New member restoring 1969 C11

[M2HB]

A picture of the underside after it was sanded and stained with the plastic/wood runners.



A picture of the under bed water storage platform. This is forward of the axle and between the frame rails. It will be 32 gallons.


A picture of the rear bumper with the rebuilt step. Notice that the refurbished wood above the fiberglass housing looks like new. The entire underside of the camper looks like new.



Picture of entire rig. It is still missing the 2, 30# LP tanks and the spare tire under the tongue.



The trailer was taken down the road today for a test drive. I took it up to about 60 MPH but I didn't want to go faster because I don't have the front window in the camper yet. It handled like a dream. The tongue weight, with the camper empty, is around 350# without the spare tire and empty LP bottles. Add around 100# for those items. The nice part is that it handles well and still has decent ground clearance so it can be taken off road.

[M2HB]

I dropped it off at the upholstery shop today. I hope when I get it back that it looks better on the inside than it does now. The entire white colored sheet vinyl has turned to a disgusting red color. I checked out my new counter tops and they look great. I had the table top made to match. I ordered new sheet vinyl flooring because of the ease of maintenance and cleaning.
Thetford doesn't make any parts for the old toilet so it looks like I will have to buy a new one. I can't find one that is as low as the one in there. It needs to be low because of the step down in the shower/toilet area. The original was china and it is only 9" tall.
I need to get a new refrigerator, but I want a bigger one. The Dometic RM 2510 looks real nice but I'm not sure I can get it through the door way. It is close so I may go ahead and order one. I remember that the original Dometic M40 refrigerator was too small.
I figure that I am about 75 to 80% finished. It should start coming together real soon. These 12 hour days on it are getting old real fast.

[Avion C-11]

I'm looking forward to seeing how your fridge comes in and out! I remember when I took out my original Dometic that I could not get it through the door.. Please keep us informed of what fridge you go with and how it fits through the door!

More pics!

[M2HB]

Originally Posted by Avion C-11

I'm looking forward to seeing how your fridge comes in and out! I remember when I took out my original Dometic that I could not get it through the door.. Please keep us informed of what fridge you go with and how it fits through the door!

More pics!

I have 22-1/2" clearance through the door and the original Dometic came out really easy. It had about 1/2" clearance. The Dometic 2510 that I want to use needs a 21-13/16 opening for the cabinet but it requires a 22-13/16 opening to get it through the door. If it was 5/16 narrower, I would have it made. I think that it has a flange on the front and if it is thin I can take the unit in through the door from the front and slip one side around one flange and then swing the other one in. That is my theory. I can't find one locally to look at so I'm just going to order one and try it. It will stick out of the refrigerator cabinet about 4" instead of approx 2-3/4" of the original. Because of this the door will not swing all the way around, but I can live with that to have a larger refrigerator. This refrigerator is about 40" tall and the old one is about 30" tall. From what I remember, when using this camper many years ago, we never had enough refrigerator space. I can live with losing 10" of that upper cabinet for a bigger refrigerator.
I will let you know how it goes.
By the way, the work that you are doing on yours is awesome.

[M2HB]

The upholstery shop is still waiting on the material to arrive so I am able to do some work on the camper while it is at their shop. The right side cabinet, where the stove is, was crooked from the water line keeping it pushed out away from the right side wing near the water tank. This is another case of shoddy workmanship. I trimmed the cabinet, while it was out, with a coping saw. I also used some exterior stain to paint the 1/4 panels that looked a little worn. They now look like new. The galvanized pipe, used for the LP gas to cross over from one side of the camper to the other, has been removed. Galvanized pipe should never be used for gas. I am going to try to put some stain of the wing plywood while the cabinets are out. I am then going to put some formica over them so that the cabinets now have a good barrier under them.

