New to me 80's FWC Fleet

[Berts]

Sunday I'm picking up a 80's Fleet. I don't know much about the condition other than a couple pictures. Its dirt cheap so I'm not too worried.

I'm prepared to do an entire rebuild if I have too. I plan to gut and rebuild the interior and have a feeling once I get deep into that its going to be a total rebuild. If the roof, soft side and exterior is in decent shape I won't. For sure want to re insulate it with foam board. I have a Chinese Wabesto I'll add in for a furnace. Don't need a fridge or stove. I'll use my Yeti cooler and my Coleman camping stove. Really trying to keep it light and simple. I already know I'll have to make it more narrow at the floor as its 59" wide and I have 50" between the wheel wells in my 2018 F150 Supercab. Since I'm doing that I would like to add some height to the interior since I'm 6'-5". This might be too ambitious but I would love to hack off about 10"-12" off the back so it fits in my 6.5' bed with the tailgate closed. Another thing I need to do since I'm tall is run the bed parallel to the camper. I'm guessing welding some support rails will accommodate that. I don't really know the condition of the roof or canvas. This guy got the truck inherited from his uncle, know nothing about campers, has never popped it up, etc so Sunday I'll know more. I might be a a little to ambitious brain storming at the moment its just a camper right, famous last words LOL.

Mainly curious on peoples experiences rebuilding these. I have read a lot of threads on this forum which this forum if gold. You guys do some amazing work. I'm more of a amateur but half way decent. A buddy has a welding shop so he can do any welding for me. Sounds like the roof and soft side can be the hardest parts to work on. Also the lifting boards or whatever they are called. Really hoping those are in decent shape.

Curious on thoughts, like what you wish you did differently, didn't do, etc.

I'm pretty excited to get into this project. Currently have a 89 Jayco 8' Sportster and always wanted a lighter and more low profile of the FWC. Zero chance I can afford a newer one so this is the next best option I guess.

I don't intend to have this project complete till next ski season so I have a year to figure this out and get it done which seems more than reasonable.

Thanks for your time

 

[PokyBro]

Berts,

Looks like an excellent project, and sounds like you’re capable of doing the rebuild. Your comments sound much like mine when I acquired a 1981 Grandby. I’ve attached my build thread in case you haven’t seen it. This includes shortening the main body length and narrowing the floor pan to fit my 1999 F250. Take a look, and if I can answer any questions please let me know. You may not want to do as much inside, but the frame modifications, including beefing up the corners might be helpful. I had extensive welding done to get it to what I wanted. You’re lucky to have a friend to help out on the welding. Good luck!

Poky



https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/12116-full-build-out-reconstructing-a-1981-grandby-into-a-hawk/

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Welcome to the cult.Great vintage photos.
There's plenty of info here on the site.
Good luck with the rebuild.
Keep posting while you rebuild.
Frank

 

[Berts]

Berts,

Looks like an excellent project, and sounds like you’re capable of doing the rebuild. Your comments sound much like mine when I acquired a 1981 Grandby. I’ve attached my build thread in case you haven’t seen it. This includes shortening the main body length and narrowing the floor pan to fit my 1999 F250. Take a look, and if I can answer any questions please let me know. You may not want to do as much inside, but the frame modifications, including beefing up the corners might be helpful. I had extensive welding done to get it to what I wanted. You’re lucky to have a friend to help out on the welding. Good luck!

Poky



https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/12116-full-build-out-reconstructing-a-1981-grandby-into-a-hawk/


HOLY COW you did an amazing job. You did it right that's for sure. I read a few pages but will read the rest for sure. Thanks for documenting that, its going to be a massive help when I get started. I hope the guts are good but I'll find out more this weekend. I'm excited.

 

[Vic Harder]

I suppose I "gutted" my Puma and rebuilt it. I didn't reframe/shape anything though. We love having the bed be a fullsize queen without a pullout. If I was getting stuff welded up and redoing the canvas/vinyl I would seriously think about making the cabover longer. Yep, that would mean a new roof too.

