Another Scamp Door Saq Question!

[kjackson82]

Hi All,

Ok, I hate to start a thread about Scamp door sag knowing that this has been discussed! I've read a number of threads but could have missed the one I actually needed to figure out how to solve my issue.

Here is the situation. I have a 1990 Scamp 16 Layout 4 so it has the front bunks. For the last several years I have noticed that the door does not fit properly. The door latch barely hits the bottom of the striker plate which has resulted in the door opening when towing.

It looks like the door is not sitting straight as there is a gap at the top left of the door that indicates the bottom right needs to be pushed over to square the door.

My trailer has a hand lock mount added to lock the trailer from the outside with a master lock. I've attached a picture. You can see that the hole for the lock does not align any longer. The mount on the door is 1/2" lower.

I've had the frame inspected and they said it isn't broken anywhere. I've looked at the frame and floor in that area but can't see any issues.

One thing to note. When I have the trailer jacked up off of the tires the issue is corrected. The master lock holes line up exactly. Is this telling me that there is some body sag at the front end of the trailer?

I've also noticed that the wood frame for the screen door on the hinge side has also pulled completely out of the screws attaching it to the trailer. Is this related and indicating some ballooning in that area?

I have not removed the closet or any other structural supports inside the trailer.

I've noticed the bottom of the door hangs down below the trailer an inch or so? Is that normal or indicative that the entire door has moved down or maybe lost some of its curve?

I replaced the hinges a few years ago and can't remember if it lined up then but I don't believe it did.

I've thought about just moving the striker plate down and then also moving the master lock hardware attached to the trailer to line everything up. However, I'm afraid that the main issue will get worse and this will only be a temporary solution.

Any advice on how to tackle this?

Thanks

Kelly

[FurbishL]

I had a similar problem with my 1990 Scamp 13. It was somewhat of a basket case when I bought it 5 years ago. It got to the point where the door would pop open while being towed. I bought new hinges from Scamp thinking that would help but I ended up with the same situation. I eventually removed the hinges from the door side and positioned the door where it needed to be, aligned at the corners and centered with the latch. I then rotated the hinges back in place and determined where to drill new holes in the door. They were off by about 3/4” so I filled in the old holes with epoxy and drilled new holes in the door. This has worked well for me and with a little tweaking of the latch position it closes nicely with little effort and stays closed. I also lube the hinges periodically to keep them from corroding.

[Donna D.]

Have the guts of the hinges ever been replaced. Especially the ball. It's brass and has a tendency to wear out. IF not, consider replacing those parts before moving the hinges on the door or the body. I suggest you purchase the stainless steel kit from Ian Giles. Far better than the mild steel rebuild kit from Scamp.


https://www.campingtreasures.com/pro...ge-repair-kit/

[Jon in AZ]

New hinges wound have come with new parts, no?

If you decide to rehang the door and drill new holes, member Ian Giles posted that locating the hinges closer to the belly band (at 1/3 and 2/3 of the door height IIRC) allows the door to fold back fully without contacting the belly band.

[parmm]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Have the guts of the hinges ever been replaced. Especially the ball. It's brass and has a tendency to wear out. IF not, consider replacing those parts before moving the hinges on the door or the body. I suggest you purchase the stainless steel kit from Ian Giles. Far better than the mild steel rebuild kit from Scamp.


https://www.campingtreasures.com/pro...ge-repair-kit/

Fantastic find -thank you so much!!!

[kjackson82]

Thanks for the feedback on this.

FurbishL - I'll probably end up following your lead and re-hang the doors.

Donna - Yep, I've replaced all of the guts. But thanks for the reminder about camping treasures. I did order the stainless steel rock guard hardware from them a while back. Still have to install it though!

Jon - thanks for mentioning that. That is a great idea. That's been one of those nagging little things that bothered me.

Kelly

[David Hi]

My Scamp 13 door also was hanging low even after replacing the hinge balls. I was able to close the gap by stacking nylon washers under the ball enough to raise the door for a good fit. So far it’s holding up well and avoided having to drill new holes and fill old ones.

[TracyG]

I have the same issue with my 1980 Scamp 13. Did new hinge guts from Camping Treasures, but it didn't fix it. I think the problem (as mentioned in one of Ian's videos at CampingTreasures) is that the front passenger side of the camper body (not the door) has sagged. That is certainly what happened in my case -- the fiberglass body has actually crushed a bit where it sits on the front passenger side of the trailer frame and a PO had already moved the location of the door hinges, unbeknownst to me when I bought it, to accommodate that. I did not realize it before I renovated my front bunks into a dinette. Now I need to take everything apart, jack up the camper body from the inside, and add support on the hinge side of the door frame to get it back to where it should be. But it will have to wait and for now I'm just going to tie the door shut so it will stop popping open when I drive. Let us know what you decided to do and if it works.

[TracyG]

kjackson: Also, let me know if you install the new gravel guard clips from Camping Treasures -- I bought those as well, but have not had time to install them and am not sure exactly how to do it, since there were no instructions and I couldn't find a Youtube video. :-)

[JamesML]

G'day: This is not neccessarily a direct correction, but at least something to consider, based on my experience with a 1976 Boler 1300. When I did the body-off frame replacement, I found that the body itself had distorted due to what I consider, an improper design. On the Boler 1300 of that vintage, the body cantilevers beyond the frame, and is supported only by flat boards glassed into the floor assembly. There is no way that sag will not occur over time . When I rebuilt the stronger frame, I also had extended angle and plate members installed which support the body closer to the walls, and at more locations. This corrected much, but not all of the door fit problems. I still have the door shape-shifting issue, but much less overall. Take a look underneath your rig and see if you also have a cantilever issue.

One other thing I also accomplished with the frame rebuild was to eliminate the useless sheet metal screws which "held" the body to the original frame--replaced with SST bolts and nuts through flat steel plates. Body is not retained in place by more than faith.