New guy with a 1978 Alaskan 8ft NCO in SC

[thisoldcamper]

[SIZE=11pt]Hi, my name’s Bob and it might be a while before I can get out to wander the west, but this site is the best source for information about Alaskan campers that I have found. Alaskans are hard to find here in the southeast, so when one popped up not too far away, I went for it. It’s a 1978 8 foot NCO that’s in good condition for its age. The couple that I bought it from got it about 1991 and stored in in their barn when not in use. There are no issues with rot, bugs or mice. I’m clipping the rear end for a better fit in my truck, cleaning and re-varnishing the wood and upgrading the electrical.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]I’ve posted about it in my blog here: [/SIZE]http://thisoldcamper.com/1978-alaskan/

Thanks again for all the information available on the site.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Welcome to WtW! That '78 look like it's in really great shape.

 

[huskyrunnr]

Nice find! They are interesting campers. I get all kinds of unsolicited offers on mine. Could I ask, are those deadbolts on the upper and lower parts of the dutch door? My 1966? does not have any good way to secure the camper from the inside.

 

[thisoldcamper]

My camper doors have slide bolts on them so that they can be locked from the inside. I removed the lower alminum off of the sides yesterday and only found two quarter sized rot spots on each of the front/side/floor joints... not a problem. I will probably put that silver rubbery flashing tape on the corners before I put the aluminum back on.

 

[Rusty]

put a little smiths CPES on those rot spots before you put it back together...it'll stop the rot in its tracks

 

[thisoldcamper]

I did spray some rustoleum leakstop rubberized spray on the bottom plywood floor edge. Hopefully, that will stop any wicking into the wood.

here's a picture after the rear storage box was removed flush with the rest of the bottom.

 

[Rusty]

the smiths soaks into the wood, strengthens it and stops the rot...raise the camper off the deck with a few cross floor shims to get some air circulation under the camper. Trapped water does more damage than anything....you're headed down the right road

 

[thisoldcamper]

Here's the re-worked curbside - the box is 3" skinnier:

And the re-worked streetside:

I added a power cord inlet, a 12 volt & 110 volt outlet to feed the top half, and moved the water inlet from the bedrails to the back... and I slapped some paint on the bottom half.

 

[Rusty]

nice job.....

it's amazing what a little alignment and fresh paint will do for your sense of accomplishment....

and a bit of aluminum trim Where is your sink drain...it's amazing the differences from one to another for placement of utility feeds.

 

[thisoldcamper]

Hey Rusty, the hole in the overhang is where the sink drain used to come out of in 2" ABS. It then went thru the box that I removed and had a outlet on the back. I'm going to put a rubber grommet in the hole and just run a hose out of the drain - thru the grommet and out the back on the outside of the camper. The extra AC plugs are so I can put outlets on the lower half of the camper. Rather than have a permanent umbilical, I'm just going to run an extension cord between the existing inlet on the top and the new outlet on the bottom. I'll be able to have power in both top and bottom, or just the top or just the bottom.
Ain't paint great? I'm going to polish up the aluminum windows and eyebrows, though.

 

[Rusty]

I've seen a couple with the water feed at the rear and the drain where the water is....usually

(must have been made in Canada)....LOL

 

[thisoldcamper]

I’ve pull off all the hardware, doors, drawers, windows and fixtures and have begun to refinish the interior. While I am at it, I’m going to change the O-rings on the hydraulics. Here’s a shot of the interior with the top half separated and blocked up on the lower half. Once I get the interior re-finished, I’ll put the two halves back together, lower the top half and paint it.

http://

 

[thisoldcamper]

[SIZE=11pt]The wood veneer is separating from the lower edges of the upper half of my camper, so while I have the two halves apart, I’m going to re-glue the veneer and put some corner bead over it to hold it tight to the wall. I’m using 1 ¼” drywall corner with lathe screws. I’m cutting one side down to ½” so that it’ll side under the outer skin for the front and back. I probably won’t have to cut it for the sides because they are thicker than the front/back. It should help keep moisture from getting to the wood since it underlaps the outer skin and once the two halves are back together, it won’t be seen.[/SIZE]

 

[takesiteasy]

Nice work. I really enjoyed poking around on your blog. I love those old campers.

 

[John D]

Bob, you are one good wood worker! I am so pleased to see you preserving that great wood work in your Alaskan. Many of the folks on WTW are westerners but I'm seeing more easterners of late on WTW. It is nice to see a guy interested in little campers from the Southeast. Roll Tide!

I went onto your website, thisoldcamper. What a super website. You will have lots of visitors of like mind. I restored an old 1968 Huntsman slide in camper years ago. We used it to travel all over the US, really got a good return on the work invested. That was 4 campers ago.

From your website, I wonder if a man can make money out of restoring old campers. I have good friend with a son who needs a job and I wonder if it might be a small business to restore these old campers, have a web site to show the process, and selling them. There is a following for the Shasta trailers. I have a Navy buddy over in Florence, Alabama who restored one and tripled his money. You won't get rich doing this, but it worked out for him. His work is no where near as nice as yours.

In my occupation, I do a lot of restoration that requires precision manual dexterity and intelligent planning. I get all the work I want and the satisfaction of fixing something with my hands. The point being, I don't need any other personal challenges. I work on my campers because I use them to travel and camp. My question in connection with asking if this could be a tiny little one man business is based on a perceived need for a young man to make himself a job. John D

 

[thisoldcamper]

[SIZE=11pt]Thanks, guys. I enjoy playing around with old campers, but I’ve always wanted a truck camper. I haven’t sold any of my restored campers yet… I get too attached to them, besides, I’d probably net about $2/hr. I’ve seen a TV show called Flippin’ RV’s and they sell their resto-mods for $35K+ so there must be a market for vintage restorations. I think that around here, I’d be lucky to get $5–7K for a fixed up old camper. I might try to sell the Nomad this spring just to make room for another project. I’m glad that you enjoyed the blog. I started it last year so that I could show off all of my projects in one spot rather than scattered around a bunch of different forums. I’m planning to use the Alaskan this April, but I’m going to tow the teardrop, too. I’ll post pictures.[/SIZE]

 

[thisoldcamper]

I didn't really notice how beat up the front of my camper was when it was dull and dirty, but after a good cleaning and some fresh paint - it's pretty obvious that this thing got driven through a hail storm. I'm working on covering most of the dents with a piece of anodized diamond plate (.045).
I have a 2 ft wide piece, so it'll cover the top half down to where the wood shelf is.

It'll look about like this!

 

[thisoldcamper]

Here are my latest pictures of the refinished interior. I rebuilt all of the counters and table but I didn't put the gas cooktop back in because I wouldn't have used it. It can always be cut in later, if desired. I added a refrigerator and made cushions for the dinette/bed.
Next project - get it on the truck and start using it!

 

[Ripperj]

Very nice!, enjoy.
Hopefully I will have some completed pics of my own to share soon

 

[snuffy]

That is a nice camper! my first truck camper was a old 8ft. Alaskan, i had some great hunting trips with that thing, i just read where they are making a 6.5 cabover now. it will be out of my price range but i can dream.. have fun