New to me 1965 Avion C-10...have some ???'s

[rastaman33609]

I just rescued a 1965 Avion C-10. It is still in very much original condition. The cabinets have been painted over and carpet on the floor.
The TC is in surprisingly good condition considering it is 50 years old.

I have started reading the "rebuild page' here and have been picking up a lot of information. However I still have over 300 pages to go and its getting really tedious. I am anxious to start doing some stuff to it and have a few basic questions if some one could point me in the right direction.
Firstly I am assuming that these units were not designed to be self sufficient. I have found what appears to be a galvanized water tank up front which I think is pressurized by air. So ?...I would plan on putting a on demand pump in place,what have other owners been doing?

Then I can see a battery meter mounted on the step below the overhead bunk. but cant find where the battery went. Did the 7 pin connector that hooks up the running lights provide a battery charge from the truck?
There are no holding tanks that I can find..where does the kitchen sink drain to. or the shower.

I am trying to avoid tearing into more than I have to.
Also what other sites may contain info on these campers??

Does any one want to volunteer to be my 'coach' as I stumble along the road of getting this old lady road worthy?

Thanks
Rasta

[Reddog1]

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Wayne
Moderator

[67avion]

Rasta, our collective experience is that there is ALWAYS more damage than meets the eye. Thats why, as I'm sure you understand, that there has to be a very careful audit of the coach. And the only way to be careful is to be completely familiar with the layout and mechanics. I know that the string is long, and sometimes frustrating, but it is all there. Everything. Including wiring harnesses, black water/gray water solutions.

And a chronicle of every time I run into something and have to repair the damage...which seems like about every 12 months;-(

[rastaman33609]

garryk6 wrote:

rastaman33609 wrote:







Having some pics will help us help you know where the battery was originally. but an AGM is a great choice. The black water tank is incorporated under the toilet and under the shower. In Fact the Toilet, Shower and bathroom sink all drain to the black water tank.

rastaman33609 wrote:

The first task will be:



The exterior is Anodized, so will never shine like and Airstream, unless you de-anodize it as one of our members did, and then spend alot of time polishing... 😉

In the thread I posted sources for LED replacement lights and what they look like installed and lit up. I will try to dig it up, and post a link to the exact page. If yours is a 65, do you have the same propane access door I have on my 66, or do you have the smaller door from the very early versions? As you clean, you may be able to lightly sand the doors etc to remove the paint, then use Danish Oil to revive the original Birch plywood. I didn't have paint to worry about, but mine were de-laminating, so I had to re-glue and clamp, then sand and re-oil.

Garry

Garry I posted some pics...thought it went on the main avion thread,,,now I see it did not...oh well....should I post them again over there???

[rastaman33609]

67avion wrote:
Rasta, I now realize I worded my post awkwardly. I was in a bit of a rush and wanted to make a clear distinction between a post asking questions to the larger community and the Avionistas. I apologize for potentially making you feel unwelcome. Please feel free to ask for any and all expertise. You'll get lots of aupport

Avion 67 I totally understand and I have to admit I was a little taken back by it, however after I sent my reply I thought of different ways you could have meant it, and that maybe I was over reacting. I had just come back in from 96* temps outside working on it and discovered some more damage to the bunk area and was a little stressed.
Apology accepted... No Problem Mon...

[67avion]

Rasta, I now realize I worded my post awkwardly. I was in a bit of a rush and wanted to make a clear distinction between a post asking questions to the larger community and the Avionistas. I apologize for potentially making you feel unwelcome. Please feel free to ask for any and all expertise. You'll get lots of aupport

[garryk6]

rastaman33609 wrote:


However I would like to add a water tank and some a grey water tank even if it needs to be portable (i have to take it out to dump)
I am not sure how this would be plumbed so as to prevent feed back to shore water source which I would like to keep. Is a one way valve used?

The kitchen sink should have a hose connection on the outside of the camper that you can hook up a hose to and route to a separate collection container (bucket etc). As you go through the Thread you will see other options.

rastaman33609 wrote:

I would also like to add an AGM battery.
I can live without black water holding tank.

I would like to reinforce the front jack support area, can you or anyone suggest a way to do this from the inside?

Having some pics will help us help you know where the battery was originally. but an AGM is a great choice. The black water tank is incorporated under the toilet and under the shower. In Fact the Toilet, Shower and bathroom sink all drain to the black water tank.

rastaman33609 wrote:

The first task will be:

1..Clean the outside: What is the best way to bring the shine back out?
2. Clean the inside.
3, Get the running lights working.....Is there a source for replacement lights?

I am sure I will have a lot more questions...and yes I am reading the avion thread here. I still have over 285 pages to go 🙂 at the end I am sure I will be much better informed...right now I am anxious to do things.

