Yep, it's a good project alright... I've already started tearing into it. The whole ceiling needs to be replaced, and as I'm finding tearing the ceiling out, there are small pinholes in the sheetmetal roof which let the water in. Should be no problem sealing that with some 'snow roof' or similar RV roof treatment. I've removed all the upper cabinetry and bathroom walls as well, which allowed me to actually get to the whole ceiling... instead of 'cutting around.' The way I see it, a project of this caliber you can't do half assed... I'm needing to use my whole arse and start out by simply gutting it.
All the wood cabinetry is in splendid condition, so I'm looking forward to reconditioning and restaining them all the original mahogany. There's marginal damage to some of the wall panels due to leaky windows, but I think 1/4" wood panel is easy enough to find. :p I'm trying to star as original as possible, and am going to keep it looking authentic. I don't think I can keep the original mattress sadly... as it is krusty and solid as a rock.
One thing I'd like to change is I'd like to add a shower. That would make the usefulness of this as a camper improve 100%. Since there's only very limited space in the bathroom... I think the bathroom sink is actually quite redundant; there being a kitchen sink just 2 feet away. I'm thinking about removing the bathroom sink and making the entire bathroom floor into a big shower pan. The toilet will mount on top of the shower pan... which I've seen done in later '60s model campers... and that will of course require changing the bathroom walls from mahogany to some kind of plastic panel or something...
A friend of mine is refurbishing a '63 Clark Cortez RV for someone... the RV had been sitting for many years unused and still had the *original* kitsch curtains and blue/black/metallic upholstery on the dinette seats. One thing led to another, and since the owner of that camper is "upgrading" it to a "newer look" I was able to procure this hard to find original upholstery in A+ condition. I'm jazzed! It will look good when I put this all back together.
The other side of the coin does not look so good... looks like the engine is seized up. A few days ago I removed all the spark plugs and injected some Marvel mystery oil into the cylinders... and also noted the all 6 spark plugs had surface rust on them. Trying to turn over the crank by hand is to no avail; it's stuck solid. I won't know what's going on exactly until I remove the head and look inside... I'm hoping there's not extensive damage to the rings or cylinder walls. Frankly, that was the last thing I expected because the valve train and the oil all looked clean as a whistle! It's not like this was ravaged by parts hunters at a wrecking yard who remove the air cleaner and leave the hood open... (hope I'm not stepping on any toes... :p )
I'll keep updating on progress and new pics as it develops.
