Ours was remodeled two owners before us, but the guy who did it put in a bunk on one side of the rear sleeping area so we have three twin beds back there. It's been great for our kids, who are all under 10 at the moment. We'll see how long it takes them to outgrow those beds, as they are slightly narrower than the originals. Also has a dinette in front, which I highly recommend. An egg crate or memory foam to cover the cushions is a big help.
1966 Avion Trailer "Barn Find" Build Thread
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Last: 1 yr ago by Ogre09
Did you leave the overhead cabinet above the bunk? I think we will go that route eventually but with just 2 kids it's hard to lose that storage. You have any pics to share?
We lost the over bed storage because of the bunk, but there's still storage underneath the bunks and over the opposite bed. Here are a couple of pictures of our setup. Also included our dinette with the table collapsed into the bed position. Sorry about the mess. We're in between trips.
I love the bunk. Thanks for sharing. Awesome to see it because we had talked about it. Just have 2 kids right now but it that changes we will have to look at this.
Coolerguy,
Where did you buy the Coosa board for the floor?
I need to get some for a boat project and they don't seem to have very many distributors. Thanks.
Where did you buy the Coosa board for the floor?
I need to get some for a boat project and they don't seem to have very many distributors. Thanks.
How much do you need? I have small scraps. Nothing bigger than 24" x 24" though.
I can send you my guys info in Houston.
281-798-7919
ETA: it was very difficult and I had given up when I randomly got a call back from a guy that buys it in bulk and uses it for his marine business. He sold it to me at no markup which was very nice.
I can send you my guys info in Houston.
281-798-7919
ETA: it was very difficult and I had given up when I randomly got a call back from a guy that buys it in bulk and uses it for his marine business. He sold it to me at no markup which was very nice.
Awesome, thanks for the offer but I need whole sheets.
I'll give your guy a call, thanks again.
I'll give your guy a call, thanks again.
Thanks for posting the pics of your progress here. Not only are projects like this fun to watch, but I have a 78 Avion at deer camp that would need a lot of work if it was used anywhere besides deer camp. Mine is a 3-axle trailer, and I think those are 34'. The original construction looks the same, and the layout is similar. I think all of our rust holes have been found by mice.
The only thing that concerns me about yours is that single axle. It just seems like a lot of weight on one pipe, especially if you go with more beds and less flimsy cabinetry combined with the flooring upgrade. Do you know what weight the axle is rated for?
The only thing that concerns me about yours is that single axle. It just seems like a lot of weight on one pipe, especially if you go with more beds and less flimsy cabinetry combined with the flooring upgrade. Do you know what weight the axle is rated for?
I'm not sure but I'll dig into it. I don't know that I'm going to be too much heavier than the original design. Maybe 600-700 lbs which to me doesn't seem like a big deal. I do plan to get it weighed when I'm done so I'll make a decision on an axel at that point.
Cabinets and floor will be heavier, appliances will be much lighter plus I'm not putting the freshwater tank back in. Old heater was huge. I'm going with a dorm fridge instead of the electric/propane one it had. Not going back with an oven.
Cabinets and floor will be heavier, appliances will be much lighter plus I'm not putting the freshwater tank back in. Old heater was huge. I'm going with a dorm fridge instead of the electric/propane one it had. Not going back with an oven.
The number I put is mine. Text me for the marine guys number.
Trailer is back in storage for the week. Demo is done so I'm officially building now.
The gray tank is maybe an 8 gallon and the black can't be more than 15. I'm thinking that since I'll need external tanks anyway I might just plumb everything up to go external and not even have internal tanks. This will allow me to move the toilet where I want which is a big deal as well. Not really interested in a composting toilet.
Can't raise the floor in the bathroom, already almost hitting my head on the ceiling. Can't raise the trailer to allow me to go deeper with the tanks or it won't fit in the carport anymore, and I need that shade. If I were to custom make the biggest tanks possible for the spaces and make them both gray water it would still only give me about 30 gallons of storage and the costs would be astronomical. Every way that I look at it it keeps making sense to just use a couple external tanks.
The gray tank is maybe an 8 gallon and the black can't be more than 15. I'm thinking that since I'll need external tanks anyway I might just plumb everything up to go external and not even have internal tanks. This will allow me to move the toilet where I want which is a big deal as well. Not really interested in a composting toilet.
Can't raise the floor in the bathroom, already almost hitting my head on the ceiling. Can't raise the trailer to allow me to go deeper with the tanks or it won't fit in the carport anymore, and I need that shade. If I were to custom make the biggest tanks possible for the spaces and make them both gray water it would still only give me about 30 gallons of storage and the costs would be astronomical. Every way that I look at it it keeps making sense to just use a couple external tanks.
This Froli system came installed our travel trailer.coolerguy12 said:
It will be very similar to the original floor plan. Twin beds in the back with the master up front. I'm planning to put a dinette up front instead of couch/bed combo. Not excited about the master bed being 4 cushions put together but I think we can make it work. Sink, stove, fridge, heater will all be in the same place more or less. Not putting an oven back in and the heater will be way smaller this time. One thing that really impressed me was how much storage the trailer has. Really want to keep that functionality.
https://nickleatlantic.com/collections/star
I've slept on several trailer mattresses, and have to say this works. It's very comfortable. We also added a 2" mattress topper from https://www.mattressinsider.com/rv-mattress-topper.html that made it even more comfortable. The mattress topper goes on sale fairly regularly.
will do. thanks.coolerguy12 said:
The number I put is mine. Text me for the marine guys number.
Todd 02 said:Todd 02 said:
I have a '69 Avion Imperial. It's been out at the farm and needs a complete gut and redo. Just don't have the time.
I gave $2,500 for it seven years ago. It's got some hail damage. Anybody need a project?
