FastEddie313
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
- Messages
- 28
- Reaction score
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I bought this a year or so ago and have been working on it off and on for a while making it decent..
This was the craigslist pic..
He was asking like $2500 or $3500 but I got it for $1,300 cash because I drove away, it's an 81 Holiday Rambler 33 or 35 foot with chevy 454BBC-400 turbo trans.
It was definitely not in the best shape but I chose this one because it is all aluminum framed and aluminum skinned so it will never rot away, structurally at least..
The interior is actually pretty good with very little water damage, one soft spot on the ceiling inside a cupboard but that's about it, just paneling..
The first thing I did was put on my gas mask and strip the roof seams with a wire wheel on my angle grinder, then replaced with elastomeric stuff with a fiber tape layer in the middle..
Dropped the fuel tank and replaced all the fuel lines to the engine and generator, rebuilt the onan carb and fuel pump, runs good now..
Replaced some floor in the bathroom where the washing machine area is.. I think their washing machine leaked..
Converted the rusted out hot air choke to electric and fabbed a block off plate..
Had a locksmith make me keys for everything.. $5 per unique key
Gone through a lot of wiring..
Fixed the converter, but I have a monster inverter/converter that will be going in it, 6k watt 12v to 120ac and 190 amps 120 to 12v charge iirc..
I think I'm going to buy 4 or 6 deep cells..
I put a mirror china toilet in it, ceramic one..
New huge kitchen sink out of an old travco and fixed up my kitchen counter a bit..
Replaces some Ts in the water lines that leaked a bit..
Got my hydraulic leveling jacks going, HWH..
I know it's not really a "vandweller" type thing but I like your "cheap living" ideals and am also very interested in the Arizona area that is so popular with you guys..
It needs tires bad, blew one on the way home with it about 40 miles but I brought my own spare, but that will be the last thing I buy before it goes anywhere so they don't sit unused and waste away..
Some things I still need to do are -
Build a new shower base and replace the cracked bathroom sing with a nice stainless one..
Fix this seemingly powerless hydraulic wiper motor or convert to electric..
Screw with all the exterior lights that don't work, half do, randoms..
Flush brake fluid to be safe, but it has recent receipts for $2500 in brake work and recent engine tune up..
It needs some rivets replaced here n there, it rivets together similar to an airstream..
Truck side heater needs a new switch and some screwing with, free'd up all the actuator cables etc..
Have the monster propane tank tested and/or filled and go through all the propane system.. Was originally dual fuel..
Front airbags or install stiffer springs..
Had the electric steps going but 1 motor died after 30 reps or so..
Lot of little stuff..
Don't buy one of these things unless you can fix it yourself, I could easily sink massive cash into it farming the work out and be upside down in no time..
I think I'm in it prolly $1700-$1900 plus my time now but that's no big deal.. I'm sure I could get my $$ back out of it if I decided to go with something else, like a van..
I loaned it to my sister to stay in last fall on my moms property and now it's snowed in good, prolly another month or so until I can get it out and back to my property where I live and get back at monkeying with it..
I really do like it a lot but it won't be cheap to go anywhere.. I think it will cost me about $750 in gas to get to AZ +- $100 or so..
They say (other vintage HR owners) that it will get 6-8 MPG pulling a 5K# truck 4 down.. Not too bad..
It's cool to drive, it gets up and goes faster than you would think..
On the road it feels really solid, not creeky like a lot of other ones..
This wall/windows leaked so I replaced the paneling and floor..
after
I fixed that hanging light too..
I'll prolly put down a wood floor..
I love the dash and the vinal material it is wrapped in, along with the upper bed bunk and upper cabinets and fridge front are all the same material..
This is when I ripped the cracked tub out of it and some floor i replaced so their is a mess.. Looks like I had the front AC cover off also.. Had a rag sitting on the TV antenna.. That spotlight on front is supposed to aim from a joystick but I haven't messed with it yet, I might not ever lol..
The front cap above the windshield there is the only fiberglass on the whole thing..
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Thinking about painting the front and back ends black but I'm not sure about the sides yet..
I have half a mind to hit it with aircraft paint stripper and just leave it bare aluminum like airstreams, leave the black bottom black and all bare from there to the roof?
Iv'e fixed so many little things it's impossible to list all, but I really really like that it is a SOLID platform, all aluminum skin, roof, and wall/ceiling aluminum I beam framing, so it wont just delaminate and rot in half like most others will.. This along with the old school Chevy drivetrain I believe it is a good base for a project..
I found 4 stainless wheel simulator hubcaps for it but still need 2 more, I live close to a massive junkyard so I have access to scavenge parts for almost free..
It's actually in pretty livable shape right now.. It's cleaned up and homey inside. These pics are not recent.
