Sept  8  2020

Here we go …  After the family camp this summer we realized the 26 ft Wanderer trailer was a lot for the Avalanche to handle.  When we weighed it on the way home..  after all the food and drinks had been consumed !  the trailer was 500 lbs over what the Avalanche can safely tow.  The decision was made to  put the trailer up for sale. BOOM gone in a few days.  And we will look in the spring for a smaller trailer.   Well this little gem popped up on my radar…

Wow.. it ticked all the boxes we had agreed would be the ideal trailer.  And added a few extras too!  Power awning ! Power stab jacks !  Power tongue jack too !  A full queen bed ..full size fridge.. Pantry…  Best of all big pass-through storage …  Wow.. all this and weighs only 2800 lbs dry..  You can load up another 2500 lbs and still be under weight for the truck.

Had to go to Chilliwack to pick it up from a small dealer..  The price was a bargain for this size trailer.  Especially considering all the extras. Like a TV. The floor plan works for us no wasted space…and consider that we spend most of the time outside…  it works.

This photo shows how small the trailer is..  It’s 6 inches narrower than most travel trailers ..so I don’t need mirror extensions.  Also the hitch needs only a 2 inch ball.  No equalizer setup either..  With only 290 lb tongue weight ans a good balance there is no bounce.

The decor inside is light and bright.  The windows are dark tinted.  We are fairly certain the trailer was not used much..  as everything is like new.

The dinette is small..  but there is only two of us.

This is all we need for a kitchen..  just make coffee and never use the oven.  There is a nice microwave though.

Full size fridge, and plenty of cupboards.  More if we remove the TV.

So the Fun finder is winterized and stored for the winter… early because there won’t be a chance to use it this year..  It takes up very little room in the RV carport.  A few things are on order , like new LED tail lights, LED interior lights,  and the 2 20lb propane tanks are expired, so we will exchange for new ones.

March  28 2020

It’s spring !

And the Frontier is on the TO DO list..

Soon …very soon I will be moving the Frontier to the driveway in front of the garage and start working on the list.  But for now I’ll pre – – build some of the panels so they are ready to install.

Here’s the charging / info panel that will mount below the thermostats and the existing panel.  Powering this on will give me an accurate battery level.  I also made a smaller USB panel to mount near the dinette for charging and powering electronics.   I’ve checked out the wire routing and I can do this.

The Frontier is in front of the garage now and I stared work .  One of the first things was to get the “tuck” tape off two of the hatches.  Yes that was the fix for doors that would not stay closed !  My fix was to install new latches…  done.   And I’ll stick to working on the outside for a bit..  Removed the bush bar Spare tire mount from the van.  It’s getting a new paint job in the shop..  And with a color matching the van.

I can use the same paint to touch up the rust spots on the van.   Oh and the Frontier got a bath…  a good scrubbing for sure..

These photos don’t really show the difference.  Maybe this one does..

Yup looking spiff.   When the weather warms up I’ll do some wax too.  In the mean time I really needed to get the roof and the vents sorted out..

This will be part of that work.  A new Max Fan for the rear vent opening..   And vent covers for the other two.  In fact everything on the roof is getting attention.  It’s taken two days but I got the roof to where I can say it’s leak proof.   New vent covers , New fan, New plumbing vent cover..  and the TV antenna is removed and nicely patched.   Let it rain !

time to investigate more of the secrets inside the cabinets..   First off the mystery Bus heater..  It runs constantly when the ignition is on..  There’s a thermostat on the wall that is suppose to control it.  Not working..  So I took the panel of..  and found this green thing ..

Well it’s an aux heater..   plumbed into the motor coolant lines.  And it appeared to have a small leak !  And the control box  was most likely the cause of the control not controlling stuff..   I thought about it and I really don’t need this heater..  So here it is ..  and the long hoses connecting it are gone.  Now I have a power wire I can use for something else. and more storage.

Nice day today.. So I got to work installing new Led lights..  Then I could get the vent trim back in place.

This new light takes care of the holes left from the TV antenna.   Over the table it could be handy.

This one is just a bonus… wires were handy.  Next the light over the sink..  The lights over the couch and the dinette are remaining the old ones they are cool and work good.. just changing the bulbs to LEDs.   Because of the circumstances in the world and here in BC  going camping is not happening for awhile.. so any more work on the Frontier will wait till other things are done.  I have a list..

