Just Got A Vintage Jayco Camper!

ChrisK1911

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2025
Posts
10
Location
NorthWestIndiana
Greetings all,
I just acquired a vintage Jayco travel trailer! I believe it is a 1974 Jayco Queen….maybe.
It came with no paperwork, a difficult to find vin/model number (still working on finding it,) and a ton of work needing to be done. Hopefully one of you can help with where I need to be looking for the vin haha. I am going to be doing a before, during, and after storyline so stay tuned. Hopefully my experiences can help someone else along the way.

Anyways we were looking for a camper for some time now but we couldn’t decide if we wanted to get a newer one and have it all set up and make monthly payments on or if we should get an older one that needs a new life and make it our own. Well I stumbled upon this listing that said “come get it, need gone” so I jumped on it. Tires were aired up and it hooked to my truck…. No working turn signals or brake lights though… I rolled it onto its new piece of soil it could call home for the time being and started lookin into what exactly it was. First I thought it was a ‘72 Raven, but the rear storage door was too big and in the wrong spot. There was also a second window on the Raven that mine didn’t have.

I realized that I may have a “‘74 Queen” when I was looking through a group on Facebook called Vintage Camper Trailers. It was the exact same as mine. I’ll let you know just as soon as I can find the VIN on the trailer somewhere. Well, my wife and I started ripping in to it and taking the cabinets, drawers, vinyl floor and walls off to uncover an unholy mess of rotted wood and an awful patch job from the previous owners. I located the battery and took that to get tested. The tester read 1.4V and recommended a charge. Tried to charge it but the charger stated that it couldn’t locate a source to charge.

So far we have only stripped the wall on the passenger side. I am looking forward to using this 4 day weekend I have to diving in to it deeper and maybe, just maybe, weatherproofing it from the inside seeing as the next few days are about to rain. I am jotting down all of my measurements and how much everything I am replacing is going to cost. One of my unknowns is the electrical and the other is the propane system. My wife insists on trying to keep the fridge if I can… we will see.

So, after that long read you probably would like to see some pictures! If anyone would like to offer some helpful insight, I would appreciate it very much. I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I do.
 

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Photos continued…
 

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More photos
 

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I owned a 1976 Terry, which was almost the same TT. We had more fun with that one, with our kids and they still talk about it in their full grown years. You have a lot of work ahead of you. But I always suggest that you take pictures of all the original setups and measurements, if you plan to go back in its original build. Have you explored the roof? That would be where I would start for now. With that lacking, all the work inside will be for nothing. The floor is my second area.
 
I owned a 1976 Terry, which was almost the same TT. We had more fun with that one, with our kids and they still talk about it in their full grown years. You have a lot of work ahead of you. But I always suggest that you take pictures of all the original setups and measurements, if you plan to go back in its original build. Have you explored the roof? That would be where I would start for now. With that lacking, all the work inside will be for nothing. The floor is my second area.
While my wife goes to town on the front and bed area that is exactly what I am going to start. I’ve read many articles and seen a lot of YouTube videos that say start outside and work your way in. I climbed up to the roof and tried putting some weight on it and I don’t trust it at all. There is more rotten wood than I expected considering the background on the trailer is that someone lived in it full time. I am pretty much going to bare framing and rebuilding my way back up. I don’t want a 190 pound man sized hole in my roof if I can replace the wood and seal it from the inside before I make my way up top and seal it up there as well.
 
Nice start to a rehab. The right price and getting it home can be a problem; you got past those issues easily.

That trailer is from a time when functionality was more important than glitz. (Some of us old-timers miss that). It also means restoration will be easier.

This will be an interesting thread to follow. I hope you keep us informed of progress and problems. We can all learn something along the way. And the old saying goes - "Let's slow down and take our time so we get done sooner."
 
Not sure why you'd put yourself thru this...the only thing that probably worked is the table :ermm:
Is this for fun, something to do, a hobby, or are you planning to use/live in it/sell it? By the time, money and frustration it will take to finish this project you could've bought something decent, useable and safe.
Anyway, I would actually enjoy doing that myself being in the renovation business as a side hobby and can offer this advice to you...start by removing everything, the cabinets, appliances, ceiling, walls and floor to see what a mess you're getting yourself into and go from there :rolleyes:
Good luck and keep us posted...it will be like a RV renovation disaster show...kidding of course...one thing that works good is your camera :)
 
I noticed in the picture of your hitch area that there is a fair amount of rust on it. Have you inspected the entire frame and axles for questionable rust that could compromise and negate all your effort and money if you get the inside glits up? You say that it was a lived in unit. So I suspect there was little maintenance to the exterior and undercarriage done. The front awning panels can actually be replaced by using greenhouse type plastic, if its too far gone after cleaning up.
 
Looks like a fair bit of water damage, so yeah, if you 're all in on refurbishing the camper, the roof must come first. Before tearing out anything inside determine what works and you have faith will continue to work. I wouldn't bet much on that refrigerator being a long term proposition, nor for that matter, the water heater. Then you'll need a rooftop a/c or maybe a mini split. The dimensions for installation of replacement appliances, if necessary, you'll need before, not after the project.
 
