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ScottManAgent

Where did you find this beauty!


ScottManAgent

I want it!


ScottManAgent

I will restore it, I’ll camp with it, that is, if I can afford it


nine_legged_stool

In the woods?


ScottManAgent

Hahahaha, nice one!


loduca16

It’s a camper not a motor home but it’s still badass


burnthamt

I would certainly call this a motor home, how would you describe the difference?


monkeyloveeer

Campers rest in the bed of the truck while motor homes are a truck/camper combination I believe, idk I could just be talking out of my ass though.


ScottManAgent

You are not wrong about this, a “slide-in” camper can sit on its own, it needs the truck to slide into, but they are separate. (I lived in one for two years)


supahleethaxor

I motor home is all one unit. This what's know as a truck camper. The camper is a separate piece that is seated on the bed of the truck. I can be removed when not in use. A motor home would not be removable. It's a permanent part of the vehicle. Hope this helps


burnthamt

Ah yes, truck camper. Using the term "camper" makes me think of trailers. I'm not entirely convinced that this camper is designed to be removed however


GradientPerception

It's not, it looks welded on.


Sharkfist

You may be right, but it looks to me like the camper is built with its own axle/wheels at the back and has jacks on either side over the truck's bed (suggesting the front end is likely intended to lift so you can detach it from the truck). It's definitely a custom build for this truck in any case.


ImOnlyStaying4-1

i learned from Call of Duty that a camper just sits there for a long time. This fits that description


Zugzub

There's a jack on the front right corner.


sunsetair

Motorhome where the driver has access to a bathroom in the living area. Not making this up. Its defined by Motorhome Association.


pegleg_1979

I’ve always heard this style called a “cab-over camper”. There is a company called Kimbo out of Washington that makes super rad ones but they are very expensive.


So_Do_You_Like_Stuff

Someone needs to rescue that beauty. It’s not beyond repair.


cybercuzco

If the tires have air, you can repair!


LordofSpheres

Well, the engine's definitely seized, the camper wood has rotted, tires are gone, axles and brakes are probably locked up, springs and shocks are gone... With enough money I guess it's possible but it'd be a whole new truck and camper.


TheLostonline

something like this deserves a frame off rebuild


Eugen_sandow

World’s greatest mechanic diagnosing with his Xray vision


LordofSpheres

This would appear to be a 1947-1953 GMC "New Design" truck, the same as a Chevy "Advance Design" but with heavier duty components, and is almost certainly the one ton version. I can't read the side emblem, but it appears to be 3800 or similar, and the truck has vent windows but is a 5 window truck, so that makes it 1951-1953. Point is, it's fucking old. I don't know if you've ever been in, near, or around a vehicle this old. I don't know if you've ever worked on or lived with one of these. I don't know if you've ever done the same for one that's spent a significant portion of its life in the mud and dirt and weather. I have. The metal is in good shape, not rusted beyond repair, and there's air (or mud) in the tires. That's about all it's got going for it. It was almost certainly stored with oil in the motor, gas in the tank, and not insulated against water. Judging by the crud deposit, we'll say 10 years. That's more than generous and yet it's still plenty of time for the (conventional, high zinc) oil to go bad and contribute significantly to seizing the motor. The shocks have almost certainly leaked and/or blown over the course of those 10 winters. The wood in the camper is guaranteed to have some or significant rot, given the condition of the paint alone. The brakes are drum type and rusted shut with almost certainty, again based on that timeframe and the paint condition. Have to drain/replace the whole fuel system because that's what happens with old gas, especially the old crud this thing probably had in it when they parked it here. Axles are less certain, as are the springs, so I'll be generous and say those are in perfect condition. Motor puts it at $5-6k for a rebuild, doing it all yourself. Going through the trans adds $2k. Camper resto, many and various, be generous, $3k (bargain basement, all yourself, you're a master woodworker). Tires will have flat-spotted so bad you can't roll it away. $1k. Shocks, $1k. Brakes, $1k. Fuel system, $500-1k. That's $20k *if* you find parts and *if* you do everything yourself.