It’s May…  the weather is getting warm..  but the camping season will be delayed till the Government opens up the camp sites.  My work on the roof has allowed the Frontier to stay out in the driveway ready to pick away at some odd jobs.  Like the rusty patches on the front of the hood.  And the paint chips .

I matched the paint very well and hard to tell unless you get very close.  Once this job is done I can re mount the guard on the front..

Done!  The real purpose of this is to hold the spare tire.  I’ve taken the dash apart and wired the new stereo properly.  But I still have more wiring to do..  like running lights.

Some things won’t get done..  but new things have popped up like the power converter.  And it had to be fixed..  Luck for me we had a spare..  newer one too!  While doing that the closet floor had to be removed …So all those issues got fixed.  Also the USB / power center got installed .  The whole interior got a good cleaning and all the appliances tested..  Ready to go.

March  20 2020

Now that the painting is done and had time to cure …  it’s time to get this puppy buttoned up…  Spring is here and I need the shop for other things.   And I’ve decided too sell the Acorn without doing anything to the interior.  The decor is a personal thing..  I provide the solid “like new ” trailer and someone gets to personalize  it.

The windows are going in..  and the door is next.

Also the fridge vents are painted and back…

Today was a very nice day..  Perfect for putting the body back on the frame… and we did just that..

Now I feel confident enough to mount the door and adjust it properly.  Once that is done then just need to wire up the running lights and install the roof vent and it’s good to go..

Well and bit of a snag.. the door is not fitting !  When I bought the trailer the door was mounted but hanging down because the floor was cut away on the hinge side..  So there was no way to see the fit..  It’s obvious the door in a newer one and not the original.  The problem is there’s not enough curve to match the door opening.  Now it could be taken apart ..a template made and the curve changed..

Here you can see the gap at the top….

And the bottom too !  When I formed the body I was careful to keep the door frame parallel and straight ..   But the curve is molded into the body..  and the steel brace behind the hinges is pre-bent to the proper curve..  ?  So what to do..   I have an idea..  temporary but will keep the rain out .

Well the Scamp is done !  Outside and for sale.  Looks good with the moons on the wheels.

The ride height is good.   The lights all work as they should.  I’m putting all the cabinets back in place..

So now we will see if someone wants a bit of an interior project..

And yes they did… SOLD  to nice folks from Kelowna

Feb  17  2020

There is not near as much body work needed as was for the Boler.  No pool paint to sand off..   While the body is still laying on it’s side I’m going to fill the holes in the roof and modify the roof vent..

And then with a little help..   The Acorn is back on it’s feet (wheels).

Ya we rolled it inside the shop..  Only a little grunting..  Now I can get the body ready for paint..  That requires filling holes, cutting the side windows bigger, and finish up the roof vent.  I have already fixed the lower skirt in the rear of the trailer…  so we are part way there.

I’m almost ready for paint !  just cutting the openings for the three replacement windows.

Slightly larger radius windows..  Good thing we are doing this now … I realized the holes in the corners needed filling.

This was the only crack I needed to repair.  And I believe it was caused by the weight of the door without any floor or any thing to support it.  But !

There was a hole for the heater that I don’t have..  So I patched it..

Now ready for painting…..

First step is the primer…   Bushed out the places the roller won’t go and all the patches..  so I can see how they look and if a little touch up is needed before the paint.

And there you have the primer… just the first coat….

And moving right along..  After the second primer coat was dry..  and sanded..  I’ve got a first coat of the white & the gray ..  I’m needing more of the whit so it’s off to Kelowna for more..

Still needs a second coat on both top and bottom.. but you get the idea..  Scamp’s were normally all white.. but not in my shop..  I figured the gray would balance the trailer and it’s neutral enough to be pleasing.

And now with the second coat..  the Scamp is not looking shabby ! So on to the interior painting.  I got some really good paint for that..  But first I’ll need plywood glued behind some of the things like the fridge vent covers, water fill and drains and the electrical hatch.  Reason…  no more rivets..  I’m using stainless steel wood screws.  And they won’t hold in just the fiberglass walls.

