1987 Winnebago Chieftain 22RC Renovation - Exterior before & after

[jbowles5]

Hi All,

I'm new to the group and wanted to say hello and share the renovations I've done to "Wally" the Winnebago.

I decided earlier this year to dip my toes into the shallow end, and purchase a fixer upper RV that I could make my own and start branching out to some of the beautiful state parks we have here in sunny Florida.

I knew I wanted something Vintage to make my own, so I started searching online and after a few weeks I came across Wally on Craigslist. The owner was asking $4900.00. I talked him down to $3500.00. Being new to the whole RV thing, I also did a lot of research for what to look out for when buying a Vintage RV. Water damage, mold, smells, etc. Wally seemed to be in great structural condition. The owner had recently put in a new toilet and electric fridge. The A/C is an original Carrier brand and blows ice cold.

The engine has 81,000 miles. The power steering was very loose, and the brakes were in bad shape. I also could hear that the exhaust manifold was either cracked or needed a new gasket. So after the very intense drive home (LOL), I took Wally right to my mechanic. He had Wally for about 6 weeks. The engine was in great shape, most of the repairs were all age related. The biggest repairs were the brakes & booster, and a new power steering box. The exhaust manifold had a small crack that he was able to fix. I also had the standard services done as well, tune-up, transmission flush, coolant flush, etc. My mechanic assured me that Wally was now in perfect condition for many more years of driving. I'm also very overly cautious, so I also purchased new tires as well. The original tires were about 7 years old. They had good tread on them, but they were showing signs of dry rot.

Once I got Wally back home, I had an RV expert come and give Wally the once around. He tested all systems. Propane, stove, furnace, hot water, tanks, electrical, generator, etc. Everything got the green light. I had him also service the generator. It has 850 hours on the clock. He educated me more about leaks, water damage and to caulk everything. There was also some minor delamination that he pointed out to me. He felt that it was age related and not water damage related. Whew! I decided to try and repair the bubbles myself with some epoxy. So far it seems to be working and holding. The final verdict from the RV guy was that they don't make them like this anymore, and that it's in great condition for it's age.

Now for the fun part. Here are my first set of photo's showing before and after exterior painting. I did the entire paint job myself using a high gloss oil based paint. The hardest part was taping and repainting the original W logo. I messed up a lot, but I was determined. I also purchased new hubcaps, resealed the roof and caulked every nook and cranny I could find. The entire renovation inside and out took about two months.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Enjoy!

[joanfenn]

Looks great, good work.  Now get out and enjoy it.

[perlgurl]

Very nice!  Gives me hope on how nice mine could look eventually!

[TerryH]

Looks great, good work.  Now get out and enjoy it.

Totally agree. You've done a hell of a lot of work, looks wonderful. You've dealt with the big three - brakes, tires, steering - and more. Now it is time to enjoy!
Please keep us up to date.

[sasktrini]

Love it!