Refurbishing a 1975 13' Scamp

[AM Moats]

She (our Scamp) had finally matured enough to be ready for her big “coming out” party. She had lived in the sheltered environment of my parents’ garage for months and it was time for her to see broad daylight. Her first adventure was a date with the glass installer to put in the new “Plexiglas” windows. (I had decided after reading about the gyrations required to install them yourself that I didn’t want to put my dad through that torture.) The first picture shows her peeking out of the garage. It was no small feat getting her out since she now stood taller than the garage door opening with her new axle installed. This effort required removing the wheels and rolling her out on platforms. She had to be pushed out the opposite door since my parents’ mammoth RV was sitting directly in front of her garage door. You can see her looking a bit dwarfed in the driveway by the 32’ RV. Not to fear…the last picture shows her standing tall next to her new and proud owner.

[AM Moats]

With the fiberglass patched, and the windows and new fantastic fan in place, the only thing that remained for her to be waterproof was the door. Here’s where we met a bit of a setback following the joy of finally getting her out into the open air. Despite the success of some early measurements, the door did not fit to the opening. After researching this site, we’ve decided to score the bottom of the door and fiberglass it with the proper curve. If anyone has any additional advice, please share. I’m concerned that the hinges are a bit saggy as well. I’ve added some pictures of the gap and our makeshift door handle.

[AM Moats]

Now that my post is caught up with my progress, here’s what remains….
• Fix the door
• Finish the cabinets
• Cover the walls
• Finalize the bed and bedding
• Build the table and make dinette cushions
• Install the floor
• Finish the wiring
• Paint the exterior

I’ve even included a picture of my plan, revealing a bit of my geeky side carrying over from my day job.

[AM Moats]

Besides being anxious to get out on the road (which I’ve considered doing even without a working door, cabinets, interior wiring and a table), I’m really eager to begin decorating as well! Here’s a sneak peek of my colors.

[Donna D.]

Love the colors, it will make the trailer bright and cherry!

BTW: I'd fix the hinges FIRST before working on the curve of the door.

[msinger919]

Originally Posted by AM Moats

Thanks for the welcome. Donna - we are going to take your advice and try to salvage the windows. I haven't had a chance to search yet for hints on how to clean them up. If you have any good advice, please let me know. We've also decided that we need to replace the floorboards which we believe will require taking the shell off the frame. I need to research the best way to do that. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks!

I was able to bring the jalousie windows in my Trillium back to life. They were all stuck and I had to free up the crank mechanism. I love jalousie windows for campers, they are great for rainy days as you can still have the windows wide open. There are places to get new seals for them also. Lot's of info on this site. Sometime you have to dig a little to find it. Good luck!

[GMike A]

There are several articles of fixing the door. This is only one of many. The internal Google search will show the others.
Either I or someone else will post links after they read your info.
Good Luck

[AM Moats]

Thanks for the advice. My father is headed out in his RV for a few weeks so I have some time to research before we start the door. Mike, I don't see a link on your reply but the picture looks very interesting. Am I missing the link (I'm using the iPad app right now) or did it not come through?

[msinger919]

Originally Posted by AM Moats

Thanks for the advice. My father is headed out in his RV for a few weeks so I have some time to research before we start the door. Mike, I don't see a link on your reply but the picture looks very interesting. Am I missing the link (I'm using the iPad app right now) or did it not come through?

Sorry about that, here you go:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...sim-55226.html

[GMike A]

Im still looking. Donna probably has the link. the best way to find anything on this site is to use the internal Search Site/ Google input and tons of data will come up. Then go to the very bottom when you read it and it will suggest similar threads. I found several great ideas and how to just in a few minutes.

[EarlM]

Hi, I'm in the process of rebuilding a 1976 Scamp I just bought earlier this month. Since I will be going thru the same things you just did, I will be wanting to ask you some questions as they come up, if that's Ok?

One question I already have is can you send me an example of the VIN number on your trailer. Mine is located on the passenger side of the hitch. I look at some example I found at the Scamp web site but they did not match any of their examples. I want to find out for sure what trailer it is.

Another one is: what did you use to make small patches on the outside of the trailer and how much did you sand the outside of the trailer before coating it with .......?

[AM Moats]

Originally Posted by EarlM

Hi, I'm in the process of rebuilding a 1976 Scamp I just bought earlier this month. Since I will be going thru the same things you just did, I will be wanting to ask you some questions as they come up, if that's Ok?

One question I already have is can you send me an example of the VIN number on your trailer. Mine is located on the passenger side of the hitch. I look at some example I found at the Scamp web site but they did not match any of their examples. I want to find out for sure what trailer it is.

