Open road camper van body

[fordf-100]

Hey guys, I was lucky enough to pivot up the AMT open road camper recently for a good deal. The kit is unbuilt but the body has warped and cracked, do any of the current van kits have this same body?  Thanks for any help, it’s always appreciated,

[Plowboy]

Check the AMT Chevy rescue van. It was reissued not too long ago. I'm pretty sure it's the same wheelbase.

[Casey]

No, is the short answer. The "two-way" body shell, giving the builder the option of building either a cargo- or passenger-style van is no longer, and the upper quarter panel sections have been permanently filled. More info here:

http://modelkitreviews.proboards.com/thread/1185/amt-t439-chevrolet-police-van

[fordf-100]

Thanks for the info! Hopefully I can find a decent parts van or maybe try and fix the body on this!

[Fat Brian]

The high top should still fit the police van, you just wont have the windows. If the inserts from the camper kit are still in good shape some judicious cutting on a new body might allow you to drop them in.

[Plowboy]

15 minutes ago, Fat Brian said:

The high top should still fit the police van, you just wont have the windows. 

Exactly. The window pieces can be used as a template to cut the windows out.

[Mike999]

1 hour ago, fordf-100 said:

Thanks for the info! Hopefully I can find a decent parts van or maybe try and fix the body on this!

At least you only have one break in the body.  It can probably be fixed by putting a piece of thin sheet plastic under it, glued in with something very strong like 5-Minute Epoxy.  And unless you must have an opening hood, gluing the hood in place will add strength to that area.

To fix the warping, maybe you can tape the repaired body to the chassis and use the trick of holding it over boiling water.

After all that...you still have to cut out most of the roof to use the camper top. Which will make the body very weak and likely to break somewhere else. 

I found one of these Open Road kits at a flea market once, for a very low price.  The body is not broken (yet). But somebody splattered epoxy or something thick and ugly all over one side of it.  Whatever that stuff is, it has not come off with alcohol, enamel thinner, lacquer thinner or anything else I've thrown at it.  The kit is also missing one curtain, but I can live with that.

[DukeE]

Most of these as well as the annual Van versions have a crack in same spot, which allows a warp. Warp doesn't matter when mounted to chassis, but you have to reinforce area under wipers. Often the crack starts near the wiper base for some reason. 

[Repstock]

There's been a few real Chevy van Open Road campers near me. None of them were window vans, but had custom windows (in non stock sizes) installed in the cargo van body. All of them had no windows in the restroom area. You could always get a Police van and make your own windows. While your at it, you could add the roof ribbing the kit omits, as well as the front door panels the kit doesn't have. Google CHEVY OPEN ROAD VAN and see for yourself.

[fordf-100]

I will check this out! I thought another possibility since the warping might straighten out with building and the grille installed I could "replace" the cowl area with a donor. It sure which approach I will use. Thanks for all the input!

[Plowboy]

The warpage and cracking issues could explain why AMT changed the body on this kit never to return. The way it's made, I don't see how the roof and sides aren't warped also. 

[martinfan5]

I would try and fix the body,  like what has already been said, it wont be too hard,  that kit is rare and expensive when one goes up for sale in very good condition, I would do everything I could to salvage the body.   Or the other option is getting the panel line body and cutting out the window openings. .

[fordf-100]

Yeah, it’s doesnt really have any structure to it, there is some dark coloring on top of the box so who knows maybe it was stored in an attic!

[fordf-100]

9 minutes ago, martinfan5 said:

I would try and fix the body,  like what has already been said, it wont be too hard,  that kit is rare and expensive when one goes up for sale in very good condition, I would do everything I could to salvage the body.   Or the other option is getting the panel line body and cutting out the window openings. .

Like you said these are pretty expensive when mint. I have seen a few and very few for sale on eBay around the $200 plus! I would have liked to have been able to replace the body and just keep it that way in the collection. It would be pretty neat to build it though!

[DukeE]

You can't see motor really anyway, so do front clip of later body with cowl, molded closed hood, and perhaps base of pillars back to rear of door, then down, Easy cut, 

A-team van has correct roof ribs too if not using the camper shell. 

Directions show using a solid van panel on one side with oval window cut out. ANother thought for strength. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by DukeE

[martinfan5]

8 hours ago, fordf-100 said:

Like you said these are pretty expensive when mint. I have seen a few and very few for sale on eBay around the $200 plus! I would have liked to have been able to replace the body and just keep it that way in the collection. It would be pretty neat to build it though!

Understandable, fixing it is doable, wont be a 100% but you can get it close, its not that bad.

I would love to get one, but not that badly to pay the current going rate.

Edited October 24, 2019 by martinfan5

[FredRPG]

On October 24, 2019 at 2:56 AM, martinfan5 said:

Like you said these are pretty expensive when mint. I have seen a few and very few for sale on eBay around the $200 plus! I would have liked to have been able to replace the body and just keep it that way in the collection. It would be pretty neat to build it though!

I wouldn't fret too much if you really want one, I don't think anyone is paying the $200 price tag.  I have three (one half built and two in boxes) that I've picked up off eBay in the over the last few years. Just have to be patent, the half built one was $45, the best boxed one was 70 something and the other one some where In between. Sometimes people can get little too optimistic with the buy it now price.