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Old 06-13-2015, 05:39 PM   #1
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Project "Problem Child"

This thread will be used to document the build and restoration of a project I've dubbed "problem child".

The project in question is a 1988 Lance LC980 slide in truck camper. I inherited this from my in laws. They were tired of paying storage fees on it, so my father in law told me that if I stored it at my house, I could have it. Score!! So, first matter of business was to get the camper out of the storage lot in the desert. Since the truck already had tie downs installed, and I knew the turn buckles were in the camper, I removed my tailgate and we made the 1.5 hour trip to the desert and picked up the camper.



First thing we noticed is that the turnbuckles were not going to work, as they were too short, so we devised a temporary plan for securing the camper to get it home. Combined all 4 turnbuckles to hold down the rear of the camper, and red necked up some ratchet straps for the front. As you'll see farther down in this thread, this has been rectified.

Here she is at home.. squatting the rear end of my 2500 pretty hard...





It was apparent that after a very squishy ride home, the first thing to do is to add either airbags, timbren Suspension enhancement or something else. After a lot of reading reviews on all the major products out there, I settled on timbrens. The cost to effectiveness ratio seemed good, and all the reviews on them have been positive. They replace your stock bumpstops and I'll say they work great. Took me 30 minutes to install, and that included looking for all my tools and putting them all back away. They definetly help with the ride while loaded, as well as getting rid of most of the squat in the truck.



Before timbrens:



After timbrens:



To be continued in next post....

Scott
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1988 Lance LC980 - A work in progress - Dubbed "Problem Child"
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Old 06-13-2015, 05:40 PM   #2
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First matter of business was to clean the inside and make it somewhat liveable. Its been in storage for the better part of 15 years, so the wallpaper was falling off the walls, and there was dust and dirt everywhere. I've been cleaning and cleaning, and as of today, it's about 99% liveable. I need to get the bathroom cleaned. Here are a few pictures of the interior layout.







First "mod" I did was to change all the small interior bulbs to LED to help with power consumption.

Led on left, incandescent on the right..



And I got rid of the ratchet straps and went to chain and turnbuckles. This configuration will change at some point to some sort of fastgun turnbuckles only with no chains.





In non exciting news, I also spent some $$$ on a new group 27 deep cycle marine battery for the camper, since the current battery was dead and 15 years old. As I do more, I'll continue to update this thread.

Scott
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Old 06-14-2015, 08:50 AM   #3
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Up early today for some more cleaning. Its amazing home much dust and dirt can accumulate in an enclosed camper that's been sitting. First matter of business, pitch the original mattress in the trash. Not only is it worn out, who knows what kinda bugs it's got living in there! Don't mind the window shades, those will get replaced soon enough.



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Old 06-14-2015, 12:22 PM   #4
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This mattress was suggested to me on a few other forums I am on, and for the price, it's hard to beat. It's got positive reviews, and I figured, for the price, it'll work well, and it's gotta be more comfortable than my cheap self inflating air mattress I use in my tent...

Gel Infused Memory Foam 4.75-inch RV Mattress - Overstock Shopping - Great Deals on Mattresses
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Old 06-18-2015, 09:10 PM   #5
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Lookin' good. Thanks for sharing the progress pics.
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Old 06-18-2015, 09:13 PM   #6
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Thanks Sarah! I will continue to share if there is enough interest in where this is going. I appreciate you taking time to check it out.
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Old 06-18-2015, 09:42 PM   #7
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Nice! You already have the best truck!


My Brother had 2 Lance's, took care of them and they were nice units. Kept their value.
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Old 06-19-2015, 11:51 PM   #8
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Quote:
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Nice! You already have the best truck!


My Brother had 2 Lance's, took care of them and they were nice units. Kept their value.
Thanks! Pretty partial to the truck. I bought it brand new in 2004, and I don't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon. As far as the camper, it's in surprisingly good shape for its age, so I'm grateful I don't have to rebuild the whole thing.
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Old 06-21-2015, 02:51 PM   #9
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Pulled my tail light lenses today and cleaned them up a bit.. They were caked in dirt pretty badly.. Here's a before and after picture. I also ordered some more LED bulbs for the tail lights, and for the 4 side outer lights...

Before cleaning:



After cleaning:



Camera takes horrible pictures. Didn't get much time to work on the camper today as I promised my wife I'd keep the kiddo out of her hair so she could get some stuff done.

Scott
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Old 06-21-2015, 04:40 PM   #10
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Apparently pics aren't showing up on this last post, so here's a revised post.

And some more pictures of the other side of the camper, and the back, for those of you who requested pictures. I took pictures in a turnout on my way home today. Never mind the vinyl trim falling iff, I gotta fix that. It came loose on the way home.



Scott
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Old 06-22-2015, 08:53 PM   #11
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New mattress installed with kiddo testing it out...

Scott
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Old 06-22-2015, 09:09 PM   #12
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Looks great! Love the mattress model!
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Old 06-22-2015, 09:49 PM   #13
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Looks great! Love the mattress model!
Thanks! She's my life! Almost 3 years old.. we went "camping" together in the camper tonight in the driveway, , and that lasted all of shout 20 minutes before she needed to see mom... slowly but surely working her into camping mode...
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Old 06-27-2015, 03:33 PM   #14
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Need more triangulation on those binders or you'll kill a bus load if nuns, something something.

Your daughter is really growing up! She'll be camping with you a lot in the coming years. My girls love it.

Which LEDs did you use? Digital cameras are sometimes frustrating, but it really shows the real stove intensity is about the same.
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