Vintage Slide In Camper Refurbishing - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

TylerH860 · #1 01-16-2012, 12:47 AM

Some of you may remember I was hot and heavy for airstreams. I looked at a few but never pulled the trigger. Recently I purchased a 3/4 ton Dodge that I'm quite fond of. Its the V10 (sorry dieselheads) quad cab 4x4 with leather and all options. As I'm going to be doing quite a few short 2-3 day trips in the next few months with a car trailer I thought it would be nice to have a slide in bed camper. I looked a few more modern and boring models, and was about to buy one when I came across a vintage aluminum model.

The interior is past it, and it has a few small soft spots, but overall it was in pretty nice shape. For $200 I figured it was a no brainer, since the scrap aluminum would bring at least that. I loaded it up on the Dodge and it looked beautiful.

Unfortunately the jack system was antiquated and really didn't work well. It would slip out of its slot regularly. I should have been more careful, but I'm glad I at least made some preparation for the likely scenario when I was unloading it. I made it about half way down when one of the jacks gave out. Thankfully I had cinder blocks stacked as I went it so I didn't get crushed, and the damage to the trailer was minimal. One of the first things on the list to buy is new jacks.

Right now I'm brainstorming as to what I should do to rehab the trailer with minimum headaches. I know I'm not going to bother with any gas setup, and think I'll go 12 volt with an inverter and RV batteries that I can recharge with the truck or a plug in. I think I'll strip and replace the plywood paneling since there's light water damage from a previously leaking roof vent. I'll replace it as far as the beginning of the cabover bed. For the bed I'll tack over the paneling with padded vinyl so I don't bump my head at night. I'll most likely replace the cabinet doors and re-use the original hardware. It would be nice to do it with cedar since it smells so good. I might just have to take down the cabinets and do the sides as well.

My truck has a 12 volt setup for a 5th wheel but I don't think I can use that to charge the batteries. Has anyone had any kind of setup like this before?

t walgamuth · #2 01-16-2012, 05:34 AM

With a trailer if it is plugged into the truck the truck will charge the batteries in the trailer. You just include the trailer to the truck system when you plug it in so it will top off the battery automatically if it needs juice.

Easy peasy.

That looks pretty cool. I don't see how you can go wrong at two hundred. I've never seen one in plain aluminum before. You could polish it for the latest look.

TwitchKitty · #3 01-16-2012, 07:14 AM

Cool project, glad you were thinking safety. I have had several people comment to me about my sense of self preservation. Gotta have it to play these games.

I always thought I would grab one of these if I found the right deal but it's another thing I wouldn't use enough to justify.

Serro Scotty converted some dodge diesels to motorhomes, I'd grab one of those at a good price too.

SwampYankee · #4 01-16-2012, 07:24 AM

Nice! I've always loved the character of older campers/rv's (one of few areas in which the wife's ideals and mine diverge

). The skin looks to be in good shape. At $200 you can't go wrong.

It's hard to tell from the pic, but make sure you get a proper tiedown system. Don't rely on ratchet straps and sheet metal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

You could polish it for the latest look.

That!

Honus · #5 01-16-2012, 09:39 AM

That's a great buy.

I wonder what it has for insulation behind that paneling. Spray-in foam might work well there.

kerry · #6 01-16-2012, 09:44 AM

Nice. Good buy. The propane system should be intact. It's pretty durable. You'll want the propane for the stove, frig and furnace. The biggest issue on older camper's like this is rot in the framing. It's hard to see but it's likely to be there. Did that failed jack pull out of the wood or just off it's mount? The jalousie windows are pretty cool. Don't rely on cinder blocks to hold it up. The are too brittle. I bought some collapsible metal sawhorses from Home Depot to store my camper on. I think I used 4.

The truck camper forum over on rv.net has some good threads on refurbishing.

TylerH860 · #7 01-16-2012, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

Nice. Good buy. The propane system should be intact. It's pretty durable. You'll want the propane for the stove, frig and furnace. The biggest issue on older camper's like this is rot in the framing. It's hard to see but it's likely to be there. Did that failed jack pull out of the wood or just off it's mount? The jalousie windows are pretty cool. Don't rely on cinder blocks to hold it up. The are too brittle. I bought some collapsible metal sawhorses from Home Depot to store my camper on. I think I used 4.

