Early Alaskan!

[vintageracer]

I just looked at a 1972 10 foot Alaskan "Pop Up" slide in camper.

Decent solid original condition. Yes it will definitely need some work and possibly some wood replacement however overall better than I expected.

In another thread I asked opinions on a 2000 3500HD truck with service bed to build an explorer. It was suggested that I cut to the top off the utility bed and slide an "Alaskan" pop up in the bed all the while still retaining the side service be storage capability. Great Idea!

The Alaskan I looked at today is a 10 foot model and the first one I have ever seen in person. The hydraulics still work, has a stove, sink, propane and a water tank. No grey water tank and a porta potty. Yes it is definitely a "Vintage" Alaskan! I do not know a lot about Alaskan pop ups. Searching the site I find some information.

I have attached a couple of pics for your review and would like comments about what is important with these units, problem areas and opinions given the age of this unit. I would also like a "Semi Wild ***** Guess" as to the value you would estimate for this Alaskan.

I look forward to your comments!

Here is a link to a photobucket album with more pictures of the Alaskan Pop Up than are shown below!

http://s263.photobucket.com/user/mjs-13/library/1973 Alaskan Slide In Camper Aug 2016

 

[fluffyprinceton]

I had an 8ft noncabover for 18 years - same ash ply interior, same pump, same stove, same trim details - yours looks like it's big brother. I think they are the best looking Alaskans - very soon after '73 the interior went to cheesy vinyl & the pumps were of a lower quality. I used mine all over the rough road west & it always raised & lowered...

The water stain marks around the roof vent & under the windows are typical failure points. Good chance the (likely) spruce stringers of the roof structure have some rot - ditto the wood under the windows. You can get an idea by removing the interior trim around the vent (a couple of screws) - the window "sills" are harder to check without removing the windows - which need resealing at any rate. Maybe slide an ice pick between the window trim & feel around...On mine I replaced the roof stringers around the vent and the floor. The sills were fine in spite of long term leaks - you never know. They are simple to work on for a generally skilled woodworker - there just isn't much material there so replacing it isn't much of a job - at least for me...The floor I replaced in 2 days when I sold it - it fell apart when I pulled it off my truck with the new buyer standing there...I just looked over & said "you pay materials I'll replace it now". Materials were maybe $200 with new ply & lots of epoxy.

The flat strip seals stay tight maybe 5 years but are easy to replace - unless there's rot in the sills. Alaskan still supports the lifts & sells new pumps & seals last I checked. It's all fixable but ask yourself if you want a project...In the end you'll end up with a durable, somewhat drafty camper, heavy for what you get & only happy on a 3/4 ton truck - but no stooping getting in & out of the door and when the wind howls you can feel smug about not having fabric walls...Moe

 

[Sparse Gray Hackle]

There are several folks who are restoring, or have restored Alaskans on the Wander the West forum.

Instead of cutting the utility bed down, consider building a basement storage unit for the Alaskan to sit on.

 

[Tennmogger]

Moe gives excellent advice. I have a 1970 10 ft NCO (non-cabover) and it looks very similar. The better half and I have used it for 8 years and it still serves us well. I did, however, just find a 2002 Alaskan 10' NCO to go on another truck and it sure is an upgrade. Funny thing though, the build quality of the older Alaskan seems better. Price info: Paid $1800 for the 1970 and $8000 for the 2002 (which was like new). With all that wood discoloration, use that as a bargaining chip.

Bet your appliances still work, but check them out anyway.

As Moe said, the dark wood is a warning sign. I would use that ice pick to probe the dark areas to determine extent of internal decay. The windows in these old campers sweat a lot (had catalytic heaters, plus humans breathing) and get the wood wet on the surface. With any luck the discoloration is only discoloration and the wood underneath is solid (ice pick test).

Check the screws in the four angle brackets in the interior corners. If those screws are solid, the wood is good. If they spin, then expect a serious rebuild. Are any of the screws oversized looking? They would have been replaced for a reason.

The 'Pirelli strip' used for weather seals is replaceable and still available from Alaskan. The foam rubber seals are 'big box store' stuff.

A pump/hydraulic rebuild kit consisting of o-rings for the four lift cylinders, and seals/o-rings for the pump, are still available from Alaskan too. But if yours still works, and does not leak at the cylinders, it could last another 40 years. A kit is cheap insurance though.

I rewired mine for all 12 vdc. With LEDs of every type available, and cheap, no need to keep the current-hungry incandescent lights. None of the appliances have to have 115vac anyway, at least in mine. I kept the 115v plug on the refrigerator for possible long term use on 'shore power, but run it all the time on propane. It will run for months on a propane tank.

Does the roof sag? Mine sagged about 2 inches when I got it. I installed two 10 ft pieces of heavy galv Unistrut front to back (on top, on each side of the roof vent) and bolted through the roof beams with stainless all-thread. Seal it good!!! You might think long and hard about drilling holes in your roof but I wanted to stop (and improve) the ceiling sag. The Unistrut makes a dandy place to mount solar panels and whatever else. The Unistrut was one of the better mods I made.

No doubt you should remove the hundreds of screws in the exterior trim strip and seal under the strip. I like butyl rubber tape but others may suggest other material.

Stainless screws will really help the looks of those rusty ones and let you evaluate the wood condition further as you remove them. BTW, if you find loose screws, I have had good luck removing screws, squirt in Gorilla glue, the expansive stuff, follow with as many match sticks as you can push in, then put screws back in. Not one has failed yet.

Bob

 

[vintageracer]

There are several folks who are restoring, or have restored Alaskans on the Wander the West forum.

Instead of cutting the utility bed down, consider building a basement storage unit for the Alaskan to sit on.

By "Cutting down the utility bed" I will have to remove the roof (center section is covered). Excellent suggestion of basement storage if the height of the side utility boxes raise the floor of the Alaskan above the floor of the bed.

Here is a pick of the utility bed I am considering for mounting of this Alaskan. Trying to decide if this bed will work as this bed is 11 feet long and the Alaskan is 10 feet long.

 

[Sparse Gray Hackle]

I didn't realize it was covered. Looks like some cutting is in order...

With an 11' bed, you'll have 1' porch. You'll have a great set up!

 

[driller]

Check your width on the back of the camper, see if it will fit into the bed.

 

[vintageracer]

I will have to do a "Little" cutting on the rear passenger side of the box to make the Alaskan fit. The Alaskan is 48 inches wide at the front however steps up to 54 wide in the rear with the additional 6 inches on the passenger side. I also need to go and remeasure the truck to check the vertical height of the side boxes in relation to the floor of the Alaskan. Maybe just maybe I can have a "Basement" under the camper!