Jim's Trail West Campster

[Jim Ingram]

Okay, it took me a while to figure out how to post pics. Then I had to do the resizing -- not hard, just time-consuming. (I make my living managing the computers for a school district.) So now I have an avatar, a personal picture, and these:

Here's the general idea...





Here's the whole rig just after we had all the cancer taken out of the 1990 Eddie Bauer Bronco and installed a new engine and transmission (144,000 miles on that "new" Bronco). It shows off the trailer paint scheme nicely.





This one shows the exterior results of some of the modifications I mentioned.





My mother replaced the original windows in the 90's. I think the original trailer only had an icebox, so my Dad installed a propane 'fridge -- that's the louvered panel on the left and the "chimney" barely visible right above it. You can see the side-vent forced-air furnace below the window. The small silver metal square just to the front of the window is a 1/8"-thick aluminum "diamond" plate added to reinforce the strength of the fiberglass where the crossways bunk is mounted on the inside. Always remember to spread out the load! The green tent on the far left is a Cabela's shower tent. Where we camp there are no showers. It's equipped with a portable camp water heater and a porta-potty (which fits under the closet for travel).

I'll try to take some pictures of the other mods I've made over the years for another post.

[Jim Ingram]

Oh, okay -- just one more picture. Here's a good shot of the crosswise bunk. We put just enough space under it to raise our knees without hitting them, sleeping with our heads toward the kitchen. When my wife and I are alone in the trailer, the bunk comes out.





And some more "war stories." The shag carpet on the walls is because my folks very quickly discovered that they got "rained on" every night in the trailer because the condensation was so bad. They also added the bead-board insulation on the ceiling for the same reason. Um... the little holes in it were caused by that cutie sitting on the bunk, shortly after she was reminded not to do that and the lights were turned out for the night. Speaking of lights, I removed the original 12v lights (they used up a lot of battery life) and replaced them with doubled-up 12v fluorescent trouble-lights in home-made fixtures. You can see the end of one in the upper right corner of the picture (tube with the black cap on the end).

[Steve L.]

Nice rig!

[Gina D.]

LOVE the paint job!

[Bonnie]

Very nice setup. I like the bunk idea. Looking forward to more pictures on your mods.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I love the paint job. I'd like to hear more about ( and see more pictures of) the modifications.


Bobbie

[Robert B]

Jim,

Look forward to seeing the rest of the pictures.

[Jim Ingram]

Okay, folks, it looks like the demands are for paint and bunks!

If you look at the existing pictures you can see the paint job. The wide dark red stripe wraps around the front and two sides of the fiberglass body following the body's natural lines -- the seam between the top and bottom, and the rolled-under edge that supports the seats on the inside. Of course, you can put your paint wherever you want. This just happened to fit really nicely with my two-tone Bronco's color scheme.

How To Do It: If you've never used automotive paint and a real body-shop style spray gun, and you don't have a properly-vented shop area and an appropriate breathing mask, take it to a body shop to have it done. WARNING! The materials used in automotive paint are poisonous if breathed!

If You're Still Interested: Go to a local auto parts store and buy a couple of sheets of 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper, a quart of automotive paint, a gallon of reducer (thinner), and a set of fresh filters for your breathing mask, and anything else they say you need (like "hardener", etc.)

From here on, everything should be accomplished in a single day! Wash the trailer with a good car-wash detergent. If there's any mildew, kill it with Clorox. Rinse thoroughly and let dry. Then go over the surface where the paint will be applied with a clean rag soaked lightly in the reducer you bought. You shouldn't need more than a cup of reducer to do the whole trailer. Turn the rag frequently. Let it dry again.

Mask out the areas where the paint will not be applied. Cover clear to the bottom and top of the body so that "overspray" won't settle where you don't want it. A body-shop-style masker with a roll of two-foot paper makes this go faster. You can use newspaper if you carefully tape ALL seams shut.

Once masked, use a folded sheet of 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper with moderate pressure in a circular motion about the size of your hand and go over the entire exposed surface. Be careful not to damage the masking tape. Once this is finished, wipe it all down with another clean rag with reducer and let it dry. Now it's ready to paint.

