Got myself a 77 Scamp, Got questions, too!

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O.K. I've lurked long enough. I bought a 13' 1977 Scamp from a fellow in Portales NM. Brought it home to ranch in South Texas. Mom's making new cushions & covers. I'll be making new cabinet doors and table. The trailer probably needs a new axle setup, later.

What make of sealer for the waist trim?

What can be used instead of seam tape inside?

I need the trim for the roof vent, where would I look?

How do I deal with the rivets and bolts that are outside? Specifics?

We are debating whether to restore the outside finish or Durabak it.

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:wave Don,

Welcome to the website. I have a different brand but wanted to just try to help get the ball rolling by saying everything is fixable.

The first thing I would do is call Scamp’s 800 number and talk to their service department about each of your issues.

Secondly, Let me respond to your last question. Fiberglass is very forgiving and can be refinished. Depending on how far it is gone, worse case sanerio, you can wetsand the outside surface with 600 grit, then polish, and then wax the outside. It will look like brand new. You may not need to wetsand. Simply polish and wax. OK?

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Don
Welcome to the site. Its a great place.:wave

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talk to Suz, check out her post for making it shine
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/read.php?TID=262
then check out her maintenance
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/in...howtopic=14168

Ok I think I'll go a head a post this here. copies of things I have saved for when I redo my trailer. from other people. I chose the bottom one. I just noticed the last one is Mike Watters. Isn't he here?
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used two sided tape the spong type I just didnt remove the film on the one side looks great and was cheap
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There were at least two different types of seam tapes used by Boler manufacturers. One is the foam style tape sold by Wolf, the other is a grey rubber style that twists and buckles and which can apparently be straightened out by heating (boiling?) in water. Does anyone have a source for the latter?
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I redid my '72 Boler using caulk. What I used was "paintable caulk" because I was going to be painting the entire interior (spray vinyl).
You can see photos of the project on Yahoo on the "bolertrailerclub" group.

They are in the folder "Mike Watters' '72 Boler American"
I'm very happy with how it turned out. My seam tape was about 80% gone already. The remaining 20% pulled off very easily. The new seams are still visable as seams, but aren't nearly so obvious as the foam-tape.

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I see some of my comments have made it here before me... :wave

Photos of most of the below are in the following thread:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/read.php?TID=771

New cabinate doors:
I used 1/2" furniture-grade plywood for mine. Had it laying around so it was cheap.

Sealer for belly band:
I think nothing special is needed on most eggs. The halves are glassed together. The Aluminum belly band is just trim to cover the seam. HOWEVER - in the spirit of utter paranoia I cleaned out all the old caulk and filled it with new paintable caulk (same stuff as below).

Replacing seam tape:
As noted - I pulled what little was left, filled the gaps with paintable caulk and then painted over the whole mess. Not as seamless as the photos would imply - but still quite nice.

Trim for roof vent:
The vent on my Boler is a small non-standard size. The inside trim is hand-cut from aluminum stock. I would imagine something similar could be done in your situation. Course - if it's a standard 14x14 vent inside trims can be picked up from various trailer parts places. It'll still likely have to be modified though since the roofs of our eggs are much thinner than they are expecting.

Rivets and bolts:
I used this basic proceedure for anything (rivet or bolt) that went through the outside of my egg. Made it through one summer's worth of storms afterwards - but no longterm data yet.
Paintable caulk was smeared around the shaft of the bolt/rivet so it would fill the entire hole (not just cover it) once the bolt/rivet was in place. Afterwards - I covered the top (or filled the inside of the rivet) with more caulk and smoothed it on the outside.

Paint or restore:
My decision was easy. The trailer had already been painted and the stripping wasn't gonna pull off everything, plus the glass needed enough repairs that restoring the original finish was out of the question. Well - that and the original finish was white over Avacado green (can you say '1972'???). I was glad to be rid of that.

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Great, thanks all so far!

The Fiberglass has a number of pinholes, like small bubbles in the gel coat, above the window up front. Upon closer inspection I noticed them scattered all around. :o Looks like I could fill them easily enough, First the trailer gets a bath, inside and out. What can I use for these little holes? Is the something I could buy at the (not-so) local Marine store? I think were gonna fille these holes, seal the rivets (somehow I don't wanna just dab calk on 'em) and wax away.:spin

How do I know if the suspension is shot? How low is it supposed to be?:shame

I also need a primer in battery "groups" before I put one in.:chin

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West Marine sells Quick Fix Gelcoat Patch. You can order on-line.

Quick Fix Gelcoat Patch

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I'd agree that's the best solution for small pinholes (rock damage???)

I had similar such holes all over the front end of my Boler. I filled them with Gelcoat material before painting.

You can get small quantities from the hardware store too. The stuff I got was sold for repairing the hull on personal watercraft (white only).

Mixes up just like any other epoxy. There's the white goo and the hardener. Mix it up in small batches and trowel it into the holes.

I also used a lot of it inside to clean up damage to the glass on the kitchen and rear dinette seats. Just don't expect it to be very structural. It's very hard - but also fairly brittle (the two really go hand in hand).

Mike

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>>I'd agree that's the best solution for small pinholes (rock damage???)

No, too high. More like bubbles in the gelcoat surfacing. I'll pick some up for sure.

