Kim's Scamp 5th Wheel

[KimScamp]

Hey everyone, its been a long time since I posted on here. I have a 13' Scamp, but just got a 5th wheel Scamp. Well, its mine but not home quite yet. LOL Anyway, I wanted to start a thread for it to update as my hubby and I work on it. It is definitely a fixer upper and we are actually in the middle of a kitchen/bathroom remodel on our house, so the Scamp rebuild will be a slow process. Luckily we still have the 13' and also for now have a 31' Jamboree to camp in.

The main reason I wanted the 5th wheel is because the 13 doesn't have a bathroom/shower and hubby discovered he didn't like driivng the 31' RV. He much prefers to tow the trailers. Even though the Scamps bathroom/shower is tiny compared to the RV, it will be better then nothing and both me and my hubby will be happy.

The 5th wheel was towed in from a homeless camp. It cleared lien sale and we were finally able to buy it. Hubby started cleaning it out yesterday. Took him half the day and he still has more to get out. He said every possible space, including the oven, was packed full of crap. Even had a rat living in it. He did bomb it for bugs though and the rat has been evicted. LOL I'm hoping he will be bringing it home in the next day or so. Once it is home I will go in with a sprayer with Clorox Clean Up in it and spray it all down, then pressure wash it. Then I will go to work on getting the writing off the walls.

Hubby wants to try to do a frame off floor replacement. Has anyone done this before? Just currious how the body would come off the frame? We will also have to replace quite a bit of stuff, stove, fridge, etc. Hoping to be able to salvage the actual cabinets though, if not, we will look into buying some from Scamp. I will have to buy rat fur from them too, the people tore that all out. I think I would have replaced it anyway from the looks of how they lived in it. LOL

I will update as we work on it. It will be a long process with having the kitchen remodel going at the same time, but hopefully we will have it up to par in under a year. LOL Wish me luck.

Here are the pics. The first 4 is of when it was still being lien saled. This is how they were living in it. Pretty discusting. The other pics is after hubby spent half the day emptying it. Still has more to clean out before he can bring it home though.

Oh, I have named it, "The Resurrection". LOL

[KimScamp]

Went to DMV and transfered it into my name and with registration and a new plate we are into this Scamp a whole $47.00!! Not bad for a diamond in the rough!

Hoping hubby will bring it home in the next day or two. Then I can start the decontamination process!! LOL

[Iowa Dave]

Hello
Good luck on your Scamp renovation. I was just going to tell you that the pet odor product Nature’s Miracle really works well to eliminate strong odors especially mouse and rat urine and other pets
That the homeless sometimes keep. It’s available
As a concentrate or as a ready to use and they also have an effective product if you happen to encounter a skunk in a drawer or appliance compartment. I would advise wearing a good breathing mask when cleaning your camper. There can be some serious air quality issues in a situation like you are tackling.
Iowa Dave

[KimScamp]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Hello
Good luck on your Scamp renovation. I was just going to tell you that the pet odor product Nature’s Miracle really works well to eliminate strong odors especially mouse and rat urine and other pets
That the homeless sometimes keep. It’s available
As a concentrate or as a ready to use and they also have an effective product if you happen to encounter a skunk in a drawer or appliance compartment. I would advise wearing a good breathing mask when cleaning your camper. There can be some serious air quality issues in a situation like you are tackling.
Iowa Dave

Thanks for the tip on Nature Miracle. I'll look into that if it still stinks after I do the Clorox and pressure wash cleaning.

Yah, going to definitly wear a mask and gloves when I get in to clean it!!!

[justa25thTA]

An ozone generator might need be a bad idea either


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Jon in AZ]

I'm thinking you'd be better off doing the floor replacement section by section without separating the whole shell at once. You'll still be able to frame repairs and rust remediation as you go, but you won't have the worry of getting everything lined up again just right. I'm not even sure how you would support the 19' shell if you cut the whole thing loose at once. With the loft, I'm thinking it will be quite floppy.

[KimScamp]

Originally Posted by justa25thTA

An ozone generator might need be a bad idea either


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We have one of those!! I will definitely be using it.

[KimScamp]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I'm thinking you'd be better off doing the floor replacement section by section without separating the whole shell at once. You'll still be able to frame repairs and rust remediation as you go, but you won't have the worry of getting everything lined up again just right. I'm not even sure how you would support the 19' shell if you cut the whole thing loose at once. With the loft, I'm thinking it will be quite floppy.

Thanks, Yah I was reading about doing it by sections. I will let hubby know about the problems if we try to pull it all off. And like you said, with it being a 5th wheel, it would seem impossible to pull the whole shell off anyway.

