Here are some of the mods. made to the C-J as we bought it last month.We may make a few more as time goes on.The stove was changer over to microwave and a new
electric refer was added.The front bench was taken out but the original table was kept.
I will need to make a new longer table or just use the wood spacer boards the last owner
made.There is a new top but without the screens.It has AC so the top is ventless.I will
probably add 1 screen and storm cover.There is a tool box added to tongue and
all new wood cabinets.Outside door openings have been added so easy to get to
storage as well as vents for AC and microwave.The entire inside has new floor rug
as well as side and top berber.The tent top needs to be sealed better and I have
ordered a better seal for the pop-top rim instead of the bead that needs replacing.
We camped on the way from Ky to MA with no problems and will be taking it out
all summer while updating a few minor things as we go.

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Jeff,
The Compact Jr. looks great! Keep up the good work. Tom Trostel

Looks just great

Tom,Donna, Thanks for feedback. Today we tried a method to
seal up the spaces between the screws that hold on the pop-
top material.We used heavy-duty velcro on the inside .Because the
top had been covered with berber, the velcro worked great.
Tomorrow we will do the outside perimeter.Allrite Seal Co. in
California is sending me some samples of their seals to see if it
will fit the fiberglass top lip. The present lip seal or decorative
edging(?) could not possibly keep out the rain if it is a driving rain.
The big question is will it fit so that the spring loaded hold downs
on the inside will work?
I will report when the samples come in and I can test fit.Because this
unit has been modified by last owner, I guess keeping it original is
going to be difficult. I have learned quite a bit so far from the good
folks on this site.

Hey Jeff,
The trailer looks GREAT! You're motivating me to do more to mine now! hehe So was the diamond/vinyl insulation stuff already gone off your walls, or did you remove it first and then do the carpeting? Did you create some new lift mechanisms for the top, or re-use the old spring loaded set up?
The microwave and A/C mods look great too! I find in my kitchen area I use a lot of suction cup stuff because of the fiberglass surround. I haven't modified mine too much from the original stuff since it wasn't in too terrible of shape, but like I say, your great results have me a little more motivated now! hehe Keep up the good work, and keep posting your great pics! Joe

Joe,
A good deal of this new interior was just done by past owner.
The walls and fllors were rugged and the AC/microwave
added and built-in.The man got ill before he could use the rig
so I bought it.I have started doing things and will try to make
it as dependable and more user friendly.I bought a new
screened in surround to do most cooking in as I prefer to
do it outdoors .The AC has new air intake/exhaust louvered
panels for good circulation with a drip tray and tube .2 access
doors have been added to the outside to make it unnecessary
to raise the seat cushions when storing supplies.There are plenty
of drawers in the cabinets the last owner built but they are a little
heavy.He had put 2 50 lb. bags of sand in front for some reason.
(maybe to add tongue weight)? I took them out and will see how it
trails unloaded.I put a dropdown receiver in to get it to tow level
on my Tundra.(4+inches lower)
The undercarriage has some rust but is solid.It may have sat in
weeks for a time?It will be garaged from now on and I will try
to get the underside media blasted or get a small blaster and do it
and then repaint.I used thinned out roofing tar as an undercoat
for my 68 Scotty.That worked out very well...There are always
things to do on these relics and I am new to fiberglass rigs.

[ Joe....The mechanism for the top does not appear to be spring loaded as it goes
up and down without any tension to make it go slow.It may be the worst aspect of the
trailer for me at 65 yrs. of age.I never gave it a though because i have never seen a C-J
over many years of camping from coast to to coast several times and all through Canada and maritimes.It would seem logical to have some kind of spring mechanism to take the load off like springs on a garage door, for example.Does your's have springs?

No springs on mine and I've never heard of any others that had them. The moveable top weighs about 80 lbs. and I'm sure the wall to wall carpet adds some more weight.

Tom Trostel

Yes, the top is heavier with the carpet.It would be a chalenge though to rig up
some kind of spring/pulley mechanism to make work better.Because the past owner took
out the panel neat the stove, the left side is a little weak.I will make some supports so it won't fles so much.The velcro we used for the inner and outer tent
material worked well.Because the bolts were not put back semetrically around the
bottom of the new top skirt, and because the bolts are not covered with carpet on the
inside, I did not try to re-install more precisely.If I have problems down the road, I will
re-do the entire install of the tent. Tom, I may add some supports to my roof as the weight carpet is a little much and makes it sag a little.The frame could stand some beefing up also with some gussets ,x-members or some added L stock.
Got any theories why the past owner had 2 50 lb.sand bags up front under the seats?

