Any info on old 4x4 Winnebago?

C

cstamm81

Adventurer
So I've always had this dream of trying to live and travel for an extended period of time in a camper of some sort. Although I'd love to have a camper Mog or some other exotic rig, the $$$ just isnt there. Enter the old camper / RV possibility.
I randomly surf craigslist for interesting RV's, and I ran across this one:
http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/rvs/1008198090.html
The kicker is it is 4wd! I know it's a longshot but anyone have any experience with something similar, or just an old RV in general? I would imagine the drive train should be redone, but I can rebuild a small block chrysler for about $2000, good trans for about $1000. He has sent me interior pics, and it seems clean and looks to be somewhat redone. I can't tell if it's full time 4wd, I am hoping it has a transfer case. Thoughts on this jalopy?
 
L

Lynn

Expedition Leader
I'm no expert on Winnies, but I did help my father build and repair campers when I was a kid.

Obviously, since the pix are on the beach and there are rod holders on the back, you should be worried about rust and water intrusion.

That Winnie looks to be a typical construction. i.e. wood framing w/ aluminum skin. You would need to inspect it really well and be vigilant for water intrusion and wood rot, especially around any roof penetrations (A/C and vents). Water stains on the ceiling are a bad sign.

If it happens to have a fiberglass roof, that’s a bonus, but I don’t think Winnie did that. The roof is probably tin or aluminum sheet over wood framing, and would have to have been resealed on a regular basis, along with the seams where the walls meet the roof re-caulked, or it would get water intrusion and wood rot. Pay particular attention to the areas around the roof AC and vents for signs of bad caulking and water intrusion.

There is typically a piece of screw-on metal trim on the outside where the sides meet the roof. If they will let you, pull out a few of the screws at strategic locations and look for discoloration of the screws and rotten wood underneath. Sniff the screw holes and see if they smell moldy. Take a flashlight and peer inside the screw holes as best you can.

I recently went to look at a trailer that, it turns out, had been used as a 'beach cottage.' The walls were bowed out, and there was water damage to the floor. Not only was there a stain on the linoleum by the door, I could feel soft spots in the underlayment when I walked around. I walked away before I bothered to pull any screws.

Tempting as a 4x4 Winnie might be, I’ll bet you would have to do an awful lot of work, possibly tearing it down to the chassis and starting over. On the other hand, if the 4X4 chassis is fairly rust-free, and the appliances are decent, it might be worth buying, tearing down, and starting over.

I suppose that there is the chance that it was owned and maintained by a particularly anal Type A that would have stayed on top of all the preventive maintenance over the years, but I wouldn't count on it.

Personally, I don’t have that much time or money to invest.
 
Colorado Ron

Colorado Ron

Explorer
I think the 318 would be way underpowered. I would recommend buying the newest, nicest RV you can afford and then convert to 4x4 if you want. 4x4 conversions really arent that hard.
 
Superu

Superu

Explorer
It looks like you should be selling fried clams out of it! :chef:


But seriously, I'd be concerned if it's spent a lot of time at New England beaches over the past 39 years unless it was meticulously maintained.

The 318 will haul it around the highway but have to agree that it would be underpowered for anything that required serious pulling power.

Good luck.
 
ntsqd

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
That's a young group of guys Baja surfing expedition machine.

For the rest of us it is a bit old. It will most likely be a closed knuckle Dana 60 front axle. Meaning borderline undersized drum front brakes on a heavy vehicle. The little that I know about converting those to disc brakes is that you may as well replace the whole axle as the cost would be about the same when it's all said and done. (I'm sure someone can do it for less, but not everyone can.)

I'm with Ron. Buy the best that you can afford in a late model, with a budget set aside for a 4WD conversion. I'd research any commonality in the chassis of your preference. Say that it's Ford. Look into what it would take to transplant the same weight class F series 4WD front suspension and transfer case. Same with Dodge and GM.
 
K

kerry

Expedition Leader
Those are wood frame aluminium skin. Very weak construction. I've owned an older Travco. FAR superior construction. Steel frame and fiberglass two piece body. If I were looking for something like that in 4wd I might consider retrofitting that 4wd chassi to a Travco. The Cummins 6BT is also a pretty easy substitute for the 318, 413 or 440's typically found in 70's Dodge motorhomes.
 
Christian P.

Christian P.

Expedition Leader
Staff member
like ntqsd said, this is perfect for a group of 18-23 yo guys going down to party in Baja...or going to Burning Man...

:)

sorry this is just too old. you will endup having to replace everything to make it fun and reliable.

I don't think a 4wd on a camper like this is a good idea.
go offroad and you will be reassembling all the cabinets for the next 2 weeks.

I think you should buy a 2wd motorhome and carry a dirt bike in the back for when you really want to go explore
 
Last edited:
J

Jeep

Supporting Sponsor: Overland Explorer Expedition V
Colorado Ron said:
I think the 318 would be way underpowered. I would recommend buying the newest, nicest RV you can afford and then convert to 4x4 if you want. 4x4 conversions really arent that hard.
Click to expand...

What Ron said. If you get a class C (van style) especially a Ford chassis the conversion is very straight forward.
 
C

cstamm81

Adventurer
thanks for the replies gentlemen. I assumed it would be drum brakes on the front, and the pictures confirm it. Looks like a Dana 60 front as was stated, and I do have experience with the old closed knuckle axles. Definitely need to be ripped out vs converting IMO. Owner sent me underside pics, looks a bit too rusty for my tastes.
Are there any older RV's that anyone has experience with and would recommend? Seems Travcos have a bit of a following. I agree if I could throw more money at a newer unit it would be ideal. I just feel if I could find an older unit owned by a really particular owner it could be worth it. I know anything old will need TLC and ongoing repairs, but I can handle that. I don't need 4wd, I'd be happier towing a Jeep or Cruiser bhind it for off road duties. I might check out this 80 dodge, I'd guess it has disc brakes in the front and it sounds like it was taken care of: http://reading.craigslist.org/rvs/996967437.html
Again, if there are any particular units to look for like old Travcos, let me know. Thanks!
 
Loco-Nomad

Loco-Nomad

Adventurer
I didn't know Winnie even made a 4X4 Class A!! That is crazy!!

As posted earlier, if this was taken off road for any semi off road trails, the interior and such would just come apart. If it's 4 wheel drive that is cool though but I have owned MANY old RV's and motorhomes and they always are cheap but ALWAYS cost me way more in the end. I love the idea but it just doesn't pay in the end... Sucks since it has everything there but you can find what you want elsewhere.
 
ntsqd

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
There is at least one Travco out there with 4WD. A guy in a semi-local 4WD club owned it the last that I knew. The story was the William Shatner, yes him, got it stuck somewhere in the SoCA desert and decided THAT wasn't going to happen again! The guy called it the "Enterprise".......
 
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