Avion truck campers - Hundreds of photos

[67avion]

Without going into too much painful detail, we had a mishap several week-ends ago. While working with sand bag crews on the Mississippi River, the truck and camper fell into the flood waters as a road collapsed. Because of a number of issues dealing with the wrecker truck, we had to release the camper as the truck was reeled up over the bank. The good news is that the truck is as good as new after a thorough rinsing, inspection of brakes, etc. The bad news is that the camper was thoroughly drowned. A lot of people had far worse trouble than we did, so we consider ourselves lucky. The floods are ongoing as I write.

Our planned trip to Montana in June is called off. heh.

However, I have now convinced my dear Jane that its time to really update the TC. After drying for several days we pulled out the interior. Amazingly the Zolatone paint that I had applied last year is good as new after a cleaning.



Without burdening the TC family overmuch, I'd like to ask some advice other than don't park too near a flood :-).

My DW was overjoyed that I had a plan for the bathroom: a composting toilet developed by Nature's Head http://www.natureshead.net/. Our holding tank was practically unusable and there was no real grey water tank on the 67 Avion. Our plan is to rip out the bathroom and install one of these and converting the blackwater to a greywater tank. Any experience with this?

Finally, the roof. I admit that I have not really done the work I should have. Now, I need to remove the various sealants on the roof and repair it. We are also setting up for a solar installation. Any advice as to this?



Here's hoping I have posted the pictures correctly. And many thanks in advance for your advice.

[69cayo]

Dick, The camper is coming along nicely, the aluminum framing really opens up alot of new possibilities for you, that front window will be awesome!
If you don't mind me asking, how much will it be to restore the Avion badge?

Dennis

[67avion]

D1trout wrote:
On a different subject, here is the grab handle and nameplate. Badly pitted. I took them to a local chrome shop. Too badly pitted to rechrome.

I'm not sure what to do since I thought that rechroming was not that problematical. I think I would check around locally before sending it off to Florida. At least you'll get another opinion. Re-chroming is very expensive, but all the motorcycle guys do it. Should be a lot of expertise in the Bay Area.

So, its raining in California?

It's been freezing so long here in the Midwest that crop circles are appearing on my swimming pool.

[Jamm3r]

67avion wrote:
Thanks for the info on Solar. We had located a kit with mono-crystalline silicon wafers. It had what appears to be very high efficiency producing 9 amps from a 160 watt rating. That seems to be enough to keep my batteries charged up taking into account our camping style. We move every day or every other day so the truck charges the batteries as well. In the event we thought that we could always add another panel if this wasn't enough.

Should work out ok

Unfortunately I hadn't measured the usable space ----- and when I did I learned that it is around 40 inches between the vents. The panel is 60+ inches. So that is a non starter.

I went to the website of the company you recommended and found a panel, for a good price, of 100 watt rating and also high efficiency. Its also about 40 inches. If I put two of them on the roof, I think they would fit for a total rating of around 200 watts and 10+ amps.

Shadows are one thing to consider. In general, if part of the panel is in a shadow, the output of the entire panel will drop. I believe the amsolar panels are wired so that they do a little better than non-rv panels but you still want to avoid mounting them where any roof protrusions will cover them for a substantial part of the day.

I have an air conditioner and a Winegard antenna which doesn't leave much room. Maybe a panel on top of the a/c.

[D1trout]

Here's an update on the aluminum frame project on my C11. Gary brought the completed bulkhead yesterday. Note the large cut out for the window. I found an aluminum slider on eBay that's 40x15, which will net an opening almost exactly as large as the slider currently in the truck. This means happy dogs and a happy dog mom!



The next step will be to connect the bulkhead with the floor frame, square and level everything, and build the sides and wings. I have been able to buy some new curved bottom edge extrusions from Chuck Cayo in Michigan so I can get a good clean connection between the shell and the frame.

On a different subject, here is the grab handle and nameplate. Badly pitted. I took them to a local chrome shop. Too badly pitted to rechrome. He referred me to Pot Metal Restoration in Florida. These folks say they can restore and rechrome. The price seems reasonable. However they have mixed reviews when I did a web search. Any of you have any experience with them or have another place? Can't have a buffed -out camper with badly degraded fixtures!





And last but not least, a couple of the boys in the Avion factory have reached out to let me know that they took pride in the job they did installing the fiberglass bustle...



That's all for now from soggy California where it's finally started to rain!

Dick

[sabconsulting]

I like the installation there with the Engel. Used the same model of fridge in Namibia a few years back and were really impressed with its performance.

Steve.

[67avion]

Garry, thanks for explaining all that. I see now how you laid it out - and remember you writing about it.

We've been spending a lot of our time fussing over the freezer/fridge options. "Fussing" because of the record low temps and bad weather in our area - something that you handle every day - but is causing some cabin fever around here.

I have looked at every Engel model and can not figure a way to set one in the cabinet. I'm now considering a front opening Engel fridge in the spot where the old fridge was located. And the "fussing" is whether we want to have a top opening freezer that would slide out, or a fridge that was mounted into the wall. I know this will stop as soon as the weather gets better and we can get on the road. Or when I get something installed.

The solar installation is on my mind as well. I'll post when we have updates.

[garryk6]

67avion wrote:
Garry, how did you fit your Engel fridge into the Avion?
And What size/dimensions is it? I apologize if you've already explained it, but as you know this string is very long.