Now it’s time for putting things back together…  New post

Re-Assembly Time… Page 6

Dec 2019

Well it’s December… it’s cold and time to get to work on the Acorn…

Just like “Scrat” here the Acorn trailer is a lot of work…  And replacing the floor was no easy task.  The body is held up by the floor and the floor sits on the frame…  All three must be strong, it’s the integrity between the floor and the body that is key to the trailer’s life expectancy.  The floor completes the “egg shell” .   Now that the floor is installed and glassed to the body on the top side…  I need to do the same under the trailer too.  Only one way I see to do this is to lift the body / floor off the frame and roll it on it’s left side to have access to the whole bottom.  Without the windows and no door the body is light..  but i will need to install some braces inside to keep away any sagging .  First thing to do is build a dolly that will cradle the body on it’s side.  With wheels so I can roll it into the shop.

So I built this dolly…  We lifted the Acorn from the frame ….rolled it over… and!!  It was too tall to fit through the Shop door !  Fine… Got a piece of carpet and we slid the Acorn off the dolly and into the shop.  Good thing it’s not too heavy..

And there we have it..  Looks like it fell over and died..  Nope all is good..  Easy to work on the underside now.

Got up this morning and SNOW…  boy did we get the Acorn inside on the right day !  Not a lot of snow …just an inch..but makes it hard to lay on the ground and jack the body off the frame.  Going to leave it in the shop for a few days to warm up and dry out ..  Seems the tarp was leaking a little but no damage done..

Here’s a small video I made…

I don’t seem to have a lot of ambition around this time of year.. but the Acorn is there when I do… It’s into February now and I’m doing my best to get this bottom all done…

Here I have all the glassing done.. It’s taken weeks and a lot of resin..  But I got R done…  And then came the decision of what to cover this with…  I want it black..  And i want it to further protect the underside of the floor.  I thought about epoxy truck box liner..  But the price was very high..  This is more area than a truck box..  So it takes two kits..  I settled on good old enamel..  same as the frame.  and it was easy and quick to roll that on..  Two coats and we are done.

Next is to attach a dolly to the underside ..  and  while the roof is easy to get at I want to enlarge the vent to a 14 x 14 normal vent size.  And I want to glass a wood frame on the roof so the vent is raised and some stiffener added.

Here I have the dolly..  taken apart and mounted to the underside..  Mounted only through the holes for bolting the frame.. NO new holes !  When it’s time to put the body back on the frame. I just lift it and remove the four lag bolts and the wheels will fall away.. Hold the applause please…

Now for the body work…

  Onward to PAGE 5

Nov  16  2019

Frontier Class B Wide Body Van Conversion, Model XL820

Here it is!  It’s not new.. and could use a bit of love.  I’ve only had it for a day or two..  The love will have to come next spring, it’s getting late in the season..  And please remember we are 38 years old..  A senior citizen in the world of RV’s. So you have to excuse the rust.. and the retro decals.

Where do I start…..  Not expensive  I bought it with cash.. And yes this will mean we have two RV’s..  But this one has a hitch and I can tow my ATV… or a boat… or anything..  It’s very compact for all the stuff it has… 21 ft from the front of that cow catcher to the back of the bumper.  It’s like a LeSharo that you can actually use / drive..   With a real motor !  In fact we had a heart transplant 30,000 kms ago..  With lot’s of new parts..  It now has new tires too.  and drives great

And here’s the door !  Different !  but it’s a design that works… I like it. The Frontier was made in the Vanguard factory Winfield, BC..  And you will see more of the Vanguard version on the roads ..   Rare yes..  They only made these for a few years before the recession hit the RV industry.  It’s hard to find any info on the web for these…  That will all change with this post.

Here’s the interior.. very typical color scheme for the year BROWN !  The fridge has been replaced..  and the lino is newer..  but the rest is original..  And all in working order..  Just needs a good cleaning..

The floor steps a bit lower in the rear of the camper.. and that’s where you find a small kitchen and a wet bath on the drivers side. There’s a extra counter top you can lift up if you need it.  No oven .. no microwave..   Who uses those things when camping anyway ?  We cook outside.  BUT you do make coffee inside in the morning.

Here’s the biffy..  Works for me.. I’m not likely to use anything but the toilet. But you never say never. It’s very clean ..so nothing to do but change the light to LED.

So lets talk about the Van part of this camper.

