Burro door seal

[YourHighness]

I think I finally got my door straight and ready to install in the opening. I purchased a door seal from scamp which looks like it should work very well. I wonder if anyone has some experience on where to attach the seal.do I attach it to the door or to the body? Do I have the seal opening facing out or facing in? Just like Walmart, too many choices!

[TomK]

Rudy, I installed one of those seals on our Scamp 13. It appears to be the same as the Scamp door and frame for installation purposes. You glue the seal on the door frame with the little flange pointing outward, away from the edge of the opening, That little flange seals against the door's edge. In theory, the air pressure when rolling down the road forces the flange tighter against the door as you speed increases. Before you stick the seal in place; try the placement out by closing the door on it. Make sure the little flange is compressed between the door and frame. Once you determine the location peel the tape back in small sections and stick it on.

I hope it works as well for you as it did for me.

TomK

[YourHighness]

Thank you Tom for your insight. This is been quite an adventure since we bought this last July 2016. My wife and I plan on camping with it for the very first time in August for the total solar eclipse out to Nebraska and South Dakota. Since I had to replace a rotten floor the body may not be quite as perfect as maybe it was when it came from the factory 🙃! I may have to bend the hinges a little to accommodate the seal since it holds the door a little proud of the body.

[TomK]

Yes the door is a little tight after you put that new seal on, but it will get easier over time as it takes a set.

Sounds like you are headed for a big adventure in August. My hunting buds and I used to pass thru that area on our way to WY for some antelope and muley hunting. Depending on when you leave; you can expect big crowds and bike traffic around Sturgis for Bike Week. Ah, the good ol' days!

TomK

[YourHighness]

I was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base for six years. One of the best places we have ever lived!

[David D]

Just a word of caution about the tight fit after installation. I replaced a seal on a similar looking door on a 79 Surfside and the fit was tight when closing the door. We travelled 2000 km in early July and after 5 days of travel the outward pressure of the robust seal (too robust) damaged the door latch. The softer latch material rubbed against the harder striker plate and I had to remove the seal and modify my striker plate to finish the trip. You should be good if the seal is the right thickness but something to keep an eye on.

[YourHighness]

Thank you David, after 37 years since the birth of our Burro, even though it was very lightly used, I note considerable wear on the door latch mechanism. I'm guessing that the original seal was very thin foam or rubber and the thicker Scamp seal most likely will not allow the door to seat as close to the body. Do you have any suggestions?

[David D]

I have not resolved my situation yet. I plan to install a less robust seal and repair or replace my latch. I am also considering using epoxy to attach a hard plastic piece on the sticker plate to avoid further damage to the latch.

[TomK]

Our door took more effort to close after the seal replacement, but became easier after time. It never seemed to cause wear on the latch mechanism. I understand Scamp and some owners have used shims under the door hinges to increase the space between the door and frame. Is that possible on your Surfside or Burro?

TomK

[rdickens]

FWIW -

After installing the new gasket, our door was so hard to close that one of our granddaughters could barely manage it.

I used tin snips to cut out a white plastic shim from the bottom of a Dollar Store white plastic basket. I removed the 4 (or 6?) screws that hold the door latch mechanism to the inside of the door and installed the shim under the latch mechanism in order to move the latch a bit farther toward the inside/center of the trailer.

That made it much easier to pull the door closed enough that the latch more easily engaged the striker plate.

On the Scamp, I had to drill holes in the plastic shim for the mounting screws and 1 hole for the little "lock pin" that Scamp uses.

Easy deal.

I hope that description was clear enough and maybe helps some.

Best of luck to you! [emoji4]

Ray

[YourHighness]

I am finding in working on this Burro that most of the time the simplest answer is the best answer. Everything that I've done with this Burro has to meet three criteria: 1. Keep it light, 2. Keep it inexpensive, and. 3. Keep it simple! I really like the idea of using plastic shims under the hinges rather than bending them and risk breaking them. That way too I can adjust how the door sits by adding or removing shims as the seal sets. Thanks for the idea!

[Borrego Dave]

That's a good tip with the shims. Even better, as the seal wears you can pull the shims and tighten it up a bit again.

[YourHighness]

I ended up replacing the original door strike with one made to sit flush with the inside of the fiberglass. This will give me the extra room I need when I install the new door seal.