Rebuilding 13' 1982 Scamp

[stevewolverton]

Hi All,

My girlfriend and I are currently rebuilding an '82 Scamp. We started this summer and have been working off/on during the weekends.

Here are a few pics of the progress.


This is the camper the day we brought it home. The first thing we did was start gutting the interior. The floor was shot as it had a leak in the back.

Steve

[stevewolverton]

We removed the body from the frame. Most of the screws were rusted substantially, so I ended up breaking most of them and drilling other. It took about 6 hours to get the body/frame separated.

[stevewolverton]

With the frame on saw horses I began the task of removing rust with a wire wheel. I also cut the old axle off as it was shot. The back bumper area had a lot of rust so I decided to cut all the bad metal and weld new material/support.

[stevewolverton]

This photo shows the old axle removed and the new axle in place. I went with a Flexiride adjustable axle. I had to do a little fabrication work to get the new axle in place, but I think it was well worth the effort.

[stevewolverton]

New steel was welded to section directly behind the axle. New steel was also added above the axle mount. I also ran a crossmember under the floor.

[stevewolverton]

This photo shows the new steel sections cut for the axle mount.

[stevewolverton]

While working on the frame, I also removed the floor from the camper, and stripped all the insulation. Only the floor in the rear was rotten, but I figured I might as well go ahead and replace it all while I had the frame/body separated. I used 3/4" ply for the floor.

[stevewolverton]

I had to replace some sheet metal at the door entrance (not shown in photo but it's the piece of metal at the doorway) and I'm welding the floor crossmember in place. You can see the extra steel that's welded between the axle and the frame to beef that section.

[stevewolverton]

This picture show the dropped floor I added to the center of the camper. I'm 6'1" and my head touched the ceiling with the standard floor. I dropped the floor 5" and can now easily stand in the camper without hitting my head. 3/4" BCX ply was used for the floor.

[stevewolverton]

We live on the Texas Gulf coast and it's quite miserable without AC. We decided to do away with the front/rear windows in the camper. The front window was removed because we're converting the front to a bathroom/shower. The rear was removed because we spend most of our time outside the camper, and like it dark. I used 1/4" plywood, fiberglass, and woodflour and glass bubbles to seal the window. This picture shows the cutout for the AC.

[stevewolverton]

We didn't like the 80's style square windows so we ditched them. I found some 20" x 24" windows on Ebay for $10. I We also hate the fact that Scamp uses rivets to hold everything in place. We removed all the rivets, and glassed the closet, and the kitchen fiberglass piece in place. We then filled all rivet holes with epoxy. One of the first jobs we did on the body was to fill the kitchen vent and window holes on the side.

[stevewolverton]

The seat areas are glassed to the body. The windows have their own frame built using pocket hole jig and are also glassed to the body. This picture shows the installation of the foam insulation.

[stevewolverton]

We hated the lower fiberglass kitchen cabinets, so I built my own using 3/4" MDF. We also decided to ditch the settee in the back and make the bed platform permanent. I used 3/4" plywood for the platform. We decided that the bed would be more comfortable without all the seams of individual cushions. I've had the cushioned settee before and would always manage to end up swallowed in them in the mornings. Solid bed = no seams = better for us. The cabinets are also 3/4" MDF. The cabinets are getting skinned in .040" brushed aluminum. The kitchen backsplash wood is 1/4" and it's just there to support the aluminum. We're getting a custom kitchen counter, just not sure which type yet.

[stevewolverton]

This photo was taken on the bed platform facing forward. The bathroom wall was built from 3/4" ACX. The bathroom door and closet door are also 3/4" MDF, and will be skinned with .040" brushed aluminum. The floor is laminate. The floor trim is 3/4" MDF and edged with a 1/2" roundover bit.

[stevewolverton]

I've never liked the way a window unit looks sticking out the back of a camper, so I built (and glassed) a small cover for it. I used 3/4" BCX for the side pieces, and 1/4" BCX for the outside section. I used a strap and slowly tortured the 1/4" piece into making the bend. I then glassed the cover to the camper and have started fairing it to the body. The holes are for the fresh air and exhaust in the back. I will place black mesh material in the holes to hide the AC.

[stevewolverton]

Glassing a new piece of wood in the door for the rounded window. The front bathroom bulkhead area is glassed to the camper.

[stevewolverton]

Cabinets and floor. Dropped floor will get trimmed with 3/4" aluminum angle.

[stevewolverton]

Fairing the front window closed. All rivet holes filled with epoxy. The only hole on the driver's side of camper is the window and electrical hatch.

[stevewolverton]

Spare tire holes and tail light holes getting filled. Spare tire now gets mounted to bumper.

[stevewolverton]

This is where we are today. I'll update as we go. We're about to paint.