1966 Avion C10

[66C10]

So the journey begins!

Hello everyone!

Very new to the world of campers and especially vintage campers. However, one always has to start somewhere, might as well do it right the first time. After searching the local craigslist hoping to find a gem, I may have finally found one.



It's a 1966 Avion C10 Truck Camper. I've spent time reading through the restorations of other fellow C10/C11 owners and I was hooked. This one was located about 80 miles away from where I live, so I contacted the owners and tried to get as much information as possible before making the drive.

Once I arrived, the camper was in the condition they said. The bathroom/shower was removed, they put a new vinyl floor in, and rebuilt the right-side wing. They put a different refrigerator in it, a microwave, and a free-standing AC unit. The stove is original and in working condition. Overall, it will need to be restored one day, but for now, I am going to freshen a couple things up and start living in it.

I purchased this unit as I'm about to move across the state to start a college program to become a certified flight instructor for helicopters. Instead of paying the high utility and rental rates (along with school costs), I opted for a slide-in camper. I'm excited to start this journey and everything it brings.

Once I get some stuff situated, I'll try to get some more pictures of the Avion uploaded!

- Tim

[ALANSD]

very nice. Different than most. Should be the talk of any campground

[JimGolden]

Hey Tim!

That is a super looking Avion camper! I'd love to have one of those!

I've got a 34' Avion triple axle travel trailer that we love and have pulled it all over. I'm in St. Augustine, FL, as I type this at the beach. Just did six nights at Disney, two nights at Cape Canaveral (love those Saturn V moon rockets!) and now doing some time surfing before heading back north.

But the mighty 34' is a bit big for some places, and I'd love to have an Avion truck camper. Looks to me like you found a nice one!

Enjoy it man, and welcome aboard!

See ya on the road!

[66C10]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

very nice. Different than most. Should be the talk of any campground

Thank you!

Originally Posted by JimGolden

Hey Tim!

That is a super looking Avion camper! I'd love to have one of those!

I've got a 34' Avion triple axle travel trailer that we love and have pulled it all over. I'm in St. Augustine, FL, as I type this at the beach. Just did six nights at Disney, two nights at Cape Canaveral (love those Saturn V moon rockets!) and now doing some time surfing before heading back north.

But the mighty 34' is a bit big for some places, and I'd love to have an Avion truck camper. Looks to me like you found a nice one!

Enjoy it man, and welcome aboard!

See ya on the road!

Thanks Jim!

I'm looking forward to the changes in my life that living in a camper will bring. I'm a younger single guy and my family thinks I'm crazy for doing this. I think it will be a fun adventure and I'll always have a roof over my head.

[66C10]

Just got done taking a few more pictures, they are not the best in the world, but they should do for now. I don't plan on putting the full bathroom back in, but eventually I'd like to get a composting toilet put in. I'll have to look at the appliances to see what kind of power they draw, but I'd like to get a solar panel setup installed before I move. I still have some research to do on that front.

As of now, the plans are to live in it for the next two years while I attend school. I'll be spending a fair amount of time at the college and the airport, so creature comforts during the day won't be a top priority. I'm hoping to have more of a boondocking setup, which all that will come over time. I've always enjoyed challenging myself, and I think this will be a great story and experience to my life.

I'll be sure to keep this updated along the way.

[wahoonc]

Nice rig! I had to pass on one of those the other day... my bride said NO MORE PROJECTS

I lived in a pickup camper in the woods for close to a year, when I was around 20, best time of my life. I was off grid, but it worked great for me.

Aaron

[ALANSD]

looks like a candidate for polishing..nice skin

[66C10]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

looks like a candidate for polishing..nice skin

I've seen the process for polishing one of these, and it's something I won't be attempting anytime soon.

I do have some ideas on what I'd like to do for the exterior at some point in the future, but I have many other things I need to take care of first.

They do look good polished though!

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by 66C10

I've seen the process for polishing one of these, and it's something I won't be attempting anytime soon.

I do have some ideas on what I'd like to do for the exterior at some point in the future, but I have many other things I need to take care of first.