Hauled it home from the farm today. She's in super rough shape! But we made it home on one fresh spare and the other three tires held. All thanks to the six Ps.
Turns out the wife is interested in a restore. We'll see how long that lasts.
As my luck would have it, my wife's desire to restore the old tin can has, much like the trailer, lost its luster.
Anybody interested in a project? Camper has a clean TX title. Not gonna lie...she needs a lot of work. I've got $2,500 in it and would be happy to just get my money back. Camper is south of Lubbock.
Seems like my updates always start with "I'm embarrassed how long it's been since my last update" so I'll spare you.
Did some welding on the frame to fix some bad spots and add supports for some smaller pieces of floor.
Would have finished the floor today but ran out of POR15.
Did some welding on the frame to fix some bad spots and add supports for some smaller pieces of floor.
Would have finished the floor today but ran out of POR15.
It only took about about 7 months but I finally finished the floor. Next step is to seal roof and windows and then start building. I'll do the bathroom wall first and then work out from there.
Hard to mess with the roof with all the rain so I flipped this door over. Used to have the hinges on the bottom until it opened while driving and then my driveway ripped it off. Needed to flip it anyway.
Need to figure out a closing latch and how to keep water out of it.
Need to figure out a closing latch and how to keep water out of it.
Bump.
Any updates since the end of September? How's it coming along?
Any updates since the end of September? How's it coming along?
Been almost 2 years since my last update… I'm ashamed.
Had a baby last august and once we found out she was coming we knew camping wasn't going to happen for a while so it wound up on the back burner.
Fast forward to March 2022 when we bought a house on 6 acres and it got pushed further to the back of the project list. We did redo the kitchen at the new house and had the carpenter work on the camper. He quoted me $4200 for it for parts and labor and wound up telling me it should have been $10K. I agree with him.
I had 4 weeks off work when the baby was born and I told my wife I would either work on the camper or build us a patio. She chose patio and then we wound up selling the house 8 months later…. Still had fun with it though. Thread below of that build if anyone is interested.
[url] https://texags.com/forums/61/topics/3219805/replies/59964291#59964291[/url]
Had a baby last august and once we found out she was coming we knew camping wasn't going to happen for a while so it wound up on the back burner.
Fast forward to March 2022 when we bought a house on 6 acres and it got pushed further to the back of the project list. We did redo the kitchen at the new house and had the carpenter work on the camper. He quoted me $4200 for it for parts and labor and wound up telling me it should have been $10K. I agree with him.
I had 4 weeks off work when the baby was born and I told my wife I would either work on the camper or build us a patio. She chose patio and then we wound up selling the house 8 months later…. Still had fun with it though. Thread below of that build if anyone is interested.
[url] https://texags.com/forums/61/topics/3219805/replies/59964291#59964291[/url]
Looking great!
That's looking very nice! $4200 was indeed a steal for that much time and labor! These old trailers are very deceptive in how much labor and expense is wrapped up in them. Be very grateful your trailer is aluminum framed and riveted together, rather than stick built.
It's time for my annual check in on this thread. My wife booked us a trip to Garner State Park about 6 months ago so I had a deadline to get some stuff done. It's about 75% complete but was far enough along that it worked great this weekend. I was nervous about pulling it so far on its maiden voyage but it drove great with no issues other than a couple leaks which wasn't surprising since I haven't done much to seal the roof.
The awning was a pleasant surprise. No rips and it's spring loaded to roll back up. My wife and I were able to set it up with no issues.
I welded a hitch for the bike rack and some stabilizers in the back. Camper was very stable when parked and only creaked a little at night…
Found a place in the woodlands to make custom mattresses. This thing fit perfect and was very comfortable. It was a bit cozy but my wife and I still like each other so it worked out. Not much creaking but there was an odd sound like a base drum…
This butcher block came out of our old house when the new owner remodeled. Thought it was pretty cool to be able to reuse it.
I thought the kids would argue over the top bunk but they were both afraid of hitting their head. Had to convince my son that only brave kids would sleep up there.
Overall it was a very successful trip and went off without a hitch which I was very happy about. Still need to finish the floors, paint, run propane, install a heater, finish the bathroom, etc, etc, etc. but it's at a point we can camp in it and have a blast. The kids don't care if the floor is unfinished or the cabinets aren't painted, they just love camping so I'm glad we get to do it in our rolling home away from home.
The awning was a pleasant surprise. No rips and it's spring loaded to roll back up. My wife and I were able to set it up with no issues.
I welded a hitch for the bike rack and some stabilizers in the back. Camper was very stable when parked and only creaked a little at night…
Found a place in the woodlands to make custom mattresses. This thing fit perfect and was very comfortable. It was a bit cozy but my wife and I still like each other so it worked out. Not much creaking but there was an odd sound like a base drum…
This butcher block came out of our old house when the new owner remodeled. Thought it was pretty cool to be able to reuse it.
I thought the kids would argue over the top bunk but they were both afraid of hitting their head. Had to convince my son that only brave kids would sleep up there.
Overall it was a very successful trip and went off without a hitch which I was very happy about. Still need to finish the floors, paint, run propane, install a heater, finish the bathroom, etc, etc, etc. but it's at a point we can camp in it and have a blast. The kids don't care if the floor is unfinished or the cabinets aren't painted, they just love camping so I'm glad we get to do it in our rolling home away from home.
That is awesome. You do nice work.
Thanks a lot. I didn't think it would be 3.5 years till we got to camp in it but it was worth the wait. Looking forward to working on it more this winter while it's cool out.
coolerguy12 said:
Thanks a lot. I didn't think it would be 3.5 years till we got to camp in it but it was worth the wait. Looking forward to working on it more this winter while it's cool out.
Obligatory: user name checks out.
Great work and awesome thread!
Looks good man!
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