13’ Scamp Door Installation

[acfletcher98]

I have a 2019 13’ Scamp shell that I’m building and trying to figure out reinforcement on the hinge side. I owe a complete thread on how I ended up with the shell but I’m in a time crunch of sorts and need to get the egg road worthy quickly for a move across country.

Does anyone have a photo and details for the bar/wood strip that goes on the hinge side of the door. I have a bar from my ‘76 scavenged shell but don’t think it’s long enough for the taller door. Also need measurements and photos for where the hinges go on the door. While we’re at it, a picture of the door handle set up would help too, that will be next once the door is hung.

Thanks
Drew

[shrimpscampi]

You could try looking at some of the for sale listings for 13s - lots of pictures

[Byron Kinnaman]

If all else call SCAMP TRAILERS Phone no. 1-800-346-4962

[acfletcher98]

Byron
No luck with Scamp the last two days by phone or email. Maybe taking a long weekend.

[acfletcher98]

I’ll give that a shot, thanks

[NOD]

On my 1977 Scamp 13', there was originally a curved 1/2" square channel that was riveted to the door jam on the inside of the trailer to stiffen the shell on the hinge side. Over the years it became rusty and corroded, so I removed it, glassed in the rivet holes, and replaced the channel with a 3/8" x 1" aluminum bar that I radiused to match the curve of the original steel channel. I attached the bar with 8 1/4-20 flat head stainless machine screws and acorn nuts.

[acfletcher98]

Thanks Nod, that’s the kind of detail I was looking for. I’ve got the old bar from the ‘76 which isn’t long enough for the new door. Did you mount it inside the door jam so the screws are covered by the door?

[NOD]

Yes. I drilled the holes pretty much in the center of the recessed part of the jamb, spaced evenly every few inches. I, too, made the bar about 2" longer on each end compared to the original channel. Overbuilt is underrated, right? Each hole is chamfered for the flat head machine screws so it's flush with the outside of the shell. My original plan was to drill and tap holes in the aluminum bar so nothing would show on the inside, but there's just not enough thread to make me feel comfortable that it will hold in the long run, so I drilled all the way through and used acorn nuts.

I'm heading down to my shop tomorrow morning, and I'll take a couple of pictures. My trailer is apart right now - I've got it all prepped and primed for a new paint job.

[Kristilee]

Hello: I have a 1977 Scamp and the door no longer locks from the outside. The door has also lost its "curve" at the bottom and there is an 8" gap between the door and the threshold. In addition, I have those older windows with a hinge on the top that push out. I love them because rain doesn't come in, but they all have broken hardware, etc. Any suggestions for these issues out there? I have contacted the Scamp manufacturers in Bacchus, Minnesota in the past for various things (new axle, screen door, kitchen window installation, etc.) and they were great for replacing, etc., but I haven't been super thrilled with their knowledge of renovating and fixing existing issues in the older Scamps. I live in Minnesota and would like suggestions for someone who knows older Scamps and how to fix them up. I have babied this thing for the past 20 years don't want to let it go!! Thanks, Kris K.

[NOD]

Originally Posted by Kristilee

Hello: I have a 1977 Scamp and the door no longer locks from the outside. The door has also lost its "curve" at the bottom and there is an 8" gap between the door and the threshold. In addition, I have those older windows with a hinge on the top that push out. I love them because rain doesn't come in, but they all have broken hardware, etc. Any suggestions for these issues out there? I have contacted the Scamp manufacturers in Bacchus, Minnesota in the past for various things (new axle, screen door, kitchen window installation, etc.) and they were great for replacing, etc., but I haven't been super thrilled with their knowledge of renovating and fixing existing issues in the older Scamps. I live in Minnesota and would like suggestions for someone who knows older Scamps and how to fix them up. I have babied this thing for the past 20 years don't want to let it go!! Thanks, Kris K.

My '77 Scamp has the same windows, and like you, I love them. Many of the hardware pieces were broken when I bought my trailer as well. I searched for a LONG time to find hardware - trust me, nobody has anything like those windows anymore! I remanufactured the pieces I needed by hand - small pieces of aluminum stock and some aluminum for the little push-out handles. It took a long time to get the shape and dimensions of the little brackets that rivet into the frame - I did it all by hand with a Dremel and some jeweler's files. Unfortunately, that's your only recourse, but it's well worth it in my opinion - those windows are very cool!

In terms of the door, reshaping it will take some mechanical and fabrication chops - if it's sprung away, you'll have to cut into the inside of the door (without cutting through the outer skin!), shape some wooden ribs in the correct shape, use ratchet straps to pull the door into the correct curve to match the trailer, and epoxy the wooden ribs into the door. There are folks who've done it, but it's not for the faint of heart!

