I Did It Again...A Compact Jr.

[Glenn Baglo]

Congratulations. Looks great!

I couldn't read 101 posts, but I looked at the pix as you progressed. I'm left with a question.
What is the purpose of the pop-up? Is that where you piggy-back the grand-children? Having never seen one of these I'm left to wonder.

baglo

[Tom Trostel]

Glenn,
The trailer interior height is about 5'4" with the top down. Smaller frontal area for towing and lower height for storage. When raised for camping, the interior height is 6'8".

[Glenn Baglo]

Glenn,
The trailer interior height is about 5'4" with the top down. Smaller frontal area for towing and lower height for storage. When raised for camping, the interior height is 6'8".

But, it looks to be about 3' x 5' ( or maybe less ). That's why I questioned it.

baglo

[Tom Trostel]

Glenn,
Now I understand what you are asking. The raised portion of the roof in a Compact Jr. is 3' X 9' (it's smaller in a Compact II). This is above all the area where you can stand in the interior. All the area under the low part of the roof is seating, storage, or cooking space. Of course, this design only works due to the rear door and central aisle.

Tom Trostel

http://s293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/to...psonphotos2.jpg

[drdoyle]

Larry, I enjoyed your posts on the complete rebuild of the Compact-JR. The pictures are a big help in understanding the construction of the camper.
The plywood floor you replaced shows an open bottom when you removed it.


My big question is; Is this because the lower fiberglass shell was cut away (at some time) or is the original lower shell fiberglass all the way accross?

Any one else want to comment on the Shell construction, jump right in. Thanks --Dan--

[Tom Trostel]

The Compact Jr. (and many other fiberglass trailers) has a floor of plywood and no fiberglass underneath. My 1973 has its original floor with no repairs and is still very solid. Almost all floor failures are due to water leaking from above through windows, doors, vent, sinks, etc. and not from water splashed up by the tires while towing.

[Larry&Carrie]

DAN--- the cut-out in the fiberglass was factory done--- dunno why. And, as TOM said the floor rot comes from leaks not spray thrown up. The floor was in good shape where it was exposed to the elements, but dry rotted in the front, prob from the front window leaking. And a little distress was also under the sink area.
Made it's innaugral trip quite well this week-- nothing fell off. Just had a couple leaks (3) to fix in the sink area---city water faucet needed a couple washers, and the redesigned -took the gooseneck out- drain had a leak (din't have duct tape, so electrical tape sufficed). Did reaffirm that some sort of insulation needs to be installed-- do not like condensation on the walls, makes my underwear and socks on the shelves a little clammy...... weighed it on the way home. 1580# on the axle and approx 80# tongue weight for a total of 1660#. I was a little apprehensive about having not enough tongue weight, so I installed a 7 1/2 gal propane tank and the spare is also on the tongue. This was with everything we took this weekend and about 5 gal of water directly under the sink. I don't have the water tank under the seat anymore and no house battery. It's a little heavier than our Scamp, it weighs 1600# loaded the same. Pulls pretty decent, doesn't bobble around too much till one gets up to about 70 MPH. Couple shots of it, and showing the awning I made for it. Awning can be installed with the top up or down, just use different grommets on hooks I installed. Larry

[Cliff]

snip... Also, my solution to the sagging popup--- fiberglassed in 1/2 inch square tubing contoured to the main roof.
Larry

Larry,
Almost at the point of using your idea to add supports to the roof. This will be my first attempt at applying epoxy. Can you give a first timer an idea of how many epoxy coats, or layers of fabric you applied to the support system to give it enough rigidity.

After the maiden voyage, do you have any after thoughts, or improvements you wish you had done during the renovation?

[Larry&Carrie]

Larry,
Almost at the point of using your idea to add supports to the roof. This will be my first attempt at applying epoxy. Can you give a first timer an idea of how many epoxy coats, or layers of fabric you applied to the support system to give it enough rigidity.

After the maiden voyage, do you have any after thoughts, or improvements you wish you had done during the renovation?