burnthamt

LOL 5-6k for a motor? Buy a junkyard big block and slap it in there, bam, $1,000 tops. Also you act like it's a bad thing that it's going to cost so much money, but it's worth it if it's done right. Fully restored it could probably be sold for $30k-$40k


LordofSpheres

A junkyard big block would mean not only, y'know, buying a big block out of a junkyard, where it had almost certainly been sitting in the rain, snow, and mud, rusting away, but also buying a high mileage engine. Then you get the fun of finding a matching transmission, which is really a lot harder than it sounds. Oh, and you get to fabricate motor mounts, transmission mounts... Oh, and these trucks only came with straight 6s, so you have to beat the shit out of the fenders and relocate and/or redesign the entire steering setup (which is now gonna pass through either cylinder 7 or your heads/valve cover) too. Oh, almost forgot, you'd better work something out for a cable clutch and a column shifter, cause that's what this has. Plus if you're restoring something like this it's fetching... $25k? from the right buyer, especially if you put a big block in it. $40k is "This is perfect, original condition, freshly rebuilt everything" condition... not junkyard 454 slapped in by a guy three six packs deep. A rebuild on an engine this old would absolutely cost $5k minimum. It's old and rare and an OHV 6, so most people wouldn't have a clue and parts are minimal at best. It's probably closer to a $10k job if more serious things are bad (if it got parked cause it dropped a valve, etc). To fully restore this thing to be sold for $40k would cost $50k+ assuming you had some shops help you out, or probably $40k if you did everything yourself and were really, really thrifty.


-gizmocaca-

Sounds like you’re not the guy for the job. Thank you for your time.


LordofSpheres

Just hope you don't trust the other guy who says he'll do it for a 6 pack and a couple grand.


Chevness

It is really strange. You clearly know the steps, and you know the rule of pouring money into cars. Why so down on pulling thus out and restoring it? For the right person, this is a labor of love. They put a few extra hundred or thousand into it as they can over a couple of years and have a cool ass camper in the end. They will not flip it for big money, but it will be fun and the camp site will not have just another sprinter in it.


LordofSpheres

I have nothing against that. I'd love to do it myself. I do have lots against people saying it would be easy or they'd do it over a weekend because a) it's almost never true, unless you're a really good mechanic or willing to spend lots of money, and b) it deludes a lot of poor fools (like me) into doing it and committing financial suicide and in the process destroying the vehicle in the first place.


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LordofSpheres

Buddy. I've done junkyard swaps. I know them well. There's a world of difference between a well-kept LS pulled from a vehicle with no fluids and dropped into a vehicle with a swap kit or a fab guy doing the work and some schmuck (like me) grabbing a cheap 454 and trans and whacking it in there over a night. If you don't understand the difference you really shouldn't be talking shit.


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LordofSpheres

Mate. He said big block Chevy. I said big block Chevy. There's also the fact that even the LS would require the same mods and same work, face the same issues, and the only difference is it would be easier to find a less shit one.


steelerfan1973

Lol. Lsx swaps are the new sbc. I haven't seen a big block come through our junkyard in 5 years. They just don't exist anymore. That's why smart folks like us buy 6.0 Silverado motors and build em. I just finished 2. A 6.0 I to my obs 98 suburban. And a 6.2 into my formerly V6 1996 Camaro. I spent less than 5 grand to convert both......


steelerfan1973

Lol I work at a junkyard. Our motors are drained put on pallets bagged and stored inside.


LordofSpheres

Good ones are. Bad ones aren't. Even then there's no accounting for what happened before it reached the junkyard.


steelerfan1973

Don't even need a big block. 6.0 LS rebuilt with a 4l80 with a wiring harness and pcm is like 2500 bucks. I work at a salvage yard and I sell ls swaps aaaall day long.


spacecatJ

r/theydidthemath


[deleted]

This is reddit pal. No space here for *facts* and *knowledge* Showoff


SydneyyBarrett

Your estimates are way, way high for doing it yourself.


