Long time reader/first time poster. Here goes...
I went to the Overland Expo West last year and was like: I gotta get in on this!!!
So I tracked down the unicorn of 80's fiberglass US-built camper trailers and for reasons that only make sense to me, bought it in decent working condition, and then totally stripped it down with the intent of building it back up again but with top-notch components and much higher finish quality. "Before" pics are attached at the bottom of this post.
I say this with equal parts pride and embarrassment: the intent of the project was to take what was designed and built as a poor man's Airstream Bambi and spend the money to turn it into something along the lines of the trailer version of an EarthRoamer. While it's inherent design and chassis will prevent it from doing anything more than a tame dirt road, I was and am still willing to make it both highly functional and highly comfortable. Now that the Airstream Basecamp has come out, that's pretty close to what I was shooting for.
So I found a company that - believe it or not - actually specialized in this kind of thing. I bought a bunch of components, shipped them plus the trailer 2000mi from my home, and all was going well. The trailer got a ton of fiberglass repair, a galvanized frame, and a hell of a paint job. This company that I sent it to started basic wiring and plumbing... and then the company got sold to another RV company and they stopped doing projects like mine. They called and told me I had to come get it. They treated me fair money-wise but I really wish they finished the project.
So now I have a half-finished trailer and a bunch of really great components sitting at my house. Project is dead in the water. Some current photos are attached.
Now believe me, I am not afraid to tackle hands-on work. The reasons I haven't on this one are: my skills are much more automotive mechanical than RV electrical/plumbing or finish work and I don't want to learn on the job on this project. And more importantly, I gotta believe that there's people and companies with skill out there and I'm willing to spend the money to have this thing be bad-***. I joke with my buds that I'm on track to have the world's most expensive $10,000 trailer. Which, as long as it turns out in the end, is something I could live with.
My problem is that the days, weeks, and months are slipping by (along with the good weather in AZ) and I'm making no progress. So I'm asking this expedition community for some help getting connected with the resources to finish this thing. I've called people who customize Airstreams: not interested. Anyone that works on high end boats in AZ has 3 years of work waiting for them. Custom Coach and Motorhome outfits don't want to work on projects this small. It seems like I'm just outside the scope of the quality outfits that I've inquired with.
So I ask: Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for me on where I could take my camper to get it the project finished according to the goofy and somewhat irrational plan that I originally intended? I vastly prefer a professional outfit over "a guy", but at this point I'm interested in any and all leads. I think main skill sets that are needed are: 110v electrical, 12v electrical, RV-style plumbing, heater/fridge installation, and some basic fiberglass and cabinetry fabrication/finish work. I posted it here because I have all the trailer expertise the project needs - I need someone who can put the guts back together. The fact that it's a trailer is a little irrelevant (IMO at least). Oh, and I'm in AZ and would travel as far as Oregon, Texas, or anything within that basic distance.
Happy to answer any questions people have. If you want to flog me for being stupid: I know, I know... so don't waste your time or breath. If you want to help a fellow lunatic build the most butt-kicking ugly ducking camper, PLEASE HELP!!
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR THE ADVICE!
I went to the Overland Expo West last year and was like: I gotta get in on this!!!
So I tracked down the unicorn of 80's fiberglass US-built camper trailers and for reasons that only make sense to me, bought it in decent working condition, and then totally stripped it down with the intent of building it back up again but with top-notch components and much higher finish quality. "Before" pics are attached at the bottom of this post.
I say this with equal parts pride and embarrassment: the intent of the project was to take what was designed and built as a poor man's Airstream Bambi and spend the money to turn it into something along the lines of the trailer version of an EarthRoamer. While it's inherent design and chassis will prevent it from doing anything more than a tame dirt road, I was and am still willing to make it both highly functional and highly comfortable. Now that the Airstream Basecamp has come out, that's pretty close to what I was shooting for.
So I found a company that - believe it or not - actually specialized in this kind of thing. I bought a bunch of components, shipped them plus the trailer 2000mi from my home, and all was going well. The trailer got a ton of fiberglass repair, a galvanized frame, and a hell of a paint job. This company that I sent it to started basic wiring and plumbing... and then the company got sold to another RV company and they stopped doing projects like mine. They called and told me I had to come get it. They treated me fair money-wise but I really wish they finished the project.
So now I have a half-finished trailer and a bunch of really great components sitting at my house. Project is dead in the water. Some current photos are attached.
Now believe me, I am not afraid to tackle hands-on work. The reasons I haven't on this one are: my skills are much more automotive mechanical than RV electrical/plumbing or finish work and I don't want to learn on the job on this project. And more importantly, I gotta believe that there's people and companies with skill out there and I'm willing to spend the money to have this thing be bad-***. I joke with my buds that I'm on track to have the world's most expensive $10,000 trailer. Which, as long as it turns out in the end, is something I could live with.
My problem is that the days, weeks, and months are slipping by (along with the good weather in AZ) and I'm making no progress. So I'm asking this expedition community for some help getting connected with the resources to finish this thing. I've called people who customize Airstreams: not interested. Anyone that works on high end boats in AZ has 3 years of work waiting for them. Custom Coach and Motorhome outfits don't want to work on projects this small. It seems like I'm just outside the scope of the quality outfits that I've inquired with.
So I ask: Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for me on where I could take my camper to get it the project finished according to the goofy and somewhat irrational plan that I originally intended? I vastly prefer a professional outfit over "a guy", but at this point I'm interested in any and all leads. I think main skill sets that are needed are: 110v electrical, 12v electrical, RV-style plumbing, heater/fridge installation, and some basic fiberglass and cabinetry fabrication/finish work. I posted it here because I have all the trailer expertise the project needs - I need someone who can put the guts back together. The fact that it's a trailer is a little irrelevant (IMO at least). Oh, and I'm in AZ and would travel as far as Oregon, Texas, or anything within that basic distance.
Happy to answer any questions people have. If you want to flog me for being stupid: I know, I know... so don't waste your time or breath. If you want to help a fellow lunatic build the most butt-kicking ugly ducking camper, PLEASE HELP!!
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR THE ADVICE!
