Let's See What Happens...Vintage Camper Cabover

Hey folks,

I got word of a vintage Perris Valley Camper was up for sale for a stellar price. So I'm gonna drive on over and measure it out and hopefully it'll fit on the Tacoma.

I browsed around the internet seeking folks whom might have put a vintage cabover on their Taco and would love to see your set up!

Here is the cabover we're grabbing today.

 

Good luck, looks like a fun project...and the kind of thing my wife would kill me for coming home with! I’d expect some pretty good sag if you don’t have HD springs or airbags. Keep us posted!

 

Very cool! And welcome to Tacoma world!

I’m sure your long-term plans include some suspension upgrades. Before picking it up, I would suggest measuring the distance between the part that sits on the bottom of the bed and the parts that sit on the bedsides. You may need to bring some blocks of wood for under the camper, so all the weight is not resting on the bedsides alone. Please post pictures when you get it.

 

Often, there is a reason. Make sure to check it over very carefully. Structural wood rot and mildew is way too common on many of these project campers and usually hidden until you start diving into it.

 

If you look at the corner moldings someone has tried to seal em up. There totally a different color and the job looks like a dogs dinner

 

Welp, it fit. Less than $600 bucks, it is a fun project camper. We expect to have it for the summer and we'll decide if we wanna let it go or not. But, definitely looking into suspension set up to support the Taco (thank you for the suggestions of what to shop for!). It was resealed, of course, not as perfectly as I would but for the asking price...not a big deal. The hydraulic stands were freshly greased and worked smoothly, holy hell. Right on. It's a 77' camper, so can't expect it to be perfect perfect. Gas stove works, table pulls out, drawers are clean, no mold in hidden corners and ceiling was redone with Killz Primer paint. Covering up something bigger? Maybe, but at least some work went toward it and it was less work for me. No saggy floors, nothing chewed up from critters, or remnants of plants or weeds ever growing in it aka living on the ground. So, pretty decent condition.

Tomorrow, forecast says it'll rain, so I'll be kicking back in there to see how it does.

 

Get Firestone airbags, great product

 

Second that, but do buy a tubing cutter (approx $15 at NAPA)...it makes the air line cuts more dependable.

 

In to see progress

 

Hopefully the leaks were sealed and not just covered up with Kilz, which is a stain blocker. I've used it in a couple of rehabs and it will do the job of hiding some nasty ceiling stains including smoke, tobacco and water stains. It will even block nasty smells.

If there are no leaks and you want the best stain blocker, or to hide smells, get a shellac primer like BIN...I redid a nicotine addict's house with it. The walls and ceiling were literally dripping with nicotine and after a cleaning and shellac primer you couldn't tell a smoker was ever there.

This could be a fun project. Good luck!

 

Couple questions for folks that may have an idea.

So, I'm definitely ordering the Firestone airbags for the tacoma. At the same time, I was talking to a neighbor whom works at a toyota dealer ship and he suggested getting a rear sway bar for my 2016 taco. Anyone have a rear sway bar installed on their ride? If so, how well has it served you?

We generally go camping and do drive across the country a couple times a year and I know wind can make the truck wobble with a camper on it and I would like to ensure some stability.

Let me know what cha think!

 

Anti roll bars definitely help. I test drove, back to back, Tundras, one which had a rear sway bar and one without. I bought the one with the sway bar.

 

Awesome, so far checking out hellwig products. Thanks for the response!

 

With that much weight on the back, a sway bar would definitely help with stability.