about to become friends with a 1983 Sunline

[ColoradoShel]

I just decided to purchase a Sunline, even though it needs a very THOROUGH cleaning and some refurbishing.
Why?
Because the functional stuff works; the guy who bought it and has done some testing, repair, and reconditioning is honest; it has 4" insulation in the roof.
It could turn into a money pit, but only if I let it.
First purchase will be fabrics - all the cushions and curtains. Can anyone share with me a good source?
Next, I'll have to consider whether to paint over the wood. It wasn't abused, so it doesn't look too bad...just old.
Then I'll have to learn the secrets of stocking a very tiny kitchen in such a way that it's still workable. Challenging, because I don't know what I'm doing. My grandparents had a travel trailer back in the 60's. That's the sum of my expertise!

I'll have to learn how to hook it up, how to drive it, how to back it up, how to level it...is this a new career? Have I just taken on a second job?

Anything anyone can tell me will be appreciated!

 

[Wannabes-SUN]

Cshel,

Congrats on your new-to-you ‘83 Sunline & welcome to SOC! What size is your Sunny? (BTW, we love pixs here.)

There are many threads on this site that will give you a lot of info to pretty much any question you have. Besides asking questions, pick a few threads that are interesting to you & read away. My husband and I learned a lot that way when we first got our Sunline.

— Don’t know of any sources for fabric for the cushion-curtains but someone here will.
— My vote would be to wait before deciding to paint. Wash down the cabinets (which you’d have to do anyway if you are going to paint) & see if you like them without the paint. There are people who like to give their camper a new look & some who would rather leave the interior with the original look, especially if the cabinets, etc., are in good condition. All a matter of what you like!
— There are “secrets” to stocking a small kitchen. A quick look on Pinterest will give a lot of great ideas & making it workable for you will be a matter of getting out camping & figuring out what works & what doesn’t.
—It DOES feel like a new career when you first get into RVing but, after a while, it becomes second-nature... well, almost!

Happy camping!

 

[Sunline Fan]

My vote would be to wait before deciding to paint. Wash down the cabinets (which you’d have to do anyway if you are going to paint) & see if you like them without the paint. There are people who like to give their camper a new look & some who would rather leave the interior with the original look, especially if the cabinets, etc., are in good condition. All a matter of what you like!

^This.

While there is some wood in the trailer, there's also some vinyl wallpaper covering. Painting over that could be ugly down the road, after the vinyl shrinks and expands with temp changes.

Also, if you were to sell it down the road, painted interior walls are often a HUGE red flag to used trailer buyers, because it's an easy way to cover up water stains from water damage, without properly fixing the water damage. It can help hide smells and visual damage. The best way is to keep the walls original, just accessorize the trailer with what's there, until you actually have to do repairs and have to redo the walls.

 

[ColoradoShel]

Thank you both for your helpful suggestions. I think the amount of work has gotten to be more than I and my friends can handle. I'll have to look for a buyer who knows what they are doing and can work on it. :-(