Blazer Chalet #0661

[lowbrow454]

Originally Posted by notsolo

Nice project, looking good....Ripped is not what you want to see when looking at that door, maybe some updated waterproof building materials...Aztec pvc comes in 4'x 8' sheets, 3/8" ...1/2"...as well as 3/4" boards etc ....just a thought...Very cool shop with some interesting displays.....

Thank you! I had thought about using some different material but haven't looked into Aztec I'll have to check it out. My mom and step-dad are really into antiques and hit-and-miss engines. The shop is loaded with all kinds of fun stuff.

Originally Posted by Ryan_S

Just read the tread tip to tail. Great looking build! I'll be following along from here on out. I'll be interested to see what you come up with for the trailer. Will it be painted to match?

Thanks! The trailer is a ways off but can't help planning that out too. It will be painted to match but I'll most likely do it myself rather than have a bodyshop do it. Want to try and incorporate some squarebody into it to go along with. Thought about step side tail lights, blinker lights, and trim. Things like that. Originally was going to use a short bed and make it into a trailer but determined this to be little too big and bulky for our use.

[Zoomad75]

LED lighting is the way to go. Much brighter output at a quarter of the current draw and no heat. I changed my overhead lights out with some RV style units and I could have them both on full brightness and they barely pull a half an amp.

Amazon has a ton of choices to look over for full replacement fixtures, but if you want to maintain an original look you should be able to buy LED replacement bulbs to retrofit with.

I know K5Nutt who is restoring his Chalet Camper spent a large chunk of coin having a new door custom built to his spec by some RV firm and installed by a Boat repair facility for their expertise in fiberglass repair. But it looks like yours could be repaired.

[lowbrow454]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

I know K5Nutt who is restoring his Chalet Camper spent a large chunk of coin having a new door custom built to his spec by some RV firm and installed by a Boat repair facility for their expertise in fiberglass repair. But it looks like yours could be repaired.

I talked with him a little about his. From the pics his looks real nice. The door can probably be rebuilt but the latch might be a loss. The problem is the trim around the camper door frame is cracked and pretty messed up. Camper shop hasn't had any luck finding some, that style seems to be discontinued. We'll see what they come up with for options.

[lowbrow454]

Most the the interior is stripped out except for the cupboards. Pulled the carpet out to reveal the rotted floors. Honestly surprised it wasn't worse. Kinda funny when you walk on the floor with the carpet on you don't think about the floor. After the carpet is pulled you think you're gonna fall through any sec.

[Zoomad75]

Yikes! Makes me glad mine don't have a floor! How does the plywood attach? Does the fiberglass shell go all the way around to the bottom? Never seen one torn down that far.

[lowbrow454]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

Yikes! Makes me glad mine don't have a floor! How does the plywood attach? Does the fiberglass shell go all the way around to the bottom? Never seen one torn down that far.

The fiberglass goes all the way to the bottom and there is a seem where the ends meet. Not sure if it attaches with adhesive or just sit there. I'll find out more after the cabinets are removed. The camper bolts down in the bed through the bolt holes that are for the the seats.

Looking into replacing it with a composite material. Plywood with poly would probable be fine but the composite stuff is resistant to fungus, mold and absorption. Plus it's about 45% lighter than plywood. May not add up ton of weight difference but I''ll take what I can get with this turd.

[77blazerchalet]

Interesting. Always wondered what was under the carpet in these. I've seen photos of guys' gutted shells, but never a camper unit disassembly process like yours. Never got that far with my former Chalet #1747. It had better-than-average original carpet, but that back step-down area seemed too 'bendy' for my preferences. Dead, rotted plywood, no doubt. Chinook used really lousy quality wood. Be sure to show what you find inside your rear door. I had an RV shop fix mine (outer fiberglass skin had turned way too fuzzy), but they threw away the wood before I could see it.

Over at the Yahoo Chalet forum, I have a photo collection of my fixes of the cabinets. I took apart the passenger side one inside the interior, but reinstalled it as a complete unit, as seen in the pic below.