The exterior is Anodized, so will never shine like and Airstream, unless you de-anodize it as one of our members did, and then spend alot of time polishing... 😉

In the thread I posted sources for LED replacement lights and what they look like installed and lit up. I will try to dig it up, and post a link to the exact page. If yours is a 65, do you have the same propane access door I have on my 66, or do you have the smaller door from the very early versions? As you clean, you may be able to lightly sand the doors etc to remove the paint, then use Danish Oil to revive the original Birch plywood. I didn't have paint to worry about, but mine were de-laminating, so I had to re-glue and clamp, then sand and re-oil.

Garry

[rastaman33609]

sharkman wrote:
Congrats, did you find it in Florida?

Yes.....

[rastaman33609]

garryk6 wrote:
Welcome to the Joys and challenges of Avion TC ownership. As 67 and 69 have both stated, the Avion "Rebuild Thread" is not just a rebuild thread, it is where all Avion TC owners that we can find end up to share life and experiences with our Avion TC's. I know it can be tedious to sift through the many pages it has grown to be, but the people that are subscribed to that thread will answer much quicker if you do post in that thread, as we get notification when some one posts. Can you post pics the Avion thread, then we can see which floor plan you have (there are only a few, but the layout is slightly different for each of the plans for battery pump etc.). We enjoy helping new owners work through the challenges, and hopefully offer encouragement to hang in there when the tough times come along.
I hope that this helps, and here is a link to the thread if you need it.

Welcome again!
Garry in Kodiak, AK

Gary thanks for your encouraging words, I did not realize that I should have posted on that "main Avion" thread...I will as of now.
I haven't figured out how to do the photos yet, I guess I will have to read up on that too. 🙂
Thanks again

[rastaman33609]

67avion wrote:
All of these topics are covered in the Avion string. Rather than start a new topic that people have to respond to in redundacy, it might be wise to go through the 300 pages and learn precisely how the Avion is put together and how to resolve issues. This Forum is not a "help desk", especially when all of the information that you seek has been carefully laid out by dozens of Avion owners.

I thought I had made it clear that I was in the process of reading up on the 300+ pages, I guess the excitement of new ownership got the better of me...In retrospect maybe I should not of asked you any questions.
However I think your comment about this forum being a "help desk" was uncalled for.

[garryk6]

Welcome to the Joys and challenges of Avion TC ownership. As 67 and 69 have both stated, the Avion "Rebuild Thread" is not just a rebuild thread, it is where all Avion TC owners that we can find end up to share life and experiences with our Avion TC's. I know it can be tedious to sift through the many pages it has grown to be, but the people that are subscribed to that thread will answer much quicker if you do post in that thread, as we get notification when some one posts. Can you post pics the Avion thread, then we can see which floor plan you have (there are only a few, but the layout is slightly different for each of the plans for battery pump etc.). We enjoy helping new owners work through the challenges, and hopefully offer encouragement to hang in there when the tough times come along.
I hope that this helps, and here is a link to the thread if you need it.
The avion master thread 😉
Welcome again!
Garry in Kodiak, AK

[67avion]

All of these topics are covered in the Avion string. Rather than start a new topic that people have to respond to in redundacy, it might be wise to go through the 300 pages and learn precisely how the Avion is put together and how to resolve issues. This Forum is not a "help desk", especially when all of the information that you seek has been carefully laid out by dozens of Avion owners.

[sharkman]

Congrats, did you find it in Florida?

[rastaman33609]

69 Avion,,,

Yes I have been getting a lot of information from the Avion thread here, I can see you have a wealth of experience with them.

From what I can see so far. I do not intend to do a 'rebuild'. I dont think it needs it. There is only one soft floor area in the rear closet floor. I can live with the present floor plan, and would like to keep it close to original as possible.

However I would like to add a water tank and some a grey water tank even if it needs to be portable (i have to take it out to dump)
I am not sure how this would be plumbed so as to prevent feed back to shore water source which I would like to keep. Is a one way valve used?

I would also like to add an AGM battery.
I can live without black water holding tank.

I would like to reinforce the front jack support area, can you or anyone suggest a way to do this from the inside?

The first task will be:

1..Clean the outside: What is the best way to bring the shine back out?
2. Clean the inside.
3, Get the running lights working.....Is there a source for replacement lights?

I am sure I will have a lot more questions...and yes I am reading the avion thread here. I still have over 285 pages to go 🙂 at the end I am sure I will be much better informed...right now I am anxious to do things.

[69_Avion]

You will want to replace the galvanized tank with a plastic water tank and pump such as a ShurFlo Revolution.

You camper didn't have a gray water tank. They weren't required until the mid 1970s. None of the Avion campers had them. Many folks have added them. The info is in the thread on Avions.

The origial plug did "charge" the battery from the truck alternator. New AGM batteries won't give you the "venting" issue as with the original batteries.

There is a lot of work to rebuilding one of these old campers, but they are well worth it.