Trying to Figure Out What We've Got....

[Sohkraites]

My wife and I just got our first RV - a 13' Scamp trailer. It's in pretty sad shape, but we look at it as a blank slate and have some great plans for it. However, there are some issues we need to get worked out first.

The trailer was a rental at one time and it appears that many years ago, someone somehow tweaked the tongue and it was ever-so slight twisted. A jackleg repair was made to the passenger side of the tongue right through the sticker identifying the model year. There is no ID number stamped into the frame but it does have an official Colorado Trailer ID number (so that's not an issue the title is clear and is being processed by the DMV now). Despite the slight twist, the trailer still tows straight, amazingly enough. The unit will be going into the welding shop to have the tongue straightened before it goes ANYWHERE.

BUT...it does make us wonder...is there another way to tell what year our trailer is -- like the shape/location of the tail lights, the positioning of the graphics, type of windows, etc.? Or at least a guess to get us in the right decade?

As it sits, it's truly nothing more than a fiberglass shell on a trailer frame...it was completely stripped to the fiberglass shell. BUT...the cushions were included and were (yes, were...they are now in the trash - YUCK!) a dark brown/tan plaid. The carpet is low-knap and is chocolate brown in color. We assume the interior originally had the "elephant hide" -- it's still on the door...and the remnants of the material caught under the bolts for the door hinge is a black foam-backed vinyl.

The tail lights are round, and the marker lights are down low on the shell and are thin and rectangular in shape. The front and back windows are just plexiglass and the side windows are dark-brown framed sliders with rounded corners. It appears THEY are original...except one. One of the previous owners removed the vent or AC unit from the roof and cut a new window on the driver's side, using the cutout to patch the hole in the roof, so the extra window you see in the attached picture we KNOW is NOT original. But that's OK. It makes the trailer unique!

Any thoughts? It makes it really hard when the design hasn't changed in many years!!!

Thanks for your input! I look forward to hearing from all of you!

[David B.]

If you still have access to those plaid cushions, you can get new covers in a variety of colors, and at a good price right from Scamp. The cushions them self are quite expensive. I was told by Scamp that the tongue has the VIN numbers stamped into the passenger side. I had to do some paint removing with a flapper wheel in my drill prior to finding ours. The VIN will give you all the information you are looking for. If you only have two people to camp, I would build like our 2nd 13' Scamp... a Deluxe with an L-shape kitchen. If you click on our avatar, then go to our mods, you can view around 50 pictures.
Good Luck
Dave & Paula

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Sohkraites

...is there another way to tell what year our trailer is -- like the shape/location of the tail lights, the positioning of the graphics, type of windows, etc.? Or at least a guess to get us in the right decade?

We assume the interior originally had the "elephant hide" -- it's still on the door...and the remnants of the material caught under the bolts for the door hinge is a black foam-backed vinyl.

The tail lights are round, and the marker lights are down low on the shell and are thin and rectangular in shape. The front and back windows are just plexiglass and the side windows are dark-brown framed sliders with rounded corners. It appears THEY are original...except one. One of the previous owners removed the vent ... from the roof and cut a new window on the driver's side, using the cutout to patch the hole in the roof...

Any thoughts?

From my understanding it may be a late 1970's because

• "elephant hide" a.k.a. ensolite interior wall covering
• round tail lights

However it would have had just 2 rectangular jalousie type windows ... with bright aluminum frames. The 3 brown framed, radius corner sliders are all new "upgrades".

IMHO, sealing up the roof vent (the roof is not strong enough by itself to have had an air conditioner up there) was an unfortunate mistake... but I like the extra larger window. I've discovered that side windows alone don't provide the volume of air flow that side windows plus a roof vent enables through the "chimney effect."

[Sohkraites]

Thanks, Dave & Paula!

I will try again to find that number, but as I said a jack leg repair compromised that area, and I doubt it still exists...hence the assigned id tag from the state.

As for the cushions, they are toast. The cloth is rotten and torn. And the foam is all crumbly and it all smells. We will just start over. We will have to make custom covers we know, but Myka, my wife, is pretty handy with that sort of stuff, so I will let her handle that!
I LOVE YOUR MODS! Since ours is completely gutted, we are thinking we would build in the L shaped kitchen...though swap the position of the sink and stove. As for the one in the floor, did you widen the bed? That too was a plan.

Thank you for your input!

Tony

[David B.]

The wide bed came that way, as did the floor plan, from the factory. I did see someone trying to sell one, and another one where the front area was changed so the lady could have a place for her grandson to sleep. I found Lorene W. pictures of her's that looked like ours. See http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...s-24967-2.html (pictures 13 through 17)
Dave & Paula

[Jared J]

I would guess early 80's.

