Thought I should post this up because the "Search" feature doesn't return any results and there might be some useful info for older Starcraft owners or those that are mad enough to embark on a complete restoration.
I purchased this 1971 Starcraft-Wanderstar from a local chap with a special purpose in mind: Gutting out the interior to insulate and make comfrotable for working stiffs like myself and, in particular, for those doing work-camping in the upper Midwest. My criteria was: a name brand with solid fame construction, a body that could be worked with (no accident damage, and good running gear (wheels, tires, bearings, and hitch, etc.) I also focused my purchase towards a TT from 19'->26'. I have a Ford F-250 4x4, CC with trailer and tow package. Pictures of "The Hilton" (named and painted by a previous owner) as bought:
I am currently still working on the Hilton and have about three weeks into it, so far. I am keeping a pictorial work log and will share most of it if others are interested. I have totally gutted the inside and am discarding most of the mechanicals, along with replacing and eliminating windows, repairing water-damaged framing (all of the wall top plates and half of the studs), relocating most of the plumbing, replacing all of the wiring, and installing a completely different decorative style.
To give an idea of what I found after gutting out the inside, here is a picture of the driver's side and the wheel well:
Here is that same area after reconstruction, the new wheel well frame is skinned with 16 ga. steel sheet, inside, and sprayed with truck bed liner. The frame is insulated and there is a thermal break between any out side joining surfaces and the inside sheeting.
Two of the most cantankerous aspects have been the replacement of the top wall plates and aluminum trim rail and removal of the floor to insulate. The major obstacle to the first is the amount of various goop that was used by previous owners to stop water intrusion. That, and the thousands of clutch drive screws and staples that were removed. The basic carpentry was simple, I replaced the rotten wood with pressure treated fir and, after a day with a grinder fitted with a steel wire wheel to clean the trim rail, the surfaces were all sealed, stapled, and screwed back together.
This picture shows the new top plates and the rafter reinforcement I thought was necessary:
While diving into the wheel well repair I noticed the floor had deteriorated under the water heater. Closer examination showed that the 1 1/2" space underneath the floor was uninsulated, excepting the 1/2" Buildrite on top of the aluminum belly skin. I pulled all of the plywood and installed 1 1/2" of extruded polystyrene in that space:
I've replaced two of the three windows I planned on and have removed two, all together. Those vacated jalousie windows are framed and will become insulated wall.
Tomorrow, I'll be replacing the 72" front window and will then move on to the wiring. The existing Precision Dynamics converter tested to be OK and has a solid state battery charger so I will use that for the DC. I am upgrading the older 30 amp service to 50 amp. If there's interest, I can post some more pictures up of the restoration, as I progress, and am always open to any ideas from others.
FWIW, I am going with a Western motif for the interior and have already renamed my baby, "The Cowboy/Hilton".
Edit: Pictures in this thread are unviewable because of Photobucket's recent change in Terms of Service. I plan to migrate to a different hosting site and to repair the images. Please, be patient, as there are many images in this thread.
Edit: Anyone wanting to view images can download this browser extension:Browser extension. It makes all the images in this thread viewable.
I purchased this 1971 Starcraft-Wanderstar from a local chap with a special purpose in mind: Gutting out the interior to insulate and make comfrotable for working stiffs like myself and, in particular, for those doing work-camping in the upper Midwest. My criteria was: a name brand with solid fame construction, a body that could be worked with (no accident damage, and good running gear (wheels, tires, bearings, and hitch, etc.) I also focused my purchase towards a TT from 19'->26'. I have a Ford F-250 4x4, CC with trailer and tow package. Pictures of "The Hilton" (named and painted by a previous owner) as bought:
I am currently still working on the Hilton and have about three weeks into it, so far. I am keeping a pictorial work log and will share most of it if others are interested. I have totally gutted the inside and am discarding most of the mechanicals, along with replacing and eliminating windows, repairing water-damaged framing (all of the wall top plates and half of the studs), relocating most of the plumbing, replacing all of the wiring, and installing a completely different decorative style.
To give an idea of what I found after gutting out the inside, here is a picture of the driver's side and the wheel well:
Here is that same area after reconstruction, the new wheel well frame is skinned with 16 ga. steel sheet, inside, and sprayed with truck bed liner. The frame is insulated and there is a thermal break between any out side joining surfaces and the inside sheeting.
Two of the most cantankerous aspects have been the replacement of the top wall plates and aluminum trim rail and removal of the floor to insulate. The major obstacle to the first is the amount of various goop that was used by previous owners to stop water intrusion. That, and the thousands of clutch drive screws and staples that were removed. The basic carpentry was simple, I replaced the rotten wood with pressure treated fir and, after a day with a grinder fitted with a steel wire wheel to clean the trim rail, the surfaces were all sealed, stapled, and screwed back together.
This picture shows the new top plates and the rafter reinforcement I thought was necessary:
While diving into the wheel well repair I noticed the floor had deteriorated under the water heater. Closer examination showed that the 1 1/2" space underneath the floor was uninsulated, excepting the 1/2" Buildrite on top of the aluminum belly skin. I pulled all of the plywood and installed 1 1/2" of extruded polystyrene in that space:
I've replaced two of the three windows I planned on and have removed two, all together. Those vacated jalousie windows are framed and will become insulated wall.
Tomorrow, I'll be replacing the 72" front window and will then move on to the wiring. The existing Precision Dynamics converter tested to be OK and has a solid state battery charger so I will use that for the DC. I am upgrading the older 30 amp service to 50 amp. If there's interest, I can post some more pictures up of the restoration, as I progress, and am always open to any ideas from others.
FWIW, I am going with a Western motif for the interior and have already renamed my baby, "The Cowboy/Hilton".
Edit: Pictures in this thread are unviewable because of Photobucket's recent change in Terms of Service. I plan to migrate to a different hosting site and to repair the images. Please, be patient, as there are many images in this thread.
Edit: Anyone wanting to view images can download this browser extension:Browser extension. It makes all the images in this thread viewable.
Jim, yes I occasionally bump 15 amps but not usually. I really have to work to draw down the batteries to get that many amps travelling.
Ken, you betcha, hope we can meet up and share the audio thing at some time.
I thought I'd post up a couple of pics of the completed 12v setup:
Battery box for bank #2:
Two 6V in series:
New Victron battery monitor:
Distribution panel with newer Xantrex inverter:
All is good with the solar charging setup. The fridge is running smoothly and I have plenty of power for the entertainment devices. The Polish Princess and I are planning some Fall trips now that work is slowing down and we have some time.
Happy Trails!
Ken, you betcha, hope we can meet up and share the audio thing at some time.
I thought I'd post up a couple of pics of the completed 12v setup:
Battery box for bank #2:
Two 6V in series:
New Victron battery monitor:
Distribution panel with newer Xantrex inverter:
All is good with the solar charging setup. The fridge is running smoothly and I have plenty of power for the entertainment devices. The Polish Princess and I are planning some Fall trips now that work is slowing down and we have some time.
Happy Trails!
westend wrote:
Hard to believe with all the stuff I hauled out but I'm going to be about 300 lbs. over the original. Almost 2/3 of that is battery weight.
Not only that, but compare your build quality to the original. After looking through the page on your range hood, here's an example:
That framing and skinning it with ply is doing it right. Stapling it together out of 1/8 hardboard paneling like the original is doing it cheap and fast.
From what I've seen on these pages, yours will still be a solid rig in another 42 years rather than what you started with.
Not that any of us will still be here to prove me wrong...:B