[M2HB]

Today was a long day. I got the water heater out and the closet came out in one piece. When I finally got it loose, I thought that there was no way it would come out without disassembly, but after looking at it for a while I finally figured it out. I painted both wings and they will be covered with the same Armstrong vinyl flooring that will be on the floor.
I took all the hold down "U" bolts out and they are going to all be replaced. The originals were just sucked up into the aluminum instead of having two nuts run down them, a cross strap put on, then installed with another cross strap inside. Another case of "not doing the job right".
I also removed the jack mounts so that they can be primed and painted. They were looking a little shabby.
I will post some pics when I get a chance.

[M2HB]

I removed and repainted the three jack mounts. I won't be using them much, but they were shabby looking and now they look brand new. I still need to clean up the jacks. I will paint the tubes and stands and I'm thinking about having the screw parts coated with electorless nickle.
When walking in the door with the closet removed, we noticed that the floor has more flex in it. The closet cabinet actually helps to reinforce the floor. I decided to line the inside of the closet with 2 x 2 x 1/8" angle iron and extend it with 2 x 1/8" strap along the lower part of the left wing. This will make the cantilevered part of the floor, near the door, very strong.
Today was a major cleanup day. The camper cleaned up really nice, even though the upholstery folks will get it dusty again, the 43 year old grime is gone. This camper seems to have been the perfect candidate for a restoration.
I have 4 of the new LED clearance lights on, 6 to go. I can't wait for the rest of the new LED lights to arrive. I'm also putting LED lights in the interior. All the original lights will be removed since I can't find parts for them anyway.
This weeking is major cleaning of the stove, (the oven has never been used) the water heater, the range hood and the rest of the misc. parts that have been removed. These will all be reinstalled in 2 to 3 weeks if everything goes well.

Pictures:




Where the fan is, in this picture, is where the 2 x 2 x 1/8" reinforcing angle iron will go. It will extend, as 2 x 1/8" strap along the bottom of the left wing. It will be screwed between the closet/refrigerator assembly and the left wing. That should make the cantilevered floor, near the door very strong. Besides, I'm having a stainless steel gray water tank made for under that area. I'm hoping to get close to 20 gallons of capacity.





The lower shelf (of the top two) will be eliminated in order to fit the Dometic 2510 refrigerator.

[M2HB]

Saturday was spent cleaning up the stove and range hood. Both are stainless steel and had rust spots on them. We were able to remove most of the rust, but there are spots still showing. I may have them powder coated if I can't find new replacements.
Sunday was spent cleaning the furnace and water heater. The furnace looks great, but the Bowen/Atwood, G6A water heater leaked. It is a good thing that I checked it outside of the camper. The aluminum tank was leaking around the cold water inlet. It looked like a crack in the weld. I was going to replace it with an Atwood G6A-7 but I have decided to go with electronic ignition and I am looking for a G6A-8E-6. I found a good price at Panther and I need to get it ordered. My biggest concern is if I can adapt my aluminum door to fit it.
The Avion factory installation was another marvel of excellence. It wouldn't fit at the left rear of the heater (looking at it from outside) so they used the tried and true method of installation. They beat on the container with a large hammer until it was deformed about 2" so it would fit next to the plumbing vents.

[M2HB]

Today was spent changing out bad exterior screws and installing new clearance lights. All of the wires that were exposed had bad insulation. I put shrink sleaving over the area that had been exposed.
I am in the process of repairing the closet assembly before the upholstery shop refinishes them. The hanger rod and shelf wasn't attached on the back end and it was sagging. I replaced the 1-1/8 hanger rod with a 1-1/4" oak rod and I reglued many of the closet joints. I am going to put a bracket and reglue more tomorrow. It will be strong when it goes in for refinishing. One shelf needs to be moved up about 10" to accomodate the new refrigerator. During installation, I will install a new structural support to strengthen the floor. This structural support will be hidden by the closet assembly.


If you can't tell, that floor is actually white. Well, it was originally white, but the AZ heat and a leaking rear vent turned it that color. If I had my choice of the worlds ugliest floor, or rotted structural wood, I would take the ugly floor. It is easy to replace.


