, pizza party, and morning coffee & treats.

Register Here Online and pay using Paypal
http://www.tincantourists.com/californiapayment.php

Click here for Registration form to print and mail
http://www.tincantourists.com/CaliforniaRegionalRally.pdf

Attribution: www.tincantourist.com

Draggin The Bumper

 Hi all! Damian here! The other day I found myself being asked to do a column for a new RV magazine. I didn’t really know what to write about, for that matter why anyone would want to read it. But, the fact that I was asked at all seemed compliment enough to give it a shot.

This section is for upcoming events for all across the country. If you don’t see your event here, please post it in the forum category. If you send “artwork” (at 320 x240) we will post it on this page as well. For any questions, please contact Lisa at lisaarcher@americanvintagerv.com

                                                                               …wishing you were here!”

                                                                                    …wishing you were here!”

The title of this space is what it is all about. We believe that they have the perfect trailer in the perfect campground and are forever happily camping.

In 1949 Rex Anderson left the trailer company for reasons unknown to us that he had started back in 1931 in Marshall, Michigan called Anderson Coach Company and started an entirely new trailer manufacturing firm in Bay City, Michigan called Anderson Industries.  Because the original company in Marshall used the name Anderson on their trailers, Rex came up with the name A B C Super-Coach, the A B C standing for “America’s Best Coach. The exterior of his new A B C line was nearly identical to the Anderson Coach. In fact the 1949 and 1950 Anderson and A B C Super-Coaches are almost impossible to tell apart. Both companies produced an excellent coach, superior in workmanship and construction and became well-known in the trailer world as high-quality upper-end trailers.  Interestingly enough both manufacturers out-grew their original factories almost around the same time. Rex Anderson moved his manufacturing plant to Pinconning, Michigan at the end of 1951 where he changed the name of the company to A.B.C. Coach Co.. Anderson Coach Co. had already moved to more spacious manufacturing buildings in East Tawas, Michigan two years earlier.

            Mr. Anderson believed in livable mobile homes, ones that were designed to be parked. They were not travel trailers. As early as 1953 the Pinconning plant offered a 45 foot two bedroom luxury model with a Crosley White Steel Kitchen and a full automatic laundry! Price of such a mansion on wheels? A cool $6400.00 without options! The unit weighed 7500 lbs and had a drawbar weight of 750 lbs, definitely not something you would hitch up to your typical 1953 family car and for a weekend camping trip!

            The firm grew and expanded with a second plant in Loveland, Colorado in the summer of 1955. The new length of 50 feet was introduced towards the end of the same year in both manufacturing facilities and for the first time a large family could live in an ABC Super-Coach since the 50 footer was available with three bedrooms.

            In 1956 ABC began the production of the outrageously spacious Ten-Wides, their largest model being a huge 10 feet wide by 50 feet long with 1, 2, or 3 bedrooms with a price tag of around $10,000.oo F.O.B. The production of such wide models was the reason of the move to the new spacious plant in Clarion, PA the same year. For a couple of months ABC was producing in both the Pinconning and Clarion factories, as well as their western Loveland factory. May 1956 saw the last ABC roll out of the Pinconning factory. It was an 8-wide.

            The new Clarion factory offered almost unbelievable luxury models.  Solid oak walls and cabinetry was standard. The most modern of brass fixtures were used in every room.  Stainless steel cook tops, wall-ovens, and refrigerators were the norm. Thick plush carpeting in the living rooms and bedrooms, fashionable Hollywood style vanities in the bathrooms made many a prospective looker ooh and aah!  In fact, the ABC mobile home was called one of the only fire-proof mobile homes on the market. The entire undercarriage was enclosed in

            ABC Coach Company continued their high quality of mobile home standards and was one of the first mobile homes to receive the new Gold Seal, something that not even Spartan was able to obtain, until they were purchased by Vought Industries in November 1959. The 1960 models were still produced in the ABC high tradition but the quality and price was lowered in 1962 and each executive year saw a heavy reduction in design and quality.  Two years later the factories were sold to Divco-Wayne and the once famous ABC name was used on a series of low-priced typical white box-type mobile homes. By 1966 the name of ABC, “America’s Best Coach” was taken off of the market never to be resurrected again.

