New to me Camper....

[thrashingcows]

I went to pick up a 1979 Vanguard camper that I'm going to be using...it's an 11' unit with a small bathroom, stove, furnace, hot water etc....and in decent shape for it's age. But since I didnt have any camper bars on my truck I had to load it on my trailer.

Then once home I had to figure out how to get it off the trailer....Thank goodness I recently installed my 2 post lift! Carfully back it in between the rails...

Then was able to get the back jacks on the ground and use the front arms on the lift to pick up the front of the camper...

Then once in the air just drive out from under it. Not sure how I would have got this done without the forethought of building the shop with 14' ceilings and 12' doors, and having the lift in place.

 

[thrashingcows]

I also lucked out and the 93 1st gen parts truck I bought several years ago has camper bars on it, so will be pulling those, cleaning, modifying, painting and servicing those and putting them on Patches.

 

[69.5CUDA]

holy shit that things CLEAN..now lets swap out the nose on that truck for a 79, and paint match it to the camper...that would be one very...VERY sexy period setup

 

[thrashingcows]

I'd love a 73-78 grille with the single 7" round headlight, but a 73 would be my preferred, and then toss on my bird bath hood!

 

[69.5CUDA]

really?....i uhh...i might just have a clean 73 grill..i know ive got 4 or so 74's
personaly my love is for the 77 grill with using the 72-6 lowwer valance

i couldnt have a dodge truck without the bird bath

ive got a guy in southern oregon ive been getting parts from for the past couple years who parts em out..and is a parts nut who has a HORDE of stuff..like..stuff i didnt know existed stashed away, and his prices are reasonable

 

[thrashingcows]

I have always loved the 73 grill, but I do like the 74-76 ones as well, but my concern on the 77-79 units is the placement of the marker lights in the grill and if there would be enough room to clear my large intercooler. But to be honest I don't know if i could run the earlier grill with the amount of room the interooler and A/C condenser take up out front. I'd hate to go to the trouble of getting one then find out it won't clear my set-up.

 

[69.5CUDA]

i can tell you of all the grills the 77-80s have the most space as they budlge out, while the 72-3 have that huge unset...if any were going to fowl the cooler it would be the early grills

id actualy be very VERY supprised if you told me you had more room behind that plastic grill than you would say a 74...i get the fear on the marker placement clearing on the 77s tho...but that would mean you had to have opened up the opening significantly to reach into their teritory

 

[69.5CUDA]

hell dont you have a metal grill truck on hand?...if so a couple quick measurements will tell you how possible it is, of course a hand full of screws and you could test fit itsince you dont need to even bolt the old grill on as the top lip sits on the core support right where it shouldand intantly would tell you what your clearances are

if memory serves 5-6 screws on the core under the hood edge and 2-4 on the bottom depending on year in some cases you have to pull the 4 headlight bezzle screws too

 

[thrashingcows]

Good info...Thanks!

No I don't have one of the early grills...don't think I have ever had one even though I pulled parts from plenty of the early trucks over the years....Surprised I never even grabbed one just to hang on the wall.

 

[69.5CUDA]

they are GREAT shop wall art even mangled ones...and im actualy SHOCKED you dont have one..hell i coulda swore the plow truck had one on it

 

[thrashingcows]

Ol' Sno-ball is 1985...so nope no early grill.