When I am done, there won't be too much that is original on the inside. A few pieces of finshed wood needed to be replaced because of the rear vent being broke and leaking. Fortunately, we don't get a lot of rain in Phoenix Arizona.

Some of the new items:
Refrigerator, Dometic 5210, 5 cu'
Range Hood, stainless steel,
Water heater, electic igniter,
Counter Tops,
Table,
Toilet,
Faucet,
Water tank, 40 gallon,
Pump,
A lot of new plumbing including water and gas lines,
Matress,
Upholstery,
Curtains,
Wall Paper,
Vinyl Flooring, Armstrong, Stratamax, Best
Vent Lid, Fiberglass,
Lights, Interior and Exterior, all LED,
Gray Water Tank,
Fiberglass tank cover repair and paint, Automotive metallic silver,

Fortunately for me, I haven't run across any structural wood rotting.

[M2HB]

A picture or the original water heater cover from the original installation. It doesn't look as bad, taken apart, as it did together. It didn't fit so a little bit of force from a hammer did the trick.


The hole near the dent is for the gas line and the dent caused the gas line to rub against the tank, Both the tank and the gas line were almost compromised. Fortunately, the tank leaked in another area and I'm getting a new water heater.

[M2HB]

The Refrigerator is actually a Dometic RM 2510 and it arrived today.
I'm still trying to get some decent bids on my stainless steel gray water tank. It will be attached to the structural member that is being installed on the left side and I'm designing a mount for the right side.

I can't wait for the upholstery folks to start their work. The replacement pieces for the wood interior are completed and I had them delivered today to the folks that are doing the refinishing. A few pieces were ruined by the water that entered through the broken vent.
Hopefully I will have it back from the upholstery shop in two weeks or so. I will still have at least a couple of weeks after that to finish up the rest of the work. I have to repipe most of the camper before the counter can be put back in. This time there will be no galvanized pipe. It will be all copper with a little bit of PEX from the water tank. I am installing 1/2" nominal copper for the external hose fill of the tank. I will use 1/2" copper for the water inlet from the PRV.
I will post pictures when there is more progress to report.

[ticki2]

If you are talking 1/2" copper to fill the water tank it's not big enough . Usually it is 1" or 1-1/4" hose or tubing . The 1/2" will take forever to fill and will keep backing up unless filling under pressure . What is " PRV" ?

[M2HB]

Originally Posted by ticki2

If you are talking 1/2" copper to fill the water tank it's not big enough . Usually it is 1" or 1-1/4" hose or tubing . The 1/2" will take forever to fill and will keep backing up unless filling under pressure . What is " PRV" ?

The 1/2" nominal (5/8" OD) is for the pressure fill, not the gravity fill. Your fill hose is only 1/2" or 5/8".

[M2HB]

For those who are interested, the Dometic RM 2510 arrived and if I remove the top area that holds the door on, the refrigerator measures approximately 22-3/8". It appears that it will go through the doorway. The trim piece around the door was originally 2-1/2" deep, and the new one will have to be approximately 3-5/8". It will stick out a little more, but that is a small price to pay for a decent size refrigerator.

[ticki2]

Originally Posted by M2HB

The 1/2" nominal (5/8" OD) is for the pressure fill, not the gravity fill. Your fill hose is only 1/2" or 5/8".

I gather what you are calling the "fill hose" is the city water connector . Yes it is 1/2" but the only thing it fills are the pipes and the water heater , it does not fill the fresh water tank , unless you have made some sort of revision in the system .

[M2HB]

Originally Posted by ticki2

I gather what you are calling the "fill hose" is the city water connector . Yes it is 1/2" but the only thing it fills are the pipes and the water heater , it does not fill the fresh water tank , unless you have made some sort of revision in the system .

