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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
Senior Member
Joined: 04/07/2003
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I don't think that I'll be posting here for a while.
Just wanted to see if our old thread was still here.
Funny... Gatlinburg was burning the last time I checked in...
Gattlenburg has had 80 acres burning today..May 4, 2017
... . with 80 mph winds... restrictive driving... etc
At 6pm they have the fires 40% under control.
Be safe my friends... share your trips...we are looking forward to them.
Sleepy Chet
2003 Lance 1161,/slideout/AGM batteries/255W Solar/propane generator/Sat dish/2 Fantastic Fans/AC/winter pkg
AirFoil, Trimetric, LED lights, Platcat vent heat
2003GMC K3500 LT/Crewcab/duramax diesel/allison/dually/4x4/OnStar/front reciever mounted spare
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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
Senior Member
Joined: 04/07/2003
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Getting our Lance 1161 repaired... we want to see how many more miles are left in us.
Subconsulting delivered it to Washington stare a couple of weeks ago
It was the third 1161 in a row with major total felon replacement
It is detailed on Lance Owners Association site.
Good morning all
Everyone mentioned is a RV.net member
Harold asked if #2could post on #3
Sir Harold of Smalltown We three of Lance 1161 rebuilds are joined forever with a history, a common bond, and a common goal.
Capt PJ inadvertently started our repair group as he followed his own path to restore his wonderful 1161 back to it's glory days.
Historically Sleepy had a hand in it many years ago when PJ visited him in Oak Ridge on a cross country trip, saw Sleepys 2003 Lance 1161 and started looking for his own on his way back to Tacoma. Later PJ and his wife returned to Oak Ridge for a visit.
Harold contacted Sleepy many years ago when he was searching for a solution to his 1161's slide-out sag problem.... and built his own unistrut brace.
I am Chet, and also Sleepy not to confuse anyone... but to me, names beat nicknames.
Capt PJ's Repair gave me and my wife Janet hope for the first time in two years. Just maybe.... Oh yes... just maybe. His modifications were promising and a possibility... sort of a nautical theme.
I contacted PJ and Southend RV Repair and panicked, I needed a way to get the 1161 across the country. I was having some seemingly serious but recoverable health issues.
I needed a can-do person to take it cross country, nearly 3000 miles. I looked world wide. I narrowed it down pretty quickly, I was online with some folks in sort of a think tank and there were two possibilities but only one had experiences that would insure a delivered camper. My target has truck campered all over the world, his wife was a skilled partner at extreme travel.... but he lived in England.
I was soon on the computer one on one with Steve... casually mentioning my need and that I would pay for the fuel too. That the friend that took the camper across would be able to take as long as they wanted and visit anything anywhere along the way. Steve had frequent flyer miles . I was fishing and he bit.... but his schedule for that year was already set... They were going to Norway with their camper.
We agreed to do it the following year... I scheduled a delivery date with Mike Lentz at Southend RV and started dreaming.
I received a phone call from out of the past. "Sleepy, what am I going to do my camper is falling apart?"
It was Harold... I hadn't heard from him for years... and I didn't want to get anyone if front of me at Southend. I could feel the despiration in his voice and knew what he was going through. I made a decision... do the right thing. I told him about Southend, and introduced him to Mike Lentz... and PJ.
OMGoodness... he immediately scheduled. I think he headed north from Texas that day... they worked for months on his camper as you've seen. PJ kept up with it in person and on film.
Southends Dave and Mike finished Harolds camper just as Steve was nearing Tacoma and Lakewood.
As you can see, we are so intertwined that the saga of the Lance 1161 repairs can't be limited to any one... I welcome any and all 1161 comments. I think PJ and Harold do to.
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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
Senior Member
Joined: 04/07/2003
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Not that anyone is interested but just in case...
Our 2003 Lance 1161 has been stripped, the drivers side will be almost totally rebuilt, the rear passenger side will have extensive repairs, and the bumper area. Has water damage too.
The roof is in perfect shape... the front of the cabover is being rebuilt.
You'd be amazed to see the hidden areas and how much damage their is.
Capt Pjay9 is posting the rebuild on the Lance Owners Association webpage... lots of pictures. The title of his thread is "Chet's 1161 Rebuild"
Looking forward to get it back and on the road.
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jmckelvy
North Alabama
Senior Member
Joined: 07/25/2006
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Good Sam RV Club Member
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Hi Sleepy,
Several days ago I was wondering how you were doing as you hadn't posted in quite some time. I always enjoyed your updates to this mega thread about your travels.
Hope everything is going well with your health and hope to see future posts of your travels.
06 RAM 3500,Dually,CTD,Auto(ATS Stage 1),QC,4X4,PacBrake,Spyntec Freespin Hubs,60 Gal Titan Tank,EFI Live, Line-X,Torklifts and SuperHitch,Fastguns
2013 Arctic Fox 990, 275 Watts Solar, 2 Grp 31 AGMs
US Navy 1964-1968, 2-Tour Vietnam Vet
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JoeChiOhki
Sauvie Island, OR
Senior Member
Joined: 11/20/2003
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Good Sam RV Club Member
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sleepy wrote:Not that anyone is interested but just in case...
Our 2003 Lance 1161 has been stripped, the drivers side will be almost totally rebuilt, the rear passenger side will have extensive repairs, and the bumper area. Has water damage too.