[82Diesel]

Following along the progress! Super neat!

[lowbrow454]

Originally Posted by 82Diesel

Following along the progress! Super neat!

Thanks!

[lowbrow454]

So after the camper was mostly stripped down it was time to put it on the worlds second smallest trailer and take it in for fiberglass work. When taking it to storage it was shimmed on the rails and strapped down. The storage was only a few miles away and on back roads so this wasn't a big deal but the camper shop is 30 miles away so this wasn't gonna fly.

We lifted up the camper and put 2x6's across the rails of the trailer and lined them up with the body mount holes. Then drilled holes through the 2x6's and the rails and bolted them together. Then drilled holes through the 2x6's where the camper bolted through the Blazer floor and another board on the top side since the fiberglass was cracking and not very stable. Bolted that together and was surprisingly very sturdy. Threw a couple straps on for good measure and it was off to paint.

You can see on the bottom side of the camper what the color is supposed to be.

[LT7A]

Good work on carefully attaching the camper for transit. It's easy to get in a hurry on those kinds of things.

[82Diesel]

Looks like it coming along!!

[lowbrow454]

Originally Posted by 82Diesel

Looks like it coming along!!

Thanks!

[lowbrow454]

Been super swamped lately but found a moment to throw up some pics from the camper shop. Body work underway.

[68Timber]

This will be fun. I've never seen one of the campers restored.

[82Diesel]

Wow, Great work on the camper! I wouldn't doubt once she's all done easily doubled in Collectors Value!

[lowbrow454]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

This will be fun. I've never seen one of the campers restored.

Originally Posted by 82Diesel

Wow, Great work on the camper! I wouldn't doubt once she's all done easily doubled in Collectors Value!

Thanks!

[lowbrow454]

Roof was pretty trashed too. New wood glassed in.

[77blazerchalet]

Originally Posted by lowbrow454

Roof was pretty trashed too. New wood glassed in.

I never got around to peeking under the roof liner in my former Chalet #1747 or poking at it. Was there a complete plywood sheet covering that underside framework? Like practically all other Chalets & Casa Grandes I've seen in various ads, the vinyl sidewall material in mine was shrinking away from the corners, pulling the staples out of what looked like really lousy plywood. Wish I had gotten photos when the RV place rebuilt my back door, everyone else who's rebuilt their doors said the wood frame inside the fiberglass skins was total junk.

[lowbrow454]

Originally Posted by 77blazerchalet

I never got around to peeking under the roof liner in my former Chalet #1747 or poking at it. Was there a complete plywood sheet covering that underside framework? Like practically all other Chalets & Casa Grandes I've seen in various ads, the vinyl sidewall material in mine was shrinking away from the corners, pulling the staples out of what looked like really lousy plywood. Wish I had gotten photos when the RV place rebuilt my back door, everyone else who's rebuilt their doors said the wood frame inside the fiberglass skins was total junk.

No plywood sheet on the top, just a strip that runs the boarder where the canvas staples to about an inch wide and the cross bracing. Hopefully it'll hold up a little better being fiberglassed in.

My door is definitely in bad shape too. Wood is rotted and the honeycomb insulation is all but gone. Can't believe that's all they used.

[lowbrow454]

Headliner moving right along. Pics are from the camper shop so they're a little blurry.

[lowbrow454]

Camper is back from paint. Can't wait to get it back on. Top was in pretty bad shape, lots of stress cracks. Tinted bed liner was used to help fill in and seal the top.

[lowbrow454]

Not much progress, waiting on the Blazer to get out of paint jail. Should be out soon. Hopefully be in paint next week. Few pics from the body shop.

[lowbrow454]

Finally got some more work in. Starting to tear out the rest of the camper. As everyone else said who has been through these, they are very cheaply made and flimsy. Wanting to keep the original layout and make it look factory but will need lots of bracing and better materials.

[72shorbox]

Old thread, wondering what happened. Why did the posts just stop?