Cliff-- I used 1/2" square tubing, bent it to conform to the contour of the roof right above the door (was the handiest spot). Used engine cylinder heads (they were handy, too) to provide the wieght to bow the roof down. Then applied a couple layers of mat and resin on the ends to bond them in. After those were set up, filled in the center with two layers also. Was a learning experience on how large a quantity of resin to mix at a time (90 degree weather-quick "flash" time) so as not to waste it. Did screw up and cover one of the holes for the top mech and had to shorten the plate and redrill the roof. Do some measuring and planning. Also, the front rib I added will not let the roof come all the way down, so had to add a spacer between the roof and bracket, will take a picture of that and post it later today. (this also meant that I had to space the hold-down catches accordingly).

After the maiden voyage thoughts? Hmmmm other than coming to the conclusion we like the Scamp better-- this is because floor space is at a minimum in the CJ. Since we leave the bed made up all the time- a double across the front with seating space towards the galley and a small pedestal table up, floor space is a premium... Definately not a foul weather rig (which it was for a couple days). The cupboards, pantry, shelves, cutting board, etc worked out very nicely. Maybe a little short of counter space. We love the propane light- I replaced the Coleman (piece missing-on order) and installed an Humphrey I picked up-- Coleman will go back in when parts arrive, slightly smaller. It provides both heat and enuff light to read by, wish I had a spot in the Scamp to install one.
All in all the CJ came out very well and will used as a "loaner" to my friend who helped build it (and prob my daughter who has thrown out inquiries regarding it) It definately will make a very nice two man hunting camp with two side bunks set up exposing more floor space. Larry

[Steve Hilby]

It definitely will make a very nice two man hunting camp with two side bunks set up exposing more floor space. Larry

On her recent long trip, my sister did this; she slept on one "bunk" and her dog on the other, with the table set between them as a sort of nightstand. She ate sitting on the bunk, using the folding shelf I installed as a miniature table.

She also said that as the trip went on, she did less and less packing-up; eventually the sleeping bag and her other stuff got left out all the time...

[Cliff]

Larry,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your comments, I appreciate your feedback. I now have all the hardware off, and willl start the preparation (sanding, filling etc..) for painting.

[Larry&Carrie]

Larry,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your comments, I appreciate your feedback. I now have all the hardware off, and willl start the preparation (sanding, filling etc..) for painting.

Cliff- here is the oops I made doing the bows.... Several ways to remedy that, one is to put in spacers like I did, other is to notch the top of the fiberglass- plenty there, just have to rearrange the trim seal a little.
Also, I think it was you that asked in regards to trailer height after the straight axle install. Bottom of body: 16" -- space above tires: slightly over 6"-- with trailer level still only puts tongue height at approx 12-13". Wondered why it was tongue high hanging on back of El Camino.... Larry

[Cliff]

Well after following this thread and seeing the finally of Larry's rebuild,
I'll add a few of my pics, so you don't go into withdrawals. ha ha.

I made a comment, that I wish I could just hit the inside
with a pressure washer. Well, I got my wish! Here are todays pics.


[attachment=19615:10_5_2008_2_31_02.jp
g]






Just gettin' everything ready for the paint stage. The logo I outlined with a Sharpie marker before hitting it with the sander.

[JenPB]

we would have enjoyed gossiping w/you.. Sounds like your window has a slight sealing problem-- betcha it's on the side rather than top. SNIP!

Well, we made it home, so I thought I'd post the "window leak" update here. Don't know, Larry, really where the leak was. But we repaired it by uninstalling the front window in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit) after being locked out by an errant screw in the deadbolt. See...the kid who owned this trailer before us, or maybe the guy before him, stripped out the two screws that hold the face plate of the deadbolt in place, so the screws wiggled around. The door was tough to close early on in our trip, but I didn't want to completely remove the lock (woman and two children camping alone...though it didn't provide MUCH security, it provided a false sense of security that allowed me to sleep). So I tightened them as well as I could then siliconed them in place. Worked grand for a coupla weeks 'til we arrived in the boonies on a Friday evening. Then we were COMPLETELY locked out! All the windows had been closed before our move, and the top was, of course, latched tight.

Neighboring camper offered help and was equally baffled when he, too, discovered both the door knob and lock sounded like they were moving properly. His solution: remove a window, crawl in and get that door open from the inside.