My Campster has springs. The top is spring-loaded to stay in the up position, and you pull it down and hook it into the down position.

Bobbie

My top's not really 'spring-loaded', but there are what I would call helper springs on the hinges/lift mechanism. They aren't a whole lot of help really, it's still a bit of a lift for me to push it up into place and hold it while I slip the lock arms into place. From what I've seen in online pics, I THINK that Compact Juniors have two sets of scissor type lift mechanisms on each side, maybe because the roof panel is longer than on a Compact II? The Compact II's, at least mine and from what I've seen in pics, only have one set of scissor lift/mechanism on each side. Also my lift mechanisms for the top are on the INSIDE of the tent material, is that how everybody else's is???? And my Compact II seem's pretty much original, with only a few minor tweaks here and there, so I'm guessing that the lift mechanisms and all are totally original too.
I'm actually just back from a big camping trip, 5 days in the desert with the family. And the trailer performed BEAUTIFULLY! It was fun watching my folks have trouble with their fancy expensive rental motorhome monster, while I sipped cool drinks from my 30 yr old refridgerator...LOL

Thanks Bpbbie.Maybe you could post a picture of the mechanism
sometime.Mine is held up by a pin that is placed thru the mech.
so it does't slide back .

My lift mechanism on the Campster is outside the tent material, and yes, I'll get a picture of it. I need to get a new spring put on one side (I found where to buy them, but haven't yet figured out how I'm going to install it- the springs aren't easy to stretch manually.

Bobbie

On my sister's CJ, the vent was leaking, and of course the roof was sagging too. So before I replaced the vent, I built some reinforcing ribs out of 1/2 electrical conduit. They're slightly arched, and the ends are flattened and turn downwards; two bolts go through the vertical part of the popup to secure them in place. Givs the roof a nice arch, and made it a lot easier to install the new vent with some assurance it wouldn't leak.

Her top mechanism has no "helper" springs.

And the inside of her trailer has no quilted material. I suspect the quilted material someone had on his might have been a factory option.

I'll try to attach a picture showing my roof ribs and popup mechanism.

Nice pics there Steve, wow, your lift mechanisms are TOTALLY different from mine! I wonder if it's a Compact II VS Compact Jr thing though or what?
I do get the impression, from the various pics I've seen, that a CJ has (because of it having a LONGER popup than a C2) two different lift points on each side of the popup, while a C2 like mine (with the shorter length popup section) only has one lift point on each side. Also, I would never have thought that any Compact would need a vent on the popup since it has the little vent windows all around. I guess that's just a personal preference though...
BOY do we need to have a Hunter Structures Only Rally, just to see all of our rigs up close, to REALLY see the variety of variations/differences, huh? hehe

ALSO I forgot to ask Bobby, if you're lift mechanisms are on the OUTSIDE of your tent material, how do you access them? Does your tent material have special openings for that or something??

(My sister took the pics so any praise properly belongs to her.) Sis' CJ defintely has two lift points per side (four total), and the pop-up roof is full-length. You basically push the top up by hand, then pin the legs so it doesn't come back down again. In the down position, there are three Jeep hood latches to hold it, plus the lift mechanisms get pinned too.



Heh. Never thought of that.

But it's perfectly feasible to use the trailer with the pop-top down (especially if you're short), and the vent would be handy then. (feeble rationalization, I know.)

I'll try to get pictures up later today. Mine has the spring and frame on the outside and inside it has hooks you pull down and latch to KEEP it from going up.

While we are on this: The Campster seems to have a very solid support just fore of the pop-top. I was thinking of putting a room AC up there (set it in place for use, with some kind of support, and remove it in transit. I'd just have to pop the screen out of that section of the top. Any opinions?

