My first trailer:1983 Man-O-War My wife and I were coming back from the Florida beach and started talking about all the campers. Turns out it's been a dream of both of ours to own a camper! I've been a tent camper all my life, but I've got nothing to prove anymore :)Barely had a chance to clean it, got it yesterday and me and my daughter went drive way camping last night!Questions:* The windshield screen/awning is old and cracked. It's a plastic insert in a steel frame. What is this called and what is an easy way to replace it?* Should I cover or replace the rusted screws?* The wheel wheel covers are just ruined. One side looks like it popped off and they just re-screwed it making new holes.* The siding is aluminum and there is some silver shining beneath the white paint in places. Is it possible (and cheap) to strip the white paint from the siding and have a silver ham can?* Any easy fixes to make it look less....old? We are going to go retro on the inside (think sky blue and lime green, maybe some polka dots). I dream of a Streamline, but this is a first run for $1500 to see if we even use the camper.UPDATE 8/25/2014:$40 paint, $20 stain, 12*2=24 hours work:$35 for fabric, will make cushion covers this week:

Welcome to the forum.Your unit looks like it's in good condition.Where are the interior pics? :)

The front window cover can be mended with fiberglass mat and resin, it's too nice to just replace. Removing all the old white paint and polishing it to a brilliant shine, then coating it so it won't immediately oxidize is not trivial. You would have 100's of hours into a project like that. A better solution is to leave the existing paint on, prime the exposed parts. and repaint. I repainted the bulk of my 22' trailer in an afternoon but I have professional spray gear. At this point in your RV career, you should be looking at the roof, siding, and windows to make sure there is not ONE little leak. This will be the most important thing you ever do to keep the old gal in good shape. Look around on here to see what others do.Welcome to the Forum!

westend wrote:The front window cover can be mended with fiberglass mat and resin, it's too nice to just replace. Removing all the old white paint and polishing it to a brilliant shine, then coating it so it won't immediately oxidize is not trivial. You would have 100's of hours into a project like that. A better solution is to leave the existing paint on, prime the exposed parts. and repaint. I repainted the bulk of my 22' trailer in an afternoon but I have professional spray gear. At this point in your RV career, you should be looking at the roof, siding, and windows to make sure there is not ONE little leak. This will be the most important thing you ever do to keep the old gal in good shape. Look around on here to see what others do.Welcome to the Forum!I was afraid of that regarding stripping. If it were a collectible trailer I might consider it, but I will heed your advice on this one.The front window cover is very brittle, you can poke through it with your finger. Thus, I don't believe it's worth saving :( I was thinking a sign company could cut a sheet of painted metal to fit, but am afraid it will rattle going down the road.The bathroom has been redone, along with the door frame. I don't see any water damage under the sink or utility access panels, but the main floor area has been built "up" and covered with new vinyl, so it could be covering some damage. There is definitely a leak in the front window, the base of the window frame has dryrot. There's also a chewed mouse hole in my fresh water storage area!

You could go down to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up some FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) and cut it out to replace the front window cover.

Welcome. Not bad looking for the year. Good for you. You will all love it.

1983 Man-O-War (My First Trailer - Requesting Advice)

15 Replies

azrving
Explorer
Aug 07, 2014
Welcome. Not bad looking for the year. Good for you. You will all love it.
kearlms
Explorer
Aug 07, 2014
You could go down to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up some FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) and cut it out to replace the front window cover.
johnnylawless
Explorer
Aug 07, 2014
westend wrote:
The front window cover can be mended with fiberglass mat and resin, it's too nice to just replace.

Removing all the old white paint and polishing it to a brilliant shine, then coating it so it won't immediately oxidize is not trivial. You would have 100's of hours into a project like that. A better solution is to leave the existing paint on, prime the exposed parts. and repaint. I repainted the bulk of my 22' trailer in an afternoon but I have professional spray gear.

At this point in your RV career, you should be looking at the roof, siding, and windows to make sure there is not ONE little leak. This will be the most important thing you ever do to keep the old gal in good shape. Look around on here to see what others do.

Welcome to the Forum!

I was afraid of that regarding stripping. If it were a collectible trailer I might consider it, but I will heed your advice on this one.

The front window cover is very brittle, you can poke through it with your finger. Thus, I don't believe it's worth saving :( I was thinking a sign company could cut a sheet of painted metal to fit, but am afraid it will rattle going down the road.

The bathroom has been redone, along with the door frame. I don't see any water damage under the sink or utility access panels, but the main floor area has been built "up" and covered with new vinyl, so it could be covering some damage. There is definitely a leak in the front window, the base of the window frame has dryrot. There's also a chewed mouse hole in my fresh water storage area!
westend
Explorer
Aug 07, 2014
The front window cover can be mended with fiberglass mat and resin, it's too nice to just replace.

Removing all the old white paint and polishing it to a brilliant shine, then coating it so it won't immediately oxidize is not trivial. You would have 100's of hours into a project like that. A better solution is to leave the existing paint on, prime the exposed parts. and repaint. I repainted the bulk of my 22' trailer in an afternoon but I have professional spray gear.

At this point in your RV career, you should be looking at the roof, siding, and windows to make sure there is not ONE little leak. This will be the most important thing you ever do to keep the old gal in good shape. Look around on here to see what others do.

Welcome to the Forum!
gbopp
Explorer
Aug 07, 2014
Welcome to the forum.

Your unit looks like it's in good condition.

Where are the interior pics? :)

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1983 Man-O-War (My First Trailer - Requesting Advice)

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