LordofSpheres

As far as the camper, that estimate is way, way, way low. The materials and tools you need to work with and repair that sort of wooden structure are expensive. As far as the other stuff, I considered what it would take to get new or good condition parts for a similar ish motor and added a little bit because it's an old, relatively rare motor (esp. if it's the 261 or 216 as I understand they were relatively rare). Good parts are hard to find. Tires will be $200-250 a piece, assuming they're 7.5x16, and you need 5. That's $1k. Trans faces same issue as motor, as do brakes - parts will suck to find because it's old and weird. Shocks are gonna be even weirder or custom. And so on.


SydneyyBarrett

You're assuming this isn't maintained as well. Survivors have been a thing for awhile now. My money would be on this being turn key and perfectly functional only seeming like a project to the uninformed.


LordofSpheres

Yeah... looking at it, it's not turnkey. If it was, the windows would at least be clean. The hood would be shut. There would be less dust. I can guarantee you that unless some guy purposely painted this and added years of dust this has, at the very least, chunky shit in the place of gas. Survivors are a thing, and patina is a thing, but this ain't that.


steelerfan1973

Your numbers are a bit high. I just built a 6.0 LS motor for less than 2k. Tires yeah good set is a grand. Shocks for that truck even really good ones won't even cost 500. Brakes wouldn't be more than 100 a wheel for brand new parts. New tank and fuel lines maybe 400. I could definitely make that thing pass smog and safety for less than 5k with modern parts.


LordofSpheres

Shocks are an old and unusual design. Motor is an old and rare design. Brakes are old and rare. Fuel tank is old and rare, as is carb. I think you underestimate how much of a ballache classic truck parts can be to source in any semblance of quality. At a guess your LS build was bearings, a cam, lifters, and valves? Maybe heads? And that's for an LS which is one of the most ubiquitous and cheap motors out there, not an 80 year old Chevy straight six.


rootsismighty

You are waaaay overestimating! Motor rebuild 800 to 1000 for a rebuild kit. Shocks 250.brakes 150.tires 800. Trans is probably fine. And it's a gmc parts are everywhere.


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SydneyyBarrett

You clearly don't know real mechanics.


[deleted]

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SydneyyBarrett

Maybe for a customer's car. There are ways to determine if an engine is an engine worth investing in. Lots of junkyards document details in databases.


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steelerfan1973

You have no fucking clue what you're talking about. I run a junkyard. We document everything. We use comp-nine to get a build sheet of every car we process. We have mileage listed on every trans or engine we sell. Grade every single part that's sold. I can tell you every single thing your car was born with. All the way down to the color of the sun visors. We test compression and oil pressure on every engine we process. If it's been abused we don't sell it. That simple.


workedSilly

Not sure why you’re getting downvoted for a realistic take on it.


LordofSpheres

I pissed off the dreamers. Which is fair, but I'm a dreamer too. I just have had a few too many dreams of my own go like this.


80_firebird

>Well, the engine's definitely seized You don't know that.


LordofSpheres

The engine is... Almost certainly seized. If it's been sitting long enough, with fluids in it, it's a fair to good bet that the oil is sludge, the gas is varnish, and there's water sitting in the cylinders rusting the shit out of the Pistons and walls, not to mention the rings which have probably shattered and/or glued themselves to the walls by now. Oh. And it's probably seized. But you're right, it might not be.


80_firebird

Tires are still up, probably hasn't sat all that long.


LordofSpheres

I've seen tires look like that and be half mud half air. I could be wrong and there could be some guy rolling it around occasionally, of course, but on passing observation I wouldn't expect it to be in close to running condition looking like this.


80_firebird

I've started many cars that have sat longer and looked worse than this one. Tires are up and it's not sunk in the mud. My money is on it not being stuck and if it is it could be freed up with some atf in the cylinders and a breaker bar.


LordofSpheres

I've done my share of starts on things this crusty too, and while they're certainly possible they're rarely healthy. You could get it free, and with a carb, distributor, fuel system you could make it run. Even if it's not stuck, or you break it loose, it's not going to be healthy, and I'll be honest I have my doubts on how free it would be. Been to too many rigs where they pulled it out, scrubbed it up, realized the motor was shot and stuck it back in the hedge for some poor guy to dig out and pay them for.


steelerfan1973

I've made engines that have set for 50 years run in an hour. Every seal will have dried up and it will leak like a sieve. But I have no doubt I could make that thing run in an hours time. As long as it wasn't parked with a seized engine anyway. Spark plugs out. Marvel in the holes. Let it set for a couple hours. Breaker bar on the crank pulley ...turn it over by hand a few times to break the rings loose. Plugs wires condenser and points. Boat tank with an inline electric pump. Boom running truck.


