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Red Fau Veh Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2012 Posts: 3037 Location: Prescott Az.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:02 am Post subject: |
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I am excited because someone called me today about a Heilite trailer! I run a wanted ad on craigslist and someone has one so I am excited to go look at it today. I will take pics and post up what I find! _________________ 1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey
Touch Nicks Thing wrote: |
Swivel Seat panels are for people with no friends |
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Red Fau Veh Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2012 Posts: 3037 Location: Prescott Az.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 4:26 pm Post subject: |
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Well it wasn't a Heilite, it is a Higgins. Pretty cool though, looks like a Heilite.
Here is the same looking one in a video. 700 bucks they want, I may get it.
Link
Here is the actual trailer.
_________________ 1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey
Touch Nicks Thing wrote: |
Swivel Seat panels are for people with no friends |
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flat_twin Samba Member
Joined: August 26, 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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What year is the JC Higgins? It looks like it's in good shape. How is the canvas? |
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Red Fau Veh Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2012 Posts: 3037 Location: Prescott Az.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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It is a 1946 Higgins. And it is not a JC Higgins, it was made by a guy named Andrew Jackson Higgins, he was the guy that built landing craft for WWII and Eisenhower said he was why we won the war. I found a site about the history of pop up campers and Higgins was the first aluminum tent camper and they made a boat model too. The Higgins trailer was only built in 1946 and 1947. http://www.popupcamperhistory.com/higgins35mm.html
_________________ 1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey
Touch Nicks Thing wrote: |
Swivel Seat panels are for people with no friends |
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flat_twin Samba Member
Joined: August 26, 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, accidentally slipped a "JC" in front of that. Vesely who made Apache campers did make a JC Higgins version (looked a lot like an Apache Chief or Scout) for sears for a couple years around 1960 but you're right, the Higgins camper is something else. |
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folks55 Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2008 Posts: 894 Location: High Desert Ca
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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Red Fau Veh Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2012 Posts: 3037 Location: Prescott Az.
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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Sweet! _________________ 1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey
Touch Nicks Thing wrote: |
Swivel Seat panels are for people with no friends |
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flat_twin Samba Member
Joined: August 26, 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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More on my Heilite wannabe. Got some painting done this weekend on the Ward's camper. I need a beige squareback to pull this eh.
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Kathy J Samba Member
Joined: June 22, 2014 Posts: 23 Location: Just downwind of Detroit, MI
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:06 am Post subject: Slow progress, but progress... |
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FINALLY! We FINALLY got our Heilite rolling yesterday!
It's not quite finished yet--we discovered that it still needs some adjustments to the cargo door locks, and it needs a spare wheel (which we have, but haven't gotten sandblasted/painted so we can put a tire on it). But it's usable--it even has a **really nice** mattress that my husband sewed for it! It's waterproof nylon on the bottom, and upholstery velvet on top, and it has 4" of very firm foam rubber inside it. We had bought a 4" memory foam mattress topper, but when we laid on it, it compressed down to about 1/2" thick and was really uncomfortable. So we bit the bullet and bought the heavy foam rubber (which we got at a huge discount with coupons from Joann Fabric). We tried using both the memory foam and the foam rubber together (which was incredibly comfortable!), but the trailer cover couldn't fit on the trailer with both fillers in the bed. So we pulled out the memory foam.
The trailer is now physically ready to use, but despite getting a hitch made for it in July, we haven't taken it on the road at all because it came to us with no paperwork and doesn't have a license plate. We've been unable to get any info from the local Michigan Secretary of State office on how to go about getting a plate and/or title for it. They keep telling us to bring in the title...sigh. A friend of a friend who rehabs old trailers as a hobby recently told us that all we need is to get it weighed on a public certified scale, and get a letter or a bill of sale from the man who gave it to us. We managed to verify that info, which was buried in small print in an obscure section of the SoS website. The site said that it was legal to haul it without a plate *only* to a public scale, and *only* on the most direct route to/from the scale. So yesterday we hooked it up to my PT Cruiser for a maiden voyage to the certified scale at a truck stop about 8 miles away.
