Dan's 1976 Scamp Frame Off Restoration with Improvements - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 12-11-2017, 09:44 AM   #21
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Name: Dan
Trailer: Scamp
Iowa
Posts: 93
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Josh the Welder surprised me yesterday by letting me know that my trailer was done. DONE!!!

He and his helper dug in on Friday evening after work, and they must have been feeling inspired, because on Saturday they decided to just power through and get 'er done. They even put down an initial coat of paint. This is greatly appreciated, since I don't have a heated garage, and it's too cold to paint right now.

I picked it up last night. Josh let me borrow the old trailer to bring home the new. Cool to see the pics of the old and new side-by-side.

I am extremely pleased with the quality of this. I have not put a tape or square to it, but according to Josh it's within 1/32" square, corner-to-corner. They were super pleased with it also and really liked building it.

I have to admit that i was nervous at first about hiring a total stranger off the internet, but this is one of those very happy endings where everything worked out perfectly. If you are one of the many Scamp/Boler folks out there with frame issues, I highly recommend Josh at Twin Angel Welding and Fabrication in Des Moines, IA.

Dan

PS: I haven't mentioned this before, but I extended the length of the trailer to accommodate a storage box. My foot in the last pic indicates ~where the shell ends. This may end up being a mistake but easier to cut off than to add on.
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Old 12-11-2017, 09:54 AM   #22
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You may want to move some items forward to accommodate for the extra weight of the box and it's contents
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Old 12-11-2017, 03:08 PM   #23
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Name: bob
Trailer: Was A-Liner now 13f Scamp
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your work

you have joined up with several people here who are fantastic workers and builders.

best of luck to you

bob
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Old 12-11-2017, 03:45 PM   #24
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Name: Jeff T
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Smaller Items

Even if you used the add-on box to hold routine campsite setup items it should be worth the trouble.

I know on our 16 with the fresh water 3/4 full the extra weight changes the towing dynamics enough I notice the difference. We do not routinely travel with the fresh water filled but I would add a sway bar if I did.

Really nice work!
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Old 12-11-2017, 07:21 PM   #25
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Name: Eric
Trailer: 1987 Casita 16
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Great to see the things you are doing. I know this kind of thing was what got me going, and I know that there will be many others who get bit by the restoration/make it mine bug. Great job on the frame. Mine is still at the shop, but I too am a believer in the "tell the welder what your goal is and trust him (or her)" i am enjoying what you are posting.
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Old 12-12-2017, 11:35 AM   #26
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Thanks all for the kind words. Point well taken about the load balancing issues. At this point I am not sure that we are going to haul much weight back there, but it will be a nice place to wash dishes and to keep things that normally end up on the ground.

My wife just enrolled me in an adult ed welding class at the high school where she teaches. It's something I've always wanted to do. I'm glad I didn't choose to build my own frame, but I'll look forward to building out a steel mesh box back there and other little projects as they come up.

Dan
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Old 12-15-2017, 02:14 PM   #27
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Name: bob
Trailer: Was A-Liner now 13f Scamp
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should have

dan on my 13f scamper the previous owner extended the tongue out 22in I don't know why but I have decided I like it. both jon and Floyd joined in so I left it.

the guy worked in a place in Ia making big farming stuff for what that is worth.

I think if anything it get the trailer away from the tug better!

bob
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Old 12-15-2017, 03:39 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k0wtz View Post
dan on my 13f scamper the previous owner extended the tongue out 22in I don't know why but I have decided I like it. both jon and Floyd joined in so I left it.

the guy worked in a place in Ia making big farming stuff for what that is worth.

I think if anything it get the trailer away from the tug better!

bob
Good to know, thanks. I ran across this yesterday.

https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/...dition-on-ebay

My extension isnt nearly that severe
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Old 12-15-2017, 04:34 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k0wtz View Post
dan on my 13f scamper the previous owner extended the tongue out 22in I don't know why but I have decided I like it. both jon and Floyd joined in so I left it.

the guy worked in a place in Ia making big farming stuff for what that is worth.

