Ford F-350 4x4 Diesel
1988 Avion Triple Axle Trailer
1969 Avion C-11 Camper
garryk6 wrote:
69, I really like all the storage you are adding. Definitely the great thing about mounting it on a trailer. How are you doing for loaded weight on that single axle?
We just finished late last night a run from Tangle Lakes, AK to Anchorage, AK. Over 300 miles, and over 100 miles was the Denali Highway. We drove it last year, but this year it was hunting season, so instead of caribou and other wild game, we saw campers, hunters, 4wheelers, etc, and the roads were some if the worst we've driven. Raining at times, potholes galore, combined with wash board and rocks....
What made it worth the trip was the tundra fall colors! We do not get fall colors in Kodiak. It goes from green to yellow to brown in under a week... As soon as we can get better Internet, I'll post some pics.
Rattle check was good on the ole Avion, and it appears I may have stopped the leak near the old refer vent. Only leaks when driving now, and with a gully washer of a rain yesterday, it didn't leak at freeway speeds. Unfortunately, I need to reseal the front window, as some water got by it on the same rain storm...
Oh well, it has been a great trip! All 6 of us are having a great time off the Island,
Talk to you all soon!
Garry in AK
69, I really like all the storage you are adding. Definitely the great thing about mounting it on a trailer. How are you doing for loaded weight on that single axle?
We just finished late last night a run from Tangle Lakes, AK to Anchorage, AK. Over 300 miles, and over 100 miles was the Denali Highway. We drove it last year, but this year it was hunting season, so instead of caribou and other wild game, we saw campers, hunters, 4wheelers, etc, and the roads were some if the worst we've driven. Raining at times, potholes galore, combined with wash board and rocks....
What made it worth the trip was the tundra fall colors! We do not get fall colors in Kodiak. It goes from green to yellow to brown in under a week... As soon as we can get better Internet, I'll post some pics.
Rattle check was good on the ole Avion, and it appears I may have stopped the leak near the old refer vent. Only leaks when driving now, and with a gully washer of a rain yesterday, it didn't leak at freeway speeds. Unfortunately, I need to reseal the front window, as some water got by it on the same rain storm...
Oh well, it has been a great trip! All 6 of us are having a great time off the Island,
Talk to you all soon!
Garry in AK
Garry,
I need to weigh it again once I get the box finished. The trailer was about 2,200# dry, and the camper was about 2,800# wet. By the time I added the 20 gallons of gasoline, and 34 gallons of water under the trailer I should be at about 5,500# wet (with tools, jack, etc) plus 500# of "stuff. So, if I add the 600# quad I should be at about 6,600# fully loaded to the max with a trailer that has a 7,000# axle. Since I will have about 1,000# on the tongue when it is fully loaded, the trailer will actually hold another 1,000# above the axle rating, but I'll never even reach the 7,000# figure, even if I add another 30 gallons of water underneath it. So far, 80 gallons of water has been plenty.
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I could not find any comparable sales for truck campers in that (1960s-70s) time period. It is only in the 1990 models and newer have I seen this sale price for a truck camper. Perhaps others have noted some, let me know.
The auction value of these campers is important to those of us who are doing restorations.
I know that in classic car restorations there are some general guidelines:
(1) there are a limited number of models that are viable in the marketplace, so choose among those if you want to maintain value. There are actual lists posted by Hemmings Motor News that point out the cars that make the best economic sense. In the trailer category, it is Airstream that is the most viable in terms of restoration and value. But there is a long list of other trailers for restoration. That does not appear to be true for truck campers at this point.
(2) The "rule of 3s" has been cited to me: when you buy a camper (or a car) to restore, the base price should be no more than 1/3 of the finished cost. In the case of this Avion, the finished cost should be around $12,000.
(3) Buy as close to OEM as possible for the easiest restoration. This camper was almost untouched according to the description. On the other hand, some of the best bargains are made buying a "project" restoration that another guy has invested a lot of money in, but is unable to finish.
Maybe those of you on this thread have better advice about the values of the Avion for restoration. I'd sure like to hear it. But it is crystal clear to me that the Avion/Cayo TC is an excellent value at this point. I doubt it will go to the level of the Airstreams, which can be stratospheric, but I wouldn't be surprised that it will be in mid 5 figures within a few years.
On edit: I have been reminded by a PM that the Alaskan is also an excellent candidate for restoration from this period.
* This post was edited 09/08/13 10:14am by 67avion *
My 1969 Avion is in the original family and until that one that just sold, it was the only one that I knew of. Mine sat since approx. 1983, and there was no corrosion that I could find. However, the inside was one of the worst I had ever seen. The heat ruined the plastic, and the rear vent leak helped to ruin the floor covering and some wood.
I have a little over $10,000 in my restoration, and that doesn't include the initial price of the camper purchase in 1983. I replaced many expensive items like the refrigerator, water heater, water tanks etc, but I would rather do that then have to repair corrosion.
For your $12,000 estimate, what can you buy that will last another 50 years and still be able to be rebuilt again?
People reading this thread are understandably concerned about cost/benefits. To paraphrase Wayne Carini in "Chasing Classic Cars", if you're not having fun, if you don't enjoy looking back at the camper when you park it, then the love is gone. it's time to sell it.
I don't think that the restoration needs to be done completely by the owner, though there are a lot of people who feel that is the only way to go. I think that carefully directed workmen can often do a far more precise and aesthetically pleasing job. And its worth every penny. Of course finding and directing craftspersons on these sorts of projects is a real problem. Witness my issues with electricity - and that was done by a licensed electrician.
There are a very limited number of the Avions and Alaskans still on the road. Their scarcity should drive their underlying value. The point that 69Avion makes about building a machine that will last another half century (at least!) is also part of the equation.
As I've written a number of times the Avion is a shining example of when the United States of America made outstanding things. Its worth keeping examples as reminders of what we are capable of doing.