+- Wanderlodge Gurus - The Member Funded Wanderlodge Forum (http://www.wanderlodgegurus.com)
+-- Forum: Yahoo Groups Archive (/forumdisplay.php?fid=61)
+--- Forum: WanderlodgeForum (/forumdisplay.php?fid=63)
+--- Thread: Searching with Heart for My Dad's Old 1985 Wanderlodge (/showthread.php?tid=12292)
Searching with Heart for My Dad's Old 1985 Wanderlodge - Homesteader - 11-20-2025 22:03
Hi. My Dad had multi BB WL's. His last was a 1985 PT-40 I believe, and was named HOMESTEADER on the front and played 'On the Road Again' LOUDLY from an exterior horn. I'll put a photo here. When he died in 6/1997 I drove it from his home in Virginia to Jackson Mississippi (his childhood state-for burial). My uncle Carl N (Wimpy) Thomas sold it for my mom. He sold it for $80K in October 1997. Uncle Wimpy had a place called Surplus City in Jackson and whoever bought it (from out of state if I remember right) would have gone there to pick it up. I'm so sorry I didn't keep the VIN # to make it easier to find. It had one very unique aspect at the time - a JennAire brand grill stove - which we had at home and Dad really wanted one in his BB. They finally agreed to do it provided Dad sign all kinds of waivers, etc. I heard they may have put some in others later on, but his was the first. Thanks to my Dad starting with RV's when I was 19, when I wanted to retire in 2017 I did so without a lot of money and decided to sell my house for savings and buy my own first RV. I had driven his BB often. I've been almost full time RV since then - I keep Dad's Bluebird pin on my sun visor and key chain on my keys. I know it's a long shot, but perhaps someone here will know its whereabouts. Truth is, as I get older (I'm almost 75 and do the RV life on my own - BY CHOICE! I'm a solitude junkie haha) and when I can't do it anymore I would SO LOVE to have Dad's Bluebird sit next to my 288 sqft tiny house I have as a 'stopping point' right now. My RV connects to it with a deck and the RV remains my bedroom etc.while the tiny house gives me a kitchen and living room and a place to die one day. So even if Dad's old rig has gone too far beyond its glory days to be a decent traveling RV, I could still have it as part of my 'home' in this set up. Well, there you have it. I am happy for all of you who have and love your Wanderlodge's. They were such a big part of our family's life and we all miss them, as we do our Dad. Thanks for listening. I hope it's ok I've put this in here. Any ideas of other ways to search without a VIN would be greatly appreciated. Take care. Dorothy Thomas
RE: Searching with Heart for My Dad's Old 1985 Wanderlodge - Arcticdude - 11-21-2025 15:44
Mrs. Thomas,
First, condolences on your Dad’s passing even though it’s been a while. It’s a tough journey we all have to make.
Second, good luck in your search!
Third, if you haven’t already you might also post on the Vintage Birds website. It’s http://www.vintagebirds.com. They might have a good connection to find “Homesteader” there.
RE: Searching with Heart for My Dad's Old 1985 Wanderlodge - Homesteader - Yesterday 20:26
Sorry I missed your response. Thanks a lot. I will do that. I've gotten a lot from one Facebook group I posted on but no leads. I did find that the official BlueBird WL name tag I have of Dad's, besides his name and city/state, said F 46420; and WL 1065. This may have been from one of his former WL's rather than the one Im looking for. Do you know if anyone still has the records for this? I'm trying to find the VIN. Could the F46420 be the Vin #? No need to respond if you don't know. Thanks for your help. I'll take your advice to Vintagebirds.com and other sites as well.
RE: Searching with Heart for My Dad's Old 1985 Wanderlodge - Arcticdude - Yesterday 21:05
The “F” number is probably his FMCA number (Family Motor Coach Association). It’s a large rv group that’s been around for a long time. (They’ve now morphed to the Family RV Association.) They have an oval plate, maybe 10” across that listed the member’s number.
Unfortunately, there’s no correlation between the VIN # and the F number.