Here is the best shot I have from work, showing how I re-arranged the kitchen side of the camper. My horizontal propane bottle now is loaded through the propane fridge door into a new propane storage box. That is the reason for the elevated sink. I relocated the sink aft, to move the weight of all the liquids usually in the fridge up to the front of the TC. I was able to use the 110V outlet under the cabover bed for the 110V power supply, and then ran a new 12V line to the fridge from the batteries which are directly across the camper against the front bulkhead,


Here you can see where the old propane fridge vent is blocked off with some aluminum duct tape (that is spray foamed behind). This also shows my poor attempt to make a new panel for the closet, and trying to match the darn curve of the camper...



Here you can see the Engel, and how it is elevated. I did this to clear my water fill and move the Engel as far forward as possible. This allowed a drawer to be placed under the Fridge for silverware etc, since I had no drawers in the new design...



Here you can see the cupboard doors from a parted out C-11 that I re-purposed for the lower cabinet. I bought 3 on E-bay, and used the 3rd for the Battery and fuse panel access near the front. As you can also see, I ended up building the Engel in. I was going to try to make it easy to remove, but I ran into difficulties with other things, and decided to just build it in...



I hope that this is what you were looking for! Let me know!

Garry

[67avion]

Thanks for the info on Solar. We had located a kit with mono-crystalline silicon wafers. It had what appears to be very high efficiency producing 9 amps from a 160 watt rating. That seems to be enough to keep my batteries charged up taking into account our camping style. We move every day or every other day so the truck charges the batteries as well. In the event we thought that we could always add another panel if this wasn't enough. Unfortunately I hadn't measured the usable space ----- and when I did I learned that it is around 40 inches between the vents. The panel is 60+ inches. So that is a non starter.

I went to the website of the company you recommended and found a panel, for a good price, of 100 watt rating and also high efficiency. Its also about 40 inches. If I put two of them on the roof, I think they would fit for a total rating of around 200 watts and 10+ amps.

I'm looking into it now since we are getting some serious cabin fever. Its been blowing and snowing around here for what appears to be months. I'd hit the road for warm weather, but everything in this part of the US is freezing.

[Jamm3r]

67avion

I suggest you check out the amsolar.com web site. They are highly regarded in the Airstream community, and even if you do not buy from them there is some great information there.

They sell some rocker foot mounts that will work on a curved roof:

http://www.amsolar.com/home/amr/page_115_38/35mm_rocker_foot_mount_set.html

The rocker mounts are usually installed with an adhesive as the main source of strength with a rivet or screw mainly to hold them in place until the adhesive cures.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 200-300 watts is probably about right.

Be sure to think through the wiring and charge controller placement as it is a significant part of the labor and materials.

[67avion]

Garry, how did you fit your Engel fridge into the Avion?
And What size/dimensions is it? I apologize if you've already explained it, but as you know this string is very long.

[67avion]

My roof is bumpy and not suitable for glue down panels I don't believe. In addition, I have placed an epoxy similar to the bedliner in trucks. So there is little aluminum to adhere to if I went in that direction.

I'm going to take a close look at the aluminum pipe scenario...

[Dodgeavion]

5200 is a good adhesive, be mindful of 3M's recommendations regarding aluminum prep. Lord 406-19GB is also a good adhesive. GB stands for glass balls, keeps from squeezing out too much adhesive. Does require an investment in an applicator. 3M VHB tape is also used in this application. Surface prep is again important. Lord of the three is most forgiving regarding prep.

[D1trout]

Apropo of mounting solar panels without drilling holes in the roof, I found a reference to this kit which can be used to glue down panels with 3M 5200 or it's equivalent. It seems worth considering. The link is:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunsei-4-Point-Mounting-SE-4000-SE-6000/dp/B000CPA65C/ref=sr_1_7?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1391233635&sr=1-7

The thin marine panels from Aurinco are often mounted with adhesive directly to some flat surface on the deck or cabin, tho I do know that ventilation under a panel can make it more efficient by reducing heat.

[67avion]

D1trout wrote:
Did you do a solar/electrical budget calculation? I'm impressed with the large size and capacity of your system. I've often seen truck camper electrical systems spec'd at 2 AGM Group 32 batteries and total of 110 watts of solar input. You are twice that and I'm interested in your thinking as I configure the interior of my rig.

I'm afraid that my decision tree was not as calculated as it might seem. I took note of not just the electrical capacity in the camper, but also other scenarios. I have a river going Jon boat that can use two of the batteries to power the trolling motor.

"Trolling motor" you say? Yes. My wife wouldn't go on the Mississippi River with me anymore after some encounters with tow boats and barges....unless...I figured out a way to move the boat quickly even if/when we had an engine problem. I could have gotten a 9 hp kicker, but I decided on a very powerful trolling motor. Now I can go for hours with the ultra quiet propulsion - and Jane loves that.

So, that's one thing.

Then I also tow a Suzuki Samurai on occasion. And its been known to have battery problems. The solution is to pull out one of the interior batteries. Ditto for my truck.

I am at over capacity for the camper, but I have redundancies built in for our camping style. You're right that something closer to 180 AMPHr would be adequate since I have changed out all the lights to LEDs, and replaced electrical motors etc for more efficiency.

Its just my solution to have three Group 31 AGMs - but I think its somewhat sui generis.

[D1trout]

Dennis, thanks for the explanation of your cabinetry and access to the truck bed. I'm trying to plan that access just now.
Did you do a solar/electrical budget calculation? I'm impressed with the large size and capacity of your system. I've often seen truck camper electrical systems spec'd at 2 AGM Group 32 batteries and total of 110 watts of solar input. You are twice that and I'm interested in your thinking as I configure the interior of my rig.
Dick