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Restoration addiction gone large: fixing up a 1979 motor hom

Who said it was only about Motorcycles? What else do you collect, restore, enjoy... ?
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clarenceada
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Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 4:02 am
Location: oregon coast

Restoration addiction gone large: fixing up a 1979 motor hom

Post by clarenceada » Thu Nov 25, 2010 8:45 am

I've been wanting a Motor home for the last several years, every since we got rid of our travel trailer. I got tired of hauling 30ft of trailer down small lanes or backing into tight camp site's.

So, not having enough money to buy one of the later model diesel "pusher's" (engine in the rear), I decided to buy something older that was mechanically sound just in need of cosmetic touch-up.

In a couple of weeks I found a 1979 Dodge Swinger 440ci with 60,000 miles on it. Best thing about it was being sold by one of the local mechanics of a reputable repair shop where I've had good work done on my trucks. It was his teenage son's and if he was willing to sell it at the shop they must have checked it over mechanically. The Interior was in nice shape---all 70's dark wood paneling--- except the carpet, which was thrashed from said son's muddy boots (he was a logger) and the two German Shepperd's he had living with him.

I paid $800 for it and drove it to a gas station, where I was offered $1000 for the engine and transmission as the guy wanted to put it in his 1970's Dodge Charger. Well, feeling better about the deal (at least I could get my money back if wanted to abandon the project). It ran like a loud top. I got it home and took a look at what I had:

Image

Over the next two months I worked on tearing out the carpet and taking off the hideous orange and brown decal or vinyl strip that runs the length of both sides:

Image


The carpet was pure drudgery; down on you hands and knees pulling hundreds of little staples the person that installed the capet had used, when it had been replaced before.

But the vinyl strip was something else, after 30+ years of sun and weather it was so tough I thought it was paint; so I threw every kind of paint remove and solvents and other goop on it to no avail, till I happened to talk to a RV repair shop about redoing the upholstering, that it was VINYL. Then tried hair dryer and vinyl remover. All that did was turn it into a kind of pasty glue that spread all over the side of the M.H.--- ruined the rest of the paint on that side--- which wasn't that bad, now I'll have to repaint the whole side of the rig.

Image


Anybody got an easier way to get vinyl stickers off painted aluminum?

Thanks for any help.


Clarence

cyclon36
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Location: Temple, GA
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Post by cyclon36 » Thu Nov 25, 2010 9:27 am

Looks like quite a project.

I had to get a bunch of Snap On graphics off a box truck I bought a while ago. Used mainly my fingers and did a lot of peeling. I used a microfiber rag and lacquer thinner to take care of the residue and leftovers. Most paint on large vehicles like that is epoxy style so the thinner doesn't hurt enough to make a difference.

pknopp
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Location: Williamstown WV

Post by pknopp » Sun Apr 03, 2011 7:18 pm

This is an older post and I wonder how the vinyl removing went but hehe, I'd have to note that I would have left it.

It's your RV, not to say anything, do as you wish but I love the things that date things to the time they were originally made. I'd love to have a mid 70's GMC Palm Beach but it would have to be the original green with the original interior. So many of these have been redone with newer interiors. Not my thing.

cyclon36
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Post by cyclon36 » Sun Apr 03, 2011 10:16 pm

pknopp wrote:...I love the things that date things to the time they were originally made. I'd love to have a mid 70's GMC Palm Beach but it would have to be the original green with the original interior.
I know what you mean. I'd love to have one of these:

Image

1974 Dodge B-300 Winnebago. I love the look and it's small enough to get around easily. I'd have to have it with the 70's style interior to be happy.


I'd love to see some more updates on the topic at hand as well.

mike1969
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Posts: 720
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:53 pm
Location: w.pa.

restoration

Post by mike1969 » Sun Apr 03, 2011 10:47 pm

Clarenceada had dropped off the map.I sent him a pm weeks ago to see if things were ok but haven't heard back from him.

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