Starting my 72 camper special project update 8.08

[terry1167]

Hi-I've wanted one of these since my dad had a '68 F100 over 35 years ago. Finally found the right one for the right price. 1972 F250 Camper Special Sport Custom. I bought it from the original owner (75 years old) near Boulder Colorado. He just rarely drove it and it was sitting around. 75K original miles. Power steering, brakes, automatic, 390 V8, original AM radio. Original hubcaps and all of the trim, chrome and emblems are in excellent shape and in tact. Just a little oxidized from sitting outside for 30 years. It only has a few dings and no structural rust but it does have a lot of surface rust from wear. Interior is pretty decent. No accidents. All original and has the owners manual, papers, sales brochure, towing guide, etc. I haven't had much time to work on it but so far I've mostly been researching it. Done some mechanical work (fuel filter, pump, carb cleaning). Painted the original rims white. Polishing up all of the trim and hubcaps. Been cleaning the engine and compartment. I took off the diamond plate running boards. I took off the old "laverne" bumper and am replacing it with a HD bumper that I got for free from salvage. Spent all day redoing the brackets so it would fit properly. Have to sand the bumper and paint it. I did find an original set of bumper guards that I picked up for $30. I did have it wired for a slide in camper. I restore campers from the 70's and bought a big '79 11 1/2 Mitchell (made in Colorado but went out of business in 80) Restored that (about 98% done) and once the Ford is done, it will sit on that occassionally. My 15 yo son is helping me restore the truck. We hope to have it pretty much complete in 2012 and will show it in the "antique" area of the Denver RV show. Here are some pics. The first is of the orginal owner, "John" by the Ford on the night that I picked it up Heck of a nice guy and he wants me to keep him apprised of my progress. He told me that he wanted to cry the night I drove off with it. Next pic is with the hubcaps removed before I painted the rims white. Next pic is of the 79 Mitchell camper that I am almost done restoring.

[terry1167]

Here's a few more pics. I'll keep y'all posted as I go along.

[cozadlance2]

may all go as well as possible. this is the place to look for tips as you go. from portland oregon

[Hemmi06]

Nice start.. Keeps the pics comming as ya go!!!

[Fordman5]

Great find, keep all the paperwork for the truck, it will be worth more as you go. Good luck with the resto.

[71highboy]

body is very good for a start

[robroy]

Good morning Terry!

It looks like you did a great job of finding a well-equipped and preserved truck to invest in! Thanks for the excellent photos; my favorite is this one, since it shows off the classic F250 stance.

Restoring vintage campers seems like an unusual and interesting pursuit. I'd be curious to see more photos of your work on the camper if you have a chance to add some here. It will definitely look classic on the back of your F250, and I'm sure it'll haul it gracefully.

Robroy

[terry1167]

Hi Robroy. I love the campers and trailers from the 70's and have restored a couple now. It seems like a growing trend as people will pay top dollar for a restored 70's RV. Here are a few pics of the camper. It's a 79 11 1/2 footer and weighs about 2800#. It was top of the line in 79 and loaded. The builder was local but went out of business in 81. My dad owned 2 of them, ordered from the factory. Very well built and heavy. You still see them in Colorado but most existing ones are pretty trashed. I found this one from a guy that bought it frm the original owner. It was on a 79 one ton Chevy and it only had 27K original miles. It hadn't been used much and it sat for the past several years as the owners were elderly. I saw it and immediately bought it. Underneath the dirt, grime, mold, it was a perfect diamond. All original with drapes, valances, upholstery, linoleum, everything. Lots of elbow grease and several trips to the RV salvage yard but is almost done and perfect. Once I get the 72 F250 structurally sound, I am going to put it on it. Hopefully this spring. My son and I hope to put the Ford and camper in the 2012 Denver RV show so I have a little over a year to get the truck restored. I am building a website on the project. http://mitchellandsonscampers.webstarts ... 1224005433

The first pic is of the camper on my 90 F250. I had to use that truck to bring it home since it's all set up to carry a heavy camper.

[terry1167]

A few more pics of the camper. I absolutely LOVE this old Ford and camper and cant wait to show them off. My wife thinks I'm crazy and just doesn't get it.....but my son does.

[Mancar1]

Nice camper. I like the older ones. My wife and I own a 1957 Streamline.

[terry1167]

A couple more pics of the doors and the original headliner.

[BiggDogg]

Wow you're moving right along I like the color combo on your truck, it looks really good. That camper is a beauty too, I'll be following it's progress as well. Thanks for sharing

[terry1167]

I took the headliner down and put up the Zilla mat sound dampner. On top of that I put the foil backed jute backed insulation. I am going to paint the headliner, it's not bad but you can't clean them as they are just masonite and the paint flakes off. I took the seat out, rubber matting, gas tank and put the sound dampner and insulation down. Lots of dust and light dirt but scrubbed it all down. I put the dampner behind the gas tank and insulated too. Put it all back together and put back the door panels. I went ahead and greased the window regulators and locks while the panels were off. Window moves much smoother now. The cab has a very solid sound now. I drove it around the block and much quieter now. I am going to order the die cut insulation from LMC and the molded carpet with mass backing from Stock interiors, hopefully sometime this month.....if budge allows. I hope after all of that, it will be a very quiet truck. This update took me pretty much 3 days....lots of work iin a cold garage but worth it!

[terry1167]

A few more pics of the interior progress.

[Fordman5]

Nice progress, that is what I am going to do to my cab real soon. Got parts ordered and there is a lot of prep work to be done before I get as far as you. Keep up the good work.