Camper Mod Contest Entries

Retro Truck Camper Renovation

Welcome to the sixth entry in June’s Mega Mod Contest.  One Mega Mod will be published in every Email Alert in June.  At the end of the month, we’ll hold a reader vote to determine June’s winner.  Click here for information about the 2021 Mod Contest, including how to enter.

Retro Camper Renovation

Chad and Liz Chesley, Raleigh, North Carolina
1970 Camper Retro Redesign
2017 Ram 2500
1970 Unknown Camper Brand

Completed Retro 1970s Camper

Above: Chad and Liz Chesley and their completed camper

The main reason we rebuilt our camper instead of buying a new one is that we wanted to have all the things that are important to us in our camper.

Inside gutted camper

The pictures above and below show the condition our 1970’s camper was in when we bought it.

Camper In Field Needing Renovation

Camper Inside Gutted And Shell Like

We completely gutted it.

Ceiling Torn Up Camper

Rebuild Retro Camper

We also reinforced the walls and the roof.

Rebuild Retro Camper Foam Ceiling

Exterior Siding Rebuild Retro Camper

New Siding On Rebuilt 70s Camper

We framed in some vinyl windows to give it a tiny home feel.

Siding Painted On Retro Vintage Camper

Then, we painted it the outside walls of the camper.

Sofa Into Rebuild Retro Camper

Retro Rebuild New Roof

The roof of the camper has a viewing platform for two, but we have had several people up there with no issues.

Solar On Roof

For electrical, an AIMS 3000 watt inverter/charger, three 12-volt 200ah batteries, and four 150-watt solar panels keep the camper going for many days without shore power.

Inside Structure And Cabover

We made the bed area into a California King with a 6-inch memory foam mattress.

Foam Insulation In Overcab

We used closed cell spray foam insulation throughout that is 2-inches thick to give us a great R-value rating.

Foam Insulation Side Walls

New Ceiling In Retro Camper

The ceiling is aromatic cedar planks.

New interior walls and ceiling completed

The walls are PVC shiplap.

New Countertop And Faucet

New Back Cedar Door Vintage Camper

We built a custom cedar door.

The following are some photos showing the completed renovation.

Exterior Painted And Skinned

Retro Camper 1970s Complete To 2019

Retro Camper Flooring

Retro Camper Refrigerator Air Conditioner

Retro Caper Flooring

The couch pulls out to make room for an air mattress for future guests.

Retro Camper Cabover Complete

The camper is awesome! We love it. It’s like a second home.

It took two people nearly 500-hours to complete this modification and cost about $7,000.  In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is extremely hard.

 

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