"Blast from the Past" 79' RV restore

Man, I would pull the drivetrain and burn that thing to the ground if it were me. You are going to end up with more in that than you would if you just saved your money and bought one that was already running and driving and usable.

Good luck dude
 
Blaze said:
Man, I would pull the drivetrain and burn that thing to the ground if it were me. You are going to end up with more in that than you would if you just saved your money and bought one that was already running and driving and usable.



Good luck dude
Click to expand...


This! That thing will be a worse money pit then a new one!! Add up the money you will spend plus your time. You can buy a NICE rv with no leaks and everything works for 15k or less!!! The bank will loan on it! And you payment will be less the 200 a month!
 
The only thing worse than a leaky camper is a leaky camper that someone tried to fix :shaking:
 
krehel24 said:
This! That thing will be a worse money pit then a new one!! Add up the money you will spend plus your time. You can buy a NICE rv with no leaks and everything works for 15k or less!!! The bank will loan on it! And you payment will be less the 200 a month!
Click to expand...

jeepinmatt said:
The only thing worse than a leaky camper is a leaky camper that someone tried to fix :shaking:
Click to expand...

There is no such thing as a camper that doesn't leak.
 
krehel24 said:
This! That thing will be a worse money pit then a new one!! Add up the money you will spend plus your time. You can buy a NICE rv with no leaks and everything works for 15k or less!!! The bank will loan on it! And you payment will be less the 200 a month!
Click to expand...
well you guys obviously don't know me and my work capabilities but you will see when it's done.
As far as money goes, so far I've calculated roughly 1600.00 to totally redo interior and enough engine/drivetrain maintenance to be reliable enough for now so I'm not understanding the money aspect you guys are throwing out there. But it's cool though, not everyone sees potential in things as so far, a lot of people whose seen it in person say similar things but this kind of project ONLY works for someone who is handy with little bit of everything, Me!! For someone to pay another to complete this job, yeah that would be stupid to do and more money than buying one but for a handy man/mechanic it's VERY VERY affordable. If you follow my posts so far, you will see my plans for this RV is "simple" open floor plan with the least amount of appliances and least amount of "clutter" as possible.
It's a Metal square frame RV that is only surface rust, the chassis frame is 90% rust free...body is darn good minus paint, roof is cheap to redo once I strip the years of caulking people have done, interior paneling, framing is cheap as you can get since you use 1x stuff and one full size bed, one twin bed, some storage and shelving, tool compartment and tv/stereo is about all I'm putting in. Roof A/C works awesome (freaking antarctic after 10min), low mileage engine sounds/runs great without even flushing or touching it yet, transmission is low mileage and shifts like new, generator works great so far, has air ride suspension hold air perfect in the bags, all electrical and light fixtures work, all original switches/valves/gauges work perfect, tires are almost new, floor is all solid except for small 2ftx1.5ft piece otherwise floor is all good so to throw away a perfectly good driving home on wheels is...well not in my book. Plus this kind of "free" gift is the only way on my income/budget that I could ever have something like this that has the platform/drivetrain/wheels/axles, motor etc all there and working and just need some TLC to make it road worthy...stay tuned throughout this thread as over time when funds are available, you will see a major transformation from what it is now.
 
You will probably excel at fixing this thing. If your carpenter skills are as good as your metal fabrication skills it will be better than factory ever was.

ALL campers are built pretty much the same and they are all junk on wheels. I believe they are built with this in mind. I've been messing with one for a while now and it's a fun hobby but in no way shape or form worth the cost. The $1600 would pay motel bills for as often as you would need one in a year I bet. Don't count fuel, ins, etc.

Good luck, I would bet it will get back together better than it was.
 
GotWood said:
If your carpenter skills are as good as your metal fabrication skills it will be better than factory ever was.
Click to expand...
LOL, I HOPE NOT...my fabrication skills kinda suck, I admit that so better hope my carpentry skills are better than that ha ha ha. Nah, Carpentry is easy work compared to metal fabrication/building a rig (for me anyways). I could make twice/three times the living building log homes again (been offered that job) but with wife's condition and the traveling the construction job requires, the money doesn't make it worth it. It I had say....2k to just drop into the interior walls/framing...holy cow, I'd have a pretty pimp interior but will manage with my small budget.
 
forgot to mention "lightweight" remodel is also my goal as much as possible too in this resto project. With removing all the factory propane appliances, shower, big propane tank ? (unless I keep the furnace???), water heater, bathroom, heavy closets and shelving everywhere that was 2x2framing, VERY HEAVY couch sofa metal frame, pretty heavy bunk beds in back, it will weigh little bit less when I'm done with it so that is also my plans too. Heck if drop 1000lbs off the whole weight, i'm sure that will gain several miles per gallon cruising and little more power pulling back up the mountain...every bit helps.
If it was me and had it my way with money on this, I'd pull the entire metal structure apart and rebuild it even lighter and better but that is not in the budget.
Got everything stripped ....everything he he, looks like a hot mess in there. nothing but the steering wheel and dash...wife walked in and said " what the heck, where's the RV" ....i'm considering pulling dash out too but it looks heavy and annoying so throw fabric cover over it and be good i think.
 