My C-11 has the gravity fill (1-1/4"), a 1/2" nominal copper line that fills the water tank with pressure (when full it just sprays out of the gravity fill area), and the city water connection in the back which allows you to run off of city water. It has the standard two check valves to seperate the holding tank from the city water pressure. The 1/2" copper line, for the city water, has a PRV on it (in the back of the camper inside the fiberglass rear cover).
The camper has been in the family since new, but the presurized tank fill may have been added. I'm too young to remember.
PRV is Pressure Relief Valve

[ticki2]

Originally Posted by M2HB

My C-11 has the gravity fill (1-1/4"), a 1/2" nominal copper line that fills the water tank with pressure (when full it just sprays out of the gravity fill area), and the city water connection in the back which allows you to run off of city water. It has the standard two check valves to seperate the holding tank from the city water pressure. The 1/2" copper line, for the city water, has a PRV on it (in the back of the camper inside the fiberglass rear cover).
The camper has been in the family since new, but the presurized tank fill may have been added. I'm too young to remember.
PRV is Pressure Relief Valve

Very interesting set up , I have not seen or heard of one like that , but that doesn't mean it didn't happen . I've heard that the factory was willing to do custom work . It sounds like they used the tank overflow as the port for the pressure fill , that's why yours overflows through the gravity fill . Do you happen to have any pictures of the system .

[M2HB]

Originally Posted by ticki2

Very interesting set up , I have not seen or heard of one like that , but that doesn't mean it didn't happen . I've heard that the factory was willing to do custom work . It sounds like they used the tank overflow as the port for the pressure fill , that's why yours overflows through the gravity fill . Do you happen to have any pictures of the system .

It is all disassembled right now, but I am repiping most of the camper and I will take pictures of it when I put it back together. As I recall, it had a "T" in the filler tube (1-1/4"). I am piping it directly into the tank this time. My new 40 gallon tank has an extra 3/8" FPT port, so I figured that I would use it.
This camper was in the family since new, but I have no idea if my grandfather added this feature, or it came that way. I do know that the tank was original (and still in good condition) but it wasn't large enough for what I want. It was only 30 gallons.
Avion certainly didn't do a great piping job in this camper, but I doubt that any production manufacturer would do a good enough job for my standards. They used galvanized piping for part of the LP gas . I have repiped the new water heater with all brass fittings. It is hard to find as good of check valves as what was used in the camper from the factory. The check valves at the local RV stores are junk. Too bad the installation wasn't as good as the products. Having the copper water line and gas line rub together was enough to make anyone mad. The water line broke the last time that I used it and its been sitting ever since. I'm glad the water line broke before the LP line. I figure that the water line broke around 1983. This time I am using braided stainless steel flex lines for the faucets and toilet. All the brass fittings are going to put me in the poor house.

[M2HB]

When we disassembled the camper, I'm not the one who took the tank and pump out. I double checked to see how it was piped. The "pressure" tank fill was not "t" ed into the fill line. It used one of the 2 top 3/8" FPT connections. The factory tank has a 1-5/8" inlet and 4, 3/8" FPT connections, of which 2 are at the bottom and 2 are at the top. One of the top connections were used for the pressure fill. To fill you just opened the top of the gravity fill and when the pressure fill had filled the tank it just poured out of the gravity fill inlet. The bottom taps were used for the drain and the other for the suction of the pump.
My new tank is smoothed sided and only had 4 total connections. One 1-1/4" gravity fill, and 3, 3/8" FPT connections near each corner. The original green tank had a seem down the middle.

[M2HB]

I had to rebuild the trim around the refrigerator since the new one sticks out further than the old one. It isn't really any deeper, but the curve in the side of the camper forces it out as it goes up the extra 10".

Picture of old one on top of the new one. The new one is made out of Oak.


The stainless steel gray water tank is finally finished. I had bids of over $1,300 but I finally found a real good company that builds stainless steel coolers that did the job for less than $450 including tax. Considering all of the stainless steel fittings and the mounting flange that is made onto the tank, I think they did a great job for a decent price.

Tank upside down.



Tank right side up.



Water heater piping.