1975 FWC My New Project and First Camper

[mdfcleveland]

This is my first post, thanks for all the info in these forums.

I had been looking for a FWC for quite some time and after several missed attempts I finally found one only 60 miles away. It's an old one, but I think it's in good shape for the age and was cheep. I'm guessing 1975 based off the window stamps, but if you have any idea what model and year it might actually be let me know. The front wall has a taper that meets the bed rails and I have not seen that on any other FWC camper. I know it's been modified in that area because I'm in the middle of replacing the sagging bed board, which is the original particle board. I'm looking forward to cleaning it up and getting on the road.

 

[Beach]

Camper does look very good for its age. I just got through replacing the bed board on my 2005 Hawk. Had to install new one in two pieces or remove most of the interior. Be sure to seal the end grain not just the top and bottom surfaces of the new replacement. Good luck, enjoy.

 

[JaSAn]

Does your camper not have a manufacturing label? Mine is on the lower left side of the back:

 

[mdfcleveland]

The only label is a stamped aluminum VIN# plate located on the back right, there is no other info there.

Does your camper not have a manufacturing label? Mine is on the lower left side of the back:

sticker.jpg

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Welcome to WTW! Other than the cab-over bed board, it looks like you have a camper with excellent bones. There are several threads on replacing the particle board.

 

[Swaff1]

Nice! Wonder if it was a Bronco or Blazer someone enclosed at one time...
Where did you find it?

 

[Zoomad]

Nice! Wonder if it was a Bronco or Blazer someone enclosed at one time...
Where did you find it?

Sure looks like a modified Blazer camper to me. Nicely done I might add. The front section is different for sure but looks like it adds some interior space that would be needed.

 

[mdfcleveland]

Interesting, that would explain why there is no aluminum in that wall of the camper it’s all framed out in wood? It fits my 6.5’ bed perfectly so I’m happy. I found it in Canton, Oh

That extra storage room just got rebuilt yesterday to contain my future batteries, electrical, and solar controller in the bottom space. Sure was useful for my setup. I got my new bed board in thanks to this forum and all the information here. I still need to fasten it in place tomorrow. It’s amazing how much flex these frames have and bounce back into place doing tasks like that.

Nice! Wonder if it was a Bronco or Blazer someone enclosed at one time...
Where did you find it?

 

[Zoomad]

Having replaced the cab wall in my Blazer camper I can vouch it did not contain any aluminum structure to it. Also, Blazer campers had no lower section below the bed rails. They are completely open to the interior of the Blazer cab. So whoever modified this one had to build the lower section and front wall from scratch.

The other key item that tips one off that it's a Blazer camper is the front leading edge of the camper where the stock cab wall would have been has a slight forward rake to it. That matches the slight angle to the Blazer cab. But I bet if you parked the truck on level ground and put a level on that edge you'll see that it's not perfectly vertical. All of the regular FWC campers would have a vertical wall there. Bronco campers for the '80 up versions had an even more more pronounced rake that the Bronco's had.

 

[mdfcleveland]

Thanks for all the info. That front wall has a forward rake to it for sure so I believe I have a Blazer model that has been modified. All the work done was sometime ago and I have no backstory on it. The guy I purchased it from had it for a couple years and never used it.
It won't fix itself so back to the garage I go!
Matthew

Having replaced the cab wall in my Blazer camper I can vouch it did not contain any aluminum structure to it. Also, Blazer campers had no lower section below the bed rails. They are completely open to the interior of the Blazer cab. So whoever modified this one had to build the lower section and front wall from scratch.

The other key item that tips one off that it's a Blazer camper is the front leading edge of the camper where the stock cab wall would have been has a slight forward rake to it. That matches the slight angle to the Blazer cab. But I bet if you parked the truck on level ground and put a level on that edge you'll see that it's not perfectly vertical. All of the regular FWC campers would have a vertical wall there. Bronco campers for the '80 up versions had an even more more pronounced rake that the Bronco's had.

