hello my name is Rick and I'm addicted to projects- truck camper
 

Like I don't have enough with needing to complete my 914 which is about 95% done. Then I started a backdate of my 911 SC with Milt's bumpers and a ducktail. Then four weeks ago I bought a 13 1/2 ' Boston Whaler that needs restoration. So what do I do today ? I make a deal for a 1968 Avion C11 truck camper :D. My parents had various travel trailers as I was growing up we always went on family trips. Many great memories from those outings. The last trailer they owned was a 1966 Avion 26 ' and she was a beauty. Very nice construction and real wood throughout the interior. We used to go on Avion " rallies " all over the country. When we attended these rallies I was always fascinated with the Avion truck campers. To me they were so cool looking and that same great construction. I vowed one day to own one. Fast forward to two days ago when I was looking on Craigslist and WOW someone had an Avion truck camper for sale. It was only 45 miles from me so I called right away. Got all the details and it sounded like it had possibilities. I knew if I made a deal my 1997 GMC 1/2 ton short box was not going to cut it so I had a plan. This morning I drove the truck to the seller which is a small car dealer. They got the camper from an estate sale where the original owner had passed away. They had great plans for restoration but like many projects no time/money/motivation. When I got there I was amazed how nice the exterior was. Remember this bad boy is 43 years old !!! Did the exterior exam and no show stoppers. Went inside and noticed a soft floor near the door but that's fairly normal. Interior needs total restoration but everything is there. It has roof AC, refrigerator that works on electric and gas. A oven/stove with a kitchen sink and small countertop. A full wet bath with toilet,shower and sink. Windows are not cracked and it doesn't look like there have ever been any major leaks but something rotted the floor by the door. I told the seller I'll make two offers. I'll either give you xxx in cash OR trade straight up for my truck. I already new I'd need a bigger truck and no one will give you much for a 14 year old truck with 112,250 miles on it even though it's in great shape. He said he'd have to call his partner. Five minutes later he shook my hand and said we have a deal :). So now I've got to rent a 3/4 ton truck and go pick it up and deliver my truck. I am really excited I have been looking for one of these for about 10 years. I'll snap some pics when I get it home. I'm toasting a cold one as I type this to my new camper.

Can't wait for pics! I googled it.

Ahh, (just googled it)

I'd also like to see the pics

you need this setup:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1318797218.jpg

Sweet.

Guys I brought the camper home today. She needs a lot of interior work but she has a solid foundation and will be a fun project. I think the combo looks pretty good. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319154688.jpg
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Today I'm going to attempt to remove the camper from the truck. I think if I place 4x4's under the jack legs that will give me enough height. Then I have to make some sawhorse's so it can rest on them and the jacks while I refurbish her. I'll try to post some interior ( ugly :D ) pics today/tomorrow.

Hey Rick, it looks like the but end covers the tail lights of the truck. Do you have to modify to put in a third brake light?

She is going to look good when you have her done and properly snugged into place. Are you going to upgrade the components to a more modern AC and such?

The truck camper has brake/turn signal lights on it so when wired to the truck you have working lights on the camper. If the AC works and I was told that it does then I will keep it. If not I'll replace it. My plan is to remove the interior ( gently ) so I can reuse the period correct pieces. All the cabinets and doors are real wood and I plan to strip/stain/refinish. The countertop is shot so that will be replaced. The flooring is awful that's gotta go I may use a floating laminate floor. The floor is rotted at the entry door and my guess so are the " wings " which are the two back corners. So the bathroom will come out along with the corner closet so I can really see what's going on. Remember this camper is 43 years old. Today I removed the camper from the truck man what a scary act that was. These camper jacks wiggle like a $20.00 crack whore :D. As soon as I got the camper off the truck I ran to Home Depot to purchase supplies to make three saw horses. The camper is now supported buy the three saw horses and the three camper jacks. She's rock solid now. My wife went into the interior for the first time today and didn't vomit so that's a good sign ;) I have all of the original paperwork that came with the truck camper when it was purchased new in 1968 how cool is that ? A 3 ring binder just full of all kinds of manuals and instructions. I probably won't post any updates until next year I just have to finish other projects ahead of this one. Sorry SmileWavy

What about making a new bumper or entend the old one so that it will protect the camper and provide a step into the camper?

