Community Forums

Gloomis · 03-10-2021, 09:19 AM

Will be getting back into the RV project this weekend. Was distracted with the purchase of this 1954 M221:

This truck is in very good condition for the age and very original. And, it's vintage!

Guy

George Schweikle · 03-10-2021, 03:59 PM

Does going from your Jeeps to this qualify as a "upgrade" ?. You may need a bigger motorhome to tow this to military vehicle shows

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gloomis

Will be getting back into the RV project this weekend. Was distracted with the purchase of this 1954 M221:

This truck is in very good condition for the age and very original. And, it's vintage!

Guy

Gloomis · 03-11-2021, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Schweikle

Does going from your Jeeps to this qualify as a "upgrade" ?. You may need a bigger motorhome to tow this to military vehicle shows

Hello George. I think if anything is going to tow, it'll be this truck towing the RV!

Guy

Gloomis · 03-14-2021, 02:30 PM

Made more progress today. Wall repair is done by the side window. Secured seat frames and added a brace for the water fill. Original was bowed out and I wanted to pull back towards center of RV. I'll have to remove the fasteners at the bottom of the outside skin so that the vertical side does not "bubble" on me when I install the insulation.

Next week will be back to the front bunk to replace the frame around the front window.

Guy

Gloomis · 03-14-2021, 03:01 PM

This is the last piece for the van to camper transition. As I've stated, I'll use a piece of aluminum to replace the original external piece of plastic.

Guy

Gloomis · 03-20-2021, 02:46 PM

Replaced front bunk widow frame today and removed DS front bunk corner support. I'm thinking this is the last piece of the structure that has to be replaced. As I thought about this possibly being the end of replacing structure a sense of accomplishment came over me. However, the journey isn't done yet!

Took me about 45 min to dig the caulk off of all the screw heads and remove them all.

Old frame removed:

Had to get creative with holding frame in so I could put some screws in from the outside to hold in place:

Frame completed:

Front corner with brace removed:

This is it! Easy build and replace.

Guy

Gloomis · 03-22-2021, 06:30 AM

Corner post has been replaced:

After installation I went back "in" and added / removed some brackets so that nothing would interfere with the paneling. I also cut a grove for the front marker lights wiring.

Guy

Gloomis · 03-27-2021, 06:12 PM

I added (2) additional roof supports between the AC unit and rear. The roof was dented down in this area and with no support and someone walking on the roof, I can see why.

Second accomplishment of the day was installing the gussets for supporting the rear end to the roof. Original design had a cabinet in the top corner that would of acted as a gusset. As I'm not putting it back in, this was the solution. These are 12" on centers.

Guy

Gloomis · 03-27-2021, 07:40 PM

Few more pictures.

Guy

Chargerman · 03-28-2021, 04:57 PM

Looking good. Nice work. Looking forward to seeing your ongoing progress

Gloomis · 04-04-2021, 07:17 PM

Didn't get a lot done this weekend but was happy with what got done. Long story short, there was a gap between the top bunk floor front edge and the front of the RV. I replaced the bunk at the beginning of the rebuild and copied the dimensions of what came out so I'm assuming it was built this way. I didn't notice it untill a few weeks ago. I had to make a few spacers for the front crossmember support to fill the gap. Problem solved:

Guy

nbluesky · 04-14-2021, 05:02 PM

Coming from someone who has done this to two Class C wood frame RV's I can admire your hard work. It is very tedious and it makes you wonder how they lasted as long as they did. I know for a fact that both the ones I rebuilt were leaking from the day they left the factory...

Nice work and I look forward to following along on the rest of the build!

Gloomis · 04-20-2021, 08:29 PM

I spent most of Saturday removing the original seal from the exterior corner pieces. Not fun. I used a putty knife, screwdriver and then course steelwhool with Acetone. Wore rubber gloves while using the Acetone. I had the guys in the shop shear up and bend 1.5" x 1.5" .030" aluminum angle pcs, 8' in length that are going to be installed under the exterior panels at the corners and across the front and rear seams. I'll caulk this to the inside of the exterior panels, then install the original trim with new putty gaskets. I still have to clean a few more pieces, then do some straightening before install.

Guy

nbluesky · 04-21-2021, 06:24 PM

Yup that part really is no fun. It's a lot of labor to clean those up. On the last one I did someone used flexseal spray on all the seams. It was a nightmare to clean up. It's looking good!