The roof is in perfect shape... the front of the cabover is being rebuilt.
You'd be amazed to see the hidden areas and how much damage their is.
Capt Pjay9 is posting the rebuild on the Lance Owners Association webpage... lots of pictures. The title of his thread is "Chet's 1161 Rebuild"
Looking forward to get it back and on the road.
Welcome to the Gut and Rebuild Club ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile") .
My Blog - The Journey of the Redneck Express
CB Channel 17 Redneck Express
'1992 Dodge W-250 "Dually" Power Wagon - Club Cab Long Bed 4x4 V8 5.9L gashog w/4.10 Geared axles
'1974 KIT Kamper 1106 - 11' Slide-in
'2006 Heartland BigHorn 3400RL
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woodhog
NS
Senior Member
Joined: 08/06/2002
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Shes getting quite the overhaul....
Anyone with a truck camper should take a look at this link to see the
well documented work on Chet's camper.
Very interesting and informative.
Lance 1161 Camper Repair link
2004.5 Dodge 4x4 SRW Diesel, 245/70R19.5 Michelin XDS2, Bilstein Shocks
Torklift Stable loads, BD Steering Stabilizer Bar, Superchips "TOW" Programed,Rickson 19.5 wheels
2006 8.5 Northstar Arrow, 3 Batteries 200 Watts Solar,
12 Volt DC Fridge.
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Naio
Snug as a bug in a rug
Senior Member
Joined: 03/04/2014
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Aw, Chet, that is a beautiful story about you and Steve! I had read his trip report, but didn't know the background.
3/4 timing in a DIY van conversion. Backroads, mountains, boondocking, sometimes big cities for a change of pace.
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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
Senior Member
Joined: 04/07/2003
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Dale L
We've learned what a great effort it takes on the part of everyone in addition to $$$$$ to make this work.
We have been very lucky to have all of the friendly pieces fitting together.
Little did PJ know what a task he'd taken on when he decided to have Mike Lentz RV work on his 2005 Lance 1161...
first.. the hold up waiting on Lentz to recover from a a business totaling fire and the rebirth of their business as Southend RVRepair
then keeping up with the heart wrenching tear down of his camper Ashe watched areas of rot that he'd never suspected.
So many people would have given up.... but not PJ. He and M loved their 1161 and never looked back... they kept their eyes on the finished camper.
PJ visited and documented like others would have with a sick child. He shared everything with his friends and truck Camper family on the truck camper forum.
We had been friends for years and watched with curious interest, thankful that we would never have major problems like that.
I had been stopped in my tracks by medical problems, hospital time etc. for quite some time.
Our 1161 sat under our huge carport waiting.... with the front left corner of the cabover needing a little help. And maybe fix that rear passenger corner a little.... Oh heck! Maybe that area between the slide out and the propane locker.... but I needed fixing first.
As I recovered I marveled at PJ's repair and decided that we should take our camper to the same shop. We'd been all over and seen a lot of poor repair facilities encluding national chains... no, PJ's guys were the best.
I phoned PJ and lots of emails....
but knowing that I couldn't deliver the camper. I wasn't that recovered.
But how could I get it there... maybe get one of the camper delivery transports to take it back when the made a delivery from a manufacturer in the north west... the way I reasoned it though it wouldn't work. We'd have to ship it empty... and later we'd have to drive the truck up. We wouldn't have the stuff that makes our TC's home.
I mused some more... what if someone would deliver it on their vacation... Janet was thumbs down. "I don't want people we don't know in our camper, what about liability?"
I was still communicating with PJ... and had talked with Mike Lentz.
I came up with the one person in the world that had all of the qualifications to do it... but he had already scheduled his travel for the year... and he lived in England. I was determined and broached the subject with him a little at a time. But we'd have to wait a year. We started making plans and reservations for 16 months away.
I could have handled it this year but the plans were made, Steve would be flying in from India by way of London. How could I mess with that?
By this year another friend had slipped in and PJ was the eyes and ears for Harold who was a couple of thousand miles away. That turned out to be good for me and Harold... he got his 1161 repaired and Dave the chief rebuilder got even more experience ferreting out nasty areas of rot and ruin, cracks and breaks.
Without the Blessings of PJ, Steve, Dave, and Mike I wouldn't be sitting here waiting on PJs next report... I no longer hold my breath... but we get mighty excited.
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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
Senior Member
Joined: 04/07/2003
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We will be on the west coast soon.... if it doesn't turn to ashes. We will be dropping south into California looking for a good Generac mechanic/shop.
We know that we can get our generator overhauled in Las Vegas and have friends in Tonopah, Nev
We also have friends in Sacramento
They are getting close at SouthendRV Repair
I have posted some pictures on my Facebook page showing what's involved in putting new Filon on a camper.
The pictures start when the cabover is striped to a gaping monster hole.
Chet Thornton
If you have thought about doing it yourself you will see enough on Facebook to know what's involved.
Sleepy
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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
Senior Member
Joined: 04/07/2003
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Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year
We are back in Tennessee after two months
We came home from Washington by a long southernmost route.... 5015 Miles total. We were trying to miss any winter in the high mountains and smoky fires in California.
We got to see some old friends along the way.
I hope to share some of our experiences with you before long ... the good and the bad.
We are trying to get our Lance 1161 back in shape and loaded for spring.
I’ll be asking a few questions under separate headings... thanks for your interest and help with them.
Chet
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