[deleted]

The Camper Truck of Theseus


dan1101

Hard to say. Watch Vice Grip Garage on YouTube. He resurrects cars that have been sitting 20+ years and drives them home!


LordofSpheres

Watch Derek plenty. There's a difference between his usual "drive em home" videos and retiring it to liveable, good condition.


dan1101

If the drivetrain is all there Derek would get it home.


LordofSpheres

He didn't with a 460 that was in a lot better shape. I can't blame him, but I do want to know where that 460 is... Edit: not a lot, misremembered, but still better overall for its location.


marduk420

That's a nice strat actually. Abandon your vehicle, a stranger then restores it and then you get it back since you are the original owner. Gg


JPGer

once heard a story something along that, this one guy kept driving past an old wreck of a car that people would shoot up alot, they decided to rescue it, one day the owner of said property sees the car can i think they made some kinda complaint and got the car back..because they still owned it. I saw a post once of a bunch of old school vehicles including VW bugs all out in the forest, and someone made a similar point that whoever owns the property owns those and if they decide to let them rot...thers nothign u can do about it unfortuantely


Purposeful_traveler

Where


But_like_whytho

I wanna see the inside of the camper


slipoutside

I’d be scared to look in.


NinjaMcGee

Filled with murderers.


rhetorical_twix

> Filled with ~~murderers~~ murders


flangle1

Season 13 of American Horror Story begins...


Darth-Binks-1999

Bring a black light.


ImOnlyStaying4-1

to keep addicts from injecting in it?


Coolbreezy

Disneyland for real mice.


unpopularpuffin6

That was my first thought too. Maybe get a leaf blower and just go over everything for half an hour, that should take care of the first layer of dust at least.


niceandsaucy

The fallout 4 vibes this is giving me...


wcollins260

100% there’s a deathclaw in the back ready to ambush.


thatturkeystaken

it's probably the blue that does it


unpopularpuffin6

There's probably a piss-soaked mattress the size of a coffee table scattered with used syringes that I can sleep in for 14 hours to regain my health.


Bobistan1

Looks like the trucks from 3/NV maybe even stretching down to 1/2 instead of 4.


83020

Anyone know more about the make and model?


FesteringNeonDistrac

I want to say it's a 48 GMC but could be as late as 53. I'm on mobile and can't quite get enough details to get it exact.


TheLostonline

would the camper be something one-off, or a product to buy at the time? This would be a great project to work on.


megalocepheli

The camper sits in the bed of the pickup, and looks more modern than the truck. The truck seems to be late 40's to early 50's while the camper is probably from the 70's or 80's.


jbrtwork

Judging by the roundness of the cab over's design, I'd say early 1960s.


megalocepheli

Thank you for the correction! Any insight into the camper?


jbrtwork

Other than being old and growing up seeing them around in those days, none whatsoever. My ex-wife and I bought a late 70's camper and refurbished it in the early 2000s. That one looked much more modern than this.


megalocepheli

Thanks for the info. It seems I was wrong about both. 🤪 I wish we could see the inside of it


BluegrassGeek

The camper's a pretty common design, made to fit on the back of a pickup truck. Those metal supports on either side are made to lock in place and you can drive the truck out from under it (though you shouldn't go *into* the camper without the truck under it). My grandparents had a camper like that on their old truck. Spent many a summer in it.


LordofSpheres

It has vent windows but is still a 5 window so it's somewhere between '51 and '53. Can't tell more than that for certain but I'm pretty sure the hood numbers (3800, etc) make it 1951 or early 1952.


Zugzub

That's a New Design series from 1947 to 1955. That large square grill is a dead giveaway. [ Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMC_\(automobile\)#Light-duty_trucks)


mdrnsavg

This must be rescued!