Another one is: what did you use to make small patches on the outside of the trailer and how much did you sand the outside of the trailer before coating it with .......?

Earl,
I certainly know what you are about to go through. I can't wait to get mine on the road! I'll be glad to help in any way that I can, but I'm sure you'll find much better advice from others more experienced on this forum. I've been searching it regularly to gets hints.

I'll go look for the VIN and send a photo later tonight. We used Bondo to patch the holes. ( I just recently saw a post from someone recommending a filler used for marine applications. If you are really concerned about water you may want to find that post. I don't recall what the material was.) We drilled the holes a bit from the outside with a countersink bit to widen the hold surface first. We put a piece of duct tape on the inside to keep the bondo from pushing the whole way through. I also just saw someone else's recommendation that you fiberglass the inside and then fill the outside. We could still do that, but I haven't decided if I will yet. We are having a family friend do the painting. He does auto restorations and I'm not sure what paint he's using. (I just get to pick the colors!) We've done rough sanding with sandpaper, but he's also going to do any fine finish sanding for us.

I hope this helps. I'll keep an eye out for the thread on your project! I'm anxious to watch your progress too.

[Donna D.]

Were you asking about a door repair? There's a couple of EXCELLENT writeups in the Document Center. Read both, you may find info in either that helps you: Fiberglass RV - Document Center - Exterior

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by EarlM

One question I already have is can you send me an example of the VIN number on your trailer. Mine is located on the passenger side of the hitch. I look at some example I found at the Scamp web site but they did not match any of their examples. I want to find out for sure what trailer it is.

Earl, does this help? http://scamp.n0kfb.org/VIN_Decoding/VIN-Decoding.htm

[tartosuc]

Originally Posted by GMike A

There are several articles of fixing the door. This is only one of many. The internal Google search will show the others.
Either I or someone else will post links after they read your info.
Good Luck

so who did that fix?

i searched but could not get a thread about it?
i would like more details on that one..

[GMike A]

Here are three more to read through. Also on the second one. Tom is still a member and says the door is holding fine. you can go through that. Gary (fusedlight) talked to the original person who did the mod. Perhaps he can chip in too.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...gap-29112.html
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ons-25531.html
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...eal-59503.html

[Connie SS]

We recently purchased a 1978 13ft Scamp and are in the processing of renovation and remodeling. One of our big problems is the tape that was used on the seams inside the Scamp. What do we use? Thanks!

[StacyJayT]

Originally Posted by Connie SS

We recently purchased a 1978 13ft Scamp and are in the processing of renovation and remodeling. One of our big problems is the tape that was used on the seams inside the Scamp. What do we use? Thanks!

Connie,

I just got a 79 Scamp and working on it. Most in here posted to not use the tape, but a flexible seal, like silicone. Then some went to the added trouble to use a sponge while still wet, so that it would more resemble the ensolite when dry.
Have fun with you remodeling!

Stacy

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by Connie SS

We recently purchased a 1978 13ft Scamp and are in the processing of renovation and remodeling. One of our big problems is the tape that was used on the seams inside the Scamp. What do we use? Thanks!

You can buy the seam tape from Scamp BUT you will need to supplement adhesive with something like 3M spray adhesive 77 (hardware or big box stores have it). Mine has been up for a year without problems.... Except for the smaller test pieces where I did not use the spray on adhesive just to see how well tape stuck on it's own. It didn't.

It's pretty easy, just hold the can close to the seam, spray a fast line of adhesive, wipe off any areas that are wider than the tape will cover right away, wait 5 minutes for the spay to tack up, then apply tape. I used much less than one can to do the whole trailer.

There have been links posted here in the past to other places to get the tape with reports that it is of better quality than what Scamp now has.

Original tape stayed in place for 35 years so I have to figure the quality of what Scamp stocks now is lower than what they used when producing the trailers originally.

Have also seen pictures of the caulk approach, done right it looks pretty good. I went with tape because I felt that caulking would be more work and not be easy to remove if I wanted or needed to redo in the future.

You will need something like tape if you want to trim in your windows, you really don't want to caulk them from the inside to hide the seam between window and wall. Would make window removal for repairs a nightmare.

[AM Moats]

Taking a breather, literally, from putting up the Reflectix. I'm using contact cement and it seems to be working well, but boy does it go to your head after a while. Please tell me that the ceiling piece is the hardest and it's all down hill from here! We did find some creative ways to help manage the 10 foot piece. I've uploaded some pictures, including a picture of my cheerful helper.