I think if anything it get the trailer away from the tug better!

bob
In my experience, a short tongue trailer is MUCH easier to jacknife backing up. Much harder to back up.
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Old 12-15-2017, 05:01 PM   #30
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ok dan I see the basket on the back don't know if I would like it or not.


bob
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Old 12-16-2017, 05:23 PM   #31
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Name: Dan
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Today is lower floor day. I'm using Huber Anvantech tongue-in-groove flooring. $40 a sheet and heavy compared to other flooring products, but from what I've read very impervious to water. A 4x8 sheet did the entire lower floor with some left over.

Dan
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Old 12-16-2017, 10:23 PM   #32
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Wonder if you need to seal the cut edges of that Huber product?

From the Huber site: "For added protection, every edge is coated with edge sealant to help prevent swelling during long-term storage or exposure to the elements."

Any edge you cut will not have this coating.

The Huber product is basically OSB with a much better adhesive. This is a good move IMHO.


Bill
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Old 05-31-2018, 06:43 PM   #33
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Slow progress is still progress.
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Old 06-02-2018, 08:27 AM   #34
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Name: Dan
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In order to install the axles on my trailer, I found it easiest to flip the trailer frame. Instead of using Jacks and jackstands to install them, why not use gravity?

But flipping the now-heavy frame presented a problem. What was easy enough with the axles off is now a monstrous task. It's too heavy to dead lift, and putting weight on the side of the hub is a no-no.

Enter the cnc. By using the frame extension by the door and two custom-cut pieces of plywood as pivot points, the frame flipped easily enough with no damage to the hubs.

Next step is to install the trailer under the shell! Been a long road. Took a welding class and insulated my garage over the winter, neither of which seem related to this project, but to me were essential steps and worth the time and money spent.

Hopefully much more soon.
Dan
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Old 06-02-2018, 11:23 AM   #35
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Here are some wheels-on pics and a bit of catch up info on the build. So back in December I hauled the trailer home from the welder and bought the axles. It was nice weather for a while, so I drilled out the holes and set the axles on. Should have read the instructions...

Turns out that there are two ways to secure the axles to the frame. A cross bar or a bracket. I used neither, just bolted the thing on. Duh. Result was I hauled it to a mechanic friend to check my work and one axle flopped inward against the frame when I was backing into his driveway. The two blocks I was pulling in a straight line were fine, go figure. He helped me avoid damage to the axle and helped me use a cinch strap to hold the axles tight enough to get home.

Then things got cold. I mean really, really cold. So cold that every time I tried to work on the camper I ended up trying not to cry. I was taking a welding class at the high school at this time, so I kept up with that and also started insulating my garage. No more working in frigid temps for me, thank you.

One thing that bothered me about the 2x6 frame rails is that the 1/8" (11 ga) steel I used did not seem thick enough for my tastes. My welding teacher let me haul the trailer in and weld a 3/8 plate where the axles make contact. Overkill, but I like overkill. I also decided to use BOTH recommended methods to secure the trailer. The cross bar AND the bracket. Still need to paint the bracket and have not torqued the bolts to final spec, but you can see that things now look quite secure!!!

One side note. Not sure what went wrong with my CAD diagram and my measurements, but in a test fit-up found that the center of my mounted axle was about 4.75 inches off center of the wheelwell. Grrr.

Solution was to just move forward one bolt hole (3.75 inches). That is why there is an extra hole in the pics. Will plug it later.

One other thing, note that at the door entrance I did some grinder artwork to recreate the shape of the fiberglass curve. Fun stuff!!!
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Old 06-20-2018, 06:13 PM   #36
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A Gigantic OOPs

Hi guys. Well, sometimes despite your best efforts and despite making every effort not to screw up, you just...well, screw up. Big time.

In my case, I was moving right along putting the trailer back under the shell. I got to the point where I was anxious to start connecting the two, but before I could do that I had to figure out how to line it all up just right.

This is where I started to get that uh-oh feeling. No matter what I did I could just not get the shell to line up with the frame. I'd move it an inch this way and half an inch that way, and no matter what I did, I did not seem to be able to make it all line up correctly. I had a friend come over who looked at the project for about 30 seconds and looked at me like I was crazy. The door is 4 inches too narrow, he announced.

Umm, uhhh, I started stammering and ran into the house to find some blueprints and drawings. I came back with a pile of papers, but could not seem to find the paper I was looking for.

