I jumped right into the project as soon as I got this beast home. All of the interior had to go, so I cut the supporting structure and the lifting mechanism from the top, and set the top off to one side. Then, the slides, pull-outs, canvas sections, interior cabinets and seat frames, etc were all removed. My 5 x 8 utility trailer was filled with debris for the land fill from the inside of this thing. The work went on until well after dark while trying to reach a milestone before stopping for the day. I found the wood flooring in great condition with no rot or water damage, which is surprising, considering it's been in the woods since 2007 (15 years, as of this writing!). The vinyl floor covering is OK but dirty, I may replace that, but need to scrub it first and see how it looks. At the end of the day, the top easily dropped back in place and this old camper was considerably lighter.
The photos above are of the old pop-up camper, after the interior was completely removed. It has a solid floor, and the entire body is aluminum...very lightweight! Once I've decided on the floor covering, I'll begin installation of wheel chocks for fuselages, wing storage, and a way to secure the field support gear inside.
Here's a pic of the all-aluminum top, off of the camper and leaning against one of the boats. I plan to hinge this, and use lift cylinders to assist with opening and restraint in the "up" position.
The interior is very spacious, and should serve my purposes well. The old AC unit will be removed, and a patch panel fabricated from a piece of metal in the original full-size door.
The utility trailer is loaded with materials from the inside of the pop-up camper. The original door is seen on the ground to the right of the trailer, that's where the material for the patch panel will be taken from.
The above 3 pics are of the unit after the interior was removed, with the top back in place. I may be able to utilize the original 4 top latches, once they're removed and cleaned up. With the AC unit removed and the opening covered, I'll be able to add a chassis tool box to the frame for fuel and generator storage. A new spare tire rack and crank-up nose wheel will be installed up front as well.