It's so light that I could hardly tell it was back there, until I turned a corner and got a glimpse of it in the mirrors. Driving with that thing attached took a bit of getting used to. A few blocks into the journey, one of the cargo doors dropped open...that's when we discovered that the locks need adjustment. We got it to stay closed, but the other door is now stuck and won't open.
When we got to the scale, they had to weigh the car at the same time in order to get the scale to register the trailer's miniscule weight! LOL! It officially weighs a whopping 200 pounds, and that's *with* a mattress in it and a folding table and a cot in the cargo area!
After we got it weighed we took it over to the house of the elderly man who gave it to us. He happened to live just a block off the "most direct route" to the scale... He hasn't seen it since he gave it to us, and at that time it was still covered in rust and mildew. He was thrilled to see the trailer all restored. He made us pull it up onto his lawn and set up the tent so he could see all the work we've done on it. I think we made his day. Later this week he and I are going to go to the Secretary of State office together with a "bill of sale" and the weight cert, and try to get them to write up a registration so we can put a plate on the trailer.
When we left his house, we brought it home with us--the first time it's been "home" since we got it. It's been in the garage at my dad's house 3 miles away since last year in June, and that's where it'll be stored once everything is working properly on it. But it'll be much easier to work on it here because we won't have to drive back and forth between locations if we need a forgotten tool.
It started to rain just as we got home with the trailer, so we didn't get a chance to get any photos before we shoved it into the garage. But we need to do some work on the door locks tonight, so when we pull it out of the garage for that I'll hook it up to the car and try to get some pics. |
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flat_twin Samba Member
Joined: August 26, 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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That's great that you took it over for the previous owner to see. Must have been quite a thrill for him to see it all redone and ready for more years of camping.
Looking forward to your pics. Please take one of your husbands sewing. I priced a foam pad with a vinyl cover at an auto upholstery place. YIKES! DIY sounds great if you've got the skills. That's why mine came from Cabelas!
About the title. It's probably different in MI, here in Ohio they don't require a title for any non commercial trailer less than 4000 lbs. They simply go by the weight of the trailer. My tent trailer had no title and I though it would be a problem. All I needed was a certified weight slip to take to the BMV. |
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folks55 Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2008 Posts: 894 Location: High Desert Ca
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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Awesome job! @Kathy can't wait to see pics |
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Kathy J Samba Member
Joined: June 22, 2014 Posts: 23 Location: Just downwind of Detroit, MI
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Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 8:28 am Post subject: Up and running! |
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We got a title and plate for the Heilite. Michigan state law said that we had to have a title if it was a trailer that could be lived in, even a pop up tent camper. It didn't qualify as a cargo trailer because of the tent. The whole process was a mess, but it's done and we legally own the trailer now. First we had to get it weighed on a public scale. It's so small that it didn't activate the scale by itself! We had to weight the car with it. The Heilite, empty weighed exactly 200 pounds.
My husband finally had to take the 87 year old previous owner with him to the Secretary of State to sign off on it. The old owner had gone into the office on his own last summer, and requested a title transfer, saying he had given the trailer away, but they never followed through. Apparently Michigan has no process for dealing with a vehicle that was a gift. You have to buy it in order to get a title for it. So they finally went in together, and after being prompted by the clerk, told the state that we bought it for $100 (they wouldn't let them say it was sold for $1--the state gets 6% of every vehicle sale as tax...). But before that was done, the clerk tried to charge him a plate fee for the weight of the CAR rather than the TRAILER...she didn't believe that it weighed so little. Sigh...
Once it was legal to take on the road, my husband took the Heilite out for a couple of overnight trials to make sure everything worked and it hauled OK. He came back alive, so last weekend we loaded it up with stuff for 2 adult humans and 2 large greyhounds, and drove to the nearest state park for an overnighter. We're cautious folk, what can I say?