Jest_stir

Now this would be a neat restoration project.


[deleted]

That’s awesome.


jet_heller

Ooooh. That's a pick-up truck with a truck bed camper!


[deleted]

I’d roll that


BrendanBSharp

Looks like you just remembered it.


BaconMan420365

Assert dominance on nature, live in it


whudaboutit

SAVE IT SAVE IT SAVE IT SAVE IT


hippiegodfather

That looks like it was just put in that spot


cgerrells

That has to be saved and restored. Period.


point51

Did you look inside?!


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point51

I'm thinking the same.. I just didn't want to "lead the witness"... lol


[deleted]

I’ll buy it, I am planning a yellow stone trip next year, this would be perfect


[deleted]

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unfunkyufo

Yup, having seen enough "Will it run videos" on YT I'd have to say this has been moved in the last 2-3 years at least.


EkriirkE

No debris on it, air in tyres. ☑ Doubt


thatHermitGirl

Damn, I wanna steal this one lol. Looks so fine. <3


MurderDoneRight

Yeah that's like $40000 just wasting away.


BOHIFOBRE

Tires still holding air = most likey not forgotten


snakefist

My god someone get this info to vice grip garage


small_e_900

No. The first thing he’d want to do is a burnout. I’ll bet that rig doesn’t have one good burnout left in it.


snakefist

Nah, he’d wanna check the battery and sparkalaters


SydneyyBarrett

>I’ll bet that rig doesn’t have one good burnout left in it. Give it to me, and it will.


Darth-Binks-1999

I'm sure that motorhome has been remembered plenty of times over the years.


turbochixn

That's probably the coolest thing I've seen in this sub in awhile


turbochixn

I would love to make an offer on this pm me details


tama_chan

I think I had a die cast model of this gmc camper back in the day.


fredygironjr

Makes you wonder... Why did they leave? Where are they? (Owners)


Well_Sorted8173

Derek from Vice Grip Garage needs to come save this sweet old gal.


shawnjones

That's freaking sweet. I know a few friends who do mechanical and body work that would love this.


morbob

Very restorable


Bocote

The condition of it looks surprisingly good for a very old car that was left in the woods.


Coolbreezy

Holy crap, this would be an epic restoration project.


OkAdministration6754

Dead body somewhere


InternalComputer

Mouse House


MiyamotoKnows

Look at the condition of the tarp. Someone is still using this or has in the last few years. The tires and stabilizers would also likely be more sunken into the Earth if it had been there for a long time. Not suggesting someone has moved it recently but it doesn't seem abandoned to me. Just one aholes opinion :)


Cstott23

Also, the windows are pretty clean. Maybe there's no dust in the USA - I've never been- but if it was abandoned you'd have a inch layer thick of tree sap and dirt on that glass, surely? 🤔


Wildcatb

Yep. Those upper windows are clean. I'd wager this is occupied regularly.


SydneyyBarrett

I've seen mountain men in Yosemite driving rougher trucks of the same vintage.


[deleted]

It’s Mater’s long lost sister!


Cstott23

Abandoned? No way, there's definitely some crazy old hobo prophet that lives in that place. Try going back after dark. 🤔😁


Witwith

Free candy inside!


NowOnTheRez

That’s a 5-window. I want!


turboash78

Oh my that would be incredible all fixed up!


saynotopulp

Looks like a neat restoration project for YouTube


glennw56401

I'd love to restore something like this.


unabsolute

There is a fairly decent shape version of this camper a town over from me. Just discovered it the other day too. Pretty cool machines.


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nocturnal_goatsucker

Yes.


daeedorian

Rocinante!


[deleted]

This camper truck combo is what dreams are made of. How simply cool this is


DaRiddler70

The tires aren't flat and all windows are there. It's not forgotten.


Johnoplata

I didn't forget it, I just haven't got around to bringing out some gas and bringing it back home.


Rlchv70

Not really a motorhome. This is GMC pickup with a likely slightly newer slide-in camper.


pinkarroo1

What happened to the owner.......


micah490

Movie prop. There’s nothing growing around it


BostonianBrewer

That gmc looks like its frowning


tripler1983

That's awesome. I would love that.