The truck camper forum over on rv.net has some good threads on refurbishing.

Thanks. Unfortunately when the one jack completely gave out (the jack itself not the hinge), the other one held and ripped from its hinge. A well placed bumper sticker would cover the damaged area. I've found 3 areas of rot. A large foot plus section of framing and plywood at the back driver's side corner, a bit in the back passenger corner, and some from the roof window. This week I'll start the tear down so I can get a good look at the frame. I'm not up to the task of re-framing it entirely. If that's the case off to the scrapper she goes where I'd probably make a few bucks in aluminum. The gas line coming out of the camper is kinked, but the only thing it powered was the stove. The fridge is a coleman icebox.

Jim B. · #8 01-16-2012, 12:33 PM

Like this in Santa Barbara California.

Yak · #9 01-16-2012, 02:44 PM

If there's rot, there may be more moisture than you anticipate. I'd make sure I scrapped anything that night have been damp. Discovering odors in the interior while on the road, after you invested time and money to rehab it, would really stink. Pun intended.

TylerH860 · #10 01-16-2012, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yak

If there's rot, there may be more moisture than you anticipate. I'd make sure I scrapped anything that night have been damp. Discovering odors in the interior while on the road, after you invested time and money to rehab it, would really stink. Pun intended.

Its not a stinky trailer, but I am gutting everything except the cabover part anyway.

kerry · #11 01-16-2012, 03:32 PM

Wow, that's a lot of work. What's wrong with the interior?

TylerH860 · #12 01-16-2012, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

Wow, that's a lot of work. What's wrong with the interior?

I wouldn't say alot of work. It took me a few minutes to yank all the paneling out of the closet so I could get a good look at the worst rot spot. The cheap paneling on the roof is de-laminating. Same goes for the cabinet doors which is made of the same material. The actual kitchen cabinet itself is made of good solid wood so I'll keep it in, and strip the paneling all the way to the countertop. The doors I can remake easily using the old fixtures. Under the kitchen cabinet I'll clean and paint whatever us under there. The top cabinets I'll need to at minimum replace the faces so the wood matches, rebuild them completely, or I might go with a pre-made mid century looking ikea type generic to replace them with. This also gives me access to all the electrical so I can sort that out.

My initial thought was to replace it all with cedar planking but that would be alot of work, not to mention expensive. I've got an idea with the bed area to make padded vinyl roof tiles which I'll tack in over the existing paneling.

I'll need to find an electric cook-top that fills the hole the gas one leaves.

I'm also having thoughts about creating a space for a small generator. The small spot I damaged could serve as a vent.

t walgamuth · #13 01-16-2012, 09:21 PM

Rather than reinventing the wheel with drastically different materials I suggest you make it easier on yourself and go back with real plywood in the same thickness as original. Maple would be cool as that was used extensively in travel trailers up to the sixties and is very shiek looking IMHO. Keeping the same thickness material will help you in ways that you will not think of until too late such as trimming it all when complete.

Take your time with your demo. Putting it back in is a lot harder than taking it out. Each piece of plywood used will be a lot more difficult than you can imagine with all the special holes you will need to provide. If you can you may be able to use the existing pieces as templates.

TylerH860 · #14 01-16-2012, 10:40 PM

It is not plywood, rather the same paneling you can get nowadays. I found some very similar at Lowes. I think I was being too ambitious. I went to home depot and lowes to find some paneling that I like, but I also found some generic off-white paneling that reminded me of the interior of a 50's stainless steel diner.

I think what I'll do rather than gut the whole dang thing is replace the roof paneling and make new cabinet doors with the same material it. That way all the de-lamination and other damage is repaired, the camper is lighter and more open feeling, and the originality is preserved. If I re-use the hardware I think it would look period correct and like it was always there. I'm very fortunate that the rotted areas are hidden in a closet and under the seat bench. I can gut those and repanel with whatever I want.

Obviously the wood is darker, but this is the general idea:

I talked to a friend who is an electrician and he's sort of talked me into a propane generator setup

kerry · #15 01-16-2012, 10:44 PM

I like propane in my campers. Small Honda 2k should be fine in there for you. It can run a window air conditioner if necessary. It's what I use in the FG.