Rookie vs. 1990 Casita (Project Thread)

[WaltP]

Sounds like you started out already with a good skill set that will stand you in good stead. Looking forward to the next progress report.

Walt

[shaggydoink]

Today I sidetracked a bit. I decided before I got started on the shell repair that I wanted to wash out the interior to help get rid of any sketchy mold and smells, but to do this I'd need to roll it out of the garage... but to do this I'd need to come up with a better way of rolling it out of the garage as the current furniture dollies are quite impossible to deal with.

My first choice would have been to simply throw on 6-8" wheels and be done with it, but if I went this route I'd have to lose the drum brakes which I'd like to keep. After literally a couple hours of pondering and puzzling I arrived at a solution that I think might do the trick, quickly installed heavy-load pneumatic casters that attach the rear bumper:



I only had time to fabricate one so I have yet to see if it will actually be low enough to allow the camper to clear the door, I should find out tomorrow when I get the other one completed and installed. Fingers crossed!!

Jonathan

[shaggydoink]

I got an early start this morning and fabricated the second caster, got it mounted and was absolutely thrilled at how easily the camper rolled.



I got it most of the way out then *thunk*... ugh, so close!



The roof vent itself was in need of repair, and the mounting was pretty hack so I decided to pull it off:








This gave me the clearance I needed, so now it can roll easily in and out of the garage.



My hope is that I'll be able to find a very low-profile vent or skylight to replace the original vent, if not I may need to sacrifice this and just fill it in... to be seen.

While I had it in the driveway I took the opportunity to tear out the remaining plumbing and gas lines:



It's going back into the garage so I can scrape off the remaining foam from the ceiling, since I seem to be unravelling basically everything I may pull all of the windows out so I can clean them up and make sure they're sealed properly. After that will be scouring the interior, then onto floor repair.

Jonathan

[WaltP]

More good progress.
On the vent: I don't think you want to be without one, but you may wind up needing to fabricate a low profile cover out of lexan or some such.

Walt

[alan H]

On my perris pacer... I modified my power vent to be easily removed w/ only 4 bolts and nice looking knobs on inside
Unfortunately i gave sold
it or i would include pics
This mod allowed me to get it into a standard garage
This may be an option for you to consider


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[shaggydoink]

Thanks for the ideas on the vent, since it's supposed to be almost 100 degrees tomorrow I suspect I'll be spending most of my day inside doing research!

Today was a long day, but I made a good bit of progress. I got the last of the foam scraped off the roof:



Then pulled all of the interior window frame pieces along with various other pieces like the spare tire holder bolts, dinette table mounts and such so I could scape these areas down... the camper is now about 99.5% carpet and foam free!!

As I was thinking about all of the fasteners on the floor, I realized that to get everything in order that the shell would basically end up being completely separated from the frame... I then realized that my initial thought of just laying sub-floor so I could lift the shell later wouldn't work as I'd like to get the structural pieces back in, and to do so I'd need to do the top flooring... long story short, I've decided that I'll take the opportunity to separate the shell from the frame so I can refurbish it.

Since this will take some time and give things the opportunity to dry, I decided to bust out the power washer and spent about half and hour gunning the interior floor. Here's a picture that shows the result, the outer band is after one pass with the power washer... no wonder the camper smelled so bad!



I then slathered on a soggy coat of mold and mildew cleaner which I'll leave overnight then wash off tomorrow:



More updates to come!

Jonathan

[WaltP]

Whew. Well, when you are done, no one will know their Casita better than you.
Really enjoying your blow by blow.

Walt

[k corbin]

How about using a pressure washer. Is there anything left in there that it would hurt? Don't you have a bunch of drain hole options from fasteners you wanted to remove?

[k corbin]

since you need/want a low profile vent.

Think Sun Roof. The expedition portal has some projects on creating bugs screens and 12volt fans to use with them. You can get sun roofs that are as small as 17 x 17. You can also get them with removable glass, my Honda Element has removable glass.

Junk yard find?

[shaggydoink]

@ Walt - yes, this project has certainly snowballed a bit! LOL!!

@ KC - I did hit the floor with a power washer before I put on the wet coat of mold/mildew cleaner. Your logic was the same as mine, nothing to damage, and the floor is like Swiss cheese so easy drainage!

The sun roof idea is intriguing, something that could open yet be super low profile which is critical... definitely something I'll spend some time thinking about.

Jonathan

[shaggydoink]

p.s: a quick Google search uncovered this picture of two square sunroofs that someone had installed in a van, something similar might be just the ticket!

[shaggydoink]

It took a bit of planning and a lot of acrobatics thanks to the small garage, but I finally got the shell separated from the frame.



Jonathan

[David B.]

Jonathan, I had the same problem with the roof vent on our 13' Scamp, so I found a flat metal replacement lid from our local RV place that worked out fine.
Dave & Paula

[shaggydoink]

Originally Posted by David B.

Jonathan, I had the same problem with the roof vent on our 13' Scamp, so I found a flat metal replacement lid from our local RV place that worked out fine.

Thanks Dave! There's a couple RV places in the area, I'll pay them a visit and see what they have.

It was hot as heck this afternoon, but I toughed it out and got a start on the frame cleaning, here's a before and after of one small section that I worked on:





Once I get the brushing and grinding done I'll do a round of rust inhibitor (maybe two depending on how things looks), then prime and paint.

Jonathan

[shaggydoink]

I only had about 45 minutes after work today so no significant update to provide, I battled through the rusty bolts to take the axle off so I could service it and spent the remainder of the time with the angle grinder buzzing the frame rust. Tomorrow I'll flip the frame over and buzz the underside, then I should be ready to move on to the rust inhibitor step.






Jonathan

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by shaggydoink

I battled through the rusty bolts to take the axle off so I could service it

There's nothing to service on a torsion axle except bearings and brakes.

[k corbin]

That frame looks to be in good shape, I think you got lucky with that part of the project

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by shaggydoink

p.s: a quick Google search uncovered this picture of two square sunroofs that someone had installed in a van, something similar might be just the ticket!

They are called His and Hers Sunroofs. Several sellers on Ebay, this one is a well known company.
CRL SFC 17 x 17 His 'N Hers Sunroof with Universal Trim Ring High | eBay

[shaggydoink]

Thanks for the link KC! Those are pretty cool, the only thing that concerns me a little bit is how much I'd need to modify it to fit the really thin fiberglass shell...? Something I'll ponder.

Tuesday I got the remainder of the brushing done, this evening I got the rust inhibitor done - just like the bottle said, it started working immediately!



While working I realized that one of the crossbeams was out of whack (the one in the front that's not flush with the side rail):



I smacked it out temporarily and will have to call in a favor and get it zapped back on, I should be able to coat most of the remainder of the frame with primer in the meantime.

Jonathan

[WaltP]

Wow, good you noticed that now while it's an easy fix. Well done.

Walt