112 replies to this topic

[Colorado CJ]

Hello everyone.

Last week, I bought an '86 FWC Keystone for $675.00. It has some issues, but for the money, I thought it was a decent deal. In this thread I'll document my full rebuild to include narrowing the floor pack for modern trucks, rebuilding the interior, replacing the over cab wood, building new lift panels and repainting the exterior.

Here's what I'm starting with.





I started in on the build today. First, I though I'd start with narrowing the floor pack so that it can fit in newer model trucks. This camper had a floor pack that was 64" wide. Most modern trucks have a tailgate opening of 60", so the camper won't fit newer trucks.

I'll be narrowing down the camper floor pack to 58"

First, I needed to unscrew the trim pieces, then pull all the staples out of the wood.



I'm narrowing it down 3" on each side. So I had to cut out the aluminum frame, and shorten the bottom section 3", then weld back the vertical aluminum frame piece in the new location. I also cut down the outer skin 3"

Before pic.



After pic.



Next, I scribed a line 3" in on the floor and bottom of the floor pack. I then used a circular saw and sawzall to cut it out.



I measured up the parts I cut out and added 3" to the horizotal piece and made a new side. I am using gorilla glue and countersink screws to construct the new sides.



A little grunting and wiggling and hammering and it fit right in. I used gorrila glue on all wood to wood joints (the original only relied on long staples). Here's how it looks now, just need to clean up and reinstall the trim work.



On the inside



I'll finish up rebuilding the drivers side tomorrow. It should go a little faster now that I have a plan on how to do it.

The whole interior will then be gutted, new flooring installed and the paneling painted. I then need to build new lifting panels and replace the over cab bed area. I'll probably redo the interior totally and will be repainting the outside.

Lots of work left! I am having fun though. I really like rebuilding/building things so this is right up my alley. I'll post again once I'm further along.

Edited by Colorado CJ, 09 April 2015 - 01:51 AM.

[W6USA]

Wow, what an ambitious project!  And it seems you are moving right along.  You really scored on that camper, it looks very well taken care of and not beat up at all.

 

Thanks for posting so we can follow along!

 

Scott

[Bill D]

Yup, pretty cool project.   It would be fun to butcher and rebuild an older FWC.  Looks like you have a great foundation to start with.  It should be a pretty cool project when complete and we'll all be jealous that you have such a cool, customized rig for such an affordable price.

[longhorn1]

Great start.  Good luck and looking forward to seeing more pictures.

[takesiteasy]

Nice work! Looking forward to the rest of your project.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Looks like you have a good start, and good bones to work with. Have fun, I will enjoy seeing your progress.

[Colorado CJ]

Thanks guys.

Not much to to post today. The driver's side is built differently than the passenger's side, so I had to first remove the stove, sink, propane storage are and most of the cabinetry to see what I had to work with.

Its a mess.




Once that was done, I removed the plywood off the side of the floor pack.



Then I scribed a line 3" in on all the wood I had to cut away, as well as the front piece of the aluminum frame. Got my circular saw and sawzall out and went to work. It was a little harder cutting this side out as I had to cut upside down because of the way this side was put together. Nothing like a face full of sawdust at the end of a day



Anyway, that is all I got done today. Tomorrow I'll be installing the new plywood, cleaning up and reinstalling the trim pieces and probably replacing the cabover wood.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

"Nothing like a face full of sawdust at the end of a day ;)"

Be thankful you weren't doing overhead welding. Nothing is more fun than a piece of hot slag down your shirt...

[Colorado CJ]

"Nothing like a face full of sawdust at the end of a day ;)"
Be thankful you weren't doing overhead welding. Nothing is more fun than a piece of hot slag down your shirt...

Haa Haa Been there and done that, have the pock marks still on my chest to prove it. I can't stand welding overhead, especially in confined areas.

[PaulT]

Yeah, but there's nothing like a molten puddle of steel over head to concentrate the mind and coordinate the hands.

 

Paul