Just took a REALLY close look at the roof on the camper. Looks like it's going to need some work, for sure. A couple of the support posts are coming off of the roof (1 bolt per column is all that holds it). Plus, the sidewall on the door side is bowed out pretty bad (looks like the roof dropped at one time and it bent it). The roof is bowed from a prior owner attaching some kind of carrier on top. Ughhh

Roof Slideshow by malaki86 | Photobucket

Is that your crib up on the hill homey?

It is when I go camping. Hate to tell you, but even though I'm in WV, I live in a house.

belpre is slurring his words again :p

I think he's referring to the house in the first photo at the top of the page.
Looks like construction going on next to it, or that outhouse means no indoor plumbing.
this is WV, soooooo....:roll3: :D

Oh - ok. That's a photo from the seller. I don't have a clue about anything about that house, but, ya, I could handle it, outhouse or not.

Ordered all the parts to get the lift system working again. I'll do the work myself. It's confusing at first, but definitely not out of my skill level. That'll get the camper in a usable state pretty quick.

I'm going to start designing a new roof for it. Pretty sure I can build a complete new one with an all-aluminum tubing frame, with new aluminum on the roof. My neighbor is an incredible aluminum welder - I watched him weld 2 coke cans together. It'll be stronger & lighter than the original. I also need to replace the canvas (the back wall's clear vinyl is torn from the zipper), but hoping that can wait at least a year. The complete canvas is just under $1,000, but it should last 15-20 years. The new roof will last that long, if not longer. The bottom of the camper is in fantastic condition.

I knew that I shouldn't have had that last shot of rotgut Hoggie!;)

That's okay m8tee ... you are so likable! :cool:
when I slur my words, people get really angry. :o oh you betcha eh... ****** ?

Wow, TIG or MIG?

Tig welder. He's just as good with a Mig.

Well, quick update:

I ordered all the parts to rebuild the lift system. Everything came in a couple of weeks ago, but one of the parts was wrong. Just got that delivered to the house on Monday. Yesterday, I had to come off the road because my wife is really sick. I didn't like what I found sitting in the back yard when I pulled in the driveway:

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x...5-15151708.jpg

The camper roof was braced up with 2x4's inside while I was doing the work on it. Well, we've had some pretty good wind at home and the roof decided that it didn't want to stay on the 2x's any more. Luckily, for me, I was able to get inside and finish the repairs to the lift system. After that was done, it was actually really easy to put the roof back on, even by myself. At the back of the camper, there was a cabinet sitting on a bench seat, so that kept that end up. At the front, there was 1 2x4 left in place. So, I was able to basically just push it sideways and get it back into the support posts.

I still have to make adjustments to the roof, but that's pretty simple. And, yes, it's completely closed up now. Glad I did too - there was a pretty good storm here this morning.

While I was waiting on the parts, I checked everything else out on it. Everything works (stove, oven, furnace, water pump & water heater and the fridge). I'm going to have to replace the power converter because it's ultra-noisy and it's not charging the battery. The replacement for that isn't too bad price-wise (about $150), plus they're a lot better now. They have an automatic 'storage mode', which is basically a trickle charger for the battery. If you go in and start turning stuff on, it kicks back to the regular operation.

Hoping to be able to actually take it camping in the next couple of weeks!