Grandby 1982 $800
Built in Denver, Colo.
Working: Furnace, two-burner stove, newish electric water
pump, new counter top with splash guard, stainless steel cover on ice box, two-year
old Sears gel battery. Rear door has sliding screens. Passenger side window has
screens. Side window on driver’s side. Front sliding window to match up with
cab rear window. Double bed in cabover and couch converts to double bed. Comes
with original portable pedestal table. Rear door locks. Two iPod chargers.
Condition is good overall (especially for a 32-year old)
with deterioration showing up in lots of normal ways, but it is functional. Cabinetry
is complete but has some shift in places where the sliding doors are either
tight or loose. ? Looking down from inside with cushions moved out of the way, it’s possible to see
some daylight in the seams of the flooring. Again, this is 34 years old and yet
it still has a solid quality. I’m not handy enough to even examine if the
structure should be firmed up or whether there are any welds that need touchup.
New curtains (Moose theme). The interior is quite
comfortable and spacious, compared to my new Hawk, and has a venerable quality
to it. This camper has been treated well.
Pop-up canvas is showing its age but has held up surprisingly
well. It has small cracks that I have sealed—nothing seems to be completely
through the wall. The screens are in good shape as are the plastic windows. The
front flip-up wooden panel (the piece that holds up the roof when it is popped
up) has been replaced because it was deteriorating at the hinge. However, the
carpenter who did the work erred in placing the rivets, resulting in an
alignment problem when the top is closed. So I disconnected the bottom hinge
for now until I reset the rivets (off by one inch). FWC tells me that many
vintage FWC owners do this same thing when the flip-up support panel wears
down. Cushion material is original and is in nice shape, but it has been
covered with green corduroy. New linoleum on the floor and new lighting fixtures
that pretty much match original.
Like the interior, the exterior is showing age but still
functional. Front aluminum panel under the window is buckling a little, and
could be possibly flattened out by someone by resetting the exterior retaining
screws.
The camper is not 100% waterproof when popped up but it
depends on how hard it rains and how much wind is involved. The rear door at
the top could use some weather-stripping to prevent water from getting in
during heavy rains. The roof is waterproof and the aluminum sides, too. The
outer canvas has a few pinholes that have been touched up with the right stuff.
When driving (with the pop-up locked down) in a heavy rain the canvas gets a
little wet on the corners.
I’ve never really had a soaking inside and find that the
camper airs out quickly. It survived a snowy winter in the East by sitting
outside and was dry as a stick come Spring—even after having a foot of snow on
the roof for months.
No bad smells. I’m a non smoker. No moldly odors. Comes with
two original cranking jacks. New propane tank in 2012.
This Grandby has enjoyed to major cross country journeys
over the past couple of years—through the West and Midwest and over New Year’s
ventured to Jay, Vermont, where some winter camping was enjoyed. Several years of life still left in this
Grandby.
Located in northwest Connecticut. Contact: johnrcoston@gmail