Maybe a down the road project....

If you're going to be rebuilding the floor of the rearmost part of the camper, maybe you can modify it to be a few inches higher to clear the existing bumper. Or have a custom, lower bumper made.

The appliances are probably outdated. Look into modern ones, especially the fridge. There is probably no spot for a microwave, you may want to modify the cabinetry. Get your wife involved in planning the galley, have her prepare a meal or pretend to, she'll see what needs to be changed. The sink may need to be larger/deeper. Basically, don't be real wedded to the original layout and cabinetry as it may not have been very functional to start with. I know my Lance camper was damn cramped inside and poorly laid out. Any interior pics?

Actually I may remove the rear bumper when I am using the camper. As you can see in my last picture the camper needs to go forward about 10-12 inches more but will hit the bumper in about 3-4 inches. I think If I remove the bumper it will slide all the way in. I think it's only held on with 6 bolts and one I get it removed I'll clean the bolts/nuts and add anti-seize compound to make removal in the future easier.

The camper wings/corners on the bottom are fiberglass screwed on covers and cover the holding tank for the toilet so I doubt I can gain any height there. The thought of placing two 3/4 inch thick plywood sheets in the bed of the truck would give me an additional 1 1/2 " and that might work. Your comments on the interior are good suggestions. Yes a small microwave will be installed and the refrigerator was updated to one size larger than original. And I agree the interior design could use some help. I might visit some dealers to see how modern campers have their interior layout and try to incorporate some ideas from that. I just like the idea of saving as much of the cabinets as I can because everything is made of real wood vs. flake board and other crap :D. There's a reason why this camper has survived for 43 years and has many more ahead of it. I'll try to take a pic or two today of the interior.

Rick, you need to look at this forum for info. Go to the "Hard-Side Truck Campers" section. Bunch of good stuff from hardcore campers....

Expedition Portal Forum

Paul thanks for the link that will be very helpful. Why reinvent the wheel when others have already done so.

any interior pics yet?

took some interior pics- warning it ain't pretty
 

Today I got around to taking a few pics of the interior. I was afraid the lack of lighting would make the pics come out poor but the pictures came out great and show the detail of what a $hit hole it currently is :D. But it has potential and I can do some customizing as I see fit to do.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319405150.jpg
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Thats not so bad. I know the Pics dont show all the details and the head is pretty funky, but the rest looks cleanable in the pics. A bit of new upholstery, paint and varnish, and good to go.
Easy for me to say not being there to smell it.

Thanks again for sharing this story with us here!

Cheers Richard
Easy for me to say not being there to smell it.

Tevake it really isn't that bad for one the whole thing needs a good cleaning. The bathroom has some mildew that I know will clean up. Yes I will probably paint the interior once I have all the cabinets out and the soft floor replaced. Surprisingly the interior does not smell.

that is slick!!! the interior isnt that bad. you made it sound much worse.

are you going to keep the look, or modernize it? i had a friend remodel an airstream trailer, and she really lightened it, and modernized it big time. really contemporary style. scandanavian. she had a wine cooler in it.

The problem with most small galleys is not enough counter space. You can go vertical - install a sturdy shelf in front of the windows, when there isn't room for a plate or pot on the counter, it can go on the shelf. I'd ditch the weeny double sink and put in a single sink that is deeper. And a half-pint type microwave, and a compressor-type fridge (google TruckFridge) instead of the ammonia unit. Find room for a couple of deep cycle batteries and inverter. That will be a good functional little kitchen.

I've seen Airstreams done in a modern style, blond/white wood and polished steel/aluminum paneling. Stunning.

Right now I'm just thinking about what to do. As I take it apart I will make the decision to keep vs. modernize.

Good suggestions. The camper is currently setup for two batteries but the battery compartment is not large enough ( depth ) for conventional batteries so I may have to adjust the cabinet. Also as I was milling around in the camper I found an inverter that wasn't hooked up. I'll need to investigate if it works or not.

Today I took off the tarps I had her covered with for the winter. Opened all the windows and let it air out. I decided to hook up an extension cord to see if the AC worked. To my surprise it came on with no issues and cooled great. Not too noisy either so I'm happy about that.