We were camped next to a guy in a 1972 US Army military transport truck that he is slowly converting into a camper. Lots of people stopped to ask us questions all weekend. And there were some ladies in 1960's "glampers" that came by. One of them fell in love with the Heilite and wants to buy it. We're not selling (at least not right now) but it made us wonder what one of these things goes for in restored condition? Our marine canvas is not original (not even close to the original design...), and it's mildew stained. (What gets the stain out? CLR Mildew remover killed the mildew and the smell, but it left the black spots behind). All the original steel parts have been powdercoated blue, but it's in good working condition. What do restored Heilites go for?
The only serious problem we encountered last weekend was some scary trailer sway on the freeway. We're using a T-shaped hitch adapter that we had fabricated for us. Either it's not strong enough and it's flexing, or it's not designed correctly, and it's not supporting the weight properly. I would love to see pictures from those of you who are using T-adapters, to see how they're built.
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Red Fau Veh Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2012 Posts: 3037 Location: Prescott Az.
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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That looks awesome! I want to go make a fire outside right now just seeing that cool shot! Oh and I got my Higgins trailer today! I might start a thread outside of this one for it but it is kinda like having a Heilite because it is all aluminum too. I plan to make it shine like a mirror!
_________________ 1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey
Touch Nicks Thing wrote: |
Swivel Seat panels are for people with no friends |
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CaLiBus Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2011 Posts: 1097
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:28 am Post subject: Re: Heilite tent trailer |
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So I got wind of a heilite for sale but for sale with this old truck. Took a chance at seeing if he would sell it seperately. A week later I get a call! Bingo!!!
And look what I get back when pictures start comin in
Cool heilite patch still intact.
She is now resting at home after a 16hr road trip. |
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Red Fau Veh Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2012 Posts: 3037 Location: Prescott Az.
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 11:05 pm Post subject: Re: Heilite tent trailer |
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Swivel wheel model, cool, any updates? _________________ 1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey
Touch Nicks Thing wrote: |
Swivel Seat panels are for people with no friends |
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CaLiBus Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2011 Posts: 1097
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 12:27 pm Post subject: Re: Heilite tent trailer |
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Red Fau Veh wrote: |
Swivel wheel model, cool, any updates? |
The big surprise was the condition of the tent. Nice and strong with just some old dirt to clean up. So here she is finally opened up after 30 plus years.
And here's the icing on the cake.. After some good scrubbing
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mr. warehouse Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2001 Posts: 5001 Location: Nor Cal 707
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 2:47 pm Post subject: Re: Heilite tent trailer |
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I just picked this beauty up yesterday from the original owners son. Same family since new in 1955.
Came with the camp kitchen,awning with original poles, plenty of history, stories, camping equipment, etc.
It has sat in the same garage off Hwy 80 in Sacramento since 1976
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CaLiBus Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2011 Posts: 1097
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 3:04 pm Post subject: Re: Heilite tent trailer |
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That awning is the shizznit Greg. It was probably a limited run for that year? |
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mr. warehouse Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2001 Posts: 5001 Location: Nor Cal 707
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 5:47 pm Post subject: Re: Heilite tent trailer |
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CaLiBus wrote: |
That awning is the shizznit Greg. It was probably a limited run for that year? |
Not sure.
I've had tents with ½ of a zipper on them in the past, but no awning.
This is the first I've seen with the awning sewn to the tent.
The owner said it came like that from Heilite when purchased new.... |
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Typ3nut Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2002 Posts: 1192 Location: MI, MotorCity ManCave
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 10:00 pm Post subject: Re: Heilite tent trailer |
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mr. warehouse,
Very nice early find.
From your first photo, your Heilite Trailer appears to have two wheels ?
Any pics of the hitch assembly / axle frame.
I thought the two wheel version didn't appear until 1960 - '61.
There's a photo of the attached front canopy on singlewheel.com in the vintage literature section but can't tell what year the brochure is from, rare accessory. Good Stuff ! |
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