Maybe it will never go anywhere, but I like it.. Nice guest house really..
This was the craigslist pic..
He was asking like $2500 or $3500 but I got it for $1,300 cash because I drove away, it's an 81 Holiday Rambler 33 or 35 foot with chevy 454BBC-400 turbo trans.
It was definitely not in the best shape but I chose this one because it is all aluminum framed and aluminum skinned so it will never rot away, structurally at least..
The interior is actually pretty good with very little water damage, one soft spot on the ceiling inside a cupboard but that's about it, just paneling..
The first thing I did was put on my gas mask and strip the roof seams with a wire wheel on my angle grinder, then replaced with elastomeric stuff with a fiber tape layer in the middle..
Dropped the fuel tank and replaced all the fuel lines to the engine and generator, rebuilt the onan carb and fuel pump, runs good now..
Replaced some floor in the bathroom where the washing machine area is.. I think their washing machine leaked..
Converted the rusted out hot air choke to electric and fabbed a block off plate..
Had a locksmith make me keys for everything.. $5 per unique key
Gone through a lot of wiring..
Fixed the converter, but I have a monster inverter/converter that will be going in it, 6k watt 12v to 120ac and 190 amps 120 to 12v charge iirc..
I think I'm going to buy 4 or 6 deep cells..
I put a mirror china toilet in it, ceramic one..
New huge kitchen sink out of an old travco and fixed up my kitchen counter a bit..
Replaces some Ts in the water lines that leaked a bit..
Got my hydraulic leveling jacks going, HWH..
I know it's not really a "vandweller" type thing but I like your "cheap living" ideals and am also very interested in the Arizona area that is so popular with you guys..
It needs tires bad, blew one on the way home with it about 40 miles but I brought my own spare, but that will be the last thing I buy before it goes anywhere so they don't sit unused and waste away..
Some things I still need to do are -
Build a new shower base and replace the cracked bathroom sing with a nice stainless one..
Fix this seemingly powerless hydraulic wiper motor or convert to electric..
Screw with all the exterior lights that don't work, half do, randoms..
Flush brake fluid to be safe, but it has recent receipts for $2500 in brake work and recent engine tune up..
It needs some rivets replaced here n there, it rivets together similar to an airstream..
Truck side heater needs a new switch and some screwing with, free'd up all the actuator cables etc..
Have the monster propane tank tested and/or filled and go through all the propane system.. Was originally dual fuel..
Front airbags or install stiffer springs..
Had the electric steps going but 1 motor died after 30 reps or so..
Lot of little stuff..
Don't buy one of these things unless you can fix it yourself, I could easily sink massive cash into it farming the work out and be upside down in no time..
I think I'm in it prolly $1700-$1900 plus my time now but that's no big deal.. I'm sure I could get my $$ back out of it if I decided to go with something else, like a van..
I loaned it to my sister to stay in last fall on my moms property and now it's snowed in good, prolly another month or so until I can get it out and back to my property where I live and get back at monkeying with it..
I really do like it a lot but it won't be cheap to go anywhere.. I think it will cost me about $750 in gas to get to AZ +- $100 or so..
They say (other vintage HR owners) that it will get 6-8 MPG pulling a 5K# truck 4 down.. Not too bad..
It's cool to drive, it gets up and goes faster than you would think..
On the road it feels really solid, not creeky like a lot of other ones..
This wall/windows leaked so I replaced the paneling and floor..
after
I fixed that hanging light too..
I'll prolly put down a wood floor..
I love the dash and the vinal material it is wrapped in, along with the upper bed bunk and upper cabinets and fridge front are all the same material..
This is when I ripped the cracked tub out of it and some floor i replaced so their is a mess.. Looks like I had the front AC cover off also.. Had a rag sitting on the TV antenna.. That spotlight on front is supposed to aim from a joystick but I haven't messed with it yet, I might not ever lol..
The front cap above the windshield there is the only fiberglass on the whole thing..
Thinking about painting the front and back ends black but I'm not sure about the sides yet..
I have half a mind to hit it with aircraft paint stripper and just leave it bare aluminum like airstreams, leave the black bottom black and all bare from there to the roof?
Iv'e fixed so many little things it's impossible to list all, but I really really like that it is a SOLID platform, all aluminum skin, roof, and wall/ceiling aluminum I beam framing, so it wont just delaminate and rot in half like most others will.. This along with the old school Chevy drivetrain I believe it is a good base for a project..
I found 4 stainless wheel simulator hubcaps for it but still need 2 more, I live close to a massive junkyard so I have access to scavenge parts for almost free..
It's actually in pretty livable shape right now.. It's cleaned up and homey inside. These pics are not recent.
Maybe it will never go anywhere, but I like it.. Nice guest house really..