There is at least one FWC/ATC out there that has a 5' cabover that is not a flatbed version. That's my ideal!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Berts,give Marty a call at ATC for some ideas about extending the cab over.
They are great people to work with.
You might PM Bill Harr and ask him about using a camper with the short cab over.
Frank

 

[BBZ]

Nice.. lots of work but worth it.. I doubt its 59 wide at the base, Fleets were made for mid size trucks and narrower (I had a 80s fleet for my first camper and believe it was 37 inches ).. personally if you are going to rebuild the floor pack, I would make it wider. We switched to the grandby because we felt the fleet was too small for us and the 2 dogs..

I bought a cheap grandby and rebuilt, see my build thread in my signature. If you take the roof off from day one everything is so much easeier.. have fun! so much useful information on this forum

 

[Berts]

I officially got it home. It fit in the back of the truck pretty well honestly. 5" high pallet and it was about perfect. Those original jacks are nice. Super fast and actually pretty dam stable. I like it way better than those Rieco Titans I have on my 89 Jayco. Maybe its because the FWC is so much lower profile and seems to be lighter. I still haven't popped up the top yet, I'll get to that today I hope. For $200 I wasn't too concerned. I had him down to $100 but he said he had over 100 people that wanted it, some offering $500+ so he did me a solid holding it. Hoping the lift panels and soft sides are in okay condition. That will determine how much of a rebuild I do. The roof has seen some serious hail. That will need to be reskinned. Front window is basically gone. For sure I'll gut the inside but from there we will see. If the floor pack is okay I might keep it as is for now and build a storage system for skis under the camper to raise it that 5"-6" I need to clear the bed rails and cab.

Comparing this FWC tied down with cam straps versus my 89 Jayco with Torklifts, the FWC rides so much nicer. My Jayco says its 1150 dry but I'm a little suspect. Any idea how much these older FWC Fleets weight? The guy mentioned he thought it has a water heater in it. I'll be taking it down to bear boned, Heater & bed for sure. If the fridge and stove works I'll keep those as well. No water source though.

I'll update with pictures later when I get a few minutes to pop it up and really check out the condition.

 

[Berts]

I have a question about the roof weight capacity. Anyone put anything up there? Thinking solar for sure but that shouldn't be an issue. What about a rack on top, I whitewater kayak a ton, kayaks weight about 50 pounds. Ideally would like to carry 4 of those up top. If I have too I can figure out other means like a hitch carrier off the back. I don't see these roofs being able to carry much weight but wanted to check.

Thanks,

 

[BBZ]

I officially got it home. It fit in the back of the truck pretty well honestly. 5" high pallet and it was about perfect. Those original jacks are nice. Super fast and actually pretty dam stable. I like it way better than those Rieco Titans I have on my 89 Jayco. Maybe its because the FWC is so much lower profile and seems to be lighter. I still haven't popped up the top yet, I'll get to that today I hope. For $200 I wasn't too concerned. I had him down to $100 but he said he had over 100 people that wanted it, some offering $500+ so he did me a solid holding it. Hoping the lift panels and soft sides are in okay condition. That will determine how much of a rebuild I do. The roof has seen some serious hail. That will need to be reskinned. Front window is basically gone. For sure I'll gut the inside but from there we will see. If the floor pack is okay I might keep it as is for now and build a storage system for skis under the camper to raise it that 5"-6" I need to clear the bed rails and cab.

Comparing this FWC tied down with cam straps versus my 89 Jayco with Torklifts, the FWC rides so much nicer. My Jayco says its 1150 dry but I'm a little suspect. Any idea how much these older FWC Fleets weight? The guy mentioned he thought it has a water heater in it. I'll be taking it down to bear boned, Heater & bed for sure. If the fridge and stove works I'll keep those as well. No water source though.

I'll update with pictures later when I get a few minutes to pop it up and really check out the condition.

I had a 80s fleet that was gutted and used as a shell (no heater, sink. water).. just a counter and portable stove. Was around 700 lbs.

