1986 Casita - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-29-2020, 09:06 PM   #21
Junior Member
 
Name: Geoff
Trailer: Casita
TX
Posts: 23
These are great points Eric to consider. Had not thought of it that way. Thanks.
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Old 09-29-2020, 09:09 PM   #22
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Name: Geoff
Trailer: Casita
TX
Posts: 23
Thanks Mike. I’ve already noticed a difference in how the door fits. Before it would barely latch. Now it does on one push. Not perfect but better.
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Old 09-30-2020, 09:43 AM   #23
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Name: Geoff
Trailer: Casita
TX
Posts: 23
Ah this makes sense now. Great idea. I’ve got the ramps. I’ll get the timbers. Could I use cinder blocks temporarily?
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Old 09-30-2020, 10:17 AM   #24
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Casita 16ft.
California
Posts: 338
I don't like the idea of cinder blocks they are too unstable. I like cribbing or some kind of custom made saw horses using materials adequate for the load. I also suggest support fore and aft AND a third place in the middle. The trailer is especially weak in the door opening. Due to the extensive repairs and modifications my trailer was of the chassis for two weeks. I wanted it supported well enough to be safe and well supported for that length of time. Safety is is of most importance. I forget why you are pulling the body from the chassis. Did you actually find damage in the chassis that will require repair?

Eric makes good points our projects evolved more or less simultaneously. I stole some good ideas from him. Hopefully he found my experiences useful too. I have found that my needs in terms of use of my trailer evolved over time as well. In my case I wanted more ground clearance and the ability to travel over bad roads and more remote campgrounds.
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Old 09-30-2020, 10:39 AM   #25
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Name: Geoff
Trailer: Casita
TX
Posts: 23
Okay I’ll make some cribbing. I just want to get a good inspection of the frame and axel. JonInAZ on #4 Said, “ I think 13' and 16' Casitas have a bend in the frame under the front. That's where I'd expect trouble. Trouble can come in two ways: (1) stress at weak points (like bends) causes cracks, and (2) water gets inside the tubing, collects at low spots, and rusts from the inside.“
Two previous pics I posted indicated as much. I’ll update with another pic.
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Old 09-30-2020, 11:31 PM   #26
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Name: Geoff
Trailer: Casita
TX
Posts: 23
As to cribbing, I’ll make some 12” 2x4 blocks, 20” high. I’ll have six of those stacks with 3 4x6 timber, front, middle and rear to set the shell on and pull the frame out. If that sounds good.

Here’s my set up now to reshape the shell. The passenger side seems tight. The driver side still has some play in it. How much pressure should I be giving it? The door seems to be fitting better. Seems way over my head but one step at a time. No wear as skilled as y'all. I really appreciate all y'alls help!
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Old 11-09-2020, 09:40 PM   #27
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Name: Geoff
Trailer: Casita
TX
Posts: 23
Next step

Sanded and repainted frame with Rust Bullet. Finally got shell back on frame. Replaced sub floor with 1/2” plywood sealed with West System 105 epoxy. Is next step wiring? Buy this? PD4045 power center?
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Old 11-10-2020, 07:32 AM   #28
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Casita 16ft.
California
Posts: 338
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasTough View Post
Sanded and repainted frame with Rust Bullet. Finally got shell back on frame. Replaced sub floor with 1/2” plywood sealed with West System 105 epoxy. Is next step wiring? Buy this? PD4045 power center?
From the progression of you pics, it looks like you got the body reinstalled after the frame inspection and repaint. Am I right? The two questions I gathered from you last post are:
1) how much pressure can you apply to the jacks lifting the body roof?

2) is it time to start wiring?

Here are my observations

1a) The fiberglass is pretty flexible which is why it slumped in the first place. But it did so over a long time. You can jack it quite a bit if the jacking is done from a hard point (see my comment below in (b)) I found that my body didn't spring back in all dimensions immediately even with the jacks. Sure the roof went up but things like the fender boxes didn't fully pull back into shape until at least a couple of weeks had past. We are entering the cold time of year in much of the country. I think a little heat might help to soften up the resin a bit. A space heater placed in the interior might do the trick but you would have to experiment with that. You are in Texas so maybe it isn't as cold as it is here at my place in NW California.

1b) The floor is just as flexible as the roof so placing jacks directly on the floor you will lose jacking efficiency. I don't know if it is my eyes but it looks like your jacks are pushing the floor down. I fount that I needed to put a 4X4 timber on the floor logitudionly (front to back of trailer) so that it spread the jacking load over several crossmembers or better yet over the main frame rails themselves. I also found jacking posts attop bottle jacks to be unstable. I wound up simply cutting 2x4's a little bit over length as jack posts drove them between the floor and ceiling with a sledge hammer. the further you drove the post in, the higher the roof went. I could tap it back if I wanted to adjust the roof lower. In the end I have found that I overjacked the ceiling too much in the area just aft of the door while I was trying to make the door jam fit right. I think part of it was due to the trailer stretching back into shape slowly over a couple of years. I am going to replace that bulkhead this winter and will

2) Casita put all of the wiring inside the cabin. I know nothing about the load center you ask about.

I hope this helps
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