1970s Great Divide - Ta-Ton-Ka Sal-Va-Gion
Can I do this here? It's not a Travel Trailer. Of course, I suppose any of these vintage bumper-pull campers don't REALLY fit the definition of TT. Isn't a TT something that travels, not camps? Many of these things really should be called campers - whether Truck Campers, or Camp Trailers.
Besides, this is about salvage, and therefore salvation of old parts instead of - at worst - going to the landfill, and at best - just sitting there rotting in some yard. Thus, I coin a new term - Sal-Va-Gion. And it lessens new consumption.
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!
Many moons ago, Ta-Ton-Ka came to the ancestors, and he told them he was there to bring sustained life. But - if the people ever forgot, he would go.
The people used every part of the Buffalo. They used his hide for their shelters. They dried his meat, and it helped keep them alive through the cold times of the little death. All his organs and internals were used for their different values and for the different needs of the people. There was nothing wasted.
And then came another influence. Many fought against the changes, but many adopted the new ways. After a time of war, the changes had been made and Ta-Ton-Ka disappeared almost entirely from the land and the people starved, and they were cold, and many were sickened with strange and awful illness of the new influence.
Some people gathered together and drew strength from each other and fought against the influence. But they were too few and Ta-Ton-Ka never fully recovered. The taste of excess was too strong.
We found this Truck Camper, in all it's oddity, on Craigslist and traveled to Buffalo, WY to see it.
It was a difficult decision, because I never really saw it as a restore project, but one of salvagion. We may have spent too much, at $400, but that's simply subjective.
It's a 1970's era Great Divide TC, originally out of Colorado and probably started out life with a roof line looking something like this.
Obviously a previous owner thought it was too cramped in the bunk and made a modification. There's evidence throughout (I'm finding) that this owner was a Dave Pete sort of mod guy, in the sense that as I see examples of his work, I can relate. That is to say I see lots of quality work. However, I can't say much for the aesthetics of that cab-over bunk. Whoa!
It's kind of interesting; Tow-Mater for example, has a rising roof-line to the tune of 8" total. Ta-Ton-Ka's, on the other hand, is 12". Ain't it amazing what a difference 4" can make?
On our way home from purchase, we named it Ta-Ton-Ka, because its profile looks to us like a cartoon character of a charging Buffalo!
We wondered just how it might be used, with such an ugly mod. Was it cool? Was it weird? The jury is still out.
But note the non-original seams and patches in the siding. The roof is also strange, but seems to be sealing!
Perhaps one of the reasons the PO found it too cramped, was that the bunk was on drawer guides. In other words, the bunk-bed slides out to make it a wider E-S bed, and the heavy duty slides it is on, raises the base even higher than a cramped non-sliding bunk floor would have.
Here it is pushed in.
It's a cool idea I guess, but it's not a clean build. All those hard to reach crevices.
Here it is pulled out.
But here's the deal breaker. Mice urine soaked lower wood floor.
And the stench wasn't apparent, until pulling out the slide.
Not a lot bothers me about old and dirty, but mouse infestation - that's like a non-starter to me. Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes, I'm not interested in getting Hanta-virus.
The bunk was actually stuck closed. It took some real pulling and jerking, for which I used the respirator, but when it finally broke loose, I suspected the guy we bought from, who said it was given to him (he's kind of a old camper builder), never really knew about this condition. So I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Our first impression after realizing the rodent damage, and because of the oddity of the mod, is to take a Saws-all and cut most of the cab-over bunk off and allow it to drop to the ground. Only then, in the great outdoors (still with breathing protection), will we determine whether or not the slide mechanism is salvageable.
But there is much about this camper that IS salvageable, including portions of the interior wood paneling, cabinets, wiring and propane lines, etc. Not to mention the sheet-metal and appliances.
For now, the bunk is slid closed, after I spray soaked it with Chlorine. And "closed" controls the scent quite well. The dinette areas have become a dry storage location for extra parts that have been moved from the 1995 Skamper Camper, which sits nearby, as it's becoming more and more open to the elements.
Here's what else is being harvested.
The galley basin...
Which now resides nicely in Tow-Mater.
The icebox...
Smaller than Tow-Mater's, but still of the same color scheme; it has a little wear and damage, but I think I might make a portable style beer-cooler out of it to go with Tow-Mater. It's hanging out, after first cleaning, under Lil' Queeny's wing (one of those extra projects).
This gravity heater (like in Tow-Mater), which is currently being worked and will have it's own post in this thread one of these next days, is made by Peerless.
The tomato-soup red range hood. On the shelf now, along with the beige one from the Skamper.
But that range, obviously not original. What is it?
Why it's a Princess!
And how can we use that? We don't exactly know yet, but yesterday I finished it up (cleaning, inspection, testing) and it now sits on a high shelf.
That's the subject of tomorrow's post.
