I got started on my summer project the last couple days. I found this thing on Craig's list for $100 and drove it home. It's a 78 Dodge Monaco 23' with a 440. Here's what it looked like when I brought it home.
Ok, time to dive in!
Oh man, I can't believe the huge bag of rusty screws I have already! It's actually not as rotten as I was thinking it was going to be. Just in the corners, where the screws need to be. Still so much to remove....
Ok, time to dive in!
Oh man, I can't believe the huge bag of rusty screws I have already! It's actually not as rotten as I was thinking it was going to be. Just in the corners, where the screws need to be. Still so much to remove....
Finally got some direction on where to go with this rear floor area.
I started cutting, giving a stair step effect as I went down through the 3 layers so no seams will line up and be a weak spot.
Now I'll do the same across the back and the other side. The hard part is cutting out the first piece of 1/2 inch plywood for the bottom. The 2x2s and top sheet should be pretty easy.
I started cutting, giving a stair step effect as I went down through the 3 layers so no seams will line up and be a weak spot.
Now I'll do the same across the back and the other side. The hard part is cutting out the first piece of 1/2 inch plywood for the bottom. The 2x2s and top sheet should be pretty easy.
Spectramac, If I may I"d like to make another suggestion to you, if at all you may be planning on going back with a realitive easy to apply rubber roof? On the upper priced 5th's and Motor homes you will notice that their top roofs corners roll over that very top seam edge, and connect to the upper part of the top of the sides. An example of a fiberglassed 1973 roof that did this is Ripsnorts sold truck camper. Pictured here in class 3, in one of his earlier post You are in a position to see and design a roof as to your complete break-down & re-construction. As to appose to Jamborallye in his current post, who is stuck with what is all ready there. Somewhere there has got to be an example how the wooden roll over design trusses campers are designed to accomplish this, if this is interesting to you.
Well the aroma therapy seems to have worked. That and the good weather have me pumped up to get some more done on this thing before winter sets in and I have to cover all this mess up!
I've been outside all day cleaning up the yard. I was really starting to feel for my neighbors having to look at all this stuff day in and out. I've got a pretty big dent in it. The wife helped me cart all the old cabinets to the back yard where I have a little carport to keep them under. At least they should stay dry until I need them for templates, or to repair and use. I got the old fridge and the kitchen cabinet off my 'dance floor' so it is almost totally flat!
I turned the rig around tonight. Made me feel good to see that it still runs and moves on it's own. I figured it would give everyone the prettier side to look at for a while too. :B
I got started on the rear floor area fix... again. This time I'm not going to let it win the battle, it's goin' down! 😉
I've been outside all day cleaning up the yard. I was really starting to feel for my neighbors having to look at all this stuff day in and out. I've got a pretty big dent in it. The wife helped me cart all the old cabinets to the back yard where I have a little carport to keep them under. At least they should stay dry until I need them for templates, or to repair and use. I got the old fridge and the kitchen cabinet off my 'dance floor' so it is almost totally flat!
I turned the rig around tonight. Made me feel good to see that it still runs and moves on it's own. I figured it would give everyone the prettier side to look at for a while too. :B
I got started on the rear floor area fix... again. This time I'm not going to let it win the battle, it's goin' down! 😉
Just a small update today. I've been trying to go through the piles of 'junk' all over and deciding what to keep. Horrible task to say the least! I've been having little fires the last couple nights getting rid of some parts that I know I don't need anymore.
Hi Pap, This guy is really putting a lot of his being in to this/his rebuild. In remembering tearing into mine it seem that it just keep growing, although it no where compares to this indever. I sure do admire his shoulder to the task with," I can do this attitude". Great thing big & small have been done with these kinds of personalities. Apart from this it would be heart rendering after it was all finished, if he would have to say. "I just did not know about that", or I wish I had done ....." So any and all information & ideas he can gain that he choses to use, at that time when he is sitting there under that awing with that smirk on his face, "I did it !!!". This knowledge gives him the confidence that he had only to do it once.......and from a lot of those with other thoughts that is far to much. If you just look at the pay per hour per retail. Our land fills are full of made to, "Throw-a-ways".
