Hi folks,
Picked up a 1979 Chinook Constellation about a year ago, and have been hoping to have it ready to camp in by the end of the summer. If we ever get a summer here in Oregon, that is.
After looking over the forum, I think what I have is really a unique beast. It's not a trailer, but the house is fully
fiberglass. Essentially it's a burro-esque 5th wheel trailer mounted on an E-350 chassis.
98K original miles, 351, FSC, sleeps 5, maybe 6, if you wanted to use what appears to be a relatively precarious storage platform above the rear bunk. No
generator, but it does have holding tanks, 3 way
fridge, Suburban
furnace, and LP range.
I have the skills to more or less completely redo the inside, it's pretty dated, but the condition overall is dry and solid. I do have some questions that will probably be well answered here. How to insulate between the interior paneling and the
fiberglass, how to clean/repair/restore the exterior
fiberglass finish, how to remove and reglaze the
windows. I'm sure there will be more.
It looks like Donna D. is nearby, and I know anyone in the PNW will appreciate why I snagged this rig. It won't delaminate, the roof beams won't dry rot due to a 'minor' roof leak, it's
light, it's rated to tow a boat or a toad, etc., etc.
Our past rigs include a 1970 Explorer (M-300) 27' motorhome, a 1967 Caveman 'chassis mount' (F-350) 26' motorhome, and a home assembled 1976 tent trailer. We spent a couple of years acquiring 8-track tapes for the MH's. Our kids know Barry Manilow and ABBA to the n'th degree.
This rig is not as pristine as some of the others, but it should be viable for our family for quite some time, provided I can maintain it properly.
I'll get some photos up shortly. I've searched the net high and low for another one of these, and found essentially nothing. I may very well have the last one left in roadable condition. Most of the Chinook MH's are much older, with a truck chassis (not a full size van), or they are the late 70's Toyota pop-up style. Anyone with info on this thing, I'd appreciate any leads you might have.
Looking forward to learning from this community as I move forward with this camper.