New to me FWC makeover

[JakeSnapper]

Thanks Sleddog. That sounds like a cheap easy fix.

 

[JakeSnapper]

Should the hardwood board span the whole side ,along the top of the frame ?

Also, years ago often times the model year would be etched into the glass windows. I noticed this on the sliding glass window. Would that be December 1988?

 

[JakeSnapper]

Well the photo won’t upload but in the lower left corner of the glass it says:

3ANEL
.............SAFETY
GLASS
SOLID TEMPERED
AS-3 DOT 322 M-1
12-88

 

[Old Crow]

-snip-

Also, years ago often times the model year would be etched into the glass windows. I noticed this on the sliding glass window. Would that be December 1988?

Well the photo won’t upload but in the lower left corner of the glass it says:

3ANEL
.............SAFETY
GLASS
SOLID TEMPERED
AS-3 DOT 322 M-1
12-88

Welcome, JakeSnapper. Best of luck with your build!

I believe that is indeed a date code and it indicates the glass was manufactured in December 1988. That set of markings is sometimes called a 'glass bug' or manufacturer's stamp or label.

According to this windshield-markings web site, the AS-3 indicates the position in a vehicle the glass can be used based on it's clarity. The DOT 322 is the manufacturer code, in this case Janel Glass in Sun Valley CA (Janel is one of four glass companies owned by Hehr International (manufacturer of the window assembly) so that 3ANEL at the top is probably "JANEL". The M-1 is that manufacturer's code for that particular model of glass.

Note that the windshield-markings table (in the web-site link above) also shows a 'Month and Day of Production' field down near the end. That's the 12-88 you're seeing.

Also- you might also look in the driver's side cabover area for a serial number written on the aluminum frame (according to this post by Stan back in 2007)

Also- the photo probably won't load into post 22 because of the 500K limit per post (when using the editor to upload photos) and you already have a nearly-400K photo there. If you want to upload it, you may be able to go back into Edit mode in post 23 and upload it there (so long as it's under 500K).
.

 

[BBZ]

Congrats!
See my build in my signature, similar to yours in terms of condition. I didn't anticipate that I would gut the whole thing and start over, but once I got going it was clear the stinky smell would never come out..

Where are you located? I had propane door custom made by an RV siding company here in Denver area.

Good luck!

 

[BBZ]

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


I guess its not in my signature..

 

[Kolockum]

From my experience don't hesitate to replace all or a section of the floor pack. I did part of my camper and it was straight forward process. It brought a lot of strength and rigidity back to the camper. The only downside is good marine grade plywood can be expensive at ~$80 sheet but is surprisingly light.

 

[JakeSnapper]

Thanks for the history lesson Old Crow. I had figured I had made an educated guess on that. I scratched around on the front hoping to find a serial number but it is covered with some sort it insulting tape. I figure it’s doing a good job so I’ll probably just leave it alone and assume it’s an 88 or 89 camper. I’m not super tech savvy but I’ll figure out the issues with the photos.

BBZ, I have read over your build a few times. Great job and good to see someone else running the rig on an F150. Although I really need to knock my wheels from 20s to 17s and get a little more tire. I’m in south east Texas.

Kolockum,
Thanks for the encouragement. A portion of the floor will definitely need to be replaced.

 

[Old Crow]

Re: propane-compartment door

Another possible source is The Metal Company in Arvada, CO (near Denver)


Also--

I have no doubt it's a Four Wheel camper but I've never seen three roof latches across the front like that...



Is the center one different than the other two?

Is there any apparent reason for one to have been added by a previous owner?
.

 

[Sleddog]

Blow up that photo and it is clear that the center latch is different. On my 83 Fleet there is a bit of a hump in the center of the roof on the front. I have considered a third latch, but there have been no issues as it is so I never bothered. Something I figured I'd look into if I ever got a notion to redo the top. I get the feeling that at some point someone had overly tight latches with something in the way of the top closing properly that created a couple of bent spots.

 

[JakeSnapper]

That was one of the things I noticed too when trying to figure out for sure if it was a FWC. I couldn’t find any pictures online of other fWCs having 3 latches. Upon closer inspection I believe a previous owner added that. It’s not exactly the same as the others.

 

[Dobba84]

Awesome! I am in the process of starting to do one too. Right now it’s just fix stuff to make it usable and then dive in.

 

[Old Crow]

Blow up that photo and it is clear that the center latch is different. On my 83 Fleet there is a bit of a hump in the center of the roof on the front. I have considered a third latch, but there have been no issues as it is so I never bothered. Something I figured I'd look into if I ever got a notion to redo the top. I get the feeling that at some point someone had overly tight latches with something in the way of the top closing properly that created a couple of bent spots.

That was one of the things I noticed too when trying to figure out for sure if it was a FWC. I couldn’t find any pictures online of other fWCs having 3 latches. Upon closer inspection I believe a previous owner added that. It’s not exactly the same as the others.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the explanations.
.

 

[JakeSnapper]

Has anyone seen a 3 ply sideliner like this before? If I wanted to replace just that side for now, would I have enough slack to work with by loosening the top and bottom trim on that side only? Otherwise I’ll do like Dobba84 and use 100 mph tape for now.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

 

[Sleddog]

Mine had a similar liner when I got it, I believe it was meant to be a sort of arctic lining for cold weather. I saw where someone suggested cutting out the inner liner and the foam, so I did, and they were right. The two inner liners held moisture and were tough to get completely dry on the road. The interior liner was filthy and both of them were mostly rotten. I was glad to get rid of them, that and a little scrubbing on the remaining vinyl made it look a lot better inside.

If you decide to patch yours instead of replacing it for now, it will be easier if you cut out those two inner liners first.

Pretty easy to see where I left off cleaning after removing the liner, also easy to see where the extra liners trapped moisture against the front corners.

 

[JakeSnapper]

Good deal, I was hoping I could do that , also that someone tried it before me. Most of my camping will be in fairly warm weather anyways. In the long run I’d like to do screen all the way around with a roll up / drop down skirt style rain fly.

 

[JakeSnapper]

I noticed today while making the new platform for the cabover that it is sagging a little and warped. 1 inch over the span of 40 inches on the passenger side and 1/2 an inch on the drivers side. I don’t see any obvious creases or bends in the cab over. Any insights on this?

 

[JakeSnapper]

It’s been a while since I made any updates but progress is being made. The holidays and gathering materials kind of slowed my progress but I should have some picture worthy upgrades in the next few days. In the meantime, I found a videos of a rebuild in progress on the YouTube that I thought I’d share. The guy seems pretty handy so should turn out to be a good build.

 

[JakeSnapper]

 

[JakeSnapper]