haney4147

Selling my shell. Have completely replaced the wooden frame in the top with a light weight steel frame. Have some in progress pictures here. After the last picture the new frame was completely covered with fiberglass attaching it to the top. No more roof sag! The rest of the shell is as it was pulled from the truck. I am located in East Texas. Let me know if you are interested. It is stored at my dads place under a barn, but I can go get more pictures for someone interested.

Because of unforeseen events I lost 2 months of time that I intended to work on the Chinook. With this delay I am not going to have it ready for a trip that is already planned. In order to make up lost time I am going to sell the Chinook shell and move to a newer van. Anyone here interested? I will post in the classified section tomorrow once I take more pictures. Jared

Anyone haul something similar in weight to a dirt bike on the back of a Chinook? Still debating a vehicle to put mine on and am starting to think a full size may be better... J

Just got back from a 2 week road trip under a bed cap on my tacoma. The Chinook will definitely be an upgrade. Next I need to redo the floor, but Im still not sure what vehicle I want to put this thing on. Am considering cutting out the sides below the floor so that the camper will sit nicely on a 7 foot flat bed. Then I can easily test it on my tacoma and move to a different vehicle if I want to in the future. Even considered a full size Ford or Chevy. I like the idea of being able to haul a dirt bike on a hitch rack.

Thanks. I know a guy that has a hydraulic roll bender in his shop, used it on the tubing.

Finally got back to the US and had some time to start working on this project. First step was to fix the sagging roof. I took the roof off and removed all of the rotten pieced together wood frame. Replaced it with a steel frame that included some added cross braces that had a slight arch to prevent future sag. Here are pictures. After the last picture I fiberglassed the new frame to the top completely covering the frame. As far as what vehicle to put it on. I think I have decided on making it semi-quickly removable. I want to build a 7 foot flat bed that the chinook body will sit on. The last bit of the chinook with the dropped floor will hang off of the back of the bed. The front will have to be closed off and a window installed that matches the truck window. Then I can use an inflatable boot to create a seal between the cab and camper. The reason for wanting it removable is I plan to do a lot of work to the camper and don't want to be committed to a truck that I may want to upgrade later. More updates to come soon. Moving to the floor next. Should I move this topic to the build section?

Not sure how the second tank is set up. I will have to check it out when I get back.

Just discovered another abnormality with this Chinook. The exhaust comes out of the drivers side just behind the cab, and it has dual fuel tanks. Not sure if this was done by Chinook, or added by an owner. I will investigate further when I get back to the states. J

Since we are on the topic of windows the one window that this Chinook has is missing the bug screen and the latch is broken. Anyone know if replacement parts are available (seems unlikely). I am considering finding a new RV window that is just a bit longer and as close as possible to the same height to replace the original. And possible putting one in the drivers side, but still paranoid about loosing the "stealth" factor. J

@Linda S. I never considered the possibility of a custom order, that would make sense. @jdemaris Thank you for the information. I really like the detail of the drawings. As far as the "Chinook Chick" I hear there may be some aftermarket options. Will follow up and report back ;-). J

I'm out of the country, so cant take pictures of the inside. Luckily I bumped my return date up by a month and will be back in mid March to start working on this guy. I didnt see any sign of fiberglass repair, and in the pictures below you can still see the factory stripes under the very thin coat of white rattle can that someone sprayed on the drivers side. I do think this Chinook came from the factory this way, will try to get my father to take a picture of the inside driver side wall for further verification. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ulkf5059oa8mc0k/IMG_1927.JPG?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/nf5tnhfc4qz7xpp/image%20%283%29.jpeg?dl=0

jdemaris do you have the rest of the pages to the document that those pictures came from? If so would you mind sending it to me? Not sure what is the best way to do that. I tried to attach pictures that show both sides of the Chinook. Let's see if they work Edit: It seems the photos didn't upload, here are links to them on dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/s/v6e2axzopzhjkpw/image%20%281%29.jpeg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/rg2545i2mr8ujp4/image%20%282%29.jpeg?dl=0

I don't think it was a cargo because it doesn't have the wide door and the window on the passenger side is a chinook window. The drivers side does have a water and electric hook up, but that is all. It is also a pop top. I will probably do something similar to the factory layouts, but I want to use a one piece mattress, maybe a futon mattress, for the bed. I like the idea of having the window over the kitchen counter, but still not sure if I would like having the bed on the traffic side of the vehicle. Maybe I am just being paranoid. I could always add a generic RV window to the drivers side, but I like the "stealth" factor that the plain side has if I did park in an urban setting. Decisions, decisions... J

My Chinook interior was gutted when I got it. It is a 78, but only has one large window on the passenger side. The drivers side has no window, vents, compartments, etc. I am trying to decide on a layout for the inside. I will be going with the gaucho style bed because I am too tall to lay across the width. I was thinking that it would be nice to have the dinette under the window, but don't know how I feel about sleeping on the traffic side of the vehicle if parked in a neighborhood. Anyone have any idea what the factory layout was on the Chinooks with only one side window? Thanks again, J