Revcon Rebuild Part 12: Interior Walls

When we purchased the Revcon, we were provided with bamboo for the inner walls. We had intentions of using it and even outfitted the back wall and upper walls of the cab with it. Then the upper cab windows leaked. The bamboo wrinkled like a wood-like product would. When we purchased the Revcon, it was floor to ceiling in mold. We decided to abandon the bamboo. (Yes, the upper windows will be repaired)

We opted to use ABS for the inner walls. We decided on a textured white. It is a huge departure from our original plan but it is waterproof, mold proof and easy to maintain. It is rigid yet flexible so works with the curvature of the walls. And it is easy to cut. To balance out the white, we're planning on wood cabinetry.  

 

 

 

We still have to do the rear wall and upper cab walls. But those will wait. We needed to get the Revcon dried in so we could transition to other awaiting projects. Sadly, this giant will again go to the back burner. I have stopped setting timelines with this project because plans consistently change and other projects need attention before spring/summer.  

We're pleased with the how it turned out. The light tan exterior looks great, the white walls really make the space feel open and bright. Having new lighting and fresh paint really makes the Revcon look new.

Revcon Rebuild Part 11: When a Week Turns into a Month

We took a week off work in early November, specifically to finish painting the exterior of the Revcon. We got all 5 RV windows removed at dusk, only to realize that southern Arizona would see the first measurable amount of rain in over 100 days. I had checked the weather several times the week prior and wasn't expecting this storm. It rained all night and into the next day. Humidity was sky high and it was cool out. Three days into our vacation, it cleared up enough in the afternoon and we taped off the cab to prep it for primer. Mike primed the cab clear into dusk.  

 

We laid primer on the driver's side RV the following afternoon, followed by color on the cab that evening. The following afternoon, Mike applied color on the driver's side RV.

 

By this point, we were back to work, so got as much prep work and paint done in the evenings. Which are pretty short this time of year. So in true fashion, we got primer and color on the passenger's side...in the dark.

 

Now into December, we were able to get all the gaping holes plugged up. The Ford got brand new headlights. After our trek back from Portland with only one functional headlight, it was well worth the money. New tail lights, marker lights and a back up camera were also installed. All the trim got a fresh coat of black and the RV windows/frames were sanded and painted black as well. 

 

 

Finally after installing interior walls (I'll go into that in a follow-up post) all 5 windows were installed. And it looks like progress was made.  

 

Revcon Rebuild Part 10: Year Long Hiatus

It has been a full year since we made any progress on the Revcon. Mike returned last Thanksgiving from a 3 month work assignment. We then dove head first into two truck builds that wrapped up this summer and fall respectively. It felt like the right time to make any progress on the exterior of the Revcon.




Arizona had been unseasonably warm and dry. We took time off work, specifically to finish the exterior paint this past week. So we popped out the 5 remaining windows and did some finish sanding. Only to find out that the following day, southern Arizona would see the first measurable rain in 110 days. Of course.

 

So we taped the five gaping holes and ran errands during our rain delay. In between fits of wind, we managed to tape up and prime the cab. Desert winters just don't have enough daylight.

 

In the meantime I got to work sanding/painting the windows for the driver's side RV section.

We lost so much of this week to rain, humidity and wind. We blindly moved the Revcon to the rear of the shop yesterday to put primer on the driver's side RV and paint on the cab. It is an interesting experience driving a 31' RV blindly, with just the guidance of your spouse, be we did it.

I'm bummed we're, yet again, behind on progress but we still hope to have it dried in as soon as possible. If the afternoon desert winds will cut a break sometime this week, we may just get the driver's side completely done. Hopefully by Christmas (fingers crossed), both sides will be done. Just maybe.

 

We will both be happy to put this part of the renovation behind us. Once the walls go up, windows installed, we can plan out the interior build while we tackle a few projects in between. Sadly, this sandy beast just gets the short end of the stick when it comes to our attention, but a personal project and a paid project are creeping in after the New Year.

Revcon Rebuild: Part 4

How is it Friday already?  Part of me is pleased with all we accomplished this week, and part of me wonders what we actually did.

Wednesday (I think) I sanded the excess fiberglass insulation off of the panels.  

Mike wanted to spray Lizard Skin on the walls before we insulated.  It is typically used in car builds to keep heat and sound down.

