5 replies to this topic

[Kansafornia]

Hello one and all!  Kansafornia here; aka professional lurker & luster, envious of all things Alaskan Camper. After many, many moons the stars have aligned and I've acquired my first Alaskan.

 

Yup, I'm fairly certain that that story is as old as the Alaskan Camper Company itself...

 

In an effort to learn more about the unit acquired, I have a few questions that I've not been able to track down through this - and other - forums/sites. Given the library of knowledge in members of this forum, I thought I'd ask them for comment.

 

Question:  How does one read the stamped metal tag on the back of the camper?

 

Mine shows as follows...

     M- 07         (Model?)

     S-1328      (Series?  Serial Number?  Production Number?) 

     1958           (Production Year?)

     DoH No.  DA- 26373   (Department of Health Cert #?)

 

Question: What were the production numbers through the years?

 

For example, did Alaskan build 5 or 5000 campers in 1958? Is there a location with that data? Is there a tag somewhere on the unit that lets me know where mine was in that build cycle for that year? 

 

Maybe that information is caught up in the metal tag numbers I'm looking to decipher...

 

I'm planning to begin a skin off restoration in Sep and am therefore engaged in a steep - nearly vertical - learning curve.  Any and all information is most appreciated.

[dastrom]

At one point there were 7 plants that made Alaskans.  In 1972 there were plants in Suisun CA, Seattle WA, Alberta Canada, Mannheim PA , Houston TX, Sioux Falls SD and Lupton CO.

 

My '75 only had a number stamped into the steel angle on the back bottom left.  If you can find this number, the general theory is that the plant # is first, followed by the year, possibly model number and then manufacturing sequence.  

 

My number is 775071292.  So manufactured at plant 7 in Colorado, year '75, possibly model number 07, # manufactured 1292.  It seems that these changed over the years and different plants did things a little differently as well. Some had metal tags as well some did not or were lost.

 

It is thought that plant 1 was California, plant 2 was in Washington, plant 3 was Alberta Canada and plant 7 was Colorado.  Much of this information came from Alaskan Camper Club on Facebook.

 

Good luck with your search!

Edited by dastrom, 09 July 2023 - 04:08 PM.

[Kansafornia]

Thx dastrom!  Much appreciated.

[Kansafornia]

Update: Had an email conversation with Bryan. He responded almost immediately and followed up with more information after his initial response.  Huge kudos to him and Alaskan!

 

However... none of the places suggested - nor anywhere else on the Alaskan that I've found - have numbers beyond the metal tag. And that data doesn't fully align with the numbering convention suggested by Bryan and dastrom. Perhaps my Alaskan was built prior to convention adoption? Anyone else similarly tagged?

[CamperGal]

I just purchased an Alaskan. The number stamped on it is 76611312.  So it is a 1966? It was advertised as "made between 1958-1960". I will actually be happy if it is a 1966 as I am going to put it on my 1966 F-100 and I wanted a 66. The seller told me that he could not find a serial number but there is a huge number stamped on the back. Not sure how anyone could have missed it. 

[Kansafornia]

Welcome aboard CamperGal! Based on dastrom's note, it would appear you have a '66 manufactured in the Colorado plant. How is your camper's condition?