1985 FWC Grandby rebuild

[ben.g.gibson]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Hey fellow wanderers![/SIZE]

A few years ago I picked up an '85 Grandby that needed some work. My goal was to just make the camper functional, but one thing led to another, and as many of you can relate, the project scope grew a bit...

The timeframe and budget grew accordingly (more than I like to admit), but in the end I've been very pleased with how it all turned out.

Anyways, I took a bunch of photos of the project along the way, so I thought I'd share them here in case anyone was interested...

[SIZE=10.5pt]The day I brought it home:[/SIZE]

And as it sits today:

 

[ben.g.gibson]

Some before pictures...

 

[ben.g.gibson]

It was obvious that there was some structural damage. Start the tear down....







There were a few places where the aluminum frame had broken like this, and a few where the almuminum welds had failed. I used some brackets like below in a few places, and in others, I had a friend come over with his TIG welder...

 

[ben.g.gibson]

There are fitment issues with early FWC's and modern truck beds. The previous owner had already done the bulk of the work to narrow the camper, but the back wall had to be narrowed by about an inch to completely fit into my F250...

 

[ben.g.gibson]

The canvas was pretty brittle, and had cracked in many places, so it had to come out... the scope grows...

 

[ben.g.gibson]

The wood lift panels were pretty badly water damaged (warped, rotted, etc.), and I knew it would never be easier to replace them than now, so...

It's always the "while you're in there" stuff that gets me on projects.





The hinges were still in good shape, so to save money I decided to reuse them. Lots of rivets...

 

[ben.g.gibson]

I couldn't justify putting the factory siding back on where I had removed it to repair the frame, and I wasn't able to find anything that matched closely enough. So the rest of it had to come off. It was at this point that I knew I wouldn't be taking this rig on the trip I had been planning...

I also took this opportunity to upgrade the fiberglass insulation with some 1" rigid foam.

 

[BBZ]

Nice! I did that last year as well...
my build thread if you want some ideas or just killing time .. Good luck with your project, it sure is challenging and fun all at the same time...

Nice shop by the way.. wish I had something like that I would restore more campers..


http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/16057-picked-up-a-project-90s-granby/

 

[BBZ]

oh wait, I see its done.. more pics of inside?

 

[ben.g.gibson]

Nice! I did that last year as well...
my build thread if you want some ideas or just killing time .. Good luck with your project, it sure is challenging and fun all at the same time...

Nice shop by the way.. wish I had something like that I would restore more campers..


http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/16057-picked-up-a-project-90s-granby/

Well done, BBZ! Do you have two FWC's? In post #47, I swear I see another in the background....

And thanks - that shop was sooo nice to have. I've since moved out of that place, and have been missing it.

 

[BBZ]

Well done, BBZ! Do you have two FWC's? In post #47, I swear I see another in the background....

And thanks - that shop was sooo nice to have. I've since moved out of that place, and have been missing it.

I had another one. We used it for our first trip to Baja last year...

The first one I got was an 80's Fleet.. I found it locally for pretty cheap. It was great, however, we have 2 dogs and felt it was just a little narrow so I bought the Granby for $500 and it fits the f150 a little nicer..

 

[Frankstoneline]

What did you use for siding material?

 

[ben.g.gibson]

BBZ - very cool! BTW, I really like what you did for the lift mechanisms. How has it worked out?

Franskstoneline - It's 0.030" aluminum. Good segue to the next pics....

https://flic.kr/p/SwY6U1]

 

[BBZ]

I like the look of that siding!

The lifter mechanisms work great, they were, however, a total PITA to build.. lots of trial and error.. but glad I stuck with them. They are incredibly rigid when up. I also like that we were able to add a rear window to the canvas.

 

[Frankstoneline]

Awesome, thanks! Where did you track down the siding material? It looks awesome, I've got a well-loved fleet that i have dreams of overhauling. I'd be happy if it was half as nice as yours!!

 

[ben.g.gibson]

BBZ - That's what I was thinking too. It would be so nice to have a view out the front and back of the canvas. Great idea!

Frankstoneline - Thanks! I sourced the aluminum sheets and aluminum angle (edge trim) from a local metal retailer: http://www.carlsonsteel.com/retail-sales.html

I think in all I used (2) 4'x8' sheets, and (1) 4'x10' sheet, and I want to say I paid about $450 total...

The 0.030" stuff is thin enough to cut with power shears. I bought these from Harbor Freight and they've worked just fine:
https://www.harborfreight.com/14-gauge-4-amp-heavy-duty-metal-shears-68199.html

 

[Frankstoneline]

Awesome, Bellingham is almost drivable...might have to make a supplies run and sneak in a day at Baker...

What did you use for the lower lip around the bed area? the same angle aluminum or something else? Did you re-use the original top body-trim to mount the canvas or something else? (Sorry for all the questions...)

 

[ben.g.gibson]

No worries! Yeah, I reused the factory trim that clamps the canvas, and the bit on the lower lip around the bed area.

Today would have been a great day for Baker! I went up yesterday, and it was pretty good with about 5" of fresh, sort of dust on crust. But today was 19" of fresh!

Where do you live?

 

[Frankstoneline]

I'm on the east side - Wenatchee. Still in the planning phases but info on reasonable thickness for aluminum siding gets me a step closer. Did you seal the corners with butyl tape or anything or just slam em on with the angle pieces?

 

[ben.g.gibson]

Right on. How has Mission Ridge been this year?

I used a silicone product on all the seams and fasteners, but I've since been introduced to a marine adhesive sealant that I think is more resilient. 3m 4200.
3m also offers 5200, which is a lot stronger, and from the sound of it, is more intended for permanent applications.