1964 Dodge Travco Madeline Mae ~ A Motorcade Diva

It may not be anything special to others but on her exterior she seems to have been rather active in Dodge Motorcade Club Rally activities.  Although they are faded from time, below you can see that they are mostly all legible and it tells me she was a very active gal.

Above her windshield she carries number 177.  From the moment I seen this, I was more convinced I had done the right thing by purchasing her.  I was born on the seventeenth day of the month, and my only child was born in the seventh month... 177 just perfect!

http://www.dodgetravcos.com/index.php?p=1_44_Motorcade-Club-History

1964 Dodge Travco Madeline Mae ~ Childhood Memories and Madeline Mae

Walking into her just carries me back in time to the content and warm feelings of my childhood.  My Grandfather on my mothers side was a avid Airstream lover and owner.  As a child and up through me teenage years weekend visits to his campsite were a given.  Although she is not a Airstream, her presence provides me with a fond sense of coziness.

As I was reminiscing two very important people came to my mind.  My Grandmothers from both sides of my family... Madeline and Mae.  I then decided that it would be more than appropriate for her to carry their names.  So from here on out she will be officially known as Madeline Mae.

1964 Dodge Motor Home aka Dodge Travco ~ Vintage Adorer

I have always had a love for vintage campers, trailers, motor homes... anything vintage for that matter.  I simply love old stuff, I always have and seems that the affection only grows stronger with age.  Just to give you and idea... in the fire I lost so many years of collections.  A huge quantity of vintage dolls, composition, Horsman Walkers, Ideal baby, dolls ranging from the 1920's up until the early 80's.  All types of other items... retro appliances, mid century Formica dinettes, hanging retro globe lights, I could go on and on!  Just tons of things I had collected through the years.

The remains of one of my Mid Century Formica Dinettes

1964 Dodge Motor Home aka Dodge Travco ~ Interior Getting Down To The Nity Grity

Now that she is cleared out, I am gloved up and ready to give her a good go over!

Huh... potting soil decorates the driving compartment ?

Btw, I am very new to motor home restoration, and I know I have probably bitten off more than I can chew... but little by little I will learn and do my very best to restore her back to her original condition.

1964 Dodge Motor Home aka Dodge Travco ~ Oh Boy!! Where do I begin :(

Goodness gracious!  Not sure if i wanted the light to shed on this situation or not.  The filth under all of this garbage was surely going to take me all day to complete.  Nothing to it but to do it I reckon, so I got everything out and in a pile and commenced to cleaning up the layers of filth.

As you can see the signs of neglect and water leakage were very apparent.

A day of clearing out had came to a end!  Tired and off to sleep... going to get up bright and early and begin to give her a more thorough cleaning.  The cleaner the slate the more clearer the evaluation of damages will be.

Stay tuned more to follow...

1964 Dodge Motor Home aka Dodge Travco ~ Whew wee she is mine... finally unloaded, positioned and readily awaits her TLC!

After settling up with Nathan, I was left alone to explore her interior.  With flashlight in hand I opened the door and proceeded to enter.  Oh my what was before my eyes was grim!  Do not get me wrong... I had not lost of admiration for her, but the lack of care she had underwent was disappointing to say the least.  I could barely even enter due to all the trash that was strewn from one end to another.  I was told by the previous owner that she came with everything... what a understatement!!

Oh she had everything alright!  I straddled over all sorts of things, monitors, boards, ceiling fans, tarps, old microwaves, etc., you name it and it was more than likely in there.  From the looks of all, it really seemed that she only served one purpose at her prior location... she had became a twenty seven foot trash can.  For a few moments I was disgusted but then within seconds I gained a sense of calmness knowing this piece of history was no longer going to be subjected to neglect.  I had only gotten through the hall and was not sure what might greet me in there a snake, a rat, a opossum... who knows so I exited and felt it be best that I wait until daylight to begin clearing her out.

1964 Dodge Motor Home aka Dodge Travco ~ Transport & Arrival

Bless his heart!!!  A nightmare more for Nathan the transporter than myself!  Despite the brake issue, the previous owner had assured both Nathan and myself that he could drive her a short distance.  This needed to be done for the rig was in a location that made it difficult for Nathan to back his Landall into.  Nathan headed to her location in the early morning as promised only to find that he was unable to drive her as desired, forcing him to seek wrecker assistance.  By late afternoon, the wrecker pulled from her shrubbery grave, loaded onto the Landall... and in route to her new home.

The weather was awful... cold, wet, and rainy.  Anxiously awaiting their arrival,  just after 6 p.m. they rolled up.  Filled with the excitement of a child, I ran out and greeted Nathan and gazed upon this piece from the past.

1964 Dodge Motor Home aka Dodge Travco

From the beginning... how I ended up with this beauty.  On September 25th, 2012 the one hundred and nineteen year old house I knew as home fell victim to an electrical fire.  The fire claimed the life of one of my dogs and nearly all of my earthly belongings.  To my surprise the resources for fire victims are few and far between.  Being that I had no rental insurance nor a large amount of savings, this new beginning would surely be a struggle.  Obtaining a rental within my means was not going to be very easy, and to find one that would allow me to have my eleven year old Doberman would be almost impossible.  Now knowing my options were scarce, I thought to purchase a older camper where my four legged best friend and I could reside until something more appropriate surfaced.

Let the hunt begin!  Readily searching online for a camper I stumbled upon a 1964 Dodge, it was only a few hours distance from my location.  I saved the craigslist page in my favorites and refreshed the listing daily.  A few days after first seeing the post, I seen that the asking price was lowered nearly half of the original price.  At that moment I made the call and to my disappointment I was told that someone would be arriving from out of town to view her the following day.  I then made an agreement with the owner to call a couple hours after the prospecting buyer was supposed to arrive.  The next day rolled around and after speaking to the seller, it was to my delight that she was still available.  Sight unseen and despite she has a brake issue.. I immediately gathered his information and sent him a deposit.  Soon after I placed the deposit,  I began a new hunt for a transporter, due to the brake issue.  Although I had no idea what the brakes would be to repair, I felt positive that i had made the right decision with the purchase.  I opened a listing on uShip and was blessed to be provided with a decent bid for transport from a fella who lived in the area where she was located.  By the way, if you ever need a honest down to earth team for transporting, I highly recommend Nathan and his wife Wendy who own EASTERN CAROLINA LOGISTICS INC.  The two of them are simply the best, and if in the future I am in need of transport services, I would not hesitate a split second to give them my business.

In the days to come, I will be posting her arrival, step by step restoration and hopefully one day in the near future our travels.  I hope to provide you with a interesting story and along the way I am sure it will be interesting and educative experience for myself.