Pardon me, no offense, but what the hell is your avatar image of? Looks like your head, in deer gut-pile.:xx

Now I need info on power converters (brand for Casitas) and how to tell whether my axle is sprung (I'm sure it is).

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Holes:
I had some near the top of my Boler - but they were more concentrated near the bottom and MUCH more highly concentrated on the front end (even at the top). Some lighter rocks (hail, etc) undoubtedly are going over the tow vehicle and smashing into the top of the trailer...

Avatar:
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :sick

It's an octopus. Well - a picture and a couple of rubber arms anyway...

Here's the big version:

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3e01f55acc29fmy+mug.jpg/>

My daughter (age 7) took the picture. It's her favorite. :)

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:E :E

I couldn't tell what I was looking at. Part of the image was almost pornographic looking. My wife informed me too that it was indeed an octopus, DOH! It's like I was expecting Coke and got Milk.:wak
Don

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Don said: ...Part of the image was almost pornographic


:nope Not on this site! ;)

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:L

Marker lenses! I almost forgot, I need marker lenses, all of 'em! Source? The local RV place had square lenses, but they were too small by a RCH

.:m :censor :bh

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You mean the little amber and red lights on the sides???

I replaced mine with oval ones from Wallmart. Filled the old mounting holes and drilled new ones.

My original marker lights were actually just fine - at first. I... uh... lost my temper, kicked the trailer and broke one. :bh

(Trailer was outside when a storm came up. I'd installed all my nice new wood inside only to discover the back window was leaking and rapidly ruining my brand new wooden table reciever along the back wall. Had some trouble getting the tarp over the top - in the middle of the storm - and there ya go.)

Nobody's perfect. :red

mkw

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Oh! who wants to be perfect. so boring

glad you didn't mind me saving your stuff, mkw. (you didn't did you?) that's one info I have admired for awhile. so off the beaten track, but works so well. I have almost all my seam tape, but I don't like the look. the smoothness of your trailer's walls is/are great.

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Thanks - I like that look much better myself.

Can't take the credit for the idea though. I snagged it from somebody on the Bolerama group. They used expanding foam. Probably does a really nice job of simulating the texture of the insulation so the seams are even more hidden.

My seams are really quite visable if you look in the camper itself - they just don't show well in the photos because it's so reflective in there. You can kinda make them out in the picture I included showing the effect of the vinyl paint on the insulation.

mkw

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Mine were a little hard to find, but they are out there. Maybe they were like mine.

That link seems to time out, so I have deleted it.

Try this:

www.unitedrv.com
then click in this order

sales and service
parts & accessories
electrical
next 15
running lights
next
#99

I don't know why, but typing running lights in search box doesn't work for me. Hope this helps...as primitive as it is.

BTW, two places who have been lifesavers are Redneck Trailer Supplies (distributor for Dexter Axles and not a joke) and United RV.

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Dexter says you should have 3" of "bump clearance" between top of tire and bottom of fenderwell. Search this group, casitaclub and yahoo-scampers for lots of axle info, including lift.

Consider not bothering with a converter, and just setting up a 12VDC distribution panel and putting in a serious, smart battery charger; you'll be money ahead, your battery will prolly be better maintained and you can use the battery charger for other stuf.

Pete and Rats

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Hi Don! Welcome to Fiberglass RV.

Pete's one of the resident axle experts here (and elsewhere) so I'll yield to his expertise ... but as long as the tire isn't rubbing the wheelwell when hitting a big bump, you probably are alright for awhile ... check for black rub marks.

Other than appearance sake, as long as the chips are just in the gelcoat, I'd worry about them later. And if they are deeper, as a temp fix, just dap with some white auto paint to protect the fiberglass.

For years, Casita and others have been using Bargman #99 markers ... I've found that most NAPA auto supply stores carry both the amber and red.

Lots of ways to deal with old rivets ... the correct way (and the way old Airstreamers recommend) is to drill out the old rivets ... and replace them with new ones. Caulk the hole before inserting the rivet ... make sure to also clear white plastic base before popping the rivet ... then install a new bright white snap cap... and you're go to go.

None of this stuff is rocket science. But as long as something isn't leaking or structurally wrong with your trailer ... just take it a little bit at a time.

Even with nothing working ... you can still go camping (in much more style than tent camping!)... and that's what it's all about!

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The markers were marked "Reflect-O-Lite 300 SAE-PC-67. I'll go to unitedrv.

My frame sticker is long faded, but... these were stamped into the frame top: 7-77
E-7-4193

I'm apparently the third owner, sold originally in Calif. to a Catholic church in NM, then to a minister in E. NM, then to me, here in S.TX.

I'll check for tire marks this weekend. It sits awfully low. I towed it something like 800 miles on, what looks like, the original tires.:o Whew!

Can someone give me an online source for those snap caps? I saw, from a search, some for bolt heads, but not rivets. I'm sure my rivets are ok for now. But I may want to put some new doodads on later:wink

Any advice on cabinet door latches? The previous owner put in eye & hook types on all the doors, he said they kept opening. Yuk:sick These have been sumarily removed. The doors have all been measured for replacements. And so I'll want some better, more secure types. That is of course after I fill all the hole the hook & eyes left :cry

Specific brand of 12v DC distribution?

Thanks gang! Remember, this is my first RV. Let me know if I need to move my posts to somewhere else or if I mess up the ettequette! :)