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Old 05-22-2014, 05:37 PM   #1
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1979 Argosy Minuet 7.3 Metre
Calgary , Alberta
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 20
New Argosy owner

Hello everyone.
Just finalized a purchase of a 1979 argosy 7.3 minuet. We are the third owners and it appears to be in fantastic condition. The PO had all the manuals that came with the trailer. They even had the checklist from the dealer. It is a twin bed model. It even has the orange shag carpet (love the 70's) and amazingly it does not look too bad. It has all the original appliances and I will be checking them out this weekend. I did try the shore power and the lights and AC worked. I am sure that I am going to have a million questions about what I should do next and I look forward to inviting everyone into the changes that we make on this adventure. I will post some pictures tomorrow to show everyone.

Well I have a couple of questions. The shore power plug was changed to a house 120v plug. I am not sure if this matters with most campsites but our current camper (1978 17 ft boler) had the other style plug. I am thinking I should change to that style. Even the trailer plug looks like it needs to be changed as it looks a little questionable. All the lights worked on the outside so I guess it still does it's job. Since I am about to change the flooring in the next couple of weeks I did notice that the factory must of laid the carpet first and then placed the cabinets. I guess I will be lifting them up and changing the floor. Any suggestions for a new floor? I have been looking through the site at everyone's amazing restorations and have been impressed with the changes
That have been made. Well that's it for now, i will post everything that I do the trailer and feel free to provide advice, comments, and suggestions. I appreciate any help that I get. Thanks rob
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Old 05-22-2014, 05:57 PM   #2
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1973 27' Overlander
Portsmouth , Virginia
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Welcome aboard. Got Pics?

Did you check out all the appliances on electric as well as gas to verify operation? My first concerns with a new to you trailer is to verify that it isn't leaking anywhere and that there are no hidden issues with wood rot or frame rust that can hide on trailers that look great at first glance.

The plug should be a 30 amp plug, so I would change that out first thing. Carpet should be fairly easy to pull up. Look for any stains on the floor that may indicate water intrusion.
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Old 05-22-2014, 06:27 PM   #3
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1974 Argosy 26
Morrill , Nebraska
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Make sure you get the proper 30 amp plug and matching receptacle. Also that the wire feeding the receptacle is large enough for 30 amps. Typically #10 will do. Unless you are a long way from the power panel.
The receptacle is clearly labelled for "RV" use. And should be wired for 120 volts. NOT 240 VOLTS!!!!!
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Old 05-22-2014, 07:21 PM   #4
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Congratulations! Yes, the factory laid carpeting before installing carpet. IT is possible to trim around furniture and install new carpet with tack strips, or to install wood or engineered flooring or carpet tiles.. There are a lot of choices for flooring.. Cork is popular, and so is engineered (fake) wood planks/strips, which float over foam and sub-floor with small clearance around edges.. <Though be ready for floor to shift forwards over time up against stops..> We re-carpeted ours without removing any of the built-in furniture...

As for electrical, most were wired for 30 Amp plug in, since air conditioner needs close to that by itself to start compressor cycle.. It may be possible prior owner removed A/C, and decided smaller plug would work without that load.. That is not really best answer long term, and should be looked over fairly carefully.. Inlet plug won't look like new Airstreams, which use yellow Marine plugs/wiring.. The plug looks different (large and round with angled blades). As work of caution, don't ever try to run A/C using orange "outside extension cord" you might find at hardware store rather than rated 30A cord.. We managed to completely melt such a cord in less than 10 minutes when a portion of it was still coiled...
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Old 05-23-2014, 07:48 PM   #5
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1979 Argosy Minuet 7.3 Metre
Calgary , Alberta
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I will get the photos up to tomorrow. Was looking through the camper today and the ceiling appears to be covered with avinyl covering. I was wondering if and what I should use to clean the walls and ceilings. I was thinking of TSP and scrubbing the trailer down. After that I was thinking about painting the walls and ceiling with A melamine paint to brighten up the insides. I am sure if that would cover the vinyl up. There are a few cracks and breaks on the front top piece so I am not sure if it repairable or if if needs to be replaced. The pictures will show all this.
Rob
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Old 05-23-2014, 10:05 PM   #6
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1974 Argosy 26
Morrill , Nebraska
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I used "Simple Green"and micro fibre cloth.
Sprayed it on full strength, then rinsed with water.
It worked great on all surfaces.
Work in areas about 4' square.
It took me about 8 hours to do my 26' Argosy.
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Old 05-23-2014, 11:16 PM   #7
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1979 Argosy Minuet 7.3 Metre
Calgary , Alberta
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Kids off to bed.....took some pictures

