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My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:21 pm
by Kep
My new to me my 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Not my photos as I do not get the trailer until next Saturday.
I will post more when I get it and after I do my mods and repairs.
Not my tow vehicle either

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This is my tow vehicle.

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Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:53 pm
by Razorback
That’ll be nice!

I know you’re feeling like kid who knows Christmas is coming!

Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2019 11:08 am
by Kep
Razorback wrote: Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:53 pm That’ll be nice!

I know you’re feeling like kid who knows Christmas is coming!
It is a bit more like the kid who jumped in with both feet lol.

As in ... I really hope the investment is beneficial towards our end goal.

Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:53 am
by Kep
Picked it up and took it to Oasis RV. The fantastic fans are not a simple install but I guess I will have to pay for it. The awning fabric isn't cheap either. I put vinegar and dish in the black and grey water tank in hopes of getting the level sensors to work again. Any ideas what would work better? It tows like a dream by the way.

Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:36 am
by KYAvion

Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:33 am
by RISK
I use Unique DigestIt in my tanks and that cleared up the funky readings.
I also will put a half bag of ice (sans the bag...) in my black tank to scour it when traveling to somewhere. It really works well to clean the tank.

Ian

Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:37 pm
by Kep
Thanks,
I have the spray wand but the extreme cleaner might help.

Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 10:24 pm
by Salty
Generally, the black tank sensors are immediately next to the vent pipe opening. Open the black tank drain, Stick a hose down the vent pipe and flush away any *debris* in the vicinity of the sensors.
I use the Unique Digestit, and it does work to a degree. It wasn't until I dropped my black tank and took a wand to it that it really got clean. Now I use the Digestit to keep it that way.
Something you might want to look at. In the photographs you posted, the wood at the bottom of the refrigerator door side shows rot. you may want to check out the floor in that area.

Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:12 am
by Kep
Originally I thought it to be a refrigerator condensation issue but upon closer examination I see it is an entry door seal issue. I ordered the replacement seals from Chuck but they have not arrive yet. I did look at the floor around the entry area and it seems fine. I need to figure out how to clean that wood up but it is still solid enough to repair. Being an Arizona trailer water damage is not as pervasive a problem as the rest of the country.

I have another floor issue though as it seems the battery charger looks to have leaked oil out and it permeated the floor under it. It seems solid though and just seems a bit discolored possibly by heat more than oil if it is oil stains at all. For a 40 plus year old camper I'm fairly happy with it. I'm getting a 48" rear awning for the bathroom slider window and replacing the fabric on the 20' side awning. Other than that it is an interior door latches and drawer slide issues. I bought two used fantastic fans (The owner replaced them with Max Air units) and I quickly found out it was a far bigger project than I had realized. Seems the Avion has a larger opening than is industry standard is now. Going to make the opening smaller but it is not going to be an easy project.

I also have the dead bolt issue where it doesn't retract enough to open the door without help from an object used to move the bolt manually from the outside. I will look at it more closely once I get it back from the shop. As it is now it seems to be a stealth security device LOL.

Ultimately we are using it as a base camp to continue our retirement home project. We are also going to use it for camping trips once the home is done. I so wish we had not sold our 31' Airstream as it had the most awesome rear queen and front couch layout. We sold it because it was so low to the ground we literally could not go anywhere boon-docking without dragging it on the front or back. Now we hear folks are lifting them but that was unheard of back then.

Re: My new to me 1976 Avion 28' La Grande trailer

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:47 am
by Salty
Not sure about the La Grande, but other Avions had an issue where the guard or rain drip over the door would leak into the trailer. Something to look at.
As for the door seal, with all due respect to Chuck Cayo, the seal he sent for my 34V was too thin - there wasn't enough height to it. I went with a Trim-lok 101HT, 0.5" x 0.5". Something else to take a peak at - is the gap around the door even? If not, you may need to adjust the hinges. I saw a video that someone here posted a link to that was from an AS dealer showing how to align the door. Well worth the time to watch. While obviously this isn't an AS, the procedure is directly applicable to our Avions.
A final note> While the seal Chuck sent me was too thin for the entry door, it worked wonderfully on my rear storage compartment door.