Mix the paint according to the manufacturer's instructions for your type of spray gun and your temperature and humidity conditions. (I'll assume that you have a spray gun and a clean, dry supply of compressed air. If your air hose has been used on an unfiltered compressor, it probably has oil in it that will mix with the paint at the spray nozzle, and make your paint job do strange and horrible things! If your system doesn't have an oil/water filter, it's not the kind that should be used for this. Go to a body shop.) Put the properly-thinned paint in the cup, assemble the spray gun, and put on your breathing mask.

Unless your shop has a ventilation system that can make a noticeable breeze inside it, I'll recommend that you do the painting outside. DO NOT do it in a closed shop without ventilation. The fumes can make you VERY ILL, and some effects can be permanent! I can't emphasize this enough!! So... assuming your fully-prepped trailer is out on the driveway and there's only a LIGHT breeze blowing (and your prized 1954 Cadillac is far, far away), connect the spray gun to the air hose and go have fun. The hard work is done!

I used DuPont products. It's been on there long enough that one side of it has water marks from being watered by the garden sprinkler for several years, and it shows absolutely no signs of peeling or cracking. If you know how to use body putty and have flaws in the surface, have at it. If a bug settles in your freshly-sprayed paint (because you're painting outside), well... don't try to remove him while the paint's still wet! Let it dry, then pick him out and use some touch-up paint applied with a fingernail polish brush. It's a good idea to wait for a warm spring day before the bugs hatch out, or a warm fall day after a hard freeze to kill the bugs! (Yes, you might have to wait six months for the right "window of opportunity".)

If there's anything here you don't understand, just post your questions here for everyone's benefit.

I'll have to take some pictures of the bunk, but will post them with instructions soon. Happy painting!

[Joseph Domingos]

Hey Jim,
GREAT RIG! hehe I'm always excited to see what another 'sister' of the Compact/Campster variations family looks like. So this is an heirloom trailer huh, passed down from your folks? That's really great too! And your paint scheme to match the Bronco, very smart looking.
All the modifications over the years sound great too, it sounds like it's better equipped accessory-wise than many brand new rigs!
The pics are great, would love to see a few shots of your galley area to see how everything fits together there too...
Joe

[Jim Ingram]

Thanks, Joseph. My Dad never was able to settle for "off the shelf." Guess I inherited that along with the trailer, and am happy to carry on the tradition.

An afterthought for everyone on the previous post on painting. If the dangers and equipment described there scare you off, there's another way. It doesn't look as good as the automotive paint, but it can turn out well. Go to your local auto parts store and tell them what you're doing, then ask them for the right kind of spray-can paint (Krylon, etc.) for painting fiberglass. The only difference will be in appearance over the long term. You still should do all of the surface prep the same way. Ask the auto parts personnel what to use for a surface cleaner instead of the reducer. When it's time to paint, apply several THIN coats, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. They may recommend a spray primer for the first coat. Three or four coats of the color paint should eliminate any areas where the light fiberglass shows through thin paint. Of course, if you're painting the ENTIRE trailer, this will come out looking like one of those redneck camo pickup jobs. Spray cans are less expensive than the auto body paints (even if you need five or six of them). It can work really well if you're just adding accents, like... uh... racing stripes?

[Jim Ingram]

Well, friends, today was Saturday. I spent half the day taking pictures of 35 years of modifications, the good, the bad, and the ugly -- 42 of them. Obviously way more than anyone wants to scroll down to in this discussion thread. So I've organized the pictures into groups and put them on a website of my own where I can go into excruciating detail. I'll continue to put teasers here at FiberglassRV, and each time include the URL to the full article.



)

The first picture shows the completed bunk and mattress outside the trailer. The second one shows it installed in the trailer and tilted up out of the way for daytime storage. There are fourteen more pictures on the bunk project showing many details with full explanations. On the way there you'll see a list of future topics. As they become available I'll notify you here. As always, if you have questions please post them here for the benefit of all. Enjoy!

