One of my brothers has an 89 or 90 Sunlite Eagle he bought off Ebay about 8 years ago. I love that thing. We've done many miles of forest road in it. When my two brothers and I travel together we opt for the larger Sunlite rather than my FWC Hawk or my van. The large table and U-shaped round-the-table seating of his floorplan is perfect for meals and long evenings. The only mods to it were swapping in LED overhead lights and cutting the opening for the porta-potti a bit higher for the larger-capacity model.
The one lesson we learned the hard way when he first got it is the fridge will kill the battery fairly quickly if you forget to switch from battery to propane after stopping. His connection to power is merely a connection to his trailer-plug so the fridge killed the truck's starting battery. Fortunately, I had brought along a trolling battery from my fishing boat to run a CPAP machine and he had jumper cables so we got out of it easily.
The thing about so many of those wood-frame campers is they can get structurally ruined by a water leak. My brother's has damage to the roof frame and there's something odd going on with the right-side lifting bracket-- it has started up into the frame. My point is you may want to store it under a roof or at least cover it with a tarp for any extended time outdoors. And check for leaks and don't ignore them.
The other thing I know is three people can use up the oxygen in that smallish space pretty easily. Don't forget to ventilate.
Converter: If you're convinced you need the converter, you might get the model number off your unit and start with
this web page of manuals and troubleshooting guides for discontinued models of Progressive Dynamics products. I believe troubleshooting is typically a matter of disonnecting the 12-volt side, plugging it in to AC, and testing for voltage somewhere in the 13.3-14 volts range at the 12v terminals. If it's dead, check the reverse-polarity fuse(s). If still no-go, call Tech Support. That's just the general idea. If you can't find anything on your model, call Progressive Dynamics tech support for assistance. You might also check the web (and particularly YouTube) with searches. I believe Progressive Dynamics does repairs but I don't think I'd go that route given that older converter probably isn't a great battery charger.
Heat: My brother's Eagle didn't come with a furnace. We've been happy with a Portable Buddy (single-panel) heater but only have experience with it in temps down to the mid-Twenties overnight. If you hunt at altitudes above 7000 feet you will most likely be disappointed as the Buddy will keep shutting off and is frustrating to re-start.
Propane: If you currently have a propane tank and are planning to keep it, you will probably want to check your tank's expiration date. And you will want to think through whether you want a propane alarm, where to put it and how you're going to power it. And you'll want to test your lines for leakage and condition.
Lift mechanism - My brother's camper has a smooth-working roof lifting and lowering mechanism but we do have to be sure the crank is engaged well to avoid damaging the gears. I believe it's a Heco and parts can be found on the Web (
here, for example) if yours has or develops issues.
(Edited 12/21 to add the last three paragraphs)
