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68bullet · 04-29-2008, 01:00 PM

Hi

My Name is Connie. My husband, Jim, and I have a 1968 Overlander that we are trying to restore. The stove is in rough shape and my arm is getting tired trying to clean it from the rust and wear and tear. How do I get a new stove or refinish the existing one? We, also, will be needing holding tanks and a new refrigerator. Does anyone have any suggestions for how we start? This sure is a wonderful tool to get some help. Thanks to anyone out there that can help us bring our beauty back to life.

Thanks
Connie Hedmark conniehedmark@yahoo.com

2bkidfree · 04-29-2008, 02:15 PM

Connie, Can of worms just got opened.

It's time to spend rediculous amounts of time seaching the forums and web sites.

I suggest looking at vintageairstream.com. The site has a lot of useful information. It has lots of cost information on appliances and great detail on his restoration.

Another great site is TheVap.com. You can listen to their podcast and it's really informative.

My suggestion is to first figure out if you want to update the trailer or keep it looking vintage.

I would try to save the old stove if possible. On the tanks, replacing them can lead into a whole lot of other work depending on what you use the trailer for. Boondocking usually requires larger tanks. Sorry I didn't give you exact answers, but it all depends on what you want in the end.

Gilbert

rickandsandi · 04-29-2008, 02:48 PM

Connie- Welcome to you and Jim. You have several options in which direction you would like to go and how much money can you spare. When we started restoring the Tradewind we decided to completly redo the interior and replaced everything with new. New stove, furnace, frid, electric, etc. The exterior is left vintage except for the hot water heater cover. Use the search function and the world will open at your feet as will your check book. Keep us posted on your progress.

byamcaravanner · 04-29-2008, 02:50 PM

Hi Connie,

I also suggest you browse the resources that Gilbert suggests. Many folks here that can tell you what to do, but the best way is to get educated and then decide what fits your wants and capabilities.

I'm located just next door in WI and am in the middle of doing the same "restoration" to our '67. I'll send you an email with my contact info. I'd be happy to share my experience with you as you go through the process. You can also check out my blog (link below)... I've got a little head start on you.

Post some picts... so we can see what your into.

SteSpot · 04-29-2008, 03:06 PM

Make sure your floor is not soft and rotted before you do anything else. We didn't and we ended up doing a lot of things that needed to be undone in order to fix the floor......chances are you may have had a leaky something or other (like water heater) in that 68 that has impacted the integrity of the trailer. We replaced the toilet, repaired the black water tank, replaced the black tank dump valve and put in laminate only to discover that our rear bath floor was rotten......it felt like we were walking downhill in the bath room. If you don't know how to tell if your floor has a problem, please find someone in your area that knows how to check this out.....I am hoping someone will learn from our mistake. pj