1973 Trinity Camper

ib-bus · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 1:36 pm Post subject: 1973 Trinity Camper

I just picked up this rare camper this week , got it on Ebay.
It is not running but should not take much to make it road worthy.
I am fixing another camper at the moment but I will start cleaning up and assessing this project.
Plans are to leave it's original paint alone and try to restore all the original camper interior.
Long story short is I bought it from the daughter of a recently deceased old gentleman , he bought it back in '86 and just parked it on his back yard.
It has never moved from that spot since.
It came with lots of old receipts , old manuals and even a picture back from when the old man bought it.
Trinity Campers was a company based in Ojai , California , I have seen pictures of early and late baywindow conversions but no splits.

Here are the pictures from the Ebay when I bought it.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

It sat on that same spot since 1986
While we were towing it from Los Angeles to San Diego one of the old tires blew up Shocked

This are scans of the picture I mentioned before and the sales brochure.

This scan is of the conversion brochure , on some pictures it shows the price of each feature.

Tcash · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 2:13 pm Post subject:

That is cool. Have not seen one before.
Can you please post some pix of the interior?
Thank You
Tcash

ib-bus · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 2:18 pm Post subject:

Wasted youth · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 2:30 pm Post subject:

I did not see that on EBay, but I hope you got a sweet price. What attracts me the most on this is the low mileage from sitting there. I found a 1977 bus that was last registered in 1986 and had 87,000+ miles. The doors, etc. shut nicely due to that. Solid steel and all.

Excellent score! Looks similar to a Country Homes type of mod.

bigbore · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 2:46 pm Post subject:

It looks like they used a Sportmobile top and rack the window on the sliding door also looks tobe from sportmobile.
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ib-bus · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 2:57 pm Post subject:

Tcash · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:13 pm Post subject:

Thanks
Interior looks solid.
Would you mind posting the pictures to the site. All to often the links for the pictures die. Then the post is just about useless.

How to post photos/How to post a photo in the Forums

Thanks again
Tcash

ib-bus · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:35 pm Post subject:

Stuartzickefoose · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:38 pm Post subject:

sweet bus! cool score.

since the back wheels are the drive wheels, if you ever have to tow it again, please put the bus on backwards and lock the steering wheel straight ahead. much safer and less likely to damage the engine or trans if it were to slip into gear for any reason.

now if i missed a part where you said it had no axles, trans, or an engine, then nevermind. Wink

are you planning to clear coat the original paint at all?
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ib-bus · Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 6:13 pm Post subject:

ultralite · Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 7:15 pm Post subject:

FWIW, I watched this http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Mz6YNb4uA
On YouTube last week where a guy steam cleaned a Porsche that had been sitting for a while. The claim is that it's easier on the original paint. Seems like a similar situation.

Nice find!
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Stuartzickefoose · Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 9:22 pm Post subject:

Look in the body and paint forum, theres a sticky on getting down to original paint, and it has plenty of info on preserving it to. Lots of coats of clear and a solid polish would make a difference.
_________________
Stuart Zickefoose

2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDi 6 speed manual

206-841-7324
[email protected]

gator · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:32 pm Post subject:

Looks like Trinity campers bought bare bones Sportsmobile kits, built their own interiors, and slapped their name on them.

Check out 'Sportsmobilers unite' thread for more details.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=215005&highlight=unite

TweedLinn · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 5:07 pm Post subject:

busdaddy · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 5:22 pm Post subject:

Part of the deal with Sportsmobile may have required the retaining of the badge.

That's funny because when I first browsed this the other day I thought "Sportsmobile with a different interior", maybe Trinity thought they had a better idea? (looks pretty good from here), or maybe it was a partial license agreement shipping tops out west in bulk and adding a Trinity interior to a west coast bus in house?
Everyone was jumping on the van camper bandwagon back then and enterprising businessmen often took advantage of the seemingly bottomless market, any "Joe" could rent a warehouse and hire a couple of cabinetmakers and suddenly be cranking out the hottest thing since Pet rocks and Mood rings..............................."boogie on" right down to the bank!
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ib-bus · Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 12:16 am Post subject:

Thank you for all your comments.

There is a table that hangs from that bracket on the sliding door , more pictures to come.

There is a Sportsmobile envelope with the documentation so yes , they must have purchased their pop tops from them.

This is most of the documents that came with the bus including owners manual , brochure , dealer receipts, diagnostics , etc

Original manuals and receipts are from Klein-Foreman Motors VW in Van Nuys , California.
Included is the pink slip and old registration cards , it looks like I am the 3rd owner.

TweedLinn · Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:03 pm Post subject:

Very cool. I have a sportsmobile and don't even have sportsmobile documentation!
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76 Sportsmobile

ib-bus · Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 10:43 pm Post subject:

Polished the bus a bit and the original paint is looking good already.

ib-bus · Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:59 pm Post subject:

Installed some stainless steel mesh grills and put some parts back into the bus.
It's a rainy day so can't do much today.

Bala · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 8:33 am Post subject:

That's coming right along. Love that blue!
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