1980 ventura makeover project - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-09-2017, 03:32 AM   #1
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Name: carma
Trailer: ventura
Alberta
Posts: 21
1980 ventura makeover project

hi,

my name is carma, and i want to say i'm so glad i found this place, i've been reading here for a few days, looking at the ventura threads and pictures, just educating myself about what to look for when inspecting the little ventura i saw advertised on kijiji, and though i was not planning on buying til spring, i think i might have just found myself a little gem of a trailer, it pretty much is/has everything i want in a camper.

fibreglass. small. no septic. good shape structurally, electrically, maybe a little bit of damage control or repair, but most of the work would be cosmetic. something a third of the current asking price for bolers, in my area.

i soon realized, after hanging out here for a bit, that i was kinda hoping for a bit of a miracle and didn't know it especially looking for something in my region, pretty harsh northern winter here.

but it seems this little ventura that i bought today, is all the above. it does really appear that my project will be more of a makeover than a rebuild or renovation. i'd love to rebuild cabinets and bench/dinette, but that's a bit out of my range of skills or work space, tho i do have a couple of ideas for mods. everything inside is solid, and in good shape. i can work with good bones.

unless i'm kidding myself, but i learned a lot about typical trouble spots from reading everyone's conversations, i have so many of you to thank for everything i learned, i felt confident about what i was inspecting, and do feel quite sure of my initial assessment. i spent an hour looking at it with the owner, then spent another good 30-40 minutes in it alone, took a few measurement, looking again to make sure i wasn't distracted or seeing too much rosy. i'm a fairly well-rounded diy-er, but a demo/rebuild would be extremely challenging for me.

it's not mint or even nearly perfect, it's quite fugly in fact, lol....but unless i discover i've bought a rusted tin can.....i think i already have some affection for my fugly new little friend

it's been painted inside and out....badly. the outside doesn't look horrible, just like it's got a lot of battle scars, some spider cracking and not so neat caulking......the belly band seems tight and well sealed, quite sound. no water marks or soft areas on walls, ceiling or floor, i checked inside cabinets and under the seats too. all windows (jalousie?) work, glass and screens in good shape, they seem to be sealed well, the aluminum is pretty clean and shiny for it's age. i think i have a minor issue with the door, it fits well and doesn't seem to be out of alignment, just the top outside corner looks like it needs attention before it gets worse. frame looks good, i crawled under in several places with a flashlight, nothing looked bent or twisted or rusted out. wheel bearing packed last year and still full of grease, all lights inside and out work, furnace kicks out good heat, stove works. two full 20lb tanks of propane, battery is 2 years old.

i can tell that the awful paint job on the interior was done a number of years ago. the adherance is excellent, i'll test if it's oil or latex, but really despite a slap-dap job, i can work with it. thankfully it's all a simple white, and i'd have wondered about hidden water marks if it were freshly painted. i've got some ideas about cladding the walls/benches or possibly texturing walls to hide the worst of the paint job. thinking about a few different opttions for new window coverings, color scheme, light fixtures etc.

the previous owner said he didn't ever use the fridge, didn't know if it works but then absent-mindedly mentioned he had been looking for a used one for a while. so, new fridge for sure, i'm sure. i'm gonna need help and advice with this at some point, i'll start looking for threads on the subject.

i registered tonight because i know i can learn a ton of stuff i'm going to need to know here, and find another ton of ideas to inspire me with my makeover. i keep thinking that i'm probably a bit deluded, surely a trailer of this age (1980) is gonna have issues i'm ignorant to now, or maybe just not apparent to inexperienced me. i'm guessing i'm going to need some help and advice sometime, so i thought i'd start a project thread here, it might be of interest to some. i'd share some ideas now, but frankly, some of them might sound odd or even crazy at this point.

winter is coming. i don't have a garage, it'll be parked in an rv rental stall and i won't be able to do a thing til may earliest, except for learn all i can here, get to know some of you maybe, look for ideas, watch for sales, play with inspiration, imagine and plan and stockpile til spring....anticipate the fun in making vision a reality. surely i've no idea what i'm in for at this point, no doubt i will someday miss this feeling of complete cluelessness, lol.

i'll post a few pictures soon, i won't have it in my possession til next week, but i did save the pics the seller put up in the ad, and i took a couple with my phone i'll have to sort all that out later, to get them here.

i tend to write long and lengthy. i sometimes bump into people online who don't like to read the way or stuff i write, so no harm no foul or anything, just a heads up, is all.

cheers,
carma
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Old 10-09-2017, 06:38 AM   #2
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Name: Patricia
Trailer: 1975 Ventura
Ontario
Posts: 353
Welcome carma,
It sounds like you did a very thorough job of inspecting your find. Good for you.
Lots of good information and advice here for you to tap into. I have found it invaluable for working on my Ventura.
Looking forward to your pics.
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Old 10-09-2017, 12:19 PM   #3
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Name: Kerri
Trailer: Currently shopping
Oregon
Posts: 35
Hello Carma, and Patricia, again,
Just chiming in so I can follow this thread. I won't start work on my (appears to be Ventura) project until next year, but want ALL info out there, including your adventures, as I am in the same group as you (no space, few building skills, etc). The only work I have done on mine so far is an emergency plastic job over one of the windows (non-original newer vinyl slider-type) that had a little water leakage into window track after first gulley-washer here...