Hubby is bringing it home today. I'm pretty excited to see it now that he has all the junk out of it.

[KimScamp]

It's finally home!! First time I actually saw it in person, empty. LOL Still need to finish cleaning it out. Hubby did take a preasure washer to the insides before he brought it home, so I have to wait for it to dry enough to get in there and sweep up the rest of the small stuff. Going to have to stock up on gloves. LOL

Now that I can see all of the walls, it appears that it is only missing a small section of the insulation stuff (black stuff) that they put on before they put the insulite (sp) on. I'm hoping to try to salvage that and find something to patch the section that is missing, then figure out what to use for the final wall. I figured rat fur, but after seeing the insulite for the first time, sure wish I could find something similar to it. Would be a lot easier to keep clean.

After I get it cleaned out and sanitized, I will start taking stuff out, the sink cabinet, stove and fridge, etc. Then we can start the process of replacing the floor. Going to be a slow process because we are also right in the middle of a house remodel too.

Here are some pics. Seems to be a common thing with us getting Scamps, they come home with a tow truck. LOL The pic of the wheels on the landing gear is showing how my hubby came up with a way to be able to push it around in our back yard. LOL

[Steve Hague]

if you find that you need to remove the black insulation from the interior walls, I found that a scraper blade on a multi tool saves a lot of time and elbow grease. Rounded scraper blades are also available that should work even better in the rounded corners of the shell. Given the scope of your project, it should be a great excuse to buy more tools.

Steve
Current Trillium 1300 Renovation

[Pam Garlow]

You’re courageous! I wouldn’t want to attempt this ‘resurrection’ lol what a great name �� Looking forward to watching your progress.

[KimScamp]

Ok, today was a decent day so I went out and started on "The Resurrection". Hubby had the benches already out and up on the loft so I pulled those out and gave them a bath. Then I sept everything once more, to do a little better job then hubby had done, so it was safe for my doggos to go in. I sprayed the bathroom down and removed some Command hooks that were broken, and got the mold off the walls. Then I removed the sink cabinet.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will clean the sink cabinet up and then wash the wall where it was. Lots of mold. I took before and after pics, still kind of hard to tell it is cleaner though. LOL

I only found 4 hypodermic needles. I knew to look out for them and made sure I used something solid to dig into areas that I couldn't see very well.

[estackhouse]

I am so happy for your new project! The worst part is staying in high spirits with a project of this size.
I want to offer: I have a quartz countertop already cut to the dimensions for the stove in a beautiful shade of white. I also have a professionally renovated stove that seems the same size as yours. You are welcome to have it free of charge if you like to use it. They can be costly. I also have some custom wood drawers and cabinet panels already painted. If you send me a PM, I will gladly email you pictures.
This community is so helpful; we all like to pay it forward and see scamp enthusiasts! Elizabeth

[Green Frog]

Outstanding find! And the price was certainly right. I’ve only been inside one of these 5th wheel Scamps and it was love at first sight. Unfortunately it had just been sold (and for a LOT more than you paid )
The one I saw was immaculately prepped and had one major post factory upgrade. The owner had gotten it modified to ride on double axles. I don’t know how necessary that was, but he said it towed great and was certainly stable. With my little 13’ Burro I looked lustfully at his bathroom (small as they are) and the nice big bed over the 5th wheel shoulder, leaving the main trailer wide open for the nice kitchen an dining space as well as lots of storage.
Congratulations again!
Froggie

[KimScamp]

Originally Posted by estackhouse

I am so happy for your new project! The worst part is staying in high spirits with a project of this size.
I want to offer: I have a quartz countertop already cut to the dimensions for the stove in a beautiful shade of white. I also have a professionally renovated stove that seems the same size as yours. You are welcome to have it free of charge if you like to use it. They can be costly. I also have some custom wood drawers and cabinet panels already painted. If you send me a PM, I will gladly email you pictures.
This community is so helpful; we all like to pay it forward and see scamp enthusiasts! Elizabeth

That sounds awesome. Thing is, where are you located. Shipping would be a killer on that stuff.