They do look good polished though!

Get a big can of Nevr-Dull... try it on a hidden corner, the damned stuff is addictive!

Aaron

[woodfox45]

I had one of those years ago took it deer hunting in Michigan's UP many times they are well insulated , It was a great camper best PU camper I ever had sold it for more than I paid for it .

[featherbedder]

They are made with anodized aluminum not intended to be polished.

[PaulnGina]

I like it!!!

Good luck on your new adventure.

[Mount'n Man]

Hey Tim:

I also have a '66 C-10 (a nice mate to my '63 Avion T-20). I'm in the process of deconstructing her to get to and replace the rotten wings, but the fun will really begin once the rebuilding/restoring/customizing process starts. Really looking forward to spending some quality time with her this summer and fall! I noticed your floor plan is a little different than mine-some good ideas and thanks for posting your pictures.

A while ago, I came across a blog posted by a fellow who had chemically de-ionized the old aluminum on his Avon slide-in and polished her up to a high shine. Talk about work, but it can be done. As I recall, he used oven cleaner to remove the anodized layer and a lot of elbow grease to polish her. Spectacular when finished!

If you're not up to that, the quick fix to even out the oxidation is a wipe-on liquid car wax from the vintage car show enthusiasts called "Par Fe`". Simply clean the exterior with Simple Green Extreme for aircraft then wipe the straight wax on with an old rag. Only drawback is that it is not permanent (ie a hard rain will wash it off), but it's easy and makes her look like new. I use this combination on my T-20 prior to each rally.

Lots of info available for the old Avions on the Avion Yahoo Groups if you're not already a member. If it hasn't been covered in the archives, there's probably someone out there that can answer your post. There's also a whole 'nother world via the truck camper sites and some folks that have "been there, done that" insofar as restoration of the old C-10's and C-11's.

[66C10]

Originally Posted by woodfox45

I had one of those years ago took it deer hunting in Michigan's UP many times they are well insulated , It was a great camper best PU camper I ever had sold it for more than I paid for it .

Awesome! They seem to be one of the few vintage slide-ins that are still around. Plus the rounded look is exactly what I was looking for.

Originally Posted by featherbedder

They are made with anodized aluminum not intended to be polished.

Correct. However, that doesn't mean it can't be done! I'm not going to go through the hassle to polish it anytime in the near future.

Originally Posted by PaulnGina

I like it!!!

Good luck on your new adventure.

Thank you! I'm excited to get started.

Originally Posted by Mount'n Man

Hey Tim:

I also have a '66 C-10 (a nice mate to my '63 Avion T-20). I'm in the process of deconstructing her to get to and replace the rotten wings, but the fun will really begin once the rebuilding/restoring/customizing process starts. Really looking forward to spending some quality time with her this summer and fall! I noticed your floor plan is a little different than mine-some good ideas and thanks for posting your pictures.

A while ago, I came across a blog posted by a fellow who had chemically de-ionized the old aluminum on his Avon slide-in and polished her up to a high shine. Talk about work, but it can be done. As I recall, he used oven cleaner to remove the anodized layer and a lot of elbow grease to polish her. Spectacular when finished!

If you're not up to that, the quick fix to even out the oxidation is a wipe-on liquid car wax from the vintage car show enthusiasts called "Par Fe`". Simply clean the exterior with Simple Green Extreme for aircraft then wipe the straight wax on with an old rag. Only drawback is that it is not permanent (ie a hard rain will wash it off), but it's easy and makes her look like new. I use this combination on my T-20 prior to each rally.

Lots of info available for the old Avions on the Avion Yahoo Groups if you're not already a member. If it hasn't been covered in the archives, there's probably someone out there that can answer your post. There's also a whole 'nother world via the truck camper sites and some folks that have "been there, done that" insofar as restoration of the old C-10's and C-11's.

Very cool! The wood rot seems to be very common in the wings, and I'm actually in the process of deconstructing to repair. The floor plan on mine was altered by the previous owner, and I have some planned changes. I'll have another post coming up shortly with pictures from my couple of hours worth of work tonight.

