Bought a fixer-upper camper project! A 1982 Coleman popup for $300. Canvas is in decent shape which my the most important requirement. Lower door/step was run into a tree so it’s bent/broken and needs replaced.
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| From Coleman Popup Camper Project |
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| From Coleman Popup Camper Project |
The electrical hookup outside is missing so I need to look in to that. The gas lines are there but I don’t feel comfortable using them. Will probably ultimately mount a propane tank or two on the front and run a line to a setup outside the camper. Awning is there but I haven’t taken it out to evaluate, zipper is broken so it’s held closed with alligator clips.
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| From Coleman Popup Camper Project |
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| From Coleman Popup Camper Project |
Well, first thing was to clean out the previous owners stuff and scrub from top-to-bottom. I cleaned out half a truck bed worth of trash and food swept out of all the cubbys.
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| From Coleman Popup Camper Project |
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| From Coleman Popup Camper Project |
My wife graciously scrubbed the canvas inside with soap and water and got the floor 3 shades cleaner! It was an incredible transformation!! The cross-braces under the bench seats were broken so I fixed them by drilling out the rivet-looking things and I had some short straight-head bolts/nuts used in place of rivets. Also put a couple extra screws in the cabinet where heater would be for structural support.
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| From Coleman Popup Camper Project |
Outside, the panelling is pulling away from the body so thinking L brackets for fixing that. The old heat vent has a dryer vent over it so I’ll probably just get a metal plate to cover until, if ever, I get an actual heater. Lift posts were sticking but went smooth after I hit em with some white lithium grease in the joints. Tongue is bent slightly but solid. It actually tracks a little to the driver’s side so turns out I can keep an eye on it with a quick glance while towing. The jack wheel is fine far as I can tell, goes up and down anyway.
There is actually a ton of room compared to being in a tent so just cleaned out, I’m getting excited about hitting the camp sites! All in all, it was well worth the $300 after cleaning it up!! Bought it on Sunday, cleaned over a couple evenings during the week, wife worked on the inside most of Friday while I registered and tagged it and took it camping on Saturday! Good times!!
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| From Campout May 28, 2011 |
Stay tuned for upcoming fixes and tweaks…
UPDATE: Also made a tool kit to keep in the camper. Had a socket that fit wheel lugs and another for spare tire bolts, breaker bar, pump jack I had around and a couple screwdrivers. Used the jack to level the camper so that was handy. Found a decent size carpet scrap for $2 at Family Dollar for entry mat.
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