1985 Chieftain For Mobile Store?

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shoptigertree

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Apr 11, 2014
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My wife and I own a store and we are looking to expand into a second location in a RV.  I think the aesthetic of a 70's-80's Winnebago fits our brand so I am mostly looking for that.  Currently I have my sights set on a 1985 Winnebago Chieftain.  The plan is to completely gut it wall to wall, install bamboo flooring, wallpaper and fixtures and paint the exterior. 
I would love any advice anyone could offer on things to look out for both mechanically as well as hurdles I may encounter with the remodel plans. 
 
Welcome aboard.

If you're going to completely gut and rebuild the house part, there's not much to worry about except to make sure the sidewalls haven't delaminated due to water intrusion and check the floor to make certain it doesn't give way or feel 'spongy' under foot.  As far as the chassis part, plan on the potential of having many of the suspension parts replaced, you'll want a chassis shop to inspect that part and make recommendations.  Tires that are older than 5-7 years will need to be replaced at $250-350 each.

This will be a time consuming and potentially expensive project - not sure how much you're budgeting for the overhaul.
 
John has some good advise. However you did not mention if the store was going to be mobile or always parked in the same place. If it will only be in one spot you will not have to worry about the tires and the suspension. If you are going to be mobile you are opening up a large can of worms with business licenses, taxes, etc.
 
The seller said the tires were about 7 years old so that was probably "in the know code" for you'll be needing to replace them.  I figured I could get the whole project done for $3,000-$4,000 for my renovation budget.  The flooring shouldn't be more than $300 for such a small space, $1000 for tires. I have a buddy welding most of the fixture frames for me for really cheap out of scrap iron, and then some cash set aside for potential suspension and brakes.  My father in law has a generator he is going to let us use so I am not concerned about the generator.  I plan on putting in LED fixtures and lights and occasional AC are my only power needs.  Am I being unreasonable?
Oh and it will be mobile but mostly in the county my existing business is in.  I have the insurance and tax stuff worked out so the legal side is fine, just worried about the other stuff. 
 
Mostly apparel and gift at the main store.  The rv will be more gift and jewelry than anything.  You can check us out at shoptigertree.com online.  Is the tire thing an absolute immediate danger sort of issue?  We're be mostly doing low speed short jaunts around town initially.  I want to primarily use it to collect data on neighborhoods I think could sustain a second full time location.
 
Are you a gambling man? A front tire blow out at low speed in a neighborhood could make you lose control enough to take out a few kids. Is a grand and loosing your business worth that? a Grand is cheap insurance.

Tires on RV's dry rot. they are always near or possibly in your case over the max load (Thinking racks and merchandise) It will not take much for one to go.
 
I think I will be safe on the load.  I should be taking out a lot more than I am putting back in but yeah I will take the advice and get the tires.
 
I don't think I would be too worried in local driving at slow speed. What is the age of the tires and is there much deterioration?
 
You can find the date code on the sidewall.

How to read tire date code
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

Something I would consider is making some kind of a step out of wood or metal that could withstand commercial traffic. The RV steps aren't that solid and could be a liability issue. Something that you could set up outside and carry in the motor home while moving. Will you be parking on the street for sales in a stationary position or moving from place to place often.?
 
Thanks to everyone for all the replies so far, I think I am going to be bothering you guys a lot!
It's going to be 100% showroom, John.  I am planning on completely gutting it and ending up with a completely blank slate. 
 
If you completely gut the interior, you may have to add additional bracing to stiffen the corners of the house and prevent excessive body flexing.  Often the interior cabinets and walls add rigidity to the body structure and if you remove them you'll have to add additional bracing in take their place.
 
once you get started keep us posted on how it is going I am especially interested in the bamboo flooring we are planning of replacing our laminate with bamboo and want to see how it holds up to flexing as you travel
 
I was a little curious about the flexing issue on both fixtures and flooring.  I had someone tell me he had ceramic tile in his (not 85 winnebago though) so I figured if the grout wasn't cracking the wood would flex more than that.  I am also considering running it horizontally to create the illusion of more space which I think should help with the flexing issue as well. 
I will give some serious thought to the cabinets and thing that may be adding rigidity but I think I can be clever with the shelving and racks I am putting back in and make up for it.  And plenty of pictures and questions to follow I am sure!
 
I think the Winnebago design of the structure is pretty much independent of the cabinets. They make industrial units that are pretty much wide open. They made them even in those days.
 
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