Complete reconstruction of a TT

Can't you salvage anything from the wreck? Refrigerator, range/oven, toilet and hot water heater would save you thousands. Also the electrical major components would help, converter ect.

Make sure the frame and axles are capable of handling the weight of the build.

Aside from cost, it is always the same question: Do yo want to camp / spend quality time with friends and family, or do you want a project?
As others have said: it is more work, takes longer, and costs more than you anticipate.
If the result is going to be stationary anyway: Why not build a shack/cabin in that location? Or pull the rolling chassis there and build on location?

I tried it bare-butt in the early seventies. Salvaged accessories from wrecked units.

• Weight is the biggest hurdle
• Like 99% the other 300% consists of cost, specialty tools, weight distribution, and doing everything "The Hard Way"
• Your enthusiasm may well end up in the "What the hell have I gotten myself into" dept
• RV galleys use a lot of formica and linoleum. Are your skills up to par?
• As far as the walls I wished I knew back then about the technique of laminating paneling onto one side of inch-and-a-half foam board and 20 gauge aluminum onto the other.

Weight, weight, always weight. Finally I bought a 78 Crown school bus from Santa Clarita school district and poured a fortune into the 10 wheel monster. 10-wheel Crowns were insanely underpowered mid-engine Cummins 6-speed morphadites. I bought a Brazilian out of frame reman kit. A White Freightliner that was customized by a Southern Pacific locomotive sitting in a wrecking yard in 4-corners CA, the Fuller trans, and auxillary, another one crash test dummy against a redwood tree provided the transmission, a rolled cabover much of the linkage and several boatyards in wilmington the teak decking and appointments. Laid off Lockheed sheet metal workers did the mods to the windows and door, a ship's carpenter the woodwork and a laid off Corian installer did the galley.

Season with 5 years of labor and a ton of space shuttle refit wiring and presto, there you have it, an incredibly expensive one-of-a-kind RV that is chock full loaded with compromises.

But weight limit isn't one of them. Neither is power a problem. When in the mountains the driver must look like a guy in a 10 foot rowboat bring chased by a 20 foot great white. The thing has five thousand dollars worth of 24 volt refrigerator and freezer, 4 L-16 gone flaky batteries, and airplane paint (IMRON).

If I knew back then what retrofits I was in for, maybe I would have stuck with horse and mule pack trips, and ring down for room hotel service forays into Mexico and Central America.

That's not true. The hot dip galvanized body and teak make the unit ideal for the tropics. My grandkids and their kids hopefully will maintain it as an overflow bungalow. Travel has gotten so expensive down here. I can take 1 400 mile trip in the car for one seventh the money and not stay four miles outside of town.

I cannot tell you the "right way" to build your rig. The most accurate way is a description of my trials and tribulations.

$5k is a pretty low estimate and you can likely find a functional trailer that doesn't need rebuilding for that amount...

It was about 10yr ago we bough a 28' 5th wheel for $4500...everything worked fine and looked good...used it for 10yrs including multiple cross country trips...negligible maintenance...sold it and I've seen the guy still using it as of last fall.

$5000 seems awful conservative for this project, especially if you are starting with just the frame. Plumbing, electrical, appliances, etc are going to add up.

I don't know anyone who has taken on a RV project like this, but I do know two that rebuilt houseboats that were submerged. Both of them went way over budget and over time.

If you are doing this as a personal accomplishment/labor of love, I say go for it. But if you think you will save $ vs buying something that is ready to use I think you should reconsider.

mordecai81 wrote:

(Speed limits of 90km/hr. Only to move as needed as it will be parked for several years once it is moved.

How can I make it aerodynamic stable?)

I think making it symmetrical when viewed from the front would be the place to start.So, instead of a roof high on one side, have a peak? That is a good possibility.

(Speed limits of 90km/hr. Only to move as needed as it will be parked for several years once it is moved.

How can I make it aerodynamic stable?)

I think making it symmetrical when viewed from the front would be the place to start.

agesilaus wrote:
Sure lots of people have done it. But most of us have no idea what things cost in Sudbury. Do you plan on moving this rebuilt TT? Weight will probably be a big issue with 2X4 walls. And if moved at highway speeds, the aerodynamic stability of the roof needs to be considered. The only TT with a roof as you describe that I have ever seen are park models which don't get dragged down highways.

Speed limits of 90km/hr. Only to move as needed as it will be parked for several years once it is moved.

How can I make it aerodynamic stable?

Sure lots of people have done it. But most of us have no idea what things cost in Sudbury. Do you plan on moving this rebuilt TT? Weight will probably be a big issue with 2X4 walls. And if moved at highway speeds, the aerodynamic stability of the roof needs to be considered. The only TT with a roof as you describe that I have ever seen are park models which don't get dragged down highways.