My Grandby roof was really bad, but didn't have to reskin, just sealed up well and used a flat roofing product to coat it, 2 years and going strong...

Weight on the roof.. I know people stuff up there, but then you will need appropriate roof struts to help lift it, it gets heavy fast and hard to open. I put a solar panel on mine this spring and had to go from 30 lb to 40 lb struts and its only 20 ish lbs.

 

[Berts]

I was being a little too optimistic. Both lift panels are rotted, might be salvageable. The front worse then the rear. Its looking more and more like a complete rebuild. The soft side doesn't look too be though. How can a guy really tell? Its a little crusty in a couple of the corners but overall seems okay to my novice eye.

 

[Berts]

Couple more pictures

 

[BBZ]

Well... you got yourself a project!

If it was me... I would just start over completely. Take the top off, the material looks bad, the interior headliner material probably smells.. just easier to start over. The cost isn't much for all these parts, but everything takes time unless you want to pay for new parts from FWC.

You should tear down to the stud to see if there are any broken welds also..

The best part is you get to build it exactly how you want it...

 

[Berts]

That’s what I’m thinking, complete rebuild. I’m too cheap, I’ll do it all myself. The hardest part will be how all this goes back together but thank god guys like you did an amazing job documenting that. A buddy has a shop and welds for a living. My parents in laws have a commercial sowing machine and went to a tech school for seamstress. Lots to figure out like what materials I want to use where. Like the roof and soft side. I want to keep it as light as I can but also like to overbuild things. Do I keep it light metal sheeting or 1/4” plywood with rubber sheeting. I’ll likely start a new thread with questions and suggestions and post my progress once I start the real work. For starters, is the conduit lift mechanism that good or rebuild like original? I’ll have to come up with a list of questions. So many things to think about but at the end of the day. It’s just a camper right LOL

 

[PokyBro]

Berts,

per your comments above, your aluminum top is way worse than mine was, looks like a couple meteorites hit it, wow. There are sources for replacing the top. For example in Colorado, there is a place that sells siding, and can make a width of aluminum to do the top, it’s called The Metal Company. You’ll just have to search around. If you choose to redo the lift panels, you can use the old ones to get exact measurements for size, and where to place the center hing. Usually the piano hinges with springs are salvageable, and if you need new ones for a few, All Terrain Campers will sell them to you for about $40 each. If you want it to turn out nice, it can be worth it to go all in. If you’re doing extensive work, including welding parts, and replacing the aluminum top, siding, windows, I would highly recommend replacing the side liner, it’s the right time to do it, and you will be much more satisfied with the final product. I have been so pleased with the outcome I had, and am really enjoying the camper, and I started with a minimalist outlook, wanting to not spend too much, but in the end, I don’t really think about that now, I got what I wanted. You have some great extra resources with friends and family, that will be a big help if you can enlist there expertise.
so, go for it, the project can be fun, you’ll learn as you go, and your reward will be the adventure waiting on the other side!

Poky

 

[BBZ]

The conduit lifters are great in my opinion, a giant pain to make them, kind of trial and error, but the material is super cheap. It also enables you to put an extra window in the canvas at the rear and front if you want.. I really am pleased with having the rear window/screen.

That roof is bad.. wow..

I used the Metal Company for all of my siding stuff.. great folks to work with..

My wife sewed our canvas.. its time consuming, but well worth it.. Keep the old one for a template (mostly for how the windows/screens/flaps go together. leave it at least a foot or to longer than needed to go all around the camper and make it at least 6 inches longer at the bottom so you have something to pull when installing to make it tight.. Its really hard to get it perfect, but it works well and you don't notice after some time...

 

[Berts]

Thanks for the suggestions. Its a lot to process for sure. I need to start gutting it and figure it out from there. Good thing I don't mind projects like this but I'm sure there will be some headaches along the way. She will be a beauty when she is done and hopefully a camper I keep for a long time.