That’s typical motor home fair ….  except !!  just a 350 motor.  Yup it’s the tried and true good old 350…  but this is duely  ..so heavy duty trans…  and stuff.  And like I said earlier… new motor 30,000 kms ago.. Work done  in Ontario !  It’s been places for sure… This summer it drove out to Sask and back with no issues.  And it just passed a BC inspection. Look at the interior … it’s almost perfect..  I have not cleaned any of it..   Power locks , power windows, A/C that works..  cruise control, new stereo..  You know I’ll add to that list..  I’m thinking remote locks.. more power plugs…  back up camera…a digital volt meter for battery condition.. just to start..

Nov 17 th 2019:

Today I gathered up some ambition and plugged the Camper in to my 30 amp.  Everything works as it should..  But the extra furnace is  a bus heater that works from the motor heat. And I think works using the wall thermostat.  For sure it powers up when the van is running.    The RV propane furnace works great..  As expected the new 2 way fridge works..  I found the pump and water tank under the sofa..  Tank is empty and there is antifreeze in the water lines…  But just to be sure I ran another jug through…. No problems.  No leaks ! It’s all good and it’s time to put the Frontier away for the winter.

The tarp is extra insurance.  Not really needed but what the hey..  I feel better with it on cause I did not install the vent covers..  One or both of the vents will be replaced in the spring with better quality ones.. The current ones have plastic frames. And I’m thinking a power vent will be a good thing to install.   The Frontier (like most) is wired for a rooftop A/C unit..  I have one, but I don’t think it’s needed.  Going to find out this coming summer.

I’m going through all my collection of stuff for RV’s, And making a war chest for the Frontier for next spring..  Here’s some of the stuff:

What do ya know I have the remote locking stuff…  with two fobs!  I have lots of LED lights , switches, USB charge ports, and a host of other goodies to make life easier while camping.

I’ve had the motor antifreeze beefed up and checked..  Last thing I want is for that to freeze over the winter.  As soon as I get my new GoPro camera I’ll be posting some videos… if we are not buried in snow.  But first one made with the old camera….

And it looks good..  I expect the new GoPro to be even better.  There’s a screen on the back so stuff won’t be missing from the shot.

We were thinking about the sleeping arrangements ..  So I went out and pulled the sofa into the bed.  Not big enough for two.. so the dinette will be used as well.. and what do you know!  There’s room to walk between.. nice  The spare tire was blown… really bad..  So I have a new tire coming.. and because the other six are new this year too.. it will be a perfect match.

Now I have a rim with no tire… And you betcha I got to paint it..  One hubcap is missing …and I’m not crazy about them.. Kinda feel like I would loose more over time…  So I’ll paint the rims instead.

And NOT RV white !  This is my concoction I mixed up..  Half Aluminum half grey… and a dash of black.  Nice!  This is the only wheel I can paint this year..  The others will get this treatment next spring… And here it is with the new tire installed.

And that’s all till spring when the time is right for fixin up…

1982 Frontier Class B+  Page 2

Sept  9  2019

I would like to go on record as saying this was a great summer… even though I had to work through part of it..  The weather was great.. there was enough rain to keep the fire thing under control..  There was little to no bugs.  And it really did not get too hot.

Plus we could have a real campfire .. and that’s been many years without.  Our group site has gone through a few changes in the past few years…  For the better!  we now have 30 amp power for eight .. A new shelter ..  But on the down side we have neighbors in Group site 2..   Can’t have in all.

As for our little chunk of the site…  We get our usual set up… with some big differences in the form of RV’s  Dave & Judy have a new trailer, a bit smaller.. but very nice.   Plus this spring we decided to sell our big Fifth wheel and I found an older ( 1999) but very nice 26 ft trailer..  ( Wanderer on the right) .  worked great.. very comfy.

And earlier this summer I sold my big white Chevy and bought this 2003 Avalanche ..  Love these and this one is in awesome condition.  This is the 4 th Avalanche I’ve owned..  And maybe the best one yet..  Pulls the trailer and is friendly enough to use around town..  We even took it on our trip to Alberta in August…  was so nice.  So those are some big changes..  but we actually  spent less on these … so money in the bank.  I’m only working one day a week now.. so we’ll say I’m mostly retired again.  Good thing cause I’ve lots to do this fall.   Projects … like a new trailer.. long enough to hold two Side by Sides.  Custom built by me from an old travel trailer.  It will be handy for when we go Hunting / Camping this October.