Find whatever paper you want, he told me. But that door is 4 inches too narrow.

3 hours later I found my mistake. I had made an assumption in cad that in outside measurement was an inside measurement. Since my frame is made of 2" thick tube steel, I was 4 inches off.

Hmm, well, back to the drawing board....
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Old 06-20-2018, 06:31 PM   #37
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Name: Dan
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Iowa
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Time to Fix the Oops

As I've mentioned before, this winter I took a welding class. My goal was to be able to weld whirlygigs and s**t for the yard. Maybe, just MAYBE I'd weld a bracket here or a holder for my propane tank there. Fabricating a trailer was not what I had in mind.

Oh well, no time for that now. I started by grinding and cutting off the offending 4." It's pretty obvious that I've now lost almost all my load-bearing support in that critical spot, leaving maybe an inch to support not only the weight from the ride but my weight as I enter the door. Not good.

You can see a before and after of sorts, along with couple pics of the paper template representing the patch I'm going to need.
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Old 06-20-2018, 06:38 PM   #38
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Name: Dan
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The Patch...

Not sure if I'd call it attractive, but it's 1/2 inch steel and should make the area more than strong enough after losing all that support. Took me 4+ hours spanned over two nights, but I got it cut.

The 7/16 inch steel beside it was also welded in by me a few months back in the welding shop (with the teacher close by).

This time I'm on my own.
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Old 06-21-2018, 06:25 AM   #39
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Name: Dan
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Welding

Welding the patch on wasn't that big of a deal in the end. I used enough tack welds to prevent heat from lifting the opposite end of the patch away from the weld side. I also limited the distance of my welds, tying a few welds into each other instead of trying to make the full distances in one pass.

Since I have the wheels back off I was also able to flip the trailer as I went. I am not yet good enough at welding to produce anything better than an ugly mess when I'm not welding horizontally. But my horizontal welds are actually very good.

These last three pics were taken during the re-paint, which is when I realized I'd forgotten to take pics of my welds, so some of the welds are already painted over, but you get the idea.

We are now the correct size for the door, so attaching the shell should go much better.
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Old 06-21-2018, 07:11 AM   #40
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Name: Dan
Trailer: Scamp
Iowa
Posts: 93
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Re-Shaping

I've always wanted to work with fiberglass. Because of my own stupidity, I finally get that chance.

Back when I first suspected there might be something wrong with my frame, I got out the saw and started hacking away at my floor. I did not realize at the time that this floor is responsible for so much support. How could a beat up, peeling piece of 1/2" plywood have any structural importance?

Well, it turns out that this plywood was fiberglassed to the shell. While it may not be pretty, it has a job to do far more essential than I would have thought back then.

Now that I am putting things back together, I'm realizing that I must get the shell back into exactly the right shape. If this thing is out of true, my door will never close correctly.

I spent a couple hours on this process of "reshaping" the scamp's shell. First I put my RV jacks under the 4 corners of the frame, taking the time to ensure that the entire frame is 100% level in all directions.

Next I put the door on and put a couple 1/4 bolts through the hinges. At the top the door width was 26", which is correct. But at the bottom the door varied from 27" to 27.75" depending on how I pulled and tugged and arranged the shell on the frame.

I am back in the garage, so I am able to use the rafters as a hoist/lift. I put a ratchet strap hooked under the shell at the front and lifted it about 3/4" off the frame. I did the same in the back using a floor jack. I then put 3/4" inch plywood spacers between the shell and the frame. This helps me take some weight off the frame and allows me to move it more easily.

Now I put the missing piece of plywood floor back in place. The pic with the red lines shows where I erroneously cut the plywood and the circle is a spot that previously leaked and has de-laminated badly. Under that missing piece of flooring, I scab together a few pieces of 3/4 inch plywood. I will screw these in place, but before I do, I now start the process of finding the correct "final fit."

It's a trial and error thing, but I used two gigantic ratchet straps joined together to reach the entire circumference of the shell. I also used clamps whereever needed. In the end, I was able to get the shell back into the correct shape so that the frame lined up with all the important landmarks on the shell. Once that is done, time to put some wood screws in the cut-up floor.
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