Lil Nugget -85 Uhaul Restoration - Fiberglass RV
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Old 12-10-2017, 01:11 PM   #1
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Name: Adam
Trailer: Uhaul
Florida
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Lil Nugget -85 Uhaul Restoration

Attachment 114505
We have lots of work to do on our new camper- Lil Nugget. We need to make a list of items to address and create an order in which to do them. I need to do a bit more investigative work but with a baby that just learned to walk with me, I was a bit distracted!
I'm not clear on the order these trailers were assembled. It looks like there is an outer and inner shell? Understanding this would help in knowing what to tackle first and how. I read that the plywood floor is sandwiched between FG. Our trailer looks to have half of the bottom wood floor exposed with no FG underneath and the other half of the trailer has Plywood with FG that is in rough shape. The PO added laminate flooring and laid it on new Plywood so without ripping this up it's hard to see what is going on from above.Attachment 114506
You can see here the left side has FG and the right does not. The Plywood on the right is also a reddish color? Thinking this was a PO handy work and he did not FG it underneath?
Attachment 114507 Most of the bolts connecting the floor to the frame are pretty rusty.Attachment 114508Attachment 114509
The front wood is solid but no FG on the one side.
Attachment 114510Attachment 1
The rear floor is in bad shape. It rained recently so i had a look. The side Windows leak and without cushions the water followed the rear seats into the compartment underneath causing the rot. leakAttachment 114511
The floor by the door is rotting and you can see the PO's new plywood showing through that he laid the flooring on.
Is it easier to Jack the shell up off the floor and rip out/replace the entire floor? Or would I put new flooring over the top of what's there which is what the PO did? Im confused on the assembly. I'm thinking it is better to rip out all the flooring and install new FG then new plywood with FG on top while the shell is still on the frame. How are the cabinets and storage areas attached to the outer shell?
I used Spray on bed liner on our previous stick built trailer to protect the bottom of the floor from the road/moisture. Is this an option? The bolts from the frame to the floor need to be redone too.Attachment 114512
I saw the thread on rebuilding the Windows w new gaskets but it sounded like there were still leaks. I rebuilt the Windows on our previous trailer and it worked but I feel like we are better off replacing on Lil Nugget. I saw people replacing with Scamp Windows and also found a thread with someone using Windows from a Tear drop trailer that fit without altering the window opening.
Attachment 114513
The rear passenger corner of the frame is Swiss cheese. A new curved section needs to be welded on to replace this section. I can do simple welding but I think this more than I can handle. Can you bend the new tubing that is this thick?
If anyone can give some advice on the best way to tackle this I would love to hear. We want to make a plan and get started. We have a small enclosed carport but I'm not sure the trailer will fit. We will either work on it in the Carport if we can fit or purchase a tent to park under while we work.
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Old 12-10-2017, 01:29 PM   #2
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Seems like none of my pics came through? And there is one of a random food plate that I have no idea where it came from. Frustrating!
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Old 12-10-2017, 01:46 PM   #3
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Name: bob
Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
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Lot of questions, I'll shoot down one option, the windows from the teardrop guy are no longer available. Apparently he won't make them anymore.
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Old 12-10-2017, 03:08 PM   #4
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Casita 16ft.
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Adam,

Regarding your pics not showing. Are you using a photo hosting service that has links for posting pics to web forums? Some web forums have a gallery imbedded within the site but I haven't looked to see if this one has that. I use Post Image. PI is easy to use and you can't beat the price since it is free.

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Old 12-10-2017, 04:33 PM   #5
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Whats up w the Teardrop guy? Is he Anti -Uhaul? Seems like a semi-regular revenue stream he is eliminating.
I posted the pics from the Gallery on my phone. No web hosting service. Not sure what happened. I will post a couple tests to see if they come through.
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Old 12-10-2017, 04:34 PM   #6
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Old 12-10-2017, 04:34 PM   #7
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Old 12-10-2017, 04:35 PM   #8
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It's posting but doubling the pics? Ideas?
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Old 12-10-2017, 04:36 PM   #9
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Old 12-10-2017, 05:38 PM   #10
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Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moonpies4misfits View Post
Whats up w the Teardrop guy? Is he Anti -Uhaul? Seems like a semi-regular revenue stream he is eliminating.
Don't know what his problem is, he made one set of side windows at a very reasonable price, then refused to make any more.
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Old 12-11-2017, 06:34 AM   #11
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Name: Gary
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Iowa
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There's at least one post on the Facebook site, where an owner had a fair bit of his frame rebuilt with sections of tubing bent up by a muffler shop.

I think another option would be a shop that caters to those who build space-frames for stock-car chassis, or roll-bars for street rodders..... these would, I would think be substantially heavier-walled steel, IF that's needed, vs the exhaust tubing.
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Old 12-11-2017, 06:50 AM   #12
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I was thinking, does it even need to be tubing. Probably could use angle or square tubing and fabricate something.
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Old 12-11-2017, 11:14 AM   #13
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Discussion appears focused on starting from frame up, then floor probably after gutting interior. I concur. Sorry, my experience is from an armchair.
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Old 12-11-2017, 12:23 PM   #14
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Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
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Interior is all fiberglassed in so not much removable other than cabinet doors, stove, icebox, furnace, stove hood. Uhauls are not put together with rivets as Scamp and Casita are.
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Old 12-11-2017, 06:09 PM   #15
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Can anyone direct me to a step by step on repairing the frame/ floor/fiberglass ? I've seen a couple videos but they did not show anything in depth. Trying to get an idea of the order things need to be done.
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Old 12-11-2017, 08:48 PM   #16
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Looks like someone has already replaced part of the floor. The two I actually worked on had a plywood sandwich with fiberglass on top and bottom.
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Old 12-12-2017, 06:15 AM   #17
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Adam,

I did a brief search on this site, and didn't find a helpful thread right away. Found this link on the U-Haul Facebook site to a YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=tgh1sUWJC7A

Also on the Facebook site, Mike Clark had a post in December 10th of 2016 with pictures of work he did on his floor...

Another post from James Wichell in June of 2016, and in May of '16...

And, another thread from here on FGRV.........
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ame-54726.html
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Old 12-12-2017, 07:19 PM   #18
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Thanks for looking and sharing! I will see if my wife can find the Facebook posts you mentioned. I'm finding more info on the Boeler trailers. Are they assembled the same way as the Uhauls. I can see in the one Uhaul video, the guy cut out all of the floor except for the areas supporting the interior seating etc. No idea how he flipped it on its side, up side down, and back again without the shell falling apart. I'm guessing the shell gets pretty flimsy once it's off the frame and you start cutting out the floor.
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Old 12-12-2017, 09:04 PM   #19
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You're welcome, Adam! Hope the info's of some use.

I don't know about Boler construction, but the Burros are very similar to the U-Hauls... so any rebuild info about Burros would have application, for sure.
I know people have talked about the need to add bracing before taking the body off the frame--especially when removing the whole floor. I don't recall how the bracing was done, but I would guess side to side, and especially at the door opening... to hold the shape properly if the whole floor is replaced. Once the new floor is all bonded into place, it'd be tragic to find the body was warped!
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Old 12-13-2017, 08:37 AM   #20
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I will search for Burros and bracing to see what I come across. I could see glassing in some braces.

On another note does anyone know the exact window sizes for the window openings on the Uhauls or where I can go to find them? I can measure the Windows but without removing them I can't get an exact measurement. I need to replace the front, rear, sides, and door.Click image for larger version

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