To reach Juergen regarding this article or any questions you have

 about identifying a vintage trailer you can email him at: 

 eichermueller@baunetz.de,

A recent project called for a kitchen table make over.  The original wood grain laminate had become quite worn.  This trailer is being redone in a 50’s diner theme so after many internet searches and visits to cabinet shops it was decided to recover the original table with a retro “Boomerang” pattern from Formica Corporations Classic Series.  This was a common pattern used in the 50’s and Formica has brought it back in three colors; dark grey, aqua, and skylark blue.  For this project we chose skylark blue with 3/4” aluminum banding from our local wholesale cabinet supply house.

We called James Morris of Jerry Morris Construction Services, to help show us how it’s done.  It is a project that can be completed by most “do it yourselfers” with some basic tools.  Follow these steps for a great new look for less than $50.00.  Many other patterns can be found online from Formica and Wilson Art.

Step One:  Remove the table and set on sawhorse or any stable work surface.  Always use proper safety equipment including a mask and safety glasses.

Step Two:  Rough up the old laminate surface with a 4” hand grinder or finish sander with a 40 grit sand paper.  The complete surface needs to be dull so that the adhesive will have something to stick to.

Step Three:  Mark cut lines on the laminate about 2” larger than the four edges of the table.

Step Four:  Put masking tape over the cut lines to prevent the laminate from cracking during the cutting process.

Step Five:  Using a finish blade in a circular saw cut the laminate on marked lines.

Step Six:  Flip the laminate upside down and place on newspaper or cardboard to protect the surrounding areas from the spray adhesive.

Step Seven:  Spray the bottom side of the new laminate and the top of the original table top with a laminate adhesive such as 3M HiStrength 90 purchased at your local home improvement store.

Step Eight:  Place three small boards such as 1” X 2” on the table top to keep the two surfaces separated while they a carefully lined up.

Step Nine:  Remove the center 1” X 2 board and quickly press the center into place.  The two surfaces will adhere very quickly so make sure they are lined up correctly.  This is why we left an extra two inches on all four sides. 

Step Ten:  Remove one end board and press down, working from the center to the edge.  Remove the last 1” X 2” board and smooth out the remainder of the laminate.  Roll a rolling pin or heavy weight to work out any trapped air.  The laminate should be stuck in 10 to 15 minutes. 

Step Eleven:  Trim excess laminate from edges with a router.

Step Twelve: Trim metal edge to fit.  Have a friend hold one end while bending around corners.  Fasten with nails or screws depending on type of banding used.  

Scope of Work

Two Person Job

Approximately 2 Hours

Tools Needed:  Circular Saw

                          Masking Tape

                          Router

                          Saw Horses or table

Material List

                           Laminate 2” larger than each side of table

                           Spray Adhesive such as 3M HiStrength 90

                           Metal Table Banding or Metal Carpet Transition

Formica Corporation Laminates

www.formica.com

Metal banding and other cabinet supplies:

Walden’s Distributing

5704 Airport Freeway

Fort Worth, TX 76117-6096

(800) 772-2408

Special Thanks to:

James Morris of Jerry Morris Construction Services

Fort Worth, Texas

(817) 909-1564

Helpful Tip:  If you have problems finding metal table banding, metal carpet transition can be purchased from your local home improvement store.  If your table top will be used as a bed when folded down, the metal edging needs to be the same thickness as the table so that the bottom edge won’t get bent.  If it will only be used for a table then there are many more available options with thicker banding.

We also replaced the kitchen counter with the same matching Boomerang countertop that was premade at a local cabinet shop and ordered from the local home improvement store.