Bobbie

Click to view attachment

Here's the pop-top mechanism on my Campster. This is on the outside on either side. It doesn't spring up spontaneously but a little boost sends it up. Inside, there are handles on bungees that you pull down, and then lock to keep it down. There are also cabinet-type handles to help you pull it down. The spring runs along the bottom of the X of the mechanism; if you want a close up of it I can send you a higher resolution picture if you email me.

Bobbie

Thanks Bobby.That mechanism looks good for the smaller pop
top.It is much like the set up on my old 69 VW campmobile.
I like the idea of the ribs made for the bigger tops on the C-J
and plan to do that to help support the extra weight the carpet
puts on the top.I may go to the junk yard and find a VW
camper to get the inside bar that was in the middle of the
top.That was very helful in raising and lowering.

Hey Bobbie,
Great pic there, gives me some idea of how yours works. I'm still a little unsure though, so once you have gotten the top up, between the spring and you pushing up on it a little, does it just stay up, or is there some prop rod or something, or what?

On my CII, there are springs, but I think they're just meant as helpers, to get the top up a little easier. THen once you get the top fully up, there's another special brace that swings down and screws into the 'lock' position with a thumbscrew. There is one of these braces on each of it's two scissor mechanisms. My top also has four of the (apparently traditional) Jeep hood style hold downs that hold the top in the down position, for traveling, storage or whatever.

I'm pretty sure it will just stay up. Right now one of the springs is loose so I prop one side up with a piece of wood but once I fix it I think it will pop up and stay. But the Campster has only a short roof that pops up so it is probably lighter.

Bobbie

Joseph, I really like the idea of a Hunter Structures Only rally! How about near Olympia, Washington State? tee-hee.

My brother Steve did a ton of updates/redos/modifications on Junior over the winter. Re-doing the pop-top roof's cross-bars was certainly a big thing, though. He said when it got done it would look like the Sistine Chapel, it had taken so much craftsmanship, and by golly, in my eyes seeing the completed project indeed it DID look somewhat like the Sistine Chapel!

Cory in Olympia, WA


P.S. Guess what this is, and what it's for?

I mean this: Click to view attachment

So Cory,
What is that for? Are you going to put in an AC unit, or a bunk just for the dog?

Bobbie & I have talked about a Cracked egg rally, sounds like fun, lets do it somewhere in Calif.

Linda

[]
Steve....How long are each roof brackets before shaping the ends and putting the
bow in? How many are needed?Did you build a bending jig to put the arch in
so they are uniform?

The bows are about 48 inches long. There are five of them.

I removed the poptop from the trailer and built a jig in my workshop to hold it upside down. The center of the jig was half an inch lower than the edges, so when I put bricks inside the top, the center portion was deflected down (upward when installed on the trailer) half an inch, and voila, there was my roof contour.

I then built one master rib, taking care to get it symmetrical and a nice tight fit against the underside of the deflected top, and then built four more using the master as a template. The ribs were not all exactly alike, so I stamped a letter into each one to keep them organized. I was able to fine-tune the lengths of the downturned ends so that they'd "snap" into place above the edge molding, which held them while I drilled the holes and bolted them into place.

Each rib is held by two 1/4 inch stainless screws at each end, with rubber sealing washers.

I was careful to leave enough space between the aft two ribs so that if Sis ever wants to replace her 9-inch vent with a bigger one (fantastic fan?) she'll have space to do it.

One problem that emerged was that since the roof is a lot stiffer, I was unable to insert the locking pins in the lift mechanisms when the top is down--I couldn't deflect it downwards enough to make the holes line up. I ended up making 1/4 inch plastic spacers to put under the upper lift mechanism brackets, spacing them downwards 1/4 inch, and now the holes line up fine.

It's a cabinet to take a trunk (full o' camping gear). I combined two vertically-hinged doors into one horizontally-hinged one which lies flat on the floor when open. The raised wood strips are skid rails; the short vertical pieces are pivoting stops to keep the trunk from sliding back out again and knocking the door open.

It's all Sis' idea. She plops her enormous old trunk onto the door and slides it into the recess, then flips up the stops and closes the door. Easy to access the trunk whether she's inside or outside the trailer.
Click to view attachment

Thanks Steve........for the data on the roof supports.I will get at
it.There is always a way or two to get locking pins to work if
it changes height.Yours look very good.Now that the top is covered
with rug.It sags just a little.The braces will take that out.