 

[Swaff1]

Man right down the road from me! Glad you got it!!
Whoever modified it made it look factory for sure.
Cool camper

 

[mdfcleveland]

I got my bed board glued and screwed in yesterday so that's a relief. While I had it apart I also rebuilt the 2 upper storage areas while I could access them and made room for future electrical below. For the storage area I used 1/2 Maple Plywood and stainless trim head screws. For the bed board I used AB 3/4" Marine Plywood primed and painted with high quality exterior paint. I read several different write-ups on here about replacing the bed board and these are the steps I used. I split the old board down the center and removed it in 2 pieces. Cut the side boards up from the bottom to allow installation and sealant application of new board. I made sure all screws and staples were out of the way and cleaned the lip. Unscrewed the canvas down one side just enough to slip the board into its place and gently used a pryer to get it to drop in. I cut the bed board 1/4" shorter in width than factory and sanded the edges slightly round to minimize the plywood blowing out when moving it into place. I used a ratchet strap to pull the side together into alignment and a good push from my hand while screwing it into place to make sure it was in position. It's not a tough job to do with all the info here. Thanks everyone.

-Matthew

 

[Vic Harder]

looking good!

 

[mdfcleveland]

Thanks Vic your camper looks great by the way! I was going through your thread about your roof insulation and headliner last night as I need to do something with mine since it just ridged foam at the moment.

looking good!

 

[BBZ]

Nice job.. half the fun is working on them!!

 

[mdfcleveland]

I have made some good progress but ran into my first bit of badness. The drain fitting for the water tank
split from the tank long ago and the repair that was made was not water tight so there is some rot under the tank.
Has anyone successfully repaired their water tank? What did you do, plastic weld, chemical weld, epoxy?
The failure looks like the fitting was welded to the tank from the factory because the other fittings look the same
but this plastic weld failed the fitting is still intact.

 

[Vic Harder]

I have made some good progress but ran into my first bit of badness. The drain fitting for the water tank
split from the tank long ago and the repair that was made was not water tight so there is some rot under the tank.
Has anyone successfully repaired their water tank? What did you do, plastic weld, chemical weld, epoxy?
The failure looks like the fitting was welded to the tank from the factory because the other fittings look the same
but this plastic weld failed the fitting is still intact.

that sucks. Not sure how well those can be repaired. I have a 20Gal FWC supplied (new!) water tank that I ended up not using that i would love to send to you, but shipping would be horrendous though.

 

[mdfcleveland]

that sucks. Not sure how well those can be repaired. I have a 20Gal FWC supplied (new!) water tank that I ended up not using that i would love to send to you, but shipping would be horrendous though.

Thanks Vic, for now we will finish the season off without a built in water tank. Maybe I will try and patch it over the winter when I plan on redoing the interior. Our goal this year is to just make it usable and it's close. We are going to Utah for 2-3 weeks in October for rock climbing and exploring. I'm sure we will have a few weekend trips into PA and WV as well. I'm looking forward to the possibilities and getting my KTM mounted to the hitch carrier and doing some major exploring next season.

 

[DownByTheRiver]

I have made some good progress but ran into my first bit of badness. The drain fitting for the water tank
split from the tank long ago and the repair that was made was not water tight so there is some rot under the tank.
Has anyone successfully repaired their water tank? What did you do, plastic weld, chemical weld, epoxy?
The failure looks like the fitting was welded to the tank from the factory because the other fittings look the same
but this plastic weld failed the fitting is still intact.

There are companies that make custom sized water tanks. Might be worth emailed them some specs and a picture (if you still have the other tank) to show them what you're looking for and get a quote.

https://www.plastic-mart.com/category/33/rv-water-tanks


The tag on our water tank (from a 1986 Keystone) had El Monte Plastics as the manufacturer. Looks like they shut down and this company bought them out, so perhaps they would also be worth an email: https://www.epi-roto.com/

 

[mdfcleveland]

Thanks for the links and info. I'll be looking into that over the winter.

There are companies that make custom sized water tanks. Might be worth emailed them some specs and a picture (if you still have the other tank) to show them what you're looking for and get a quote.

https://www.plastic-mart.com/category/33/rv-water-tanks


The tag on our water tank (from a 1986 Keystone) had El Monte Plastics as the manufacturer. Looks like they shut down and this company bought them out, so perhaps they would also be worth an email: https://www.epi-roto.com/