Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Avion truck campers

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Topic: Avion truck campers - Hundreds of photos

Posted By: SilverPompadour on 10/02/16 06:17am

Ripping and tearing before the snow flies, Deja vu for sure.

Krustydog, not sure what that purple strip is all about? IIRC the bustle is held on by the wrap around trim strip screws, then some aluminum nails which go thru the skin, bustle and into the wood floor. In addition, mine had thin steel nails(like picture hanger nails) fastening the bustle UNDERNEATH the skin where the heads were not visible. I assumed the bustles were attached to the floors before they were skinned or perhaps before the upper structure was attached to the floor/bustle assembly.

My floor was so rotten that the nails were rusty, weak and only needed a little inspiration to let go and release the bustle. My suggestion would be to use a chisel or small pry bar(little Wonderbar) or even a flexible metal cutting blade to go from inside bustle and access the bustle-floor joint. Easier said than done, I know. The goal would be to shear the nails as they are not very thick or strong.
You might also be able to pry the nails and bustle away from the floor from underneath but careful not to damage the overlapping skin. Some damage in this area would be hidden by that trim strip, my camper is a bit 'wavy' here.
Wish I had pictures of this, my explanation feels inadequate. Good luck.

1968 Avion C-11
1993 Dodge D250 LE Cummins

Posted By: c11motorhome on 10/02/16 02:32pm

69cayo, thanks for the rivet info...as my rig is the bastard child of a van and a camper it already has at least 3 types of rivets...so will go with easier to find and use closed end pop rivets, will match the aluminum work done by cayo on the conversion- fastenal gave me a good price and they are up the street.

krustydog, you aren't around georgian bay are you? hubbie saw an avion camper the other day south of us, first i've seen around here.

So I'll post pics when there is something more interesting than stupid rot to post. Took out the fridge today because the rot extends on the drivers side wing 2 inches under the fridge. Also appears that the rot that appeared only on the edge of the wing is further in on the lower plywood...so it will all have to be ripped out. Given the extent of the rot I am finding I am surprised that the whole rig didn't fall apart on the 8 hour drive back from the Soo! The PO said no leaks...hahahahahah

I'm glad to know that one strong person can heave my rooftop ac overboard as that is a welcome home job for my stronger half next weekend.

The rain this weekend has shown me more possible locations for leaks. I have an awning rail running the length of the passenger side, riveted the whole length. I'm pretty sure since I've sealed those windows and stove vent that it must be leaking quite a bit. I also suspect the fridge vent as a source of leaks.

One small positive note, I think I can install a grey water tank to rest on the truck frame, under the bustle. For those of you who have installed hepvo valves, did you use one each for the 2 sinks and shower?

Posted By: c11motorhome on 10/02/16 03:27pm

BTW for those who asked, I did call Cayo to ask if anyone remembered the build of my truck. No recollection. I emailed pics but did not hear back. So either it is too long ago for anyone to remember or the PO bought it off someone who spun him a tale. Too bad, I would have liked to know it was converted by Cayo, that would give me have strong faith in the build quality.

Posted By: krustydog on 10/02/16 05:01pm

Got the fiberglass tub out finally. Had to invent a few new words today as my usual goto words when things are not going well don't get used in front of my 4 year old. He happily asked a lot of questions while I worked away. Will add some pics tomorrow.

Plan is to support the aluminum shell in the air and then drop the floor out. I was hoping to do this in my garage with the shell hung from the rafters but I do not think it will fit through the door. I figure if there is some rot, might as well be a lot of rot. Easier to remove with the shop vac! There are thankfully enough pieces of the corner wood to trace the curves again.

Am contemplating replacing the "L" brackets with aluminum ones. They are still solid but rusty and I might as well while it is opened up.

Anyone know if they used open or closed cell foam back in the day? I am still surprised there is so much water in it.

Posted By: krustydog on 10/03/16 11:43am

Quick question for those who have buck riveted.....what ones did you order from VTS? There are 2 different head options. I am assuming modified brazier heads.

Posted By: krustydog on 10/04/16 05:14pm

I ended up ordering the brazier head rivets based on the spec's measurements for them. Here is that bit of trim I needed to remove to find all of the pop rivets holding the pan in. Current thought is to use a 5 or 10 gallon external gray water tank I set on the ground. I will either be somewhere that gray water can be dumped or somewhere I can just empty an external container.

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Posted By: krustydog on 10/04/16 05:15pm

This is where my project gets a bit 'crazy'.....

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Posted By: krustydog on 10/04/16 05:17pm

On its way to becoming a C-9!

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Posted By: krustydog on 10/04/16 05:20pm

Next 2 days will be trimming the main section aluminum by 21" and prepping the rear end to be added back on. I spent a lot of time just staring at the structure until I understood how it was going to come apart, get cut, and put back together again with the least amount of work.

BTW Xylene works great for removing the roof coating. Messy job but has to be done where I detached and will reattach.

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Posted By: krustydog on 10/04/16 05:23pm

The overhang of my floor was quite rotten so I cut it back a corresponding 21" and made some faux wings for the rear to sit on while I reattach it.

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