[KimScamp]

Originally Posted by Green Frog

Outstanding find! And the price was certainly right. I’ve only been inside one of these 5th wheel Scamps and it was love at first sight. Unfortunately it had just been sold (and for a LOT more than you paid )
The one I saw was immaculately prepped and had one major post factory upgrade. The owner had gotten it modified to ride on double axles. I don’t know how necessary that was, but he said it towed great and was certainly stable. With my little 13’ Burro I looked lustfully at his bathroom (small as they are) and the nice big bed over the 5th wheel shoulder, leaving the main trailer wide open for the nice kitchen an dining space as well as lots of storage.
Congratulations again!
Froggie

Thanks, Yah I have always wanted a 5th wheel Scamp, just figured it would never happen do to the cost of them, even used. I love my little 13' but I really want a shower and bathroom. I much prefer to take a shower in my own RV then taking one in the community showers at campgrounds. It's not about the sanitation part of it, I wear flip flops, its more of the anxiety of getting in there when I want to shower. LOL In my RV and can take one when ever I please. We actually just got a 31' RV that has a nice shower and bathroom and I loved being able to go in and do my thing when ever I wanted. Hubby just isnt' that thrilled about driving that big thing and then we woul have to make it even longer if we want to take a car too. So the Scamp 19 fits the bill, although the shower/ bathroom isn't' as luxurious as the big RV, it is still doable.

I am going to enjoy that loft bed a lot! The plan is to actually do away with the bunk portion (which isn't even there anymore anyway, LOL) and extend the bed out a bit more so we can sleep front to back instead of side to side. Will make it much more comfy!!

[estackhouse]

I am located in Texas; I have a trip scheduled in April to California. I might be able to bring it to you.
Elizabeth

[Bob in Alaska]

If you add the top bunk or something to replace the missing structure of the bunk you can put in a Queen Size memory foam mattress lengthwise and it fits nicely. The foam gives a little on the sides where the support towers pinch it and helps keep it from moving. As a bonus, you have a little space on the sides of the mattress from the towers forward where you can keep personal items like a book or glasses or a box of tissues etc.
We picked up our 1983 5th wheel last September and are in the process of refurbishing it. We have rebuilt the toilet ans replaced all the water lines and faucets. We got a new dining table and all new cushions for the dinette from Scamp. They are well made, very nice looking, and fit perfectly. Got a new fridge yesterday and still looking for a replacement stove. We've replaced the axle/brakes/14" wheels, raising it for towing with full size trucks. These things were originally made for towing by little compact trucks like the Datsun, Chevy LUV, Ford Ranger (back when they were actually a compact truck) etc. We also made custom tow hitches for our two trucks. These things are kind of a hybrid when it comes to towing. They are somewhere between a 5th wheel and a gooseneck. Scamp has a truckbed tow hitch available that may or may not fit your needs.
Good luck with your restoration and most of all have fun.
Bob Picard

[KimScamp]

Originally Posted by estackhouse

I am located in Texas; I have a trip scheduled in April to California. I might be able to bring it to you.
Elizabeth

I'll try to PM you for pics of the stuff you have. Thanks.

[KimScamp]

Originally Posted by Bob in Alaska

If you add the top bunk or something to replace the missing structure of the bunk you can put in a Queen Size memory foam mattress lengthwise and it fits nicely. The foam gives a little on the sides where the support towers pinch it and helps keep it from moving. As a bonus, you have a little space on the sides of the mattress from the towers forward where you can keep personal items like a book or glasses or a box of tissues etc.
We picked up our 1983 5th wheel last September and are in the process of refurbishing it. We have rebuilt the toilet ans replaced all the water lines and faucets. We got a new dining table and all new cushions for the dinette from Scamp. They are well made, very nice looking, and fit perfectly. Got a new fridge yesterday and still looking for a replacement stove. We've replaced the axle/brakes/14" wheels, raising it for towing with full size trucks. These things were originally made for towing by little compact trucks like the Datsun, Chevy LUV, Ford Ranger (back when they were actually a compact truck) etc. We also made custom tow hitches for our two trucks. These things are kind of a hybrid when it comes to towing. They are somewhere between a 5th wheel and a gooseneck. Scamp has a truckbed tow hitch available that may or may not fit your needs.
Good luck with your restoration and most of all have fun.
Bob Picard

Someone put an actual 5th wheel set up on my Scamp. We too have to raise the Scamp in order to pull it with our 4x4 F150. It has 20" wheels on it too. LOL So it is going to be fun. Figure do a 3 inch lift and also change wheels to 15s on the Scamp. I think I read somewhere that it could be done with that size wheel?

We also are going to be changing where the water and electrical come into the trailer. Right now they are on the door side, which I thought was kind of weird, since I thought most hook ups are on the other side.?? That is the nice thing about stripping it down and redoing it basically from scratch.

I will get cushions from Scamp too. I bought cushions from them for my 13 and it is just nice to not have to worry about them fitting since they are made for a Scamp.