1978 Nomad Trailer Restoration/Project: 88GMCtruck is at it again.

[silverado_06]

awesome. i shall look at it next time i air it out.

 

[Mike]

Looking great! More info on adding the AUX jack to the OEM deck please.

 

[88GMCtruck]

Looking great! More info on adding the AUX jack to the OEM deck please.

In due time. I'll write it up when I mod my 02 for it.

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Did a little camping this weekend. Everything worked great, trailer towed fine, etc. Only single issue I had was in the middle of the night part of particle board under the bed broke. So that is now on the list of things as well to fix, upgrading it to some plywood.

Truck all loaded up before leaving.

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Campsite all setup.

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Few sunset shots from the park.

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[88GMCtruck]

Small update. We FINALLY had a decent hard rain so I got to check out the trailer and see if we had any leaks. Well, I do. Luckily, both are simple and related to windows. The first leak i noticed at the base of the front right wall. The front right window is leaking at the top, so It'll need to be pulled back out and re-sealed. The other leak is the front window. It's leaking in the bottom of the frame. The sealant where the frame was originally constructed isn't sealed anymore, letting water run into the sill area. Well the problem is the sill is slanted inward due to the window design and slope of the wall, and it's allowing water to run in. So, that is the next step once it drys out again.

 

[slim]

any updates?

 

[88GMCtruck]

Well, I haven't gotten anything of importance done yet this week, however I'm hoping to have the axles flipped by the end of the weekend. I did get a new trailer cord and material to make gaskets for the clearance lights.

 

[88GMCtruck]

Back after a short break of not working on the trailer. I ended up taking it out friday night with some friends again. Had no issues with the trailer. Now today I started working on it yet again.

One of the issues i fixed today. Here is the old water fill. It's a stupid little pull out drawer type thing, and doesn't work well at all. A hose doesn't fit in it, and it backs up when you fill it with water, and the hose that connects it with the tank leaks inside the trailer.

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Enlarging the opening

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Here is the old setup. Stupid style hose and tiny 3/8" vent.

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New water fill.

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New lines, and larger 1/2" vent line. This one doesn't backup when filling.

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I also fixed my broken bed issues. Stupid 3/4" particle board isn't suitable for this (it's just too old/brittle) so instead i put down some 3/4" ply on both the main and dinette beds.

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I'm hoping tomorrow the rain clears up and I will be able do some work outside the trailer. I need to pull the lights still and put the gaskets behind them, and paint the siding where the paint is gone. I also have some LED lights I want to install outside.

 

[Mike]

Damn man how many hours you got in this thing now?

 

[88GMCtruck]

Damn man how many hours you got in this thing now?

I have no idea (probably more than I should). I've been working on it instead of watching TV or hanging out at the bar as frequently.

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More progress. I added something that is a little bit of a luxury in this thing. I added an expansion tank to the water system. In RV world they are known as accumulators, however this is an expansion tank for residential hot water heaters. Basically it has an air bladder that is charged, and in residential use it takes on the additional pressure from the hot water when it heats up and expands. In the trailer however, the pump fills the water against the bladder and allows the water fixtures to be ran with less pump cycling and a more constant stream of water.

So, I had to devise a way to mount it.

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And tee into the water system

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Everything mounted and plumbed in. I had to hang the accumulator from the bed frame due to the water pump, lines and gas lines below. Barely had the space.

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With the rest of the bed back together. I cut a hole in the top so you can easily change the air charge on the tank (it's a standard valve stem) and didn't screw the wood down to easily access these vital plumbing components for inspection.

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I also changed my setup for the water tank vent. The level the water fill is at creates a problem; when the water sloshes to the side cornering or on rough roads, it fills up the vent tube and drains through it. To overcome this, I drilled an additional hole in the wall and ran the vent tube in a loop up about 2 1/2 ft. Hopefully this will keep the vent from leaking.

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And finally, I cut some rubber and secured the water lines down to the floor. No more rattling pipes.

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[CodyB]

The way it sounds like he works, 4, maybe 4.5 hours tops......