Picked up a "canned ham" this weekend - mfg by Lakewood Industries of Artesia, CA

Great find! I don't know much about Lakewood except my brother has restored 1 or 2. They are in the upper end when it comes to a well built trailer.
Real bonus to see very little water damage and from the pics I'd guess not a lot of wood rot. More amazing looking at the pics is your skin looks to be exceptional shape, rarely do they last this long without a bunch of dents, hail damage and tears.
I'd suggest painting the bottom half the color of your truck with a nice contrasting stripe and leave the top as is (I hate polishing aluminum myself!). If you do decide to polish it try a small spot somewhere that doesn't show first, some of these had some type of coating/ treatment that won't polish well and will look real bad if you try. Your Lakewood was probably never "shiny" like an Sparton or Airstream was when new.

 

My family bought a Lakewood trailer in 1953. It was smaller than yours, probably a 12 ft., but looked very similar inside and out. What I know about Lakewood is that it was one of many small trailer manufacturers in southern Calif. that were established as a result of the downsizing of the aircraft business after World War II. My parents said that these postwar trailers actually used war-surplus aluminum. They traveled to southern Calif. from Texas, our home, to look for a trailer because that's where so many were made and concluded that Lakewood trailers were very well made and the best value for the money. (They always said that Airstreams--of which I own a 2015 model--were overpriced and had lots of wasted space. They had earlier had a 30 ft. Spartan, in which my mom and I lived while my dad was in the Army during the Korean War.) They ordered the trailer with a few modifications, which Lakewood was willing to make; stayed in Artesia until it was completed; and then drove it back to Texas.

At the time I was four and my brother was less than a year old. In the following 9 years, we traveled all over the U.S., southern Canada, and Mexico in the trailer. Our longest trip was 10 weeks, all around the U.S., when I was 12. My brother's and my happiest memories of our childhood are of time spent in that trailer! We finally sold it because the amount of maintenance was getting too much (especially leaking around joints in the aluminum skin)--plus at 13 I was too big for the top bunk, where I slept because my younger brother had nightmares and would sit bolt upright so had to have the lower bunk with more headroom. My parents later had several trailers in the 60s and 70s, but they were not nearly as well built as the Lakewood although they had features like bathrooms and refridgerators. (The Lakewood had an old-fashioned icebox--you could still buy block ice all over in those days.) The best of the lot was one my dad bought from some small manufacturer in southern Calif. in the mid-70s; in talking with the shop foreman, he discovered that the guy had worked for Lakewood 20 years earlier!

I still miss the old Lakewood, although it is really nice to have a bathroom, LED lights, and A/C in my Airstream. We even named our Airstream after my family's name for the Lakewood. I hope you enjoy your Lakewood as much as we did ours and have just as many wonderful adventures!

Danielle

 

Hi Danielle. we still have it in the family and my son and his wife keep it in Flagstaff now. It has been out to elk/deer camp multiple times and has been a regular at "Country Thunder in AZ. It has been to Wyoming 3 times for our annual family fly fishing/camping trip. It will likely go back up there again this year. We love our Lakewood! Tom

 

T.W.Dustin, do you get anywhere near the CM Ranch near Dubois on your Wyoming trips? It's on Jakeys Fork, just southwest of the fish hatchery. My niece's parents manage the place. Absolutely beautiful country!

 

Man that's cool

 

We go up Horse Creek Road up to Wiggins Fork

 

Great find! I think you will find traveling and camping in a vintage trailer will be a great experience. It's been a life changing experience for us, has expanded our circle of friends, and our collection of cars. If I could make a suggestion, check out "Tin Can Tourists". We've been active for almost 20 years, there are now sponsored gatherings in almost every state nationwide, it's been rewarding for us.

 

I should add the TCT has a VERY active Facebook page (if you're on there), and a friend our ours, a young guy in FL, Tim Heintz has a restoration shop, and an encyclopedic knowledge of vintage campers, and a collection of factory and dealer adverts, brochures for almost every manufacturer in the land. He'd have information about your trailer, and answers every FB question posted asking for information. Give it a go...

 

Thanks. Just a note, this thread is about 6 1/2 years old. While I still own the trailer, my youngest son and his wife keep it and use it now. It will stay in the family but I haven't used it in about 2 years. I am on my second 5 year license tag haha.