Good Luck! Kerri
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Old 10-09-2017, 06:33 PM   #4
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Name: carma
Trailer: ventura
Alberta
Posts: 21
hi patricia, thanks for the welcome. your thread in particular was chock full of helpful information, so appreciated - the stuff you've wrote about went a long way in helping me inspect this little camper. you're much bolder than i am, i'm learning lots from you, really enjoying all you've shared and look forward to any and all updates you make in your thread.

hello kerri, sounds like we might be much alike, and starting on much the same page. i hadn't camped in years and missed it terribly - a year ago august i bought a little tent trailer called a combi camp....on my first weekend out i ended up hitting washboard on a gravel road, rolled my beautiful little orange ranger and camper, both totalled....can you beleive that, lol...i walked away without a scratch.

so....this year i bought another tent trailer, much the same only smaller, a leisure lite motorcycle camper which i loved, but i found it a lot of work to set up my camp the way i like it, and a rainy weeked ruined my camping plans more than once. so i sold that, and thought i'd pick up a little hard wall camper in the spring when this one came along. i'm quite glad i got it when i did, i'll have all winter to plan out my makeover. looking forward to sharing with others who are doing much the same, i'm sure we will all inspire each other with great ideas and advice!

so on that note, i see i have to upload my pics to a website before i can post them here.....i'm not too savvy at this stuff, will have to figure that out, it's been ages since i've spent any time at all online at a message board, i'm kinda rusty. i don't even think i have an online account anywhere that hosts photos. it can't be that difficult, i'm sure.

i found fabric today for new cushions, black and white tweedy stuff at a bargain price, so it's been a jumping off point for me. i've got a pretty detailed image in my mind now, of what i want to do and the end result i'm aiming for.

think natural wood, white bead board below the belly band, birch bark wall finish above, black and white tweed, burlap or burlap-like curtains, possibly over white roller shades. i've decided i'm going to make upholstered panels for the wall behind the bench seat (that area just looks bare and...wrong to me somehow) and behind the dinette cushions, so it will be like an upholstered headboard and footboard. i'll just use thin plywood with padding and light tufting, attached to the walls with velcro. i expect i'll leave the bed made up most of the time, i can't imagine making the bed up into a table every day. i think i can figure out a pop up table that i can attach to the area on the cabinet above the fridge - i won't ever use the bench seat as a bed, so i'll probably make a shorter cushion there, extend the countertop out over the end of the bench seat by making a lidded, custom storage crate in that corner that i can also put an extension leg on and use as a small table. (just the lid part, i mean). i was sort of thinking of using a painting extension pole, so it will be multi-purpose as a broom and mop handle, as well as a sponge head thing for washing down the exterior - just an idea i'm toying with. the closet definitely needs shelving or drawers.....i really love the trofast bin system from ikea, so i think i'll modify one of the trofast tower units to fit - it'll give me lots of flexibility to use whatever size bin i'll need.

ok, when i get a minute i'll figure out how to post those pictures.

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Old 10-09-2017, 06:45 PM   #5
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Name: Eric
Trailer: 1987 Casita 16
Illinois
Posts: 503
Welcome, I have a rebuild thread as well. When I post pictures, I just attach them as files. (the little paperclip icon above the place where you write the post) and then it appears at the end of the post. Easier that putting them on a site somewhere.
have fun with the rework -- it really becomes yours when you start to work on it!!
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Old 10-10-2017, 02:57 AM   #6
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 211
makeover

Sounds like fun project. just did one for a cliient the venture now lives in Yarmouth NS. what part ab are you in i am in edmonton.i am working on a surfsiide 14' .it looked ok when i got it .on closer inspetion .GUT an Redo. inside i had to make all new cabnets,and some they never had .i removed the front single bed and made a seat and portapote cabnet.
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Old 10-10-2017, 03:00 AM   #7
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 211
makeover

I also remover the belly band
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Old 10-10-2017, 03:01 AM   #8
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 211
makeover

Also removed the belly band
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Old 10-10-2017, 06:25 PM   #9
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Name: carma
Trailer: ventura
Alberta
Posts: 21
oh wow this is beautful mike! my little makeover will pale compared to your work, but i do think i can do some interesting things to personalize it and pretty it up a bit. i hope there are no big surprises in store for me, if so i will probably end up selling it and hope i don't take a loss.

if i had a garage to work in, i might tackle it, but i really have to stick with just a cosmetic upgrade, i can't even park a small rv in our condo parking lot for a day - against bylaws. and i'm on the condo board, so no leeway for me at all.

i'm in edmonton too, west end.

i'm just trying to get my pics to load with the paperclip thingy, still having trouble but i'll keep trying.