I just want to say good luck and have fun in this build. I am building the "Taco Truck" and I've had a blast doing it. Yes it has become another money pit project of mine but I expect to get many years of good use from it. I'm guessing my build will never be complete.
My truck already had most all the hard stuff done and a great diesel drivetrain. That's why I decided to build it.
My down fall in my builds is the lack of patients. Instead of waiting around on deals and searching the internet for hours for things I need I generally just buy things new and get it done.
My best advice is to atleast listen to some of these guys on here. Some of them actually know what they are talking about. I'm not saying you have to take their advice but just consider it. Build this thing to suit your family and your needs and it will turn out fine.
Good luck!
 
lockedup5 said:
Build this thing to suit your family and your needs and it will turn out fine.
Click to expand...
thanks bud, this right here pretty much sums up my exact plan for it. It's going to work for us and only us, not others but will be perfect for what we need and desire...for now like you said. You're right, an RV is never done really but that's what's fun about it and another reason I'm going to leave it a very open floor plan so as I get more funds, I can just add few things here and there. Thanks
lockedup5 said:
My down fall in my builds is the lack of patients. Instead of waiting around on deals and searching the internet for hours for things I need I generally just buy things new and get it done.
Click to expand...
I'm right there with you, I hate that about me too. I try to wait but just can't hold back from getting work done when I have the money to get it lol.
 
Considering the amount of work ahead of you and you are getting rid of all the "RV" interior, you might as well pick up an old bread truck with a 4bt and start from there. By the time you spend the $1600 on that piece RV, you could have bought a decent frit o lay truck and been at the same spot with it but with something newer, not as ugly, aluminum and gutted box body, diesel, and a clean slate without all of the work for the same or less $$$ than spending the $1600 on the RV.

Time is $ and $ is $. The RV seems like throwing good $ at bad and takes up a TON of time. Use your time to make some $ or spend it with the family before sinking it into this $ pit. If you are dead set on something like that, find a bread truck and start there.

Just a little thought... Just because it was free to you doesn't mean it was a good deal.


Just offering my $.02
 
Loganwayne said:
Don't forget the 2x2 frame work is the ONLY thing holding the sides up
Click to expand...
i wish it was but it's actually 1x1 square steel studs on the walls and ceiling holding it together with 3/8 plywood and then 1"thick styrafoam board. If it was wood, It would be easier to rip it out and replace it but I'm not about to strip the steel frame and start over. steel framing is solid everywhere so very lucky there. Kinda weird cause some studs are 4ft apart, others are 2.5ft apart roughly...nothing is "even" space apart...almost like a random puzzle of framing. them 70s designers lol
 
I can somewhat understand why John is doing some of what he is doing. He wants space(open floor plan) so he is taking out everything. Some of which I myself would leave, but his choice. As far as the money goes, I understand that part too. He may not have X amount of coin to throw at it at one time, but over time, he buy some here, some there. I get it.
Bottom line, I think he still wants to camp, but wants a dryer, easier to heat and cool place to have, more so than a tent.
I am assuming he will do his cooking and so on outside, just as if he was tent camping.So I will keep my opinions to myself, not what I would do, but, seems he is pretty much doing what he wants.
Keep pics coming on progress.
 
marty79 said:
i wish it was but it's actually 1x1 square steel studs on the walls and ceiling holding it together with 3/8 plywood and then 1"thick styrafoam board. If it was wood, It would be easier to rip it out and replace it but I'm not about to strip the steel frame and start over. steel framing is solid everywhere so very lucky there. Kinda weird cause some studs are 4ft apart, others are 2.5ft apart roughly...nothing is "even" space apart...almost like a random puzzle of framing. them 70s designers lol
Click to expand...

yep, they are all like that, they put them where they do for support of this or that. In order to get the best yeild out of a piece of plywood or paneling, you will need to add studs so you can complete a run. The studs will be wider than the metal, but you can scab over them so your paneling will lay flat against the walls. You'll loose a few inches of floor, but easier to insulate and it will look better.
 
upnover said:
I can somewhat understand why John is doing some of what he is doing. He wants space(open floor plan) so he is taking out everything. Some of which I myself would leave, but his choice. As far as the money goes, I understand that part too. He may not have X amount of coin to throw at it at one time, but over time, he buy some here, some there. I get it.
Bottom line, I think he still wants to camp, but wants a dryer, easier to heat and cool place to have, more so than a tent.
I am assuming he will do his cooking and so on outside, just as if he was tent camping.So I will keep my opinions to myself, not what I would do, but, seems he is pretty much doing what he wants.
Keep pics coming on progress.
Click to expand...
this is exactly what I'm doing with it...for now to get it camping ready. Over time, we really start using this thing, I will upgrade/add certain things to it but for now, it's a fairly affordable Tow Rig/Family Camper to use for both purposes. Having that said, I will never have propane appliances in any home/RV weather new or old...just don't trust certain things and I'm not happy driving a ticking time bomb with so many propane appliancs and a big tank full exposed underneath it with lines exposed as well. I'd rather spend little extra on couple extra batteries and good generator rather than use propane, but that's just me and my preference.
 
upnover said:
you will need to add studs so you can complete a run. The studs will be wider than the metal, but you can scab over them so your paneling will lay flat against the walls. You'll loose a few inches of floor, but easier to insulate and it will look better.
Click to expand...
wait what? they had the paneling just glued to the studs/styrafoam no nails or staples, just glued to I was going to partially glue but use self tapping screws into metal where i could.
But you're saying to add little batton strip type studs in there every 2ft or so and nail the paneling to that?? that actually sounds lot easier than gluing.
 
Well the metal studs are not 2' or 16" on center, so, you need that in order to maximize your yield, using plywood.or paneling.
 
upnover said:
Well the metal studs are not 2' or 16" on center, so, you need that in order to maximize your yield, using plywood.or paneling.
Click to expand...
ohh ok, got it. thanks and I thought about doing this too since gluing everything back on the walls/ceiling probably woulnd't work too well since it's not all you know, new and perfectly aligned and such.
 
Back
Top