I was ready to do it on my trailer, then I discovered that the trailer had actually flexed in several inches because the wooden support on the hinge side of the door had detached from the metal cross-member that it should have been screwed into via a small plywood brace. That caused the door to have a gap on the other side, about 3 inches or so. Some previous owner had tried to compensate for this by cocking the lower hinge and redrilling holes in the door. I had to patch those holes and redrill them in the correct orientation after I fixed the brace.

Look under the trailer - there's a piece of plywood that should be glassed into the side of the trailer, and then screwed into that metal piece - on mine, it completely delaminated, and the machine screws were totally rusted out. The plywood piece was just sitting there loose - I'm amazed it hadn't just fallen out! I reglassed the plywood to the fiberglass of the trailer, then pulled the trailer side back out so it was even with the other side of the door (the side of the trailer closest to the wheel), and drilled and screwed it into the metal support piece.

Before you embark on reshaping the door, you might want to check to see if that happened on your trailer. Nothing against Scamp, but the glass job done on that little plywood support was marginal - I wasn't surprised after all these years that it came loose.

[acfletcher98]

Originally Posted by Kristilee

Hello: I have a 1977 Scamp and the door no longer locks from the outside. The door has also lost its "curve" at the bottom and there is an 8" gap between the door and the threshold. In addition, I have those older windows with a hinge on the top that push out. I love them because rain doesn't come in, but they all have broken hardware, etc. Any suggestions for these issues out there? I have contacted the Scamp manufacturers in Bacchus, Minnesota in the past for various things (new axle, screen door, kitchen window installation, etc.) and they were great for replacing, etc., but I haven't been super thrilled with their knowledge of renovating and fixing existing issues in the older Scamps. I live in Minnesota and would like suggestions for someone who knows older Scamps and how to fix them up. I have babied this thing for the past 20 years don't want to let it go!! Thanks, Kris K.

I couldn’t find the thread but someone posted diagrams of the process NOD was talking about to repair the door. But check for missing/separated plywood first. The shell I scavenged had that problem

[acfletcher98]

Any luck getting photos of the door reinforcement you made?

[NOD]

I'm in the process of painting my trailer, so it's apart right now. Here's a picture of both the aluminum bar I made to replace the old square channel, and where the holes are in the door jamb. Pretty straightforward after that - 1/4-20 stainless flathead screws and acorn nuts. There are 9 holes spaced evenly from top to bottom.

[Kristilee]

Hello -- I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me. The issues with the door and the windows don't seem to be easily remedied, I guess. You sound pretty handy with tools. I used to have more energy for doing things like this myself, but the older I get, I just want to hire someone! I will likely just limp by with the gappy door and sketchy window hardware until the universe sends me a fix-it angel. I did check with Scamp and they can make a custom "short" door for the older 13' Scamps for around $350. Not sure I can pop for that right now. I would love to see your 1977 Scamp! Do you have any pictures? Best, Kris

[NOD]

My trailer torn apart right now as I'm in the process of painting it. Once I get it back together, I would be happy to put together some pictures and information on my restoration. I've already redone the interior (solid birch cabinet doors, butcher block counter, new flooring and cushions, deeper sink, new fridge and stove, new electrical with solar, a Propex heater, larger water tank, etc.) and I installed a Timbren axle system with 15" wheels. Now I'm doing the outside - repairing all the gel coat crazing and chips, patching the old furnace and fridge vent openings, new paint, new rear bumper, polishing the aluminum window frames and belly band, and a custom front cover for the battery and propane bottles.

Spending the money on a new door won't help you if the issue is the trailer itself being out of alignment - I highly recommend you check the alignment of the hinge side of the door and the support piece underneath before you have Scamp build you a door. (The shorter door for pre-1989 Scamps is because of a factory fire and a taller trailer with more headroom when they redid their molds....)

[NOD]

Here are a couple pictures of the support for the hinge side of the door trailer. Underneath the trailer is a piece of plywood that should be glassed to the side of the trailer and secured to the metal support that spans across the trailer. On mine, this had delaminated from the trailer side, and the small sheet metal screws holding it to the metal support had rusted away. As a result, the trailer side on the hinge side of the door had moved in, putting a twist in the door and creating a gap at the bottom on the latch side. A PO had attempted to fix this gap by slanting the bottom hinge on the door (which didn't work - another repair I had to deal with).
I reglassed the plywood to the trailer, and used clamps to pull the side of the trailer back into alignment with the latch side of the door and hold it in the right position. The plywood part of the floor right next to the door had to be removed so I could get the clamps onto the metal support, which was fine because that plywood wasn't in the greatest shape anyway. I formed a new piece after I got the support secured (visible under the laminate flooring). Then I drilled holes for 1/4" elevator bolts (these have wide, thin heads that won't interfere with the front settee) and resecured the plywood to the metal support. Now the door is aligned correctly.