 

[Berts]

[SIZE=10.5pt]I checked out TMC's website, Holy crap they are going to love me when I start sending them my credit card. My wife not so much but she will love the camper once it’s done. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]I have some basic questions regarding the build. Also just throwing out some brain storming ideas randomly. Any and all comments are much appreciated. I have no experience with rebuilding a camper. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-I'll check into those conduit lifters. Still undecided about that or rebuild per original. I want whatever is the most stable. I lot of my camper use will be in the winter during blizzards so high wind. The windows would be nice on the ends but not a deal breaker. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Roof, I'm guessing a sheet of aluminum that covers the entire roof, no seams. Screw it down to the frame and caulk around those screws. Foam board insulated. Headliner I'll figure out later, some sort of mildew resistant fabric. Electric fan. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Fabric Side, I really want to find something with some insulation. Basically like the stock version. Can you buy it that way or do I need to create it with a couple layers of fabric with a thin layer of insulation in the middle? Creating it seems like a major pain though. This portion seems like the biggest hurdle. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Siding, I like the idea of solid aluminum panels cut to fit like TMC has on their website. All side insulation will be foam board.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Floor pack, Pressure treated plywood. Would 1/2" be fine or is it best to just go with 3/4". Looks like the plywood would also need to be painted with a water sealant paint. I assume over that it should be lined with more aluminum siding sheets? Same with the bottom. Any exposed wood seems like a horrible idea. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-I'm going to widen the floor in the front, just keep it all 48" wide, build the floor down so the camper fits over my bedrails and also adds about 6" of head room. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Bed, once I get it to the frame I'll have a buddy weld some rails to the side so I can make the bed be around 6’-6” long and sleep parallel in there. Likely have some plywood I can lay down and bed on top of that. I’ll likely do a memory foam and have the in laws sew up us some fitting sheet. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Seats, basically same as the bed, maybe more cushion and not memory foam. In laws can sew something up for me. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Need a table, no big deal there. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Need to figure out a solar system. I need to research that before I do any work on the roof. Likely a 300w system, a couple deep cell batteries. Would like to be able to boon dock for up to a week. Wire the inside with lights to run off the system would be great. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Kitchen, Hopefully I can get the fridge and stove to work. If so I’ll rebuild the kitchen area close to how it is. Likely keep the sink but just have it drain directly into a tank underneath that I can dump out easily. No pipes to worry about. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Furnace. Might keep the original furnace if it works great. Main plan is to add that Wabesto Diesel heater. I’ve heard good things about them. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-Windows, was thinking of reusing the original but need to check into that. Seems like newer windows would have better R rating, look better and seal better. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]-I did some measurements. I really wanted to make the camper fit in my 6.5’ bed with the tailgate closed but I would have to chop off about 14”-16” which seems like a lot. I think I’ll keep it the same length. My next truck eventually, like a decade away will be a F250 with a 8’ bed which this camper would be perfect for. I should check if the bed rails on those are higher and build this to fit that. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Any idea how much a guy can expect to pay for one of these rebuilds? I know it’s a hard question but I’m really hoping $2,500-$3,000 if I do all the work myself and have the camper of my dreams. [/SIZE]

 

[Berts]

One more question, assuming it turns out decent, any idea what these rebuilds are worth? Basically I'm curious if I drop $3K into this project I'm not out money if I decide to sell later down the road. Plus it will be easier to convince the wife its all for a good cause. We can get our money back very worst case.

 

[BBZ]

One more question, assuming it turns out decent, any idea what these rebuilds are worth? Basically I'm curious if I drop $3K into this project I'm not out money if I decide to sell later down the road. Plus it will be easier to convince the wife its all for a good cause. We can get our money back very worst case.

$3k is a solid budget to get it done..

I bought a fleet in about that condition this spring and redid the whole thing as a project to sell. I bought for 500, put 2500-3000 into it. I made money selling it (was it worth my time?? thats another question, but work was slow during early covid lock down and I needed something to do so I think it was worth it, was able to turn it around in 2 months).. I didn't have to reskin the roof though.. and didn't do new siding, just painted it)