IMPROVEMENTS as time goes by.

Click on pictures with a colored * to get a closer view

This page will consist of any improvements that I have made since the first time we took it camping. I'll probably also throw in some pics of different campgrounds we stay in.

This pic was taken on trip two, prior to one outstanding rainfall. But everything of ours stayed dry, including that dog.

On trip one we learned that we needed some more space to keep things up from the ground and I was also less than thrilled about running down the road with no spare tire. So I built this rack on the back and located a spare. Now I need to find a way to hang the spare on the camper.

On trip two we decided that the hand operated water pump was too slow, so I installed a small electric pump. I already had the pump, because, well, I can't throw anything away. If the battery goes dead, you can still use the hand pump.

An electric pump meant the need for a battery. This seemed like a good location for that.

And having a battery along meant we could have some more convenient, instant light.

We had been using this little gas lantern, which will run for a long time on a one pound bottle of gas and throw off quite a bit of heat too.

Trip three, we're back in the same spot as trip one. It's a really nice site and it keeps me close to the boat if I decide to leave it on the water for the night. This campground is only 45 miles from home, So we use two vehicles and bring the boat along.

The electric pump and lights all worked very well. The electric pump was great, but it will cause you to use more water than you would have with the hand pump. We still made it through two days on about 3/4ths of the tank. And the lights were a great help at night, far nicer than lighting the gas lantern when you are just going in for a second to find something.

Packed up and ready to go home. It was another great weekend at the lake. And, of course, I thought of other additions I will make to the camper.

I needed some way to carry the spare tire, so I dug around and found some scrap steel, and one of those spare tire carriers from an S-10 pickup.

I wanted to be able to operate this with a 3/4" tire iron, instead of the slotted thing that GM wants you to use, so I turned the rod around and welded in a 3/4" bolt.

A little paint and a trial attachment and it's ready to install.

I have decided to use bolts to attach this for now as I am afraid that ground clearance may be a problem, and I might have to relocate it.

I have found out after about a years more use, that it is only a problem while hitching and unhitching in the spot that I keep it parked in at home. Other than that, it seems to be OK.

Also, I figure there's got to be a better way to level this camper without crawling around on my hands and knees setting up bottle jacks, so I will use these two scissor jacks for that. I looked at a lot of different scissor jacks at the salvage yard and these were by far the strongest ones I found. They are in Dodge Caravans and Plymouth Voyagers

I've welded them to the frame in the rear and will make a long crank to operate them with.

I have added these extensions to the leveling jacks to make the job much easier.

The spare tire and both levelers use a 3/4" socket to operate. so I only need to carry one tool for either use. Another thing I found out, if I have a flat tire on the highway I just have to crank the leveler on that side until the tire is off the ground and change it. Cool!

This worked so smoothly, I think I had the camper unhooked and leveled in less than five minutes. At any rate, if I had to do it in less than five minutes I know I could.

If you've ever done much camping in one of these little things or own much gear, you know it is hard to be too organized. I have added a little more shelving. I don't know what it will get used for yet, but I've been told that I can keep the tool bag in that small space that is reachable from the door.

We have also gotten rid of the red, white and blue cushion covers and put on some that match the rest of the interior.

This seems like a good place to show the bed conversion.

First the table is removed from its post and the post removed from the floor.

Then this extra board is retrieved from its storage.

The extra board and the table are set in place like this.

And the cushions are laid back down.

There you go. Sleeping comfort for one.

The more I talk to people about this trailer the more important it becomes to identify it. This is the name badge and the MHMA (Mobile Home Manufacturers Association) tag that is located beside the door. Wish it still had the dealers badge that was glued on below the others. It says something like "SLA**S MOTOR SALES" and Grand Ledge, MI.

And, this is the spectre of the decal that used to be located above the front window. I might be able to get a new decal made. The dimensions measured from this are 10" wide, 7" tall.

I've found an awning...cheap. I didn't like traveling with the shovel and rake inside. So I came up with a couple hangers for them. It looks a little funny in some campgrounds, but in the ones I frequent these are needed tools. They are going to have to be relocated to install the awning.

This is how it looks installed and in the closed position. The original owner had cut a couple of the main supports off too short to work for my application, so.......

I've gotten some new square tubing for the main supports and, since I also didn't get the proper hardware to mount the main supports to the camper, I bought these from a local marine dealership. They were originally for pontoon canopies.

This is it, intallation completed. A good oiling on the retracting springs and it is working easily. The canvas is in excellent condition. No rips, no fading and a cool retro color, too. Not bad for 30 bucks total investment.

Gold was "IN" in the fifties so it fits well with the trailers age. This is just another view.

This picture of my boys haveing some fun at Higgins lake campgrounds was taken in 1984.

And here we are again in the same campground and we believe the same site, twenty years later. We have started to visit this campground once anually to enjoy some canoeing on the Ausable river. But it's just the two of us now.

I decided it was time to replace the corner moulding. The old stuff was getting battered up pretty bad with age. I didn't get closeup pictures of the old trim, just this pic of the corner after the trim had been removed.

I found that cleaning the old caulk off was easiest with a wire wheel especially the silastic that someone had used. After that you simply lay on a new strip of caulk and wrap the new moulding on. Install the screws as you go.

Seven hours later I was able to roll the plastic insert into the moulding.......

and clean up.

I really like how well it closed up some of the areas that had been filled with caulk or silastic before.

This new trim really stands out and adds a lot to the looks of the trailer. I'm happy with the job.

I've ordered some new ornaments for the trailer. But it will probably be next spring before I'm able to get the camper scrubbed and these new stickers applied.

I think this looks like a nice little backyard campout from here.

Until you see the view. My sons house caught fire April 27, 2005 and he is now using the Fan as home until he gets something rebuilt. The fire completely gutted the place out. BUMMER!!!! but we're glad we had the old Fan around for him to use.

Spring and summer have both come and gone and my son is still living in the Fan. Progress is going slow on the new house, but it's going and that's what counts. The Fan is holding up very well to full time living, but the awning did get trashed one windy day. Oh well.

Christmas has passed and he is still living in the trailer. He has running water available in the house and with a little 1500 watt ceramic heater, says he is quite comfortable.

July 2007 the Fan has been sold....

But it stayed in the family

The next trailer rebuild. A 1954 Silverdome.