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01-22-2017, 08:35 PM
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#1
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Hi, From Mi.
Been checking out this site for a few days. I bought a 73 13' cloud just before Christmas and started working on it just after new years. Lots of very good info here. Already learned quite a few tips.
Was going to paint the frame up some and found some bad spots, so decided to jack it up and pull it out and reinforce it some. After I pulled it out it was worse than I thought. Decided to just build a new one. Axle was in upside down, so I made a adjustment on the new frame so I could put it in rite. That raised it two inches, and with the 10 degree axle rolled over raised it up another 5 inches or so. Rite now the door step will be about 15inches high. Since the old axle is dead when I get a new axle I can get A new degree axle to lower it back down to something better. Maybe 8 or 10 inches from step to ground. Just put the old axle back in for now. Its not going anywhere just yet.
Ya, it had some floor rot. Around wheel wells some and below front and back windows...not real bad, but more than I wanted. Also when I got it up I saw it was really rotted under water tank. Yikes what did I get into...So I tore out the floor and am working on putting in a new one. Got it all fitted in and fiberglassed the driver side shell down yesterday. Today I glassed the shell down on the passenger side. Did two sides on different days so I could make sure of the door alignment and shim from the solid side as necessary.
I've got more pictures, I'll just send a couple tonight.
__________________
Jeff
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01-22-2017, 10:05 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Name: David
Trailer: Former 13’Scamp, now Snoozy
Arizona
Posts: 2,316
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Jeff, welcome to the FGRV forum. It looks like you are gunk ho about getting it done, and done right. When we replaced our 13' Scamp's axle, we purchased a Flexiride Axle so I could adjust the ride height as needs dictated, such as off reading, or getting the trailer into the garage through our 7' door opening.
Best of luck with your restoration.
Dave & Paula
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01-23-2017, 06:31 AM
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#3
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Good morning David, Bought time to get busy. I'm retired , but like to stay busy.
Been thinking on the flexride axle some. Just not real sure what way i'll go yet. Didn't Know a lot about axles till a couple of weeks ago. Then between here and stopping at a axle shop, I got a crash course. Same with fiberglassing. Never done it before, but a real good thread here about it by a Mr. White.
Got to start working on the bottom of the camper today, to prep for getting the frame back under. Want to at least get it moveable again before I run out of gas. I hate things in the way if I have to get in the shop with something else. Plus I have to still get the frame numbers looked at to get the title in my name. Never did find them on the old frame, but I did find them on the new frame.
Had to tweek the door jams up some to get the door fit I wanted.(Just shimmed the shell inorout some so the door didn't wobble in the frame).
May have to push the door up and grind some off the top to get the rite fit. At some point the hinges were replaced with scamp hinges, and very poorly also. I like the stile and want to get some new ones....Any ideas?
Guess I better get something done...Have a good day..
__________________
Jeff
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01-23-2017, 06:50 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Name: Wendy Lee
Trailer: Scamp 13' Standard
New York
Posts: 1,071
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Hello Jeff, I'm admiring your talents and work! Enjoying reading your pursuiys6; keep us posted! Too bad you live so far away, you sound like a really smart handy guy!
Best wishes with your work!
Wendy
Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app
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01-23-2017, 07:20 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,912
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Hi, From Mi.
Welcome, Jeff, and I agree- you've made amazing progress in a short time!
Not sure if I understood your question about hinges, but Scamp sells them. Scamp's has 3 bolts on the side that attaches to the shell. The hinge used on vintage Bolers looks similar but has has only 2. Both can be rebuilt with a kit Scamp sells- includes the bolt, spring, and ball.
Since you are committed to excellence, you may be interested to know they can be polished to a high shine. See member Ian G's Boler renovation thread "It Started As a Kitchen Reno- Project Boler." A search should turn it up. Somewhere in the long thread he talks about the hinges. The rest is great reading and inspiration! He also has a website and sells a hinge rebuilt kit using higher quality components than the original. There's a link in his signature.
Can't wait to see your finished work!
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01-23-2017, 08:17 AM
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#6
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Thanks, I'll checkout the info some more. The hinges now have three bolts on the shell. The Ball is gone now tho. The hinges were not installed with the ball, just a stack of washes and nuts between the two halves. This was done on both top and bottom hinges. Probably a inch or better separation. Why this was done I have no clue as they had to make new holes anyway. The stack of washers and nuts and longer hinge bolt have damaged it some. I may have to get more than the kit.
