NOMAD DOWN! Is now Nomad Done! 

[Bob]

Here’s my first camper. I bought it almost six years ago, before I’d ever looked at a camper forum or even knew what vintage was. I got it locally off of Craigslist for $500 with a title. When I got it home, I put it in the barn and thought that I’d clean it up a little and maybe change out the curtains. The more I cleaned, the more I found until I had cleaned it up all the way down to the frame.

[Bob]

I kept the door, windows, frame and a few other things and hauled the majority of it off to the dump. I got the frame cleaned up and painted, the floor and walls built, and a lot of the interior started, and then I lost interest in it. The dollars were adding up, and I hadn’t figured that re-skinning the whole thing in aluminum was going to cost so much. So it sat ignored in the barn for about four years.

[Bob]

I finally decided to buy a 1947 (un-restorable) Spartan carcass and cut the aluminum off of it and use it on the Nomad. I paid $550 for the Spartan - delivered, sold some parts including the frame with axles, used the roof for an 8’ X 18’ woodshed, hauled the left-over aluminum to the recycler, re-skinned the sides of the Nomad and came out $100 ahead. I had a lot more pictures on my computer, but I lost them in the crash of 2011.



I did buy new aluminum for the top, front and back. I’ll probably paint that part, but leave the sides in 1947 Reynolds alclad. I may polish the sides and I have some more minor details to complete, but as of today, I am declaring it officially (close enough to being) DONE!

[Bob]

I’ll get some more exterior pictures when I pull it out of the barn again for a wash and a polish.

[nomad]

What an amazing restoration! I think the picture of the top half on the ground would be the breaking point for alot of people. Beautiful workmanship... happy camping, you've earned it!

[dragonfly]

All I can say is WOW.

[blu26ovl]

Great job. Glad to see you didn't give up.

[elewayne]

Way cool. Nice job, very good work. I like the way you just changed the shape to suit. Interior work is top notch. kudos! really. wish I was that far along.
Wayne

[safetybruce]

Very impressive re-purposing of two vintage campers to make one head-turning beauty. I am in awe of your skill and craftsmanship...now when are you going to post a pic of your Nomatan...hitched up to that wonderful truck we all see in your pole bar...lol!

[Bob]

Thanks for the kind words. Tearing it down was cheap and easy. Reframing it wasn’t very expensive, but the new aluminum is what put the brakes on the project for me. When I tore it down to rebuild, I thought that it would be easier to do without being forced to duplicate the original shape to fit the old aluminum, so I wasn’t very careful with it and it went to the dump, too. I hadn’t price new AL - when I got to that point and all I found was $3.50 to $5.25/sq. ft. – dead stop. At 100 sq.ft per side and 200 sq.ft for the top/ front/back, I decided to prime and paint the framing, tarp it and figure it out later… turned out to be about four years later. I saw the Spartan on C/L and went to look at it but I wasn’t about to haul that carcass 200 miles. It showed up on C/L two weeks later and 125 miles closer, so I called and made the offer to buy it if it were delivered to my house. It showed up with stuff hanging off of it and the front half strapped down to the frame because of the rotten floor and rusty bolts. Anyway, it got a new life, just not as a Spartan – it has been assimilated.

[cdraz]

Beautiful!!

[hntnhrd]

Great job , looks great!!!!

[roothawg]

Nice job.

[Nashville Ken]

WOW! Great job!

[zionadams]

Impressive....seriously, impressive work. You might have found a second career.

[cowcharge]

Nice. It's a BORG!

Man, it must be nice to be able to put all your tools away...

[hellonwheels]

Absolutely fab!

[bretso]

Interior looks nicer than my house.... Impressive. ;D

[Nana B]

Very Very good craftsmanship. I know you're proud of it.

[mobiltec]

Boy you sure did that right. And that is how I would suggest any of the 1500 Shastas get restored. Total rebuild from the frame up.

Just beautiful.

[solicea]

Holy COW that is plumb amazing! Those lights and that wood, two thumbs up and a golf clap!!!!

[Bob]

Thanks again, everyone. The wall sconces were a great find; I got them at Lowe's on closeout for $30 for all three.