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| Introducing The Flying Cow, a 1965 (?) Frolic |
Wanna find a nice vintage camper?
Head to the highlands, my friends.
I may have to call the most recent vintage camper to be
added to the fleet of rentals at
"The Flying Cow"
as she comes from Bovina, New York in the Catskills.
Let's just say there are a lot of collectors in the Catskills
who collect everything from toasters to Airstreams.
Vintage cars, too...
Yesterday was my third visit to see the Frolic.
Could not leave without her...
(my friend was very patient helping to get The Flying Cow safely attached to the back of my 6 cylinder Honda). I will invest in a sway bar hitch attachment
to haul her in the future. She made me a little nervous heading
DOWN from the Catskills. Just a little...)
Happily, we made it home before the expected 20-30 inches of snow landed.
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| The first 8 inches that fell atop The Flying Cow. |
My plan is to have her ready to launch for her maiden voyage in June.
We will be attending a Vintage Camper Rally to be held in Herkimer, NY
at the Herkimer Diamond Mine KOA.
I have reserved an extra spot for anyone who would like to rent one
of my other vintage campers for that weekend.
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| Yes, we will be digging for Herkimer Diamonds while there! |
My friends will be saying in one of their newest finds...(sigh!)
So, refurbishing is about to begin.
She is an old camper, with good bones, a few old age spots on her exterior,
and a wonderful interior. She is going to need a wide range of repairs and upgrades.
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| The back 3/4 bed frame is missing, just below the bunk in the back. |
She will need a new floor, some new electric, plumbing, gas lines, exterior lights, the birch paneling needs some repair, a new door, a new bumper... undercoating...
and the beat goes on. See videos below detailing similar restorations...
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| Photo of old heater. Will just repaint, not replace. |
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| Love the birch interior, which was recently refinished, in part. |
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| The refrigerator is locked shut. Will need to fix that.... |
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| Adore the turquoise sink, stove and oven. Hope they function. |
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| First on my "To-Do" List? The cushions. |
I always advise my friends to do a checklist BEFORE buying a camper.
You need to know what you are dealing with.
However, sometimes, you just have to act, knowing from experience,
if you have it, that most of the items need upgrades when
dealing with 50+ year-old campers.
By the way, I trust my friend, Ken, from whom I bought this camper.
We BOTH know, from experience,
what you can expect to find in old campers.
This one will be no exception.
It is the leaks, and damage from leaking ceilings,
that cause most of these to need complete frame up rebuilds.
And I will probably have to deal with SOME of these issues in this camper, too.
(I always hope for the best, but prepare for this worse)
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Sorry this is out of focus!
I suspect issues around the vent, and will be
replacing some of the birch here, at the minimum. |
Repairing a camper is kinda like driving a school bus.
In order to have summers off, I am learning how to drive a school bus. In my first 4-5 weeks of training,
I have seen so many drivers do stupid things just
so that they don't have to drive behind a school bus.
When driving a school bus, I hope for the best from other drivers on the road.
but expect the worse. When restoring a leak in a camper, same.
I hope for the best, but expect the worse.
Will let you know how it goes!
Happy Trails,
Cathy Light, Your Vintage Photographer
See Other Frolics From The Sixties In Youtube Links Below
whose interior mirrors
The Flying Cow
Humor me... I love these flying cow images.
Look up Bovina, NY.... and book a flight if you can!
Buy Your Own Flying Cow!