__________________
Jeff
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01-23-2017, 01:04 PM
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#7
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Junior Member
Name: James
Trailer: in the market
Michigan
Posts: 14
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Where I'm in Ortonville mi if close like to see it
Sent from my SM-T550 using Fiberglass RV mobile app
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01-23-2017, 01:28 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Name: David
Trailer: Former 13’Scamp, now Snoozy
Arizona
Posts: 2,316
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Jeff, the fiberglass shell of these little trailers are like a bubble, and require internal components such as closets, seat bases, etc. to support the walls so they don't distort. If a previous owner had removed anything around the door opening, such as framework for a screen door, a closet or bench seat next to the door, the wall will distort enough to cause door figment issues. Some who have had poor door figment have found that the floor next to the door had some rot, so the frame could not support the trailer properly, causing poor door figment.
I would encourage you to get the new Scamp hinges before changing hinge locating points, or door striker, or trimming of the door. Best of luck.
Dave & Paula
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01-23-2017, 06:34 PM
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#9
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Good advise on the door. If you go to the gallery and look under cloud you can see pictures of what it used to be. Page 6 under Historion, I bought the trailer from him. You can zoom in and see the door has had issues for some time. I have the door off the trailer now and if you push the door up so it fits nice the pin stripes don't line up, so I think it was probably not rite when it left the factory. Hope I don't get in trouble trimming the top down maybe a half of an inch. The cloud door is thicker on the inside panel so I don't see that warpage is a issue. I'll for sure have new hinges before starting on that issue. Po also put hinge bolts threw the shell and distorted things a little on the outside and inside liner. May end up cutting into the outside shell to reinforce some. I'm going to paint it back to the gold anyway.
I'm a retired commercial masonary forman and installed hundreds of door frames in cement block walls. Same as with fiberglass before it gets hard both door frame sides better line up top to bottom or the door never will fit rite.
I glassed just the shell down to the floor. I'll glass the rest down after I get it back on the frame with a live load.
The inside is still in nice shape. All the benches and walls and such just fine. A couple of extra holes here and there where they changed curtains. The upper front bunk is missing but most or the hardware is still around. They took care of it, just needs new cushions and some polishing.
__________________
Jeff
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01-23-2017, 09:23 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Name: David
Trailer: Former 13’Scamp, now Snoozy
Arizona
Posts: 2,316
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Jeff, sounds like you have a real treasure for sure. Since you have your trailer apart, and if your door was made like our Scamp door was, I'll tell you what I did to help protect it from water damage. Many on this site have found water intrusion between the inner and outer fiberglass layers of the door, which not only holds water, but causes the interior sandwiched material to swell, mold and be very heavy. This swelling also causes the door to lose it's curve. I had installed a flat paddle style RV handle, so while the hole exposed the inner core material, I removed the window also as preventative measure to add new butyl tape for a good seal. What I did was add fiberglass resin to the openings to seal from any moisture that may eventually get by the butyl tape. Never had any problems using this method.
Dave & Paula
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01-24-2017, 06:06 AM
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#11
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Good morning.
Another day back at the office.
Yea, I do have the window out of the door.Sounds like a good idea to resin the window seams shut to help with the water. I also have the front and back window out. Wonder if the idea would be good there also. I took the windows out to run long boards thru the trailer and suspend it from the ceiling so I could work on the bottom. Added supports all along the inside on those boards so the shell didn't try to distort. I've got some pictures, but until my wife can help get them out of my phone and into the computer.... Not that smart. In the first picture is a chair, she calls it my thinking chair.
Oh, and when I built the frame at the door area I added a wider angle iron instead of the short supports they had before. Since there was no way to tell where to stop the new floor I stopped it back some and can add a short strip off wood later to fit and still have support.
Geez..getting kindof long winded here.....Have a good day (that's what I've got on my list!)
__________________
Jeff
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01-24-2017, 06:17 AM
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#12
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Hi James,
Its not much to look at at the moment. .....Its not for sale..Altho I don't know why, my idea of camping is flying somewhere renting a car and traveling around a couple of weeks and flying home from somewhere else.