I haven't joined the Avion Yahoo Group, but I did manage to stumble across the Avion Truck Camper thread on RV.net and it has opened my eyes to the possibilities. It's very informative and the users/owners are very helpful with the rebuilding. It's probably the most comprehensive thread on the internet for these truck campers.

- Tim

[66C10]

The previous owner attempted to repair the water damaged right wing on the camper, they may have fixed the wood, but the leak still remains. I have ordered some Parbond from VintageTrailerSupply, and will start sealing the outside on anywhere the water could be coming in.

I'm also in the process of deconstructing the previous owners attempt at a repair, to do it correctly. They didn't replace the whole wing, and the tie down is floating in the wood rot. Here is what I accomplished tonight.

After removing the wooden slats (seat)




After removing the flimsy plywood they had installed




Working on removing the box where the battery was


After removing the little cover of the water pump


All of the following pictures will be darker, as I was using a flashlight to light everything up.

The wire splicing, which ended up being aluminum twisted with copper, wrapped in electrical tape.


Mess of wires, battery spliced with I'm assuming the 12v wiring.


Boxes/Steps removed


The wood rot that no one attempted to repair


Finally, the water holding tank. It was extremely dirty around there, bird feathers, acorns, spider webs, etc.


I have some work ahead of me, but I'm looking forward to getting this fixed correctly. The biggest pain in the butt was the amount of staples that were used. That and that blasted rectangle bit screw head. I ended up using a pair of vise grips to pull those out. There was enough water damage to most of what I pulled out, it will probably end up being rebuilt using new wood.

I'll be back at it again tomorrow.

- Tim

[Jim & Susan]

May be my ancient PC, but the pic's in that last post are not showing up. Love that rig. I want one of these to go with the 'Stream for the grandkids to sleep in.

Jim

[66C10]

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

May be my ancient PC, but the pic's in that last post are not showing up. Love that rig. I want one of these to go with the 'Stream for the grandkids to sleep in.

Jim

Jim, when it originally posted my image links were bad. I edited the post and posted the images again, so they should be working; hopefully. If not, I'll see what I can do.

Tim

[Jammer]

Hi Tim

I have a 1970 C-11. Enjoyed your photos. Have fun.

You can get clutch-drive (rectangle) bits at most home centers, from Vintage Trailer Supply, and other sources. I have them in several sizes, and while I replace clutch-head screws with more modern drives when I remove them, there are still quite a few left.

[66C10]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Hi Tim

I have a 1970 C-11. Enjoyed your photos. Have fun.

You can get clutch-drive (rectangle) bits at most home centers, from Vintage Trailer Supply, and other sources. I have them in several sizes, and while I replace clutch-head screws with more modern drives when I remove them, there are still quite a few left.

Thank you!

Investing in a clutch-drive is going to be necessary. I'll be picking one up tomorrow. But yes, they are everywhere and when I start reassembling things, I will be sure to use something more modern. This is a fun project, and I'm looking forward to sharing more of my experiences working on this.

[66C10]

I did a little more work the other day on getting stuff torn out so I could get to one of the damaged areas. I'll also be replacing the water pump and holding tank.

Holding tank removed, mounds of dirt, feathers, screws, and other stuff underneath


The old holding tank


Close up of 48 years of gunk


The PO's method of repairing the damage


Old vinyl removed and dirt/gunk cleaned up


Wood screwed down with self-tapping screws and silicone... not the proper repair.


One of a few Brown Recluse spiders I've killed since starting this project


The original wing material (48 years old!)


The PO didn't replace all the damaged wood


Ah, rotten wood


Why use rivets, when screws work, right?


Looks like the aluminum sheet here will need to be replaced as well


Most of the wood removed and vacuumed up


I still have a couple boards left to pull, but the PO decided to attach them with about six screws running the depth of the wing. Once I find out what aluminum I want to use to replace the corroded stuff with, I'll just cut it out and do a proper repair. I need to order rivets and a rivet gun, so I should probably start looking into that.

Until next time!

Tim