Hi all! Just wanted to introduce myself and say hey... hubby and I bought a 1973 Sprite Musketeer C-18' yesterday. It is in pretty decent shape. Needs a bit of restoration and work on the outside, but it will suit us just fine. And we will probaby pull it with his 1964 GMC Utility body truck. The truck isnt all restored either (looks like an old truck to me) but it will be fun! If we want to upgrade the tow vehicle, we have the 1983 Sierra Scottsdale diesel to pull it with.
The interior of the camper has been re-done, and although it isnt truly vintage anymore, I can put some finishing touches on it, such as curtains, drawer pulls, etc. and make it a little more homey. Outside, it needs repainting! Does anyone know where we could find guidance on doing that ourselves? Also, where is the best place to find replacement light covers for the tail/brake lights? I searched the internet for the number that is on them and came up with nothing.
Sorry this is so long. I AM the windyone...
Welcome. Looks like a nice camper. Now you can join the TCT club. Keep a watch on E-bay for the tailights, might find them at tractor supply or Northern tool. If not replace the whole light with something close.
as for painting if you have a compressor and paint gun you can do it yourself ,parts America carry's dupli color auto paint at a decent price around 35 dollars a gallon for auto paint for white,it also can be brushed or rolled on spraying looks better.as for tail light you will probably have to go new as I doubt very much you can find original lights.
1985 Class A Holiday Rambler Imperial 33 +1979 Class C Holiday Rambler Statesman 1000 = 24 ft
Welcome to the forum and I'm sure you're going to enjoy your new trailer.
This forum is full of a lot of nice folks and a lot of great ideas and help if you need any.
I painted our 1969 trailer to match our 1972 truck.
I had the paint color matched and put into areosol cans. The paint store (automtive piaints) told me what I needed and how to do it, hey were a GREAT help.
We think it turned out real nice.
More pictures of your trailer would be great.
TV: Mint 1972 Ford F-250 XLT
TT: 1969 19' Excel; entertains 6, feeds 4, sleeps 2 You don't shoot to kill, you shoot to stay alive.
I don't carry because I have to, I carry because I get to. I like new things-
- when they're 40 years old! My pictures
Most automotive paint stores will be very helpful, both in providing you with the proper materials, and often, advising you on how to do it yourself. Many can provide you with trim and main paint codes for older vehicles, and some can match the paint, even if they don't know the paint code. They are also a source of sandpaper, taping products, paint guns, compressors, putty, body filler, body and painting tools of the trade, etc.
Most people are capable of doing a fairly decent paint job, especially if care is taken on preparation, which takes much longer than the actual painting. But a professional's experience and knowledge is invaluable when it comes to salvaging a paint job when something goes wrong. A mistake that would blow your mind would probably never be visible if the job is done by a professional, because he knows how to fix the mistake and make it invisible to the untrained eye. You don't!
But don't let that scare you. Ask for advice, guidance, and tips from a local professional painter, or your paint supplier, and follow their instructions as closely as you can. As Rubiranch says, you can even have them package the paint in spray cans, and paint that way. As a former custom painter, I can tell you that a compressor, regulator, filter, moisture trap, and good quality spray gun are easier and faster to use on a large job than a spray can, but since you may not have, or be experienced at using, this equipment, you may find painting with spray cans more familiar and more comfortable. Painting equipment can be rented if you don't own them.
Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and mask; some modern paint products are extremely toxic, and don't have to be inhaled to hurt you, they can be absorbed right through your skin. And ask your supplier or professional how appropriate the paint will be to use outside or in close proximity to houses and cars. A slow drying paint can coat yours' and your neighbors' houses and cars with overspray which may be nearly impossible to remove.
Fast-drying is also preferred for outside use because of the fact that the longer it takes the paint to dry, the more time dust and bugs have to settle on the tacky paint and become permanent additions to your paint job. If you will be using a product which will need color-sanding and buffing in order to achieve a slick finish, most of these contaminants will be sanded and polished off and rendered smooth, but darker ones may still remain visible on lighter-colored paints, and lighter-colored ones may be marginally visible on dark-colored paints. Good luck!
2003 GMC Sierra Crew HD; 6.0L; Prodigy
2006 Thor Tundra 30RL-DSL; Reese Strait-Line & Dual-cam HP
2001 Honda Elite Scooter
Jim & Gayle Bryant
Murphy's Law: "Anything that CAN happen, WILL."
Bryant's Law: "31 years of RVing? Probably already HAS."
Thank you for all the advice and direction about the painting. Hubby LOVES that old pickup... I told him his could look that way, too. We will probably keep it one color, as it is now.
The paint in spray cans sounds like a great idea. There is a stripe around the camper that is painted slate blue, and the rest has been painted white. I can see original light sage green paint peeking through at different places where the white paint has flaked off.
We pulled the wheels off, replaced the tires with good 6-ply trailer tires, and bought a spare. There is no wheel for the spare, YET. We are still looking. The lug pattern is an odd one, and the tire man searched some, but couldn't find a wheel for us for the spare. If worse comes to worse we will have to carry the spare off the rim and use the tow vehicle to take it to be mounted. Hubby can do it in a pinch, but it is NOT the way I want to travel if we get out of our close area.(which we dont plan to do for a while)
There are two vents/grates on the side of the camper, which have had paint and caulk put on them. They dont look very good! I dont know what purpose they serve, but I would like to pull them off and clean or replace them. They are made of plastic!
I will try to post more pictures.. the one I posted is awfully small, isn't it?
We plan to take "Arvey" for a weekend outing in 2 weeks to a State Park nearby. Hubby has found backroads up that keep him off the Interstate (backroads are our preferred way of travelling, anyway)
Thanks so much for again for your friendly advice~!!
Welcome to the forum, Nice looking camper. There are many on-line camping supply stores Rvupgrades.com, Pplmotorhomes, campingworld, or order direct from a dealer. As far as the lights if I wasn't set on the style on it buy what you want and re-drill if you have too. Just put putty tape (butyl rubber found at rv dealers) under the new lights and put a little proflex sealant on the screws and in the hole and some proflex around the new light also. The main thing have fun, Happy camping, Mike
04 suburban 1500
00 silverado 1500
05 jayco 27bh Couldn't get rig to post,so here is my burgler alarm!!
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