P.S. - the images on the website are also available in much higher resolution. If you need them, just ask.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I've already bookmarked the site; can't wait to see the rest of the mods. The cot is nifty, no need for one here, unless I decide the dogs need an upper bunk, but I like the idea.

Bobbie

[Jim Ingram]

Bobbie, did you see big pictures or small ones? I accidentally loaded 200px and just replaced them with the 500px ones I intended a few minutes ago. Take another look.

[Bobbie Mayer]

They are the same size as they were the first time I saw them.
I don't know if that is bigger or not! They are a nice size, bout 3x3 on my computer screen.

Bobbie

[Jim Ingram]

Okay, you probably saw the bigger ones. You can check by right-clicking on a picture and then clicking the "Properties" option on the popup menu. It should say the image is 500px X 375px.

[Jim Ingram]

For my recreational time today I decided to fill in some more of the modifications shown at at http://www.sunnyarbor.com for your perusal. The "Galley - Kitchen Side", "Galley - Closet Side", and "Non-Trailer Stuff that Goes Along Anyway" sections have been brought to life. More next weekend. Enjoy, and post any questions here!

[Bobbie Mayer]

For my recreational time today I decided to fill in some more of the modifications shown at at http://www.sunnyarbor.com for your perusal. The "Galley - Kitchen Side", "Galley - Closet Side", and "Non-Trailer Stuff that Goes Along Anyway" sections have been brought to life. More next weekend. Enjoy, and post any questions here!

Great stuff, Jim!

Q.1. Does your Campster have the Coleman wall lamp? And if so, is it mentioned in the manual?

Q. 2. What do you hook the tarp too on the top (the one that uses two poles and hooks to the trailer? I've been thinking of adding something like that.

Q. 3. You probably said, but what year is your Campster? Mine has the cabinets like a Compact- a metal trimmed edge and then wood veneer inserts. Yours look different.

[Steve Hilby]

For my recreational time today I decided to fill in some more of the modifications shown at at http://www.sunnyarbor.com for your perusal. The "Galley - Kitchen Side", "Galley - Closet Side", and "Non-Trailer Stuff that Goes Along Anyway" sections have been brought to life. More next weekend. Enjoy, and post any questions here!

There are some pretty clever things going on in your trailer--I especially liked the "bathroom" shelf/cabinet door!

[Jim Ingram]

Thanks, Steve, I hope you find more in the pages yet to come. Of course, this trick can be done with any door simply by moving the hardware from the sides to the top/bottom, and adding a little chain. The doors are already prefitted into the holes.

Bobbie, here are your answers:

A1: It did have the Coleman wall lamp. I never trusted it or used it. My Dad put two additional layers of asbestos deflectors above the built-in heat deflector, and there is still minor heat damage to the ceiling. As I recall, you couldn't stand to run it for more than ten minutes anyway because it made the cabin too warm for comfort. When I removed it, it practically fell apart in my hands, so it probably was good that we didn't try to light it recently. I simply capped the gas line that powered it, and pushed the line back into the bulkhead. The real reason for removing it was I wanted to put a shallow cabinet there for magazines, eyeglasses, pocket change, etc. What I remembered as a manual now appears to be a 4-page cardstock advertising folder, "Introducing the fabulous new... Trails West Campster," showing a Volkswagen, a Datsun station wagon, and a Ford something as tow vehicles. The light is simply listed in the Standard Features as "Propane Light," and there's no separate manual for the light.

A2: The edge of the tarp that hooks to the trailer has four evenly-spaced large metal grommets, which hook over corresponding "J-hooks" (like the ones used on the front of the bunk to hook the chains) fastened on the roof. But how you screw them down takes some care. The hooks have two screw holes. The back wall is reinforced with plywood. The kitchen has a liner. Position the hook on the roof (J up and pointing to the rear) so that the inside hole is over the plywood. Drill through the fiberglass into the plywood, and insert a long screw into it. On the second hole (at the end of the hook), drill through the fiberglass BUT NOT THROUGH THE KITCHEN LINER. Use a short sheet-metal screw that barely protrudes through the fiberglass when seated. Don't overtighten and strip this one -- it's only function is to keep the hook tail from moving sideways, and doesn't need a lot of down-force. Don't forget the silicone sealant when you put in the screws the final time.