Your only about two hours away.
__________________
Jeff
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01-24-2017, 06:37 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Name: Wendy Lee
Trailer: Scamp 13' Standard
New York
Posts: 1,071
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You're not that smart Jeff? I beg to differ. Look at all you're doing! Don't be self-deprecating! It's not how smart you are, but how you are smart.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app
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01-24-2017, 06:45 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Name: Mike
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19
Oklahoma
Posts: 6,018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CampyTime
You're not that smart Jeff? I beg to differ. Look at all you're doing! Don't be self-deprecating! It's not how smart you are, but how you are smart.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app
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Agreed! I have a postgraduate degree, but I would be totally lost at attempting what you are accomplishing (and so quickly and efficiently, at that).
Whereabouts in Michigan are you? I grew up between Standish and Gladwin... actually pretty close to the gold rush town of Bentley. (Way back when, they found iron pyrite in the Bentley marsh, and the population swelled to about 500 almost overnight.)
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01-25-2017, 06:38 AM
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#15
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Thanks CampyTime and Mike for the kind words.
I just typed a long post ( not a easy thing for me), and sent it...I think it got lost in space. Yikes.. I hate that, i'll try again later.
__________________
Jeff
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01-26-2017, 05:40 AM
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#16
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Hi Mike, Sorry about not replying sooner. Got pretty busy yesterday.
I live Just outside of Jackson Michigan. Grew up around coldwater Mi and Angola, Indiana. I Know where Standish and Gladwin are and have been threw those areas a few times. Mostly When I go north I head to white cloud or travis city. Been a very mild and warmer winter so far. Ice fishing pretty much canceled so far.
__________________
Jeff
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01-26-2017, 05:59 AM
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#17
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Still working on the bottom prep for getting the frame back on. Have the tub hanging from the ceiling while I work on the bottom. Had the bottom blocked in areas as I put the floor in in the four pieces as suggested here. Trying to seal the underneath now, and inside the wheel wells. Been using the fiberglass and resin underneath, yikes, its in my hair on my clothes, on the floor..everywhere. What a mess.
Did a lot of reading different threads here at this site before I got started. Lots of smart people here giving there ideas. Always people ready to help too. Thanks . Makes projects go so much easier.
__________________
Jeff
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01-26-2017, 07:32 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Name: Gary
Trailer: UHaul CT13
Iowa
Posts: 311
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Jeff,
Nice to see the pictures posted! Thanks. You've got quite the project going.
I think I recall reading/hearing that the Cloud is sort of the grand-daddy to the U-Haul line of campers.
I don't know how similar they are in the details such as door hinges etc, but there's quite a bit of U-Haul info archived here... and a very dedicated group of U-Haul enthusiasts on the U-Haul Facebook page, as well as an archive of nitty-gritty there.
Keep up the good work...
Gary [ in central Iowa]
__________________
"You'd care less what people think of you if you knew how seldom they did." E Roosevelt
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01-26-2017, 06:32 PM
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#19
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Member
Name: jeff
Trailer: cloud
Michigan
Posts: 30
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Ok, just about ready to get frame back under the shell. One more coat of paint underneath and let it dry. Time to start some bodywork. How do I get the pinstripe off and the wood grain vinyl stuff off? Stuffs been on 45 years. I am going to take the windows out.....Thanks.
__________________
Jeff
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01-26-2017, 06:48 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Name: Gary
Trailer: UHaul CT13
Iowa
Posts: 311
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For old decals, I've used an electric heat-gun on medium heat to slowly warm up the vinyl until it's uncomfortably hot to my fingers... then get an edge to lift enough to start peeling... then gently pull, while keeping the heat gun on the area ahead of where I'm peeling, and pointing away from where I'm peeling, so as not to clear melt the vinyl while I'm pulling on it.
Works pretty good, unless the vinyl has scratches through it---then it tears, of course, each time you hit a scratch.
The glue that remains I scrub with a terry-cloth rag wetted with mineral spirits. Sometimes a slow process, but generally works well. [wear stout rubber gloves, or the mineral spirits will fairly quickly soften/destroy lightweight ones]
Your results may vary, as they say...........
__________________
"You'd care less what people think of you if you knew how seldom they did." E Roosevelt
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