I was browsing the forums, like I usually do, and I came across my camper! Well, my camper before I owned it. (http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/127162-Vintage-Avion-C11-Project) I saw this thread, and was like, "Hey! That's the camper I just bought!" It was pretty much in the same condition as it was in that thread when I got it, so I think they guy lost interest when he stopped posting about it.
Day One - 1968 Avion C-11 and 1974 Ford F250 Ranger Camper Special
The Avion's tag.
I picked this up a few weeks ago from a guy who picked it up from someone else in Tennessee a little over a year ago. It is a 1968 Avion C-11 Truck Camper. The truck is a 1974 Ford F250 Ranger Camper Special. I really only wanted the camper, but I didn't have a truck that could carry it, so I bought the truck too. I probably paid too much for both, but I did get the guy to deliver them to my house.
I love the condition that the camper is in. I have always liked this style (my wife hates it), and I have always wanted to do my own version of a restoration (which my wife is pretty much on board with). I always feel guilty about wanting to do a resto-mod on nice examples of cars/bikes/whatever, but this one is starting out as a turd so I don't feel so bad about changing it up!
The inside that I started with.
Cabover full of junk.
The camper was sort of stripped out when I bought it. It was full of "extra parts." Which, to me, was mostly trash. The entire cabover area was stuffed with foam insulation and leftover scraps from previous "renovations" of the camper. It took me 15 trash bags to clear out all the junk I did not want. My trash man wont take it if it isn't in a bag.
None of the original interior was left. Except for one thing: The wall that still held the toilet paper holder... it was just laying in there amongst the other garbage. Why? Why?! Why was it the only piece of the interior they kept?! They didn't even keep any of the holding tanks or the potty, but they kept the toilet paper holder! Needless to say... I have also kept it.
I pretty much hate everything that the previous owner(s) have done to the camper:
The hole where I believe the furnace used to live. No cover remains.
One of the outside LED lights. No pass throughs here. We use PVC elbows to run wires through the fuselage.
Haha.. yes, children, this is shore power.
And this is the power control center... *shudder*
Pretty much all of it looks like this.
Day One - 1968 Avion C-11 and 1974 Ford F250 Ranger Camper Special
The Avion's tag.
I picked this up a few weeks ago from a guy who picked it up from someone else in Tennessee a little over a year ago. It is a 1968 Avion C-11 Truck Camper. The truck is a 1974 Ford F250 Ranger Camper Special. I really only wanted the camper, but I didn't have a truck that could carry it, so I bought the truck too. I probably paid too much for both, but I did get the guy to deliver them to my house.
I love the condition that the camper is in. I have always liked this style (my wife hates it), and I have always wanted to do my own version of a restoration (which my wife is pretty much on board with). I always feel guilty about wanting to do a resto-mod on nice examples of cars/bikes/whatever, but this one is starting out as a turd so I don't feel so bad about changing it up!
The inside that I started with.
Cabover full of junk.
The camper was sort of stripped out when I bought it. It was full of "extra parts." Which, to me, was mostly trash. The entire cabover area was stuffed with foam insulation and leftover scraps from previous "renovations" of the camper. It took me 15 trash bags to clear out all the junk I did not want. My trash man wont take it if it isn't in a bag.
None of the original interior was left. Except for one thing: The wall that still held the toilet paper holder... it was just laying in there amongst the other garbage. Why? Why?! Why was it the only piece of the interior they kept?! They didn't even keep any of the holding tanks or the potty, but they kept the toilet paper holder! Needless to say... I have also kept it.
I pretty much hate everything that the previous owner(s) have done to the camper:
- It has had portions of it re-skinned with solid-head tube rivets (not like the original solid rivets).
- Most of the patches were done with pop-rivets, and "sealed" with caulk.
The hole where I believe the furnace used to live. No cover remains.
- It was "sealed" with what appears to be caulk on the inside, and paint on the outside. Not sure how well it is sealed because there are holes everywhere from fixtures being removed.
- The north-south orientation of the cabover bed is going back to east-west.
- I don't care for the aluminum cupboards/closets/storage thingies that were created and put in the cabover.
One of the outside LED lights. No pass throughs here. We use PVC elbows to run wires through the fuselage.
Haha.. yes, children, this is shore power.
And this is the power control center... *shudder*
Pretty much all of it looks like this.
- The wiring... omg the wiring! LEDs? Awesome. Everything else... I shudder. I am actually afraid to plug this thing into anything. The LEDs and wiring will be removed and redone. Properly. To something resembling a Code.
- It needs a new floor - I will not patch it.
- All the holes in the fuselage need to be addressed.
- I need to straighten/smooth out the fuselage and clean it up. I plan on painting (NOT bedliner) because the aluminum is heavily pitted. Painting will be one of the last things (after the interior is finished).
- It will need new windows, as much of the glass is hazy and/or brown. Surprisingly, all of the windows operate flawlessly, and all of the original handles are there. At least, I think they are the original handles.
- The cabover will need reinforcement. I can already see several places where it has ripped the aluminum because it is sagging.
- Re-wire.
- Must sleep 5, minimum.
- Must have potty.
- Must have shower.
- Would like to have air conditioning/heat.
- Maybe a fridge.
- ??