And the Great Spirit of the Sky said, I give you the Buffalo for your sustenance. Do not be tempted by the excesses of the new influence. Never stray from a simple life. You must work hard, but your efforts will pay off. Allow the earth to provide, but do not abuse your Mother - or you will die!
Besides, this is about salvage, and therefore salvation of old parts instead of - at worst - going to the landfill, and at best - just sitting there rotting in some yard. Thus, I coin a new term - Sal-Va-Gion. And it lessens new consumption.
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!
Many moons ago, Ta-Ton-Ka came to the ancestors, and he told them he was there to bring sustained life. But - if the people ever forgot, he would go.
The people used every part of the Buffalo. They used his hide for their shelters. They dried his meat, and it helped keep them alive through the cold times of the little death. All his organs and internals were used for their different values and for the different needs of the people. There was nothing wasted.
And then came another influence. Many fought against the changes, but many adopted the new ways. After a time of war, the changes had been made and Ta-Ton-Ka disappeared almost entirely from the land and the people starved, and they were cold, and many were sickened with strange and awful illness of the new influence.
Some people gathered together and drew strength from each other and fought against the influence. But they were too few and Ta-Ton-Ka never fully recovered. The taste of excess was too strong.
We found this Truck Camper, in all it's oddity, on Craigslist and traveled to Buffalo, WY to see it.
It was a difficult decision, because I never really saw it as a restore project, but one of salvagion. We may have spent too much, at $400, but that's simply subjective.
It's a 1970's era Great Divide TC, originally out of Colorado and probably started out life with a roof line looking something like this.
Obviously a previous owner thought it was too cramped in the bunk and made a modification. There's evidence throughout (I'm finding) that this owner was a Dave Pete sort of mod guy, in the sense that as I see examples of his work, I can relate. That is to say I see lots of quality work. However, I can't say much for the aesthetics of that cab-over bunk. Whoa!
It's kind of interesting; Tow-Mater for example, has a rising roof-line to the tune of 8" total. Ta-Ton-Ka's, on the other hand, is 12". Ain't it amazing what a difference 4" can make?
On our way home from purchase, we named it Ta-Ton-Ka, because its profile looks to us like a cartoon character of a charging Buffalo!
We wondered just how it might be used, with such an ugly mod. Was it cool? Was it weird? The jury is still out.
But note the non-original seams and patches in the siding. The roof is also strange, but seems to be sealing!
Perhaps one of the reasons the PO found it too cramped, was that the bunk was on drawer guides. In other words, the bunk-bed slides out to make it a wider E-S bed, and the heavy duty slides it is on, raises the base even higher than a cramped non-sliding bunk floor would have.
Here it is pushed in.
It's a cool idea I guess, but it's not a clean build. All those hard to reach crevices.
Here it is pulled out.
But here's the deal breaker. Mice urine soaked lower wood floor.
And the stench wasn't apparent, until pulling out the slide.
Not a lot bothers me about old and dirty, but mouse infestation - that's like a non-starter to me. Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes, I'm not interested in getting Hanta-virus.
The bunk was actually stuck closed. It took some real pulling and jerking, for which I used the respirator, but when it finally broke loose, I suspected the guy we bought from, who said it was given to him (he's kind of a old camper builder), never really knew about this condition. So I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Our first impression after realizing the rodent damage, and because of the oddity of the mod, is to take a Saws-all and cut most of the cab-over bunk off and allow it to drop to the ground. Only then, in the great outdoors (still with breathing protection), will we determine whether or not the slide mechanism is salvageable.
But there is much about this camper that IS salvageable, including portions of the interior wood paneling, cabinets, wiring and propane lines, etc. Not to mention the sheet-metal and appliances.
For now, the bunk is slid closed, after I spray soaked it with Chlorine. And "closed" controls the scent quite well. The dinette areas have become a dry storage location for extra parts that have been moved from the 1995 Skamper Camper, which sits nearby, as it's becoming more and more open to the elements.
Here's what else is being harvested.
The galley basin...
Which now resides nicely in Tow-Mater.
The icebox...
Smaller than Tow-Mater's, but still of the same color scheme; it has a little wear and damage, but I think I might make a portable style beer-cooler out of it to go with Tow-Mater. It's hanging out, after first cleaning, under Lil' Queeny's wing (one of those extra projects).
This gravity heater (like in Tow-Mater), which is currently being worked and will have it's own post in this thread one of these next days, is made by Peerless.
The tomato-soup red range hood. On the shelf now, along with the beige one from the Skamper.
But that range, obviously not original. What is it?
Why it's a Princess!
And how can we use that? We don't exactly know yet, but yesterday I finished it up (cleaning, inspection, testing) and it now sits on a high shelf.
That's the subject of tomorrow's post.
And the Great Spirit of the Sky said, I give you the Buffalo for your sustenance. Do not be tempted by the excesses of the new influence. Never stray from a simple life. You must work hard, but your efforts will pay off. Allow the earth to provide, but do not abuse your Mother - or you will die!
