Category: Exterior Truck Camper Renovation

While our 1970 Avion C11 truck camper is in fantastic shape, we still have a lot of exterior work to seal up leaks and upgrade windows and other appliances. We learn a lot about riveting, sealing, and the structural design of the Avion as we rework this half-century-old vintage camper to make it through another 50 years.

Truck Camper Pass-Through

Follow our DIY V1 prototype process of a cab-to-cabin truck camper pass-through window boot made of foam insulation and sealant.

1970 Avion C11 truck camper parked outside the Southern Aluminum Finishing Co warehouse.

Anodization Plant Tour

The Roam Lab team tour the original anodization factory of Southern Aluminum Finishing (SAF) metal fabrication distribution & finishing in

Woman turning a handle to lift a truck camper using jacks.

Truck Camper Jacks

Guide to selecting truck camper jacks. Understand the difference between mechanical or electric, permanent or removable, standard or heavy-duty.

Hand holding a thermal camera revealing hot spots on a vintage Avion C11 truck camper.

Air Conditioner Stress Test

Get our lab report taking a thermal camera to our camper to identify and insulate hot spots and improve our

Truck Camper Turnbuckles

Common missteps, key features, and safety tips to secure a slide-in camper to a truck using spring-loaded truck camper tie-down

Woman sliding quick-release brackets into its mounting plate.

Bowen Customs Quick-Release Brackets

Roam Lab teams up with Brent Bowen and his crew to design and install one-of-a-kind Bowen Customs Quick Release Brackets.

Gloved hand holding a cutoff tool to a threaded metal rod as sparks fly.

How to Trim Truck Camper Turnbuckles

Turnbuckles are a common tie-down method to secure a truck camper to the truck bed. However, our old turnbuckles were

Gloved hands holding a power drill with an abrasive flapper wheel attachment to grind off corrosion on a steel jack.

Corrosion in Campers

Protect your truck camper hardware against corrosion with these tips by RV experts at roamlab.com. Learn why rust happens, how

Vintage silver aluminum 1970 Avion C11 truck camper on a blue 2015 Ram 3500 truck parked on CAT scale pad with fall color forest hill in the background.

RV Weight

How much does your RV weigh? We check at the truck stop CAT Scales and track the change as

Powder Coating RV Emblems

Exterior Truck Camper Renovation

Learn about powder coating, masking, hot flocking, and curing with a toaster oven in this DIY restoration of a vintage

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