New to Forum, Old Camper Questions

[Tinatot]

Hi y'all. I'm Tina and my husband Chris and I have owned a 1979 HiLo since the 80's. A little about us:
We were married at 18. Had 2 kids of our own, adopted 3 of my sister's kids to keep them out of foster care. We are now going on 30 years of marriage and ALL the kids are grown and out of the house. YIPPEE More time for camping!
My husband is EXTREMELY handy. He has a small remodeling company here in Tampa, FL. I have been working with him 24/7 since 2009 and together we do construction/remodel jobs. He's done a lot of work on the camper - the biggest being one of the cables breaking once and he put in a new one. We haven't fully taken off the top yet - but it's probably time to do that as the seals are all in terrible shape.
We LOVE camping in our HiLo. It's probably all of 17 feet, but we just love it to death. I took out the shower and have been thinking about pulling the toilet as well. We NEVER use it and I could use the space for additional storage. Right now when we camp I put a piece of plywood (with fabric cover) over that area and use it as a table top and use under it (and around the toilet) for storage. Curious as to if any of you have done that as well. But that's not the high priority for us. We've done other things: Recovered the cushions, changed out a few of the lights, completely remade the table, painted the walls, etc.
Biggest priority is 1) Fan replacement (dome is cracked) and 2) Interior wall replacement - wall towards the front. We've had water damage there in the past and the paneling is just falling apart. So my questions are this:
1) What kind of fan would I find on Amazon or wherever online that could replace our original fan in the HiLo.
2) What are some ideas of covering that paneling on the front wall. We were thinking about taking off the doors, then using FRP and gluing/screwing it to what's there now, then cutting out the holes for the window and cabinets. But I'm sure there might be other ideas. The shelf in front of the window is also falling apart, so whatever I'd do to that wall I'd need to do on that shelf as well.
I look forward to some great ideas! And love knowing all of you love your HiLos as much as we do!

 

[hilltool]

WELCOME! I recommend replacing the fan with another FANTASTIC FAN, as I think there is general agreement they are the best. Others will be along to offer suggestions on replacing walls etc but there are many "rebuilds" hidden in the archives of the forums and you may find hours of enjoyment utilizing the "search" function to start chasing down threads related to that. Also- we LOVE pictures . Feel free to post them. On a 'reply' you an use the "go advanced" button under the post window and follow directions for uploading photos.

Rick

 

[sam-HILO]

Welcome to the forum.

Tinatot,Welcome to the forum. What a great story you posted of your life. I have seen 70s HiLos at our dealer. We have done extensive wall repair in our 1990 HiLo Classic. You must rip the wall out all the way back to the metal framing. Then put the layers back in. We had good luck using heavy duty construction adhesive/liquid nails. Try and take the old paneling out to be able to use it for a pattern. The metal can be coated with a rust preventive paint. Then we used bondo to seal the inside of the fiberglass walls. You could have pinpoint holes you can't even see. We used a 1/8th Georgia pacific paneling the had the vinyl coating on it. Take some before and after pictures. Look for back posts as many of us have had to do extensive repairs. Many good threads in the back posts.

 

[Treeclimber]

Tinatot, Welcome to the forum from Bonita Springs, Fl. Your question about the fans -- Amazon has the Fan-tastic vent for $141.00, fits exactly, smoked dome and only the inside trim needs cutting to fit snug against the ceiling. I've put three in two Hi Los and getting ready to do another any day now. Best of luck with your re-do!
Tree

 

[VPed]

Tina, FANTASTIC fans make a model for the vintage trailer look if that is what you are after, modern performance and old school look. I plan on ordering for myself. Fan-Tastic Fan Vent

 

[motorpig2342]

I'm replacing all my walls with this. Recessed White Cedar MDF Wall Panel. Its at Lowes: Shop Georgia-Pacific 47.76-in x 7.98-ft Recessed White Cedar MDF Wall Panel at Lowes.com Its not very water durable but hopefully all my leaks are fixed and I plan on keeping a closer eye for leaks. If your looking for something more durable then you'll have to go with something more in the 30$ per panel range. Something like this: White Fiberglass Reinforced Wall Panel which is at lowes also. Shop Sequentia 48-in x 8-ft Embossed White Fiberglass Reinforced Wall Panel at Lowes.com. Or you could shop for shower walls which would hold up forever. They have lots of designs that would suit interior walls. Just depends on what look you want and how durable you want it.

 

[JackandJanet]

Hi Tina - I'll add to the recommendations for Fan-Tastic Fans. They use less current than the Mattel Toy fans that were OEM, and, they move more air! So, they are kinder on your battery and they cool better.

I put one with a thermostat and rain sensor in my trailer. I turn it on when we arrive at a campsite and just leave it on the whole time. Never have to worry about rain coming in because it closes as soon as just a bit of rain touches it and, it doesn't run if the temperature is cool enough.

It was a dead simple installation.

- Jack

 

[hilltool]

Ive always assumed mine was a fan-tastic fan- but the automatic rain function is not there nor the temperature function. Ill have to check the "paper work" again when I get it out of storeage.

Rick

 

[JackandJanet]

Ive always assumed mine was a fan-tastic fan- but the automatic rain function is not there nor the temperature function. Ill have to check the "paper work" again when I get it out of storeage.

Rick

Those are two extra cost options, Rick. I think they're worth it, especially if you're upgrading from the OEM toy fan.

- Jack

 

[Tinatot]

I'm replacing all my walls with this. Recessed White Cedar MDF Wall Panel. Its at Lowes: Shop Georgia-Pacific 47.76-in x 7.98-ft Recessed White Cedar MDF Wall Panel at Lowes.com Its not very water durable but hopefully all my leaks are fixed and I plan on keeping a closer eye for leaks. If your looking for something more durable then you'll have to go with something more in the 30$ per panel range. Something like this: White Fiberglass Reinforced Wall Panel which is at lowes also. Shop Sequentia 48-in x 8-ft Embossed White Fiberglass Reinforced Wall Panel at Lowes.com. Or you could shop for shower walls which would hold up forever. They have lots of designs that would suit interior walls. Just depends on what look you want and how durable you want it.

Thanks for all the ideas guys! motorpig2342, that's exactly what I was thinking. Since I don't want to do the WHOLE camper just yet, just that one wall by the front window, I think just adhering an MDF panel to what's there would do the trick. Even the expensive one since it's just one half wall would do the trick. Going to look into that fantastic fan everyone has recommended. Great feedback - thank you!

Tina