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Old 05-23-2014, 11:29 PM   #8
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1974 Argosy 20
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Kooskia , Idaho
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It looks like a very nice unit, all original other than the volt meters/toggle switch and acu gauge which are probably added by a PO. I would not get in too much of a hurry to paint anything inside. Wait for cleaning and further advice. Change the carpet as you wish. Take it out and camp and enjoy for a while.
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Old 05-23-2014, 11:35 PM   #9
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1979 Argosy Minuet 7.3 Metre
Calgary , Alberta
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Now I have some questions...

the metal frames for the twin beds, I did not see if they were screwed onto the subfloor. I figure I will need to lift it up to remove the carpet and check the subfloor for any leaks.

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ID:	212620 Water lines seem to be a pex style line. It appears to have no leaks but I will look in more detail everything is cleared out
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ID:	212621 I am assuming this is vent for the bathroom?

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ID:	212622 This is the original vent, I am thinking to place a fantastic fan there, but I don't see power may need to feed it through. not sure if a fan will be able to go there anyway. what does everyone think?

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Old 05-24-2014, 06:57 AM   #10
Bex
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Eckville, Lacombe County , Alberta
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Welcome to another Albertan! Good to see you.
Our trailer was a disaster for cleaning.
You have a Wesclean janitorial supply in Calgary. I would go there and get a gallon of Virox 5 (a disinfectant cleaner) and a generic degreaser/cleaner. The degreaser will pretty much cut through anything and I found the virox (its peroxide so wear protective stuff) will whiten the ABS a bit.Also, when you read through some of the threads about surface prep you will come across Por15 products. They are actually own labled generic paints and cleaners and the degreaser from Wesclean is one of the latter but much, much cheaper. I have some ads running on Kijiji for parts. If you need any bits and bobs, PM me here or through kijiji.
The rust on the rear might be more than you want to hear about because of the steel on aluminium issue but its all fixable.
Congrats on your find, it looks great.
If you have not done so yet, dont forget to add yours to the growing database list.

Bex
PS. I think I have a correct year manual you can have any time you might be passing.
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Old 05-24-2014, 10:32 AM   #11
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1974 Argosy 20
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Kooskia , Idaho
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The pipes are the gray polly pipes which have had issues (mostly the fittings) when they age and are exposed to chlorine in the water. Eventually you will probably be replacing them with PEX. It is unfortunate that a fitting will break unexpectedly and you will wind up with a flood. So keep that in mind. Replace sooner, rather than waiting for a disaster.

The bathroom vent pushes up with the handle to open it, and there is a switch to turn the fan on.

There probably will be +12 volts nearby when you take the vent out to replace it with a Fantastic Vent. Most of the 12 volt wiring runs down the center, overhead.

The interior end cap cracking is just something you will need to deal with eventually. The repair done by the PO is not very nice looking. There are threads on end cap repairs here on the forums.

The exterior end caps are steel and rusting/pitting are a common issue with Argosy products. It is just more time to remove the paint, re prime, and re paint. Your rust in the bumper area does not look too bad to me, scrape and paint.
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Old 05-24-2014, 08:41 PM   #12
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1979 Argosy Minuet 7.3 Metre
Calgary , Alberta
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Well Day 1 started off with a decision to start removing the carpet. I figured I would start under the twin beds as it seemed like a good idea. I opened up the bed frames as the plywood was screwed to the cross members. Took everything apart and started to remove the carpet. As I ripped it out I was expecting to find some soft spots or damage. I have so far been pleasantly surprised. There was some signs of wet spots by the shower space but it does not appears to be on the surface only. My guess it would have been people getting out with wet feet as it was right at the entrance.
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SO the one thing I have some questions about is the carpet was stapled to the plastic piece that is around the toilet. I think the black water tank is under that. So on the floor I am thinking of painting it with some Kilz primer that does not allow the growth of mold on the floor. I am not sure what to put on the floor after the paint but I may do a fix for now so I can start using it and try and figure an ultimate plan.
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ID:	212720 Now the sides and the top are aluminum. it looks like the pieces are stamped. So I was wondering after I wash them up and I would like to paint them. Any suggestions for primer and paint.
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ID:	212723 Now the water heater tank is covered with cardboard paper. Does anyone know why? I do believe the grey is the hot and the black is the cold. will not know for sure until I find the water source for the city supply of from the tank.