It was pretty noxious, so I didn't hang outside.  He was out til about 10PM, knocking it out.

This is the final product:

It was our first time using it, and we actually noticed a difference.  Under direct sun, the aluminum roof panels were fairly hot to the touch.  Not so much anymore.  

Not surprisingly, we noticed the adhesive they used to marry the skin to the studs had solidified and began to fail.  Mike scraped it all out, I drilled holes for new rivets, and he backfilled with new adhesive before riveting the body to the walls.

While he was riveting and messing with wiring, I spent the better part of two days installing foam insulation panels.

All of the cavities that can be filled, are.  We can't tackle the bottom until we rip up the rotten subfloor and replace it.  But with 75% of the camper done, it is noticeably more temperate inside than it was.  

One thing that happened today was unexpected: a microburst.

Right as we were getting started to work, a microburst blew through and took our awning off the side of the Revcon and twisted it.  We were able to get it upright again, but mechanisms are bent beyond repair and it will have to be replaced at some point.  A huge hit to the budget.  Much cursing and sweating was done to try and save it, but we don't think it is serviceable beyond acting as shade while we work.

Such is life with B.O.A.T. (Bring Over Another Thousand)

Revcon Trailblazer Roadtrip

Day 3 continued: Bryce Canyon

Realizing that we were passing by Bryce Canyon prior to the snow melt, we knew we wanted to see the red towers covered in snow.  We made it into the park as the sun was setting and were delighted to see how beautiful it was.

We closed yet another  restaurant, The Pines,  and somehow made it all the way to Page, AZ in the dark with only one headlight. 

Day 4: Page, AZ to home

Thankfully our last day home was fairly uneventful.  We had to make a small airbag repair in Page but were able to motor the remaining miles without incident.

Now the real journey is ahead.  It'll be a very long and slow journey but we're determined to get this old beast restored and ready for many adventures to come.

See below for a video walk-through of the mess we bought:

Revcon Trailblazer Roadtrip

So in February, Expedition Portal posted an ad on their Instagram page for a pretty rad looking 6 wheeled off-road camper.  We instantly fell for it.  The ad forewarned us that it would be a total project, but we contacted the owner, put a downpayment on it and flew from AZ to OR at the end of March.

Meet our 1993 Revcon Trailblazer.  Built on a custom 6 wheeled Ford F350 chassis. This is how we first saw it.

What is it?  We'd never heard of Revcon before but apparently they were a small overland company before that was a thing.  According to research conducted by fellow Revcon owners, approximately 57 Trailblazers were built.  From what we currently know, ours was the 3rd ever built. 

The story we know about it:  a few years back the previous owner purchased it and refurbished the entire interior.  On it's maiden voyage, an electrical fire in the cabin ruined all the work just completed.  It was purchased back from the insurance company and given to a second company to clean it up and repair the fire damage.  That deal eventually fell through and the owner decided to sell. 

We met up with the owner's good friend who was storing it in his bamboo creation kingdom.  Mike took us through what he knew, helped us load it all up (interior tour later), replaced the dead battery and provided us with replacement bamboo to at least re-do all the walls inside.  HUGE shout-out to Mike.  Amazing dude with a really great company.  If you're in Portland, check out Bamboo Revolution. 

We didn't make it far.  After fueling both tanks up, we went to Discount Tire to replace the dry-rotted tires.  Unfortunately they don't make tires for 16.5" wheels anymore.  So we had to purchase 7 new wheels and tires.  That was a bit of a gut punch, but we never would have made it home otherwise.  Discount Tire got us all squared away for an install on the following day, so we headed to power-wash the beast and pick up odds and ends from Harbor Freight and Auto Zone. 

Little did we know, we'd need much more for it before we could get out of Portland.  The rear air-conditioner wasn't bolted in, so we removed it and quickly patched it in the Harbor Freight parking lot as a storm was rolling in. 

Little did we know, we'd be patching and repairing it long into the night.  One of the rear tires split and the airbags were deflated.  So long into the cold rainy evening, we stuck around an AutoZone parking lot just trying to get it road-worthy. 

We called it a night without fixing the airbags.  Had a late dinner at Elmer's (thank you staff for putting up with late night-closing time customers!) and crashed.  Tomorrow meant more repairs and fingers crossed, we'd be getting on the road.