Updates to my '84 13' Scamp

[Carol H]

[QUOTE=Lil M.;354712]

Originally Posted by Joy A

When I run out, I'll have to locate those small hose clamps as that sounds like a great idea.

I second Joy's suggestion. The small hose clamps can be found at pretty well any hardware store.

[papas34]

I'd do the hose clamp ASAP....never know when one of those 18 wheelers will fly by and blow your stone guard off.

[Carol H]

Del, funny enough someone here a while ago did report that they forgot to latch down their stone guard and it did blow off on a trip but they didnt realize it until some time after the fact.

[Lil M.]

Originally Posted by stevebaz

On post 29 you state difficulity with Led not working in one fixture. I had the issue in one of my upper cabinet lights and removed the inner panel inside the cabinet. Scamp wired the incandesent light backward swapping polarity. incandesent lights dont care about polarity but LED's do. swapping wires brings the magic back.

Thanks Steve, that indeed was the solution.

[Lil M.]

Originally Posted by papas34

I'd do the hose clamp ASAP....never know when one of those 18 wheelers will fly by and blow your stone guard off.

OK Del...you, Joy, and Carol have convinced me to eat the cost of a bag of zip ties to keep my $65-plus-shipping-to-replace gravel guard secured to my trailer.

Thanks all for bringing me to my senses. I can't help it sometimes...it's the Scottish ancestry.

[papas34]

Lil those zip tie have hundreds of uses you won't regret having them....keep some in each car, in the house and most importantly in your egg.

They are handy, but do get brittle when out in the sun on in the garage for 20 years.....Ya I stocked up years ago now every onec in a while old ones pop up....lol

[Lil M.]

Made a couple small improvements to my camper.

First, I installed an IKEA towel bar on the underside of the upper kitchen cabinet. Now I can hang a dish towel or dish cloth to dry inside the trailer if it's cold or rainy outside.

Then, I cut a hole in the top of the 10 gal. water tank and installed a deck plate with a clear top. This way I can see the water level, clean the tank quite easily (BTW there was a slimy coating on the bottom of the tank that I wiped right off), and I can also fill the tank from inside. This way, I don't have to struggle holding up the 5-gallon water jug as I fill the tank through the outside inlet.

[Lil M.]

We've had a lot of rain here lately. I had left the little awning window above the stove open and water made its way in along the counter and down the cabinet to the scatter rug on the floor...twice. I thought I had closed it enough the second bout of rain, by evidently not. Looks like water might have slightly rippled a small strip of the 59 cent/SF laminate flooring. Had a milkhouse heater in there drying things out.
And on the other side, I discovered a wet cushion bottom. The slider window appeared to be leaking from under the trim piece, and the seam tape on the left side was wet as well. Removed the trim piece and though about putting some butyl tape along the bottom under the trim piece, but decided to just clean out the weep holes that I figured must be plugged. Used a small brush and some canned air, and poked around with a paring knife. Hope that does the trick. If not, do you think the butyl tape on the inside under the trim piece is a good idea? I just don't want to have to remove the whole window. The outside is well-caulked. All the rivets have been siliconed by a previous owner.

[Otters]

Lil, the towel bar and tank hatch look great. I was thinking of putting that hatch in the water tank too, but was a little nervous about doing it. You've given me the courage to give it a try. What did you use to cut the hole?
Re the leak, I read on the forum somewhere not to use the butyl tape or caulking inside to try to cure leaks. Don't know what it would be an issue though. Probably just not an effective fix. Leaks are frustrating, ask me how I know. I'm in the process of pulling off the spare tire, to see if that's possibly where water is making its way in. Fun and games!

[deryk]

Looks Great Lil! I picked up at a hardware store for 50% off a small hand pump meant for pumping anti freeze into your city water line but I use it to transfer water from my 7 gallon jug into my ParkLiner... saves trying to pour it in...another idea is a siphon or a hose, just suck on it to get a draw and stick it into your scamps fill spot.

[Lil M.]

Hi Otters,
Thanks for the compliments. The deckplate would have been super easy to install if the blade hadn't kept falling out of my jigsaw. I think it needs to be repaired, or I just might have to read the directions to make sure I'm installing the blade properly. I drilled a pilot hole on the marked line and then tried to saw out the circle. When that failed, I used an old fish filleting knife to finish the job. The plastic was relatively easy to cut through.

And Deryk, I think I have a shower pump tucked away somewhere in the overhead cabinet. I'll have to see if I can put it to use for filling the water tank. Thanks for nudging my brain.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Lil M.

....... The deckplate would have been super easy to install if the blade hadn't kept falling out of my jigsaw............

What did you find to seal the deck plate that is non-toxic?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

What did you find to seal the deck plate that is non-toxic?

There's a number of food grade caulks. Usually GAG, silicone. Home brewers use caulking quite a bit.

[Lil M.]

Seal the deck plate?? Hmmmm. Never thought of that. Would butyl tape work? I have a good-size roll of that laying around. Or is that toxic?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Lil M.

Seal the deck plate?? Hmmmm. Never thought of that. Would butyl tape work? I have a good-size roll of that laying around. Or is that toxic?

I wouldn't use it. At least not for anything going into my mouth.

Google is your friend. Just type in Food Grade Caulk and see what comes up. It's helpful when you're looking to buy something in your area.

And Yes, you are going to want to seal it or it's gonna leak!

[Lil M.]

It's been a while since I've posted, but I've managed to make a few more updates to my Scamp.
I'm a bit lazy so, when I change the dinette to bed mode the first night camping, I end up leaving it that way for the remainder of my trip. I do miss having a table though. I've watched a number of van conversion videos on YouTube and discovered a table used in boats. The brand is Lagun. It's not cheap at $174 including shipping, but it's a game changer for me. I now have a table that pivots into service and then out of the way, is height adjustable as well, and then easily dismantles to be tucked away. I used a 1x10 cedar board that I cut and then biscuit-joined to make an adequately sized tabletop for the space. Now I have a place to eat, do food prep, or work on my laptop. If need be, I can remove it from the mounting plate and tuck it away at the end of the kitchen counter.
The next thing I did was move the TV to the closet wall, used a single piece of the cedar board to mount a small folding shelf under the TV for the bluray player. The place looks much more roomy with the TV tucked by the closet instead of in the seating area. I now sleep with my head by the kitchen counter. I like that much better as I have a bigger field of vision.

[Lil M.]

The next little improvement/comfort is my portable hassock potty. I added a urine diverter so I can keep #1 & #2 separate. Helps keep the odor at bay. I installed a plastic bag with a couple scoops of peat moss for #2 and a screw top plastic container for #1. I've only used it for #1 when it's late night or early morning, but it's nice to know I really don't have to leave the trailer if "time is of the essence", if ya know what I mean. Any questions or more details, feel free to ask.
I sewed a cover for it to make it look more like a real hassock. It's a nice size for this little trailer and makes a great extra seat when needed.

[Lil M.]

Latest modification is a folding shelf for my Berkey water filter. I attached it to the little wall that the folding screen door rests against when open. Just an FYI, be sure to drill from the good side of the veneer plywood. Otherwise you'll chip out pieces of the veneer. Also, I don't transport the Berkey there. It rides in the van until I get to the campsite. Still have to figure a way to attach straps to secure it to the shelf.