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I recently became the proud owner of a twenty-five foot Avion camper. It’s one of the “silver bullet” style campers, sort of like a tin can, and that’ll be my home for the next few months at least, possibly longer. And the camper itself was built in 1967. Hey – maybe some of you were alive back when this thing was built, but for me, a camper almost fifty years old is definitely from another era. So for the next few months, I’ll be making some repairs and improvements to my home, and like any good blogger would do, I’ll be turning it into a DIY series. For those of you out there who are ready to do it yourself and give new life to an old camper, this the place for you.     The camper is an Avion H-25. As of today, the floor plan still matches the original design, though that will change as I get going. Just a broad overview of the features of the camper, without going into too much detail: Air-conditioning – works well, but it really doesn’t keep up with the heat of a southern Missourisummer. Possibly if the windows and insulation were improved, it would do better. Furnace – status unknown. The last owner couldn’t even get the pilot light started, so that will need to be looked at and possibly replaced. Stove – a small, four-burner gas stovetop and oven that work well. All it needs is a cleaning, and possibly a look at the lighting mechanism if I get tired of using a match. Plumbing – Definitely in need of repair. But what exactly is broken? I haven’t checked yet. Refrigeration – confirmed DOA. The installed gas and electric refrigerator is definitely toast. So there’s a lot to do here. But here’s a quick look at some things that are already in good shape and I’m excited to use: Cupboards and cabinets aren’t pretty, but they are all very much functional. No rotting or warping that I’ve noticed. Already enjoying using these. Plenty of room! There’s three beds in the camper, one of which folds into a couch. I’m playing around with which one I’ll use long term. Thatleaves two that I can tear out and replace with an art desk, a dining room table, a flatscreen… whatever. All the windows still have glass. Fantastic. At least 75% of the wiring is still good. All the outlets are working, and I can plug in plenty of fans, computers, lights, and all of that stuff. I’ll make this my first DIY post – screens! It really helps to bug-proof a place. I’ve already squashed a couple hornets and a few mosquitoes in the camper, which is a few too many. Some of the screens weren’t too bad, but almost all of them have some holes or tears, so I’m going to be replacing them one by one. I’ve learned a few lessons replacing the first of them. Basically, for those who don’t know screens, there’s a groove that the wire is folded into, and then a rubber tube, called spline, is rolled into the groove to hold it there. Two key tips from my first morning of screen repair: be gentle rolling the screen. You can cut it and break it easily. And second, buy the right size spline.Too big really makes it hard to get it in the groove without cutting the screen. However, buying spline and screen is definitely cheaper than replacing the entire frame of the screen, and I’m very thankful that those are all intact. I should be able to finish all of the screen this weekend. The next big project might be to tear out one of the beds over the wheelwells and getting ready to turn that into an art desk, with a lamp and a stand for my camera to do my videos with. I’ll be keeping an eye out for those supplies – if you have any ideas, let me know! I always say that comments and questions are welcome, cuz hey – the more comments and questions, the better your blog, generally. But now I’d really like to hear what you think! I’ve never done this before, and I’m open to whatever advice and ideas you have. It’s like owning my first house. I want to turn this into something really special. If you’ve got a vision for it, share it!   ********************   Find me on .    

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