A3: The pictures in my flyer look just like my woodwork, except all the doors and drawer-fronts have trim around them in the flyer. I don't know if it came that way, or if my folks removed the trim, leaving what you see in my pictures. My registration slip says it's a 1970 Camper DeVille Campster. There's a California vehicle ID plate just to the left of the doorknob on the outside of the trailer that says "M 350" (a model number?) and "S 0377" (a serial number?). From my Dad's handwritten notes on the flyer, it appears he paid $1,396.00, four dollars less than it's 17' predecessor sold for. It appears the vendor was Chapman Mobile Homes, Inc., 12415 Beach Blvd. Hwy 39, Garden Grove, CA. The names Jim Lester and Wally Patterson are pencilled in with phone numbers in my Dad's handwriting. The manufacturer is listed as Trails West/Campster, 16710 S.E.82nd Drive, Clackamas, OR 97015. Options listed on the flyer are "Outside Vented Space Heater", "Gas/110 volt refrigerator", and "Bracket for inside-outside dinette table." I'm guessing the factory-option space heater was under the sink, based on the photo of the outside that's in the flyer. There's a vent there that isn't on my trailer.

I noticed one other oddity that may help identify the manufacturing year. The frame under the body isn't like the photo in the flyer. The flyer shows a box frame, with the A-frame welded on an angle underneath it, rising about 8" at the front of the body, and then stretching out horizontally to the tongue jack. On mine, the frame rails under the body are actually bent just before they come out in front, continuing horizontally until they meet at the tongue jack. You can see this in the pictures I initially posted of the Bronco/Campster latch-up. There always seemed to be a lot of bounce in that bent area on the road, and I took measures to correct it this summer. It will be included in the Miscellaneous Big Stuff link when it goes live.

On a lighter closing note, while looking for info on the Campster I came across my Dad's 1955 Federal Income Tax Return. Listed as a business expense was gasoline at six cents a gallon, along with $4 hotel rooms and $1.20 restaurant meals.

[Bobbie Mayer]

A1: It did have the Coleman wall lamp. I never trusted it or used it.

Mine works, and I'd like to be able to use it in the winter but it sort of flashes on and off, like the gas line is choked or something. (I didn't think gas gases could do that.) I've only tried it for a few minutes, though, maybe if I let it burn for awhile sometime it will work right.

A3: The pictures in my flyer look just like my woodwork, except all the doors and drawer-fronts have trim around them in the flyer. I don't know if it came that way, or if my folks removed the trim, leaving what you see in my pictures. My registration slip says it's a 1970 Camper DeVille Campster. There's a California vehicle ID plate just to the left of the doorknob on the outside of the trailer that says "M 350" (a model number?) and "S 0377" (a serial number?).

My registration just says Trailswest Campster (or rather Trlswst Campster) and has a plate from Idaho that says S 0149. I will have to look to see if there was an M number.


Quoted: I noticed one other oddity that may help identify the manufacturing year. The frame under the body isn't like the photo in the flyer. The flyer shows a box frame, with the A-frame welded on an angle underneath it, rising about 8" at the front of the body, and then stretching out horizontally to the tongue jack. On mine, the frame rails under the body are actually bent just before they come out in front, continuing horizontally until they meet at the tongue jack. You can see this in the pictures I initially posted of the Bronco/Campster latch-up. There always seemed to be a lot of bounce in that bent area on the road, and I took measures to correct it this summer. It will be included in the Miscellaneous Big Stuff link when it goes live. End Quote

I'll have to look closely at mine. Any chance you can scan in that brochure and post it?

On a lighter closing note, while looking for info on the Campster I came across my Dad's 1955 Federal Income Tax Return. Listed as a business expense was gasoline at six cents a gallon, along with $4 hotel rooms and $1.20 restaurant meals.

Golly, with prices like that, why did he need a trailer??

At least inflation on the trailers has not quite kept up with gasoline.

Bobbie