Land Ranger 8TC Rebuild Project - All Input Appreciated

[Beckerton]

Well, new to the forums, as well as new to campers. My girlfriend and I just picked up an 8 foot truck camper. We found it listed locally for $200. The ad said it needed some TLC. The camper appears to be made by Land Ranger Manufacturing Inc. out of Brantford, Ontario. Seems to be circa 1970's and is in pretty bad shape. I'm hoping that this forum can help me rebuild this camper so my small family can enjoy it. This thread will be a place for me to record my progress as I go and hopefully receive some knowledgeable input from you guys.

Now on to the pictures...(I got a little camera happy)










































































What I will haul this camper with

[bka0721]

Beckerton wrote:
I have come to find the value in forums, if only I had posted prior to purchasing this TC. I was hoping to spend $600-800 and have a solid TC setup the way we wanted it. Talked with my better half about my findings and the words of advice here. We both feel it best to save our money and buy something clean. That may be a TC, TT or small RV. I am a bang-for-buck kind of guy. Its unfortunate this won't pan out but I'm happy we didn't lose our shirts on it. Thank you for your input everybody. I'll see you folks around.

You are the kind of person that we like hanging around here. Come back and share and gather information that is relevant to your needs as often as you would like.

b

[Beckerton]

I have come to find the value in forums, if only I had posted prior to purchasing this TC. I was hoping to spend $600-800 and have a solid TC setup the way we wanted it. Talked with my better half about my findings and the words of advice here. We both feel it best to save our money and buy something clean. That may be a TC, TT or small RV. I am a bang-for-buck kind of guy. Its unfortunate this won't pan out but I'm happy we didn't lose our shirts on it. Thank you for your input everybody. I'll see you folks around.

[67avion]

Well Beckerton, you are headed in the right direction.

No 1: you put the images up on a Forum where people will give you good, unvarnished advice. And where you never have to worry about "holier than thou" folks tsk tsking over your decision making. No 2: You clearly want to find something cheap, but sound, and create your own environment. And No. 3: You sure take advice well.

Seems to me that you are meant for this TC lifestyle. Take a look at the thread I started on the Avion rebuilds to get an idea about the efforts to rehab classic TCs. There are other strings on this Forum for Amerigos (?) as well as people who are building from scratch. Believe me you'll find yourself welcome amongst this hearty crew.

Best of luck. Look forward to seeing another post.

D

[Beckerton]

I've resolved to the same fact...I'm pulling what may be good and scrapping the rest. Lesson learned and as quick as this thread opened, it shall close.

[gitpicker2009]

you know, I have to say, for the thousands of dollars you're going to have to put into that, I think you might be better applying those dollars to the ownership of a safer, more structurally stable unit. Sorry:(

[seldomseensmith]

Beckerton wrote:
If I'm hearing you all correctly it sounds like my best bet is to tear into it, salvage what I can and cut my losses.

A person with extensive carpentry skills, metalworking ability, infinite patience, unlimited time, and a bottomless checkbook would find the rebuild of this particular camper challenging - so in a word, YES.

You should see what you can save and enjoy a nice campfire with the rest.

[Beckerton]

That truck has helpers already installed and is well within the GVWR for this particular camper.

[covered_wagon]

If your truck is a 150 I think you would be safer towing a trailer. $200 bucks for a good learning experience is not money waisted.

[Beckerton]

If I'm hearing you all correctly it sounds like my best bet is to tear into it, salvage what I can and cut my losses.

[recycler]

if you are dead set on rebuilding this camper bravo for trying to save an oldie...first off build a stand to set the bottom on cause there is nothing left of your floor..then support the overhead to keep it from collapsing when you gut the inside..take lots of pics as you tear it out so you have refernce photos when putting it together..then take measurements of the frame because you will need to build a new one..and it will take time..research sources for materials to save money..you should be able to build new frame for less than a grand..

[ticki2]

Beckerton wrote:
There is now no doubt in my mind that this is a massive project, far exceeding my initial expectations. I knew the floor was a bit soft but after pulling the carpet up I knew I was in trouble. The hammer went right through the floor, in some pictures you can see the aluminum bottom through the floor. The middle jack is rotten...scary stuff indeed. The panels on the outside were not pulled away by me, but separated on the drive home. I may have bitten off more than I can chew here but I figure I might as well tear into it and give it a go. I appreciate the words of encouragement

Please take heed of the previous posts , to put it mildly , all the goodness is gone from that old girl . There are signs of serious underlying damage in almost every photo . Setting aside the structural damage for the moment , mold has probably taken over to the point of no return . If you tear into it with an attitude of curiosity rather than hopes of resurrection you will learn a lot about TC's and what to look for next time .

On the bright side you can probably salvage enough parts to sell to get you money back . Best of luck

[sabconsulting]

Also, whatever you do end up with, bear in mind the truck you are carrying it on. I'm struggling to tell from the photo, but looking at the wheels is that an F150?

If so bear in mind they aren't designed to haul much weight so you want to keep the weight of the eventual camper to a minimum to avoid either having to spend a lot of extra money on suspension upgrades or finding the braking / handling is frightening. Remember, although they just look like a plywood box, these campers tend to weigh far more than you expect.

Steve.

[sabconsulting]

Welcome to the forum.

I also noticed the sagging at the jack mounting points and I reckon that is because the timber the mounts are bolted onto is rotten through. There is a lot of visible water damage there, including the paint peeling on the inner side panels, the rotten floor and around the roof vent. In my experience the smallest sign of water damage is just the tip of the ice berg. Typically I would advise anyone looking for a camper to look for the smallest signs of water damage / leaking and not buy if found - yours goes way beyond that. The problem is that because campers have two or more skins (inner and outer), water that gets in travels around between these destroying the timbers BEFORE you see much sign of it appearing on the inside of the camper. I suspect you will find that every inch of timber in that camper is rotten and needs replacing (including the roof, cabover and wings). So that would be not just a huge project (year or two?) but expensive too. I also bet that fridge doesn't work, and they are expensive to replace. It may be justifiable if you were a true fan of that model of camper and wanted to restore one, but if you are just looking for something for your family to camp in I suggest a rethink now before you throw too many $$$ at this.

Assuming you don't want a massive ground-up restoration project, the good thing is that you have only parted with $200 (you could spend that on sealant alone when recaulking a camper). I suggest ripping the camper apart to see the real state of it before you spend a penny more on the project. I suspect it will be a write-off, but in tearing it apart you will 1) obtain some potentially useful spare parts and 2) learn how these campers are built and where the failings are (e.g. identify the bits inside that rot but aren't obvious from the outside). I would then use the knowledge learned from that to hunt around and buy a used camper that is in better condition and will therefore cost you less in the long run. You would have a great advantage over other buyers because you would know exactly what to look out for having stripped a camper already. So think of the money spent buying this camper as a valuable training course to save you many times that amount on the camper that becomes your eventual 'keeper'.

Good luck,

Steve.

[Beckerton]

There is now no doubt in my mind that this is a massive project, far exceeding my initial expectations. I knew the floor was a bit soft but after pulling the carpet up I knew I was in trouble. The hammer went right through the floor, in some pictures you can see the aluminum bottom through the floor. The middle jack is rotten...scary stuff indeed. The panels on the outside were not pulled away by me, but separated on the drive home. I may have bitten off more than I can chew here but I figure I might as well tear into it and give it a go. I appreciate the words of encouragement