That's it for today. I should have the rest of the carpet off tomorrow and then I will have a clean slate.
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Old 05-24-2014, 09:21 PM   #13
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1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
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I really like your camper, and from what I see , it looks like you got a good one.

As far as the inside paint goes, you won't get many that will agree with me, but I would clean it up really good first , and then aggressively clean it with a paint prep product, and then roll on Imron 3500 HG. I think you could do the entire inside of your trailer with a single gallon.

If you prep it right, it will last indefinantly . I wouldn't prime.
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Old 05-25-2014, 09:43 AM   #14
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1974 Argosy 24
San Diego , California
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Looks like it's in beautiful shape!
For painting the inside, I honestly just scrubbed the grease/smoke/mold off and painted (3 coats!) of Behr interior paint/primer combo. It goes on really easily, it's low voc and seems to stay on just fine!
Front End cap cracking: I drilled a small hole at the end of the crack in hopes that might keep the crack from propagating. Then I used wood filler and a can of rustoleum and they look like new!
The water heater is wrapped in insulation to keep the water hot longer, so the cardboard is just keeping the insulation in place.
Good luck with the carpet! I replaced mine with "coastal pine" pergo and love it!
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Old 05-27-2014, 05:32 PM   #15
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1979 Argosy Minuet 7.3 Metre
Calgary , Alberta
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Well I finished removing all of the carpet and only found one location of floor rot. I figure I will cut out the piece from the where the wood is attached to the floor from by the door opening to the next cross member under the water tank. I figure I will then seal the new piece of wood and the rest of the floor. Once that is done I think I will install new flooring. So looking over the entire trailer that was the only wood that was damaged.
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Now I did come up with some electrical issues. I am a little unsure of what was done and why it was done. I am assuming that most of this was completed by the PO. The one thing that throws me is that he ran parallel runs of cable from the battery to the univolt instead of using a heavier guage wire. The amazing thing is that everything works and I guess that is all that matters.

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I see the junction box that has the wires from the plug. It looks like red (stop left), green (tail light), brown (stop right), and black (backup) this is from the manual. It appears that the white, blue and yellow are attached. I will take it apart in the next couple of days. From the manual on the 12volt panel appears to have 2 blues, 1 purple, and 1 yellow. I will try and figure out which wire is powering which circuit. Now I am not sure what the 2 silver canisters are for. I know the PO had added some battery gauges to the cabinet and the 4 wire pairs (yellow, green, white and brown) are attached to them. I will take the manual out with me and try and follow the wires.

So I am thinking that I will install a PD 4060 electrical panel and re-feed all the wire to it. I am not fan of the 12 volt wire not being covered as we have young kids and open wire is a bad thing. So to install the PD I will need to run a new shore wire to the PD panel and then a 120V wire back to the panel at the back of the trailer. I figure this should clean up the front under dinette seats to a neater setup.
I will take some better photos to show all the electrical after I figure out what each wire does.
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Old 05-27-2014, 05:45 PM   #16
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1974 Argosy 26
Morrill , Nebraska
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New argosy owner

The silver canisters as you call them are solenoids. They are controlled by the wires that are connected to the small terminal. If you can determine what device controls each.
It looks like it may be a battery switch system. Could be wired for a "use/store" situation as well.
I see a tag that looks like it says.. "Ion Heater". Do you have a 12 volt electric heater in the coach?
Follow the multi conductor cables that are connected to the small terminals. That should give you some clue as to their use.
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Old 06-02-2014, 09:11 PM   #17
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1979 Argosy Minuet 7.3 Metre
Calgary , Alberta
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I believe the PO must off had two battery system. There was the original battery cables from the univolt and then there were the two parallel runs of wire. One of the wires went to the right solenoid and the other cable went to the left. So my guess is that is what had happened. I did identify all of the cables in the fuse panel except for a couple of other white wires. I will take some photos and then figure it out next.
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Old 06-24-2014, 08:31 AM   #18
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1978 Argosy Minuet 6.7 Metre
Franklin , Wisconsin
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Welcome! Just wanted to say "HI". I'm the proud owner of a '78 Argosy Minuet 6.7 and love it! Enjoy his website!
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