I wasn't for it. I had two windows that worked wonderfully, one that had a minor leak, and no know-how about window installation. Turns out this guy really did know what he was doing, and I learned how to remove and install my windows!

Broke into trailer, removed lock (for the time being - have since reinstalled with bigger screws), and reinstalled front window with a healthy new lining of silicon. Seems to be holding up!

Jen

[JenPB]

Do your drawers have a U-shaped plastic guide on them? The factory installed a cheesy one that breaks real easy and then you just have a piece of plastic that acts as a slide.

Yup, my drawers do have that cheesy plastic slide, though some of them are broken and even those that are in shape don't work well. I'm headed to OSH to look at some solutions because, of all things, these drawers drove me near nuts on this trip!

Otherwise, trailer ran fantastically well. Loved it. Topic of conversation and curiosity whereever we went!

Jen

[JenPB]

Thanks for the measurement last night, and for offering to check it loaded - very valuable information.

Since I just figured out how to adjust my photos, here's what my rig is looking like...more pics after our trip this weekend.

Wow! That's really purdy! Thanks for sharing (and inspiring me).
Jen

[Cliff]

Larry, or anyone,

Talking about windows and frames... What type of sealant did you use between the interior walls and the wood frames? There were a few dabs of some kind of cement to hold the window frames to the walls. I will use the butyl tape for the exterior side. I am considering a PL type of sealant.

[Larry&Carrie]

Larry, or anyone,

Talking about windows and frames... What type of sealant did you use between the interior walls and the wood frames? There were a few dabs of some kind of cement to hold the window frames to the walls. I will use the butyl tape for the exterior side. I am considering a PL type of sealant.

Cliff- nuffin---- To be honest with you, Mike and I never even gave it a thought. We just used Kool Seal butyl tape on the outside. (by the way, we consumed 8 rolls on the project, and that was with slicing the rolls in half, as they are 2" wide) Prob our thoughts were, "if it doesn't leak on the outside, why worry?" I bet the dabs of cement were to hold the wood until the first screws went in. That would make it a one person job. Luckily, there were two of us.
Larry

[Steve Hilby]

Yup, my drawers do have that cheesy plastic slide, though some of them are broken and even those that are in shape don't work well. I'm headed to OSH to look at some solutions because, of all things, these drawers drove me near nuts on this trip!

Otherwise, trailer ran fantastically well. Loved it. Topic of conversation and curiosity whereever we went!

Jen

On Sis' trailer, I just cut a wood plate with a notch to slip down over the drawer rail and glued it to the back of the drawer. Kind of a wood equivalent of the cheesy plastic slide.

The feature which is supposed to keep them from sliding out when you're travelling was broken, too, so I glued a little ramp onto the bottom of the drawers about 3/4 inch from the front. As you close the drawer, the ramp lifts the drawer slightly and then plonks down behind the cabinet face. To open the drawers, you lift slightly. If this isn't clear, I can make a sketch tonight and post it here.

[JenPB]

The feature which is supposed to keep them from sliding out when you're travelling was broken, too, so I glued a little ramp onto the bottom of the drawers about 3/4 inch from the front.

THAT is actually still intact on all the drawers, but it didn't really work well with unladen drawers. (Two fell out on the drive home.) So I installed baby latches which we'd recently removed from most of our kitchen cabinets here at home. They're basically very thin stainless steel plates with a hole and a notch on them. You install it to the inside of the door/drawer, bend it down with your fingertip, then close the drawer. A screw you've installed on the facing cabinetry lines up with the big hole and slips right in, but if the drawer tries to open, the screw wedges in the notch and there's NO way the drawer will open! (Believe me...DH and I have yanked pretty hard on the drawers and cabinets here at home when we've forgotten these suckers are installed.) Anyhow, the latches worked great for the trip.

As for my current project, discovered not all the plastic brackets were broken (two of three were), and that the one remaining bracket was merely not "on track." Replaced broken bracket on second and on third I'm working on replacing a rail that wasn't grooved with one that is (and a bracket - yep, the plastic one - to slide along that rail). Was going to go with the slides, but it was a lot more work than this simple fix. GOt a lot to do. Figured I'd go simple here if the end result made me happy.

I'm happy.

Jen