With the campers side by side, we began our evaluation of the project by expressing optimistic enthusiasm to local friends and family. We'll do this, we'll do that. The son says, "These old campers all smell the same".
The original plan was to build the 8' 1968 Lil' Queeny into our user camper. Then evaluate and work on the larger 10.5' as able. If it proved too far gone I had intentions of reverse engineering it for others to perhaps build a Travel Queen from scratch.
The front cab wall of the larger camper had already been replaced by a previous owner and was missing the original style front windows. It made the overall camper feel more confined and closed in. The larger camper also came with the original "Saf-T-Jacks". They aren't exactly safe, and yet I might be able to work them over for my smaller camper, but I would never try them again on the larger and heavier unit.
Here are interior pictures of the larger 10.5 camper, the one that became the donor, and the rest went to the landfill...
The smaller camper was very clean. We had, and have, found no evidence of mice. Here are some interior pictures of it...
Within a few weeks, and after removing all the non-original, and a great portion of the "to save" original pieces, we had our plan.
Upgrade original 30 gallons fresh water to 40 gallons. Greywater, upgrade from none to 21 gallons. Blackwater, use a residential height Thetford Porti-Potti with 5 gallon waste tank. That debate has raged but we found the dump availability of a portable toilet much preferable to an RV dump site, at least for the places we like to go. We'll have room for two batteries, two waste cans, two 20 lb propane tanks, on demand water pump, perhaps outside shower, 6 gallon water heater, toilet closet will become a wet bath with shower basin, walls and door, low energy use catalytic heater, long-boy double bed, twin bed for the dinette, dinette convertible to lounge, TV, microwave, solar roof panels, kitchen double sink, stove/oven range, upgrade from icebox to 4 cubic foot refrigerator, and even a bathroom sink basin, all for four season use based on planned plumbing routing and grey water dump valve location. There was, and will be, no basement. Stock height of about 6'3" interior, narrow width of 7.5', and all within the confines of an eight foot truck bed. No, there will not be a lot of storage! That is what they make duffle bags and truck rear seat areas for.