oh eric, thanks for the tip on that, i'm sure i'll get it sorted soon
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Old 10-10-2017, 06:28 PM   #10
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Name: carma
Trailer: ventura
Alberta
Posts: 21
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Old 10-10-2017, 06:40 PM   #11
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Name: carma
Trailer: ventura
Alberta
Posts: 21
here's a photo of the tweed fabric i'll make cushions out of, and also a photo of the birch bark painted finish. i did this on a 1/4" panel of plywood and attached it to my wall above the little cabinet i built outside on my patio. it's done with paint, tissue paper and the moss is made out of dryer lint. i'll forgo the moss on the walls of the trailer, but this is what i'm envisioning at this point. (subject to change before spring). you can't see how bad the paint job is in the pictures, but this finish will camouflage all that nasty-ness completely. plus if there ever is any water damage in the future, it won't conceal it and i can patch any damaged areas easily. Click image for larger version

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i'll make the birch effect a bit more subtle for the walls i think.
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Old 10-10-2017, 06:46 PM   #12
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 211
makeover

i am on the south side 2k from 50st exit on henday come by some time why sell when you can make it cute. i have a 17' boler to do next its a basket case the body is goog but yhe inside well when people see it i hear wow and they staret to lough.i can show how to double the heat out of the furnace and how to make your fridge cool beter .if you would like we can do coffie .let me know thanks.
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Old 10-10-2017, 06:52 PM   #13
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 211
makeover

Wow that is in real nice shape dont need much.
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Old 10-10-2017, 07:00 PM   #14
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 211
makeover

How are the window cranks mine were shot i got new ones at arrkkan. not hard to do.the people i did the repairs did not want to do them .
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Old 10-10-2017, 07:08 PM   #15
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Name: bob
Trailer: Was A-Liner now 13f Scamp
Missouri
Posts: 3,209
your rig

I don't laugh at anyone or anyones project. Best of luck to you there are a few who have torn their buckets down to nothing and started over.

At 75 I do not have the energy to do that but best of luck to you.

neat neat

bob
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Old 10-10-2017, 07:29 PM   #16
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Name: carma
Trailer: ventura
Alberta
Posts: 21
sure mike, i'd love to meet for coffee sometime, and also for sure i'd love to find out how to make my furnace and fridge runner hotter and cooler

the cranks all seem fine, all the windows open and close well, a couple of them stick a little, but doesn't seem to be anything serious. they don't go out of alignment or anything, and they seem to be well sealed....i pushed on the walls inside and out all around every window, seems to be solid, nothing soft and no gaping edges or anything. all the aluminum inside and out is pretty clean and shiny, i don't think i'll have to do anything but a light polish.

coming from a tent trailer with no appliances, i have a lot to learn, i don't even know how to winterize this camper, so that's what i'm here to search for tonight. i hope we don't get a lot of snow here tomorrow, my trailer is in sangudo right now.....i think the forecast for that area is 10-20 cm tomorrow! i'm a bit worried, but hopefully by the weekend the highway will be clear and dry again, i'm picking it up on sunday, and storing it in an rv park in spruce grove. crossing my fingers the weather will hold for a little while longer yet
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Old 10-10-2017, 07:59 PM   #17
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 211
makeover

I store mine in calmar 335. per stall per year the stall will hold 2 trailers .and that si fine with Dave.year round accese nice place pass cards and cleane and neet .if you need to move it in winter dave will make sure it is goog to go.
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Old 10-10-2017, 08:04 PM   #18
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Name: carma
Trailer: ventura
Alberta
Posts: 21
ok i've been reading all about winterizing....since i don't have an electric pump (just one of those taps you hand pump) or a hot water tank or toilet....do i still need to put antifreeze in? like just pour some down the drain and some into the water tank, even if it's empty? just plain old automobile anti-freeze, or is there something special for rv's?

i'm going to zip tie all my windows closed, and the owner put some red tuck tape over the drain pipe from the sink to keep rodents out, i can't see that lasting thru winter. i thought i'd stuff some steel wool in there, and tape it shut with foil tape instead of the tuck.

aside from that, i'll tarp it, and park it front end high so any snow/water will drain off that flat roof. somebody somewhere here spoke about putting a tee-brace made of 2x4 lumber inside to support the roof....i can do that easily enough i suppose.

sound about right?

thanks in advance for any and all replies, i sure wish i'd found this trailer a few weeks ago, "winter is coming" is taken very seriously in my neck of the woods, i'm scrambling and a bit worried now!
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Old 10-10-2017, 08:38 PM   #19
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Name: carma
Trailer: ventura
Alberta
Posts: 21
thank you to bolerbee for posting this link in another thread, i'm posting it here for my own benefit so i don't have to go searching for it in the spring. this fellow made his own door for his truck camper. i know the door on my trailer has an issue in one of the upper corners, it's possible there is more rot than i know, i'm pretty sure i can manage making a new door like this myself if necessary. i'll check more thoroughly in the spring.

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Built A New Entry Door For My Truck Camper!
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Old 10-10-2017, 08:39 PM   #20
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
Posts: 211
makeover

Dont use auto antifreez use rv stuff its not poison.just emtyyour water tank best you can.and leave the valve open.rv antifreez down the drain .and the hand pump is dry. when we meet.we can talk about off griding it .i do that with all of mine .i have7 rv '1 is a hand built truck camper made 90% recycleed material.
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