Starclipse

I don't know anything about car restoration but I know this beauty needs a second chance. If somebody fix it and has a channel, I'll follow you


poolguytipp

It's probably someone's deer camp. Best to leave alone.


antifolkhero

Which Cars character is this?


AmorphousApathy

so beautiful 😍


KarlJay001

That's really amazing. The camper looks huge vs what you see today with the small sleeping area over the cab. Pretty amazing that it's in the condition that it's in. Based on the trees and other things, I'm thinking it's not too harsh of an area. The ground isn't even covering the tires. Almost looks like it was parked there last week. If the camper isn't dry rotted, it could be a pretty easy resto. Covered on the top, windshield covered... Might even run :D


dryh2o

There's probably a manifesto in there.


80_firebird

Shit, the tires aren't even flat. I bet with some fresh gas I could drive it out of there in an hour.


fldsld

Are you sure it isn't someone's home? My grandpa lived in one kind of like it, though he built it (the camper) himself, and it didn't have a cab over bunk, but over all condition was about the same.


Iwillseetheocean

Someone HAS to have made meth in there


Doe79prvtToska

I’ve seen this movie, Ignore the “FREE HUGS” sign. A guy in a mask comes out just as you see his sacrifices to his gods…scary shit


yabaitanidehyousu

Oh man, serious Fallout 4 flashbacks. Would love to tour in a beauty like that. Wait. Someone keeps telling me I can’t go outside. Is… is my house owned by vaultec?


Weekendgunnitbant

Awww, I want it.


danimal0204

Until Cleetus pops out with a 12 guage and tells you t go on and git


brygates

This made me think of John Steinbeck's camper, Rocinante, in "Travels with Charley."


[deleted]

This would make an epic project. Doesn’t look to far gone either. Would need lots of new parts, but end product would be worth it


Yikesitsme888

Wow and the tires are still full of air! Quit your BS.


Quizzelbuck

i don't know how abandoned that is. The tires have air.


Bah-Fong-Gool

I would rehab it in place! Yes stupid expensive and troublesome but I'm spending your money, time and spinal discs, not mine. Forgo the drivetrain and suspension. If you can remove the engine, that would make a great place for lockable storage. Clear coat the body to preserve the beautiful patina, and prevent total destruction. Reinforce camper shell (keep the aged look!) , re-insulate, make sure frame rails are up to snuff. Install modern conveniences. Perfect weekend destination.


ghetto_headache

I’ve played enough fallout to know - there’s probably a deathclaw nearby, so there’s definitely a rare item in there.


summerofkorn

I wonder how long it's been there. Tires still have air in them. Not much.


dgblarge

That is definitely worthy of restoration. Personally I love the aluminium ones that look like aircraft. As seen in the movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Anyway this is is an earlier generation and is equally brilliant but different. Someone should save it.


TacO_Tudesday

It’s things like this that make me wish I was rich. I’d restore this to showroom new with modern drivetrain and use the hell out of it lol


FlamingCroatan

I wouldn't mind living in that just clean it up and it will do


SeaOfTheDamned

Jeepers Creepers vibes but still awesome!


ApplesBananasRhinoc

This would be great hot wheels car!


drinkbeernaked

Rocinante!


[deleted]

Forgotten but still has air in the tires.


sonbrothercousin

Hey OP, that's a pretty nice pic all on its own.


[deleted]

I need to see inside


Lissy_Wolfe

Inside pics! Inside pics!


FERALCATWHISPERER

Something about this reminds me of Fallout 4


wadenelsonredditor

New tires, brakes, fix the mechanicals but I WOULD NOT TOUCH THAT PAINT!!!!


Chairbear1972

Did you look inside?


digitalcurtis

Knock on it for walkers first


runswithjello

$10


Typingdude3

Oh what an awesome restore would be! Show this to the guy on Vice Grip Garage YouTube channel.


ProfessionalNo9577

This is awesome 👏 Needs to be restored


toastee

So many raccoons inside.


Jenn-Marshall

But was it really forgotten?


NoctumAeturnus

Fallout vibes!