NDR: Camper Rebuild: Finally Hit the Road

Carl

Carl

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Finally hit the road in our 1973 Serro Scotty Hilander!
Rebuild took a lot longer that thought, mainly for the lack of a proper workspace. And its still not really finished, but usable.
Our son made the State Science Fair, so our inaguaral trip was to the US Space and Rocket Center. They have a nice little RV campground. Nothing fancy, just parking spots and a bath house. Buts right next to the museum and its cheap!
Camper towed great, but gas mileage really took a hit. We have a Honda Pilot with the V6, went from a normal highway mileage of 23 mpg to around 13 mpg. Ouch.

Rebuilding these old "canned ham" campers is not that hard at all. If you can build a boat, or just use basic power tools, you can do it. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had a proper fully enclosed shop to work in. Doing it under a tarp carport just didn't cut it.

Here's some pics.

View attachment Camper04-2015A.jpg

View attachment Camper04-2015B.jpg

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Nice work Carl. Beware, the RV renovation bug is just as deadly as the boat building bug. The older stuff is a lot easier to work on than the newer rigs.
 
Carl, just knowing that self satisfaction "feeling" of a job well done has to be enough. Great job and enjoy the time spent for many summers to come.

Please congratulate you son on his wonderful accomplishments in Science.
Al
 
I was just wondering about your camper a few days ago. Looks good. That is a neat project.

Tim
 
Al, be forewarned: my wife has threatened me with a trip to the Pacific Ocean either summer '16 or '17, so you might just get a camper parked out by the dog kennel!!!
 
You are right, its similar to the boat or decoy bug! Like I noted, if I had a large enough shop, I would turn this into a hobby, one I could make money on!
 
Thanks! It was frustrating at times, but we learned a lot. If I ever do it again, it will go a lot smoother.
 
I have a 1960s Alaskan camper . Been sitting in a covered spot for three years. I tell myself that this is the year for the restoration. Yours looks great and those old canned hams are really hot right now.
 
I had a 78 Alaskan.... The jacks sucks... But a neat little rig! I did like the fact that it was small enough to go everyplace... My Arctic Fox isn't.... DAMN IT!!! Did I just catch the bug?
 
Bob, you are right, they are hot. Especially Scotty's and Shasta's. Rebuilt ones can go for big bucks! I saw one listed on Ebay that went for $10K, but it was amazing.
 
Wow, very cool pickup campers! Cant believe all the stuff they pack in there.
 
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