Is this the upholestery you had?



Mine is an '84.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Sohkraites]

Jared -- Here's what we got...none of the cabinets were attached other than "wedged" into place. One trip around a corner, or over a bump and they were all helter skelter. As you can tell, the cushions are NOT salvagable. The photo of the rear of the unit shows the lights -- but they look really new, so I wonder if they were "upgraded" too...like the windows.

[Eddie Longest]

84-85 my guess. Rounded windows started about 1884 and I think Rat-fur started about 1986. Floyd would know for sure.
Eddie

[Sohkraites]

Eddie -- Thank you! After reading the post from David above, and a little time with a wire brush, we were able to tease out the last part of the ID number.... 1GO-00183. That's ID numbers 10-17. According to the VIN Decoding link I've found online, the 10th digit is supposed to represent the year...and that says it's a 2001. But I'm not sure that's right... It really doesn't matter since all of it will be 2014/15 when we get done....

[Eddie Longest]

Since you found the VIN, Scamp usually stamps the month and year of build near the VIN (12/84) for a verification ck.
Eddie

[David B.]

Ours was a 1990 with round tail lights (which I replaced with round LED's of the same size). We replaced the cushion covers with solid color ones from Scamp factory. Another tell tail sign of a "newer" model is the rear window fiberglass is formed for a more flat window mounting surface, whereas the older ones used a curved Plexiglass window that used a simple cutout in the rounded body. I don't know what year that change was made, but I'm sure Scamp does.
Dave & Paula

[Kevin A]

While I'm not a Scamp owner, I heard folks with Scamps talking about the difference in the script logo on the side depending on the years. RogerDat may know when the logo changed. I thought he said that the S was connected or disconnected from the rest of the design in some years. I see that your S is fully connected in the logo.

[Sohkraites]

Kevin David and Eddie -- Thanks! I will look for a date stamp, but that whole area was compromised with some damage and pretty shoddy welding. I'll keep looking.

I knew there were other minor changes like the window (being flat vs. rounded), the lights, and the logo...that sort of stuff usually is a tell-tale sign to those in the know... Thanks for all your help! Hopefully this little guy will be back on the road soon!

- Tony

[Jared J]

I think Eddie called it. I remember seeing one a year earlier than mine, and it had the square jalousie windows.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Eddie Longest

84-85 my guess. Rounded windows started about 1884 and I think Rat-fur started about 1986. Floyd would know for sure.
Eddie

That would be my guess as well - between 1983-85 - Rat fur in 86. The only reason I throw 83 in as possible is there is currently an 83 13' for sale that has the rounded windows with sliders (the oldest one I could see in the sold archives of Fiberglass RV 4Sale - but most of the 83's still have the square windows - it also looks like the 13's got them before the 16' and 5th wheel as a number of 84's still have the square windows as well.

[Donna D.]

I thought Rat Fur happened mid-1988. What do I know? I have a 1988 with both radius windows and rat fur.

But for giggles and grins, check out this thread from 04-02-2010, ESPECIALLY peterH's threads... great math!
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...vin-41649.html

[Sohkraites]

Thanks, Donna! I'll see if I can post my info there and see what info I can dig up. The thing is, the VIN was evidently obscured years ago -- and somewhere along the line, a PO got Colorado to issue a trailer ID tag which is attached to the frame on the driver's side. The title corresponds to the ID tag and that's what we are working through the DMV...

I really appreciate all the help. This is going to be quite the adventure!

- Tony

[Donna D.]

In the END Tony, what does the year of your trailer really matter? If you love it, you can deal with maintenance issues.. and you make a TON of memories... you are GOLDEN!

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I thought Rat Fur happened mid-1988. What do I know? I have a 1988 with both radius windows and rat fur.

Last month on the thread Older 13' Scamp Fur? - we had a couple of folks indicate they had rat fur in their 1986 and 87 Scamps.

Scamp BTW wasn't known for changing the material they used for cushions all that often, Its only been fairly recently they have actually started to offer a choose of colours. Hard to pin point a year based on the material on the cushions. In the mid 70's they used a heavy weave with an Orange plaid. The OP's photo with the brown plaid was used from in 81 to 86 may have started to use earlier as well as later years - those are just the years I am aware of it being in use. In the early 90's they did not use a plaid but a more solid brown/beige material.

[Sohkraites]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

In the END Tony, what does the year of your trailer really matter? If you love it, you can deal with maintenance issues.. and you make a TON of memories... you are GOLDEN!

Donna - you are absolutely right! It's just part of the fun trying to learn about this poor unit's history. We are so thrilled to have it. And we hope to make it as cool as all the other trailers we have seen here!