Rick,

Here's a nice rig I found on the web...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1333933402.jpg

Paul I have seen that picture on RV.NET. I visit that forum every day there are a couple of Avion restorations going on. One guy stripped all the anodizing off and is polishing it !!! I thought polishing Fuch's was bad I can't imagine an entire camper. But it does look cool.

I go to RV.net too. I've seen the guy polishing the whole thing. Seems like more work than needed.

Rick, I run every day and there are 2 Avion Trailers & 1 Truck Camper in the neighborhood - I'll have to take some pics.

T.C.

Hey TC what are the odds ? Go figure. I'd love to see some pics.

You gotta admit it looks good all polished though. I am NOT going to do that to mine :D. If I showed up at Sebring with that much bling the crowd would burn it to the ground :D

The Truck Camper wasn't there (maybe an Easter trip) but here are the trailers - 1 really nice, the other not so much.

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TC that second pic is the same trailer my parents owned, it was a 1966 26 footer that was immaculate. They bought it used from someone that kept it in perfect shape. I still remember the light birch interior it was beautiful. It's what got me hooked on camping. They are built quite well and were cutting edge for their time. Thanks for sharing the pics.

Wow I can't believe it's been about a year and a half since I bought the camper. Today was the official start of the camper restoration. Started removing the interior items like mattress, dinette cushions and wall cabinets. Tomorrow I plan on removing the stove/range and countertop. This is going to be fun, it's nice working inside with the AC on :D.

I can see why you were nervous when getting that off the truck!
I can't believe they only have three lifting jacks on a camper that size!
My little Starcraft Sportstar only had three jacks on it but it only weighed 900 lbs!

Cool project by the way!

billybek it was quite popular back in the day for truck campers to only have three lift jacks, not sure why because I can't imagine them working great when new let alone 20-40 years later. Those lift jacks will be replaced by a Stable Lift system I have already purchased. The rig will be rock solid with the Stable Lift, it is engineered to REALLY be stable. They sell for $3000.00 new I was fortunate to purchase a used one for $400.00 !!! And all the electric motors work so I got quite a bargain. The camper is currently resting on three saw horses and I will never have to use the original three jacks again. Removing the camper from the truck when I got it home was an experience I never want to go through again !!!

Update: the restoration has begun
 

I thought I would update this thread as I recently officially started the restoration. I gutted the interior of all wood cabinets and appliances. Found out that somewhere along the previous 45 years she had a leak or two that rotted some of the " wing " wood structure. Originally Avion used some 1 1/2 " wood along the perimeter and then transitioned to 1/4 " ply, 1 " foam and another layer of 1/4 " for total thickness of 1 1/2 ". I assume this was done for weight savings, but with a one ton dually I'm not concerned about a little more weight ;). So I was able to install a total thickness of 1 1/4 " over the entire length/width of the wing with each layer glued with waterproof wood glue. The outer perimeter is bedded into a urethane adhesive caulk to help against any future leaks if any. Everything is screwed together with stainless steel screws. The 2 x 4 in the pics is a structural member, it distributes lifting force from the campers lift system. That 2 x 4 is also new with four coats of marine varnish and it's also bedded into the adhesive caulk. After I took these pics today I put down a coat of Verathane oil based stain in honey oak, I did this to help protect the wood and also some of this is visible when you open the cabinet doors. I will add three coats of marine varnish and this side is done. Then onto the drivers side to do the same. Fun project so far. :D She's a diamond in the rough at the moment !!!:rolleyes:
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Newspaper in the crapper.
You're almost done!

That's funny :D. I wish I was almost done ! Actually the newspaper is what I used to make the template for cutting the plywood.

Been a little while since I posted any progress pics. The wood in the wings on both sides has been replaced a total of 1 1/2 " plywood layup. Four coats of marine varnish it looks great. Today my son and I installed the stable lift lift system. About 350 lbs. of American iron :D. It took about 6 hours to get it installed. So she's coming along but a long ways to go. Enjoy the pics. SmileWavy

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Very cool project.

I'd dump the toilet / shower. Who needs that when camping?

G