New-to-Me Hallmark LaVeta Questions...

P4270002.JPGView attachment 223443I just bought a 1995 Hallmark LaVeta pop up camper! Considering how rare these are used and how good of shape this one's in, I'm super stoked- the price was right too. I've got a laundry list of things I want to do to it:

1) Put on a roof rack. I saw a post somewhere in which someone used aluminum "tent" brackets to mount Yakima bars onto a pop up. Does anyone have know-how on this or done something similar? I don't need/want any kind of a track system-just simple and bomber.

2) The camper is a bit faded. How do I clean the outer shell of a Hallmark?- rubbing compound?

3) (The Biggie) Solar panel to trickle charge my battery- I'm thinking I'll bring it in to Hallmark (as they're about 2 hours from where I live), but anyone have any recs on what to use for a lightweight, effective system?

4) I'd also like to replace the outer vinyl trim on the lower lip of the pop up. Should I have Hallmark do this, or can I order simple black trim from them and do it myself?

5) My truck has side receiver hitch mounts, but I don't have the thingamajoos that the camper tie downs attach to. Anyone know where I can just buy the metal things that go into the side receiver slots?

5) Fresh trim decals- I know it sounds kinda vain, but I'd like to get the original LaVeta striping on the outside of the camper.

I've searched and found info on the above questions, but this is kinda a "one stop shopping" post, so any advice is much appreciated. P4270004.JPG
 

brian90744

American Trekker
Camper hold-down

sound like you have Torklift brackets on your truck, Contact mfg for missing parts="My truck has side receiver hitch mounts, but I don't have the thingamajoos that the camper tie downs attach to. Anyone know where I can just buy the metal things that go into the side receiver slots?
just FYI=brian
 

tanglefoot

ExPoseur
Nice camper!

You can assemble and install your own solar system for much less than any kits or professional installations. All you need is a panel and charge controller. It takes some consideration to decide what size panel (in Watts) to use. Factor in the electrical loads in the camper and any accessories and how often they are used. For many campers, a 50-watt panel can usually keep up fine. In my more minimalist camper (no furnace, no fridge, no gadgets), a single 10W panel keeps up just fine. The total cost of my system came to right around $50.

You can get the panel direct from China on Ebay, or from here:
http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Panels-&-Systems-12-Volt-Solar-Panels/c1_269/index.html

Then just find an inexpensive charge controller, like this:

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/brunton...e&adid=18165&gclid=CNbQgcXMhL4CFepAMgodvj0AEg

...mount the panel to some kind of brackets (I used some brackets from a swingset swing), drill a hole in the roof, route the wires (you can often use the conduit for the ceiling lights) and connect them up.

On brightening up the fiberglass, that's probably pretty close to the original color. About all you can do, without painting it, is give it a good, non-abrasive cleaning. You don't want anything abrasive or it'll take off the gel-coat that's probably on there.

Enjoy!
 
Thanks for the tips- I'm going to look into solar panel installation and putting on a rack too. The interior of the camper is pretty much cherry- even has the original paperwork and sink cover too!
 

COBlue

New member
You might want to try it out first before jumping into solar. I thought I needed solar for my Hallmark Milner but after getting a Tri-metric 2025 I found that I wasn't getting a full charge on my two 6 volt batteries before leaving on a trip. When fully charged I can run the furnace overnight and only use 10% of the batteries. With no furnace I use way less. This weekend I didn't use the furnace and the batteries were fully charged after the 4 hour drive home. IMO, the important thing is to get the batteries FULLY charged before you go, and keep them fully charged after you return.
 

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