I’m sure you’ll need 5 tires also and maybe new bearings & brakes. Run the water to make sure you don’t have any leaks before you start on the inside remodel
 
Our TT has the VIN plate riveted to the frame underneath on our TT. I found it by accident while doing something nearby it and happened to look up to see it there. Ours is an aluminum plate with the VIN embossed on it.

Your battery unfortunately is now a brick, and only worth the core charge for a new one. It will never take a charge with that low voltage.
 
Sorry but I don't think it's worth it...if it was an old brick house maybe :ermm:
Are you installing a new roof, new siding, might as well do windows, flooring, etc...for what?
You have to remove everything down to the studs including the roof then either light a match or make a ridiculous (sorry) plan to fix a 50 year old trailer. I really don't get it unless it a fun side hobby and you got nothing better to do :scratchhead:
 
I agree with Glamper64. Why would you even attempt this unless as a hobby? You mentioned cost as a factor in your decision. But by the time you factor in labor and materials, assuming you can even resurrect that disaster, it seems penny wise and pound foolish to me. (Masochistic even comes to mind. :) )

You can't use it while you're rebuilding it and replacing everything from the frame up, again assuming the frame is salvageable at every nut, bolt and weld, it'll probably take an entire year (or more) to do, and you'll end up with a refurbished 1974 trailer--the eventual resale value of which will be nil after all the time and money you've put into it. Overall, it'll cost you more than than the monthly payments on a used newer non-wreck with minimal issues that you can just hook up and enjoy!

But if as a hobby, you certainly picked a daunting one that will keep us entertained anyway.
 
There are plenty of people that resurrect some of the most abandoned autos that's been sitting in fields for decades. No one justifies what is spent. I cannot even describe what is spent in custom small craft that will never be recouped at the end of the day.

We use an expression that goes something like, "Is the hunt better than the catch in this instance, meaning is this just a project that's good for the soul to occupy your free time?"That's for everyone to decide. And the other most used expression when someone tells me about their free boat, "There is nothing anymore expensive than a free boat. "

In many states getting a title can give you tons of grey hairs, in others, if a person has an outdated tag hung on the back of it, then sometimes the state can run that and streamline the paperwork. Of course in some areas personal property tax that's not been paid may clog up the works to actually get an original title to make it road ready. Some states require inspection in a similar manner as a vehicle or a utility trailer.

There are so many things to consider if a project like this comes with no paperwork. If a person wants an entry level trailer of this size, used Coleman TTs can be had a reasonable price, even with some issues. There are few used TTs that do not need some work, no different than a new one advertised with a warranty. Enjoy
 
Congrats on your purchase and I for one am really interested in seeing you turn that trailer into something of your own. Lots of folks have remodeled/renovated older models, and though it's a lot of work you'll know everything about once you're done. One of my brothers bought a trailer frame and built his own camper on top of it. It wasn't anything special or fancy in anyway, and he pulled it down the road with his draft horses instead of a truck, but he did it his way and it worked for him. If you're located in Hooser Land of the trailer building empire you may find lots of great deals on surplus parts, furniture, windows, etc that you can get cheaper to help the budget. Passing through that area years ago I know there's a ton of RV surplus and salvage yards up an around Elkhart to choose from. Link here to see for yourself. And Bontragers has a ton of surplus as well. Again, looking forward to your pictures and progress and good luck on your project. PS: Love the Jalouise windows, wish all of the new campers still used them, much better than the casement/slide windows they have now.
 
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"To each, his own"! ChrisK1911 wants to rebuild it and he has been "advised" of some of the challenges involved. Let's just wish him luck and provide whatever support we can.
 
After reading through some of the most recent posts on my feed here, I’ve went back and forth deciding if I even really need to explain why I am doing this project. I don’t want a monthly payment. New is nice, but not necessary. This project to me is me teaching my sons that if you put your mind to something and are willing to use a bit of elbow grease and get your hands dirty that you can turn a hunk of junk into a thing of beauty. I’m not broke nor am I a penny pincher. A few hundred bucks every week to every other week to give this trailer a vintage and modern mash up doesn’t faze me.

I was young when my father passed away and I started hanging out with my neighbor who was an older gentleman. He had a large collection of vintage motorcycles. I would go over there and learn how to work on things and restore old motorcycles found in a dilapidated barn back to their original look.

When I was old enough and had my motorcycle license, I got my own motorcycle project. It was a 1971 SL 350 Honda. This bike had red Michigan clay in places that didn’t make any sense. Long story short the bike now runs.

To me this is a new learning experience, bonding moments with my children, and for my wonderful wife’s creative brain a chance to articulate her thoughts and ideas into something she can see wherever we decide to pull the trailer to and camp out in the middle of nowhere. I understand that this thread would have made much more sense to people if it were a “vintage Jayco camper” forum however, I figured some would find it entertaining, somewhat educational, and maybe inspire someone else to restore anything they like.

I am going down to bare frame and framing, giving the frame a good coat of rust dissolver and maybe a good wire brushing. The frame looks excellent for the age of the trailer. It has just about as much surface rust on it as a 2021 pick up truck for Northwest Indiana standards. After I am down to clean bare metal a coat of rust reformer (I love this product) and a couple coats of paint. Then I am going to work my way back up and change all of the rotten wood out and start building the frame of the closet and bathroom.
 

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