aslmx
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Post by aslmx on Jul 22, 2022 16:27:53 GMT -8
Paul, Just a comment on tarps. The cheapest tarps at Harbor Freight are poorly made from my experience. If they spend any time in the sun, they will deteriorate within a few weeks. Placing a layer of plastic sheeting underneath the tarp will reduce the chance of leaks through the weave of the tarp. Use minimal thickness of 6 mil, but 9 mil is best. Make sure you cover any sharp edges with rags. Blue painters tape and old rags can work for this. Rod Actually the best thing you can do tarp wise is to buy your tarps from Tarpsonline Dot Com. I've been buying their tarps for a few decades now and nothing stands up to the elements like these do. I have 4 year old tarps on trailers and I get hot sun and high winds all year long. Very high winds. Northern Nevada is tough on tarps. And the prices are just a tad bit higher than the ones in the big box stores. Even with shipping. You can't go wrong with tarpsonline. I buy the Silver Poly tarps. is this the ones Larry? If so I’m about to order a couple. My 60 is outside now since I lost my garage www.tarpsonline.com/tarps/silver.aspx
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Jul 28, 2022 9:31:24 GMT -8
Actually the best thing you can do tarp wise is to buy your tarps from Tarpsonline Dot Com. I've been buying their tarps for a few decades now and nothing stands up to the elements like these do. I have 4 year old tarps on trailers and I get hot sun and high winds all year long. Very high winds. Northern Nevada is tough on tarps. And the prices are just a tad bit higher than the ones in the big box stores. Even with shipping. You can't go wrong with tarpsonline. I buy the Silver Poly tarps. is this the ones Larry? If so I’m about to order a couple. My 60 is outside now since I lost my garage www.tarpsonline.com/tarps/silver.aspxYep. The silver poly is what I buy and have been buying for over a decade now. These actually do last 4 to 5 years.
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thethird152
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Post by thethird152 on Aug 2, 2022 6:14:57 GMT -8
Finally got a chance this weekend to get some more work done to the old girl. I discovered a few things about this specific camper: 1. It's about 50% fasteners 2. It's about 20% mouse poop 3. It's about 10% ants 4. It's about 10% saw dust My help bailed on me, so I got the roof off solo - it wasn't too bad. I'm thinking I'll probably replace the metal (probably the skin too - it's pretty beat up) but that's a long way down the road. Taking the walls off was tricky by myself, but I got it done. The floor itself is a mess - it looks like the PO probably noticed the floor getting soft, so they installed some super-thick flooring over top of the original. There's also a noticeable patch that was put in. Not a problem as I'll be pulling the whole floor off and starting over. I took lots of extra time through this process getting plenty of measurements for the rebuild - I entered them all into SketchUp so they'll be there later. Next steps are getting the floor removed and any undermounted items like the black tank off so I can start on the frame itself, as well as the hubs/brakes, etc. Very much looking forward to more work! I'll have tons of questions once I get to the stage that I'm actually rebuilding - thanks for watching everyone! -Paul
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Post by vikx on Aug 2, 2022 12:06:11 GMT -8
Well, she's a typical mess now. You did good with the roof-is it possible steel? (orangish discoloration like rust?)
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thethird152
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Post by thethird152 on Aug 2, 2022 12:59:48 GMT -8
Well, she's a typical mess now. You did good with the roof-is it possible steel? (orangish discoloration like rust?) I believe it is steel - galvanized maybe?
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aslmx
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Post by aslmx on Aug 2, 2022 16:09:30 GMT -8
You’re lucky. Mine was 60% mouse poop and 10% brown recluses
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thethird152
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Post by thethird152 on Aug 17, 2022 4:35:32 GMT -8
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Aug 18, 2022 5:27:15 GMT -8
Newer trailers have lots of plumbing. Lots of plumbing means lots of rot..
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thethird152
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Post by thethird152 on Aug 18, 2022 12:04:14 GMT -8
Newer trailers have lots of plumbing. Lots of plumbing means lots of rot.. Yeah, it certainly looks that way, although "newer" is a relative term - this trailer is almost 45 years old I still have LOTS of decisions to make about how I'm going to rebuild this thing, but I'm thinking I'll be deleting most of the plumbing. I'm 99% sure I'll leave the toilet out - at MOST I'll put in a cassette. I'll definitely be deleting the interior shower, likely to be replaced by an outside sprayer nozzle, which will serve primarily as a dish washing station, but can be repurposed for a quick shower if necessary. The majority of the camping I do is at big cast iron cookouts, so I need a way to do lots of dishes, but have no desire to do that inside the camper. Since the bathroom framing is a crucial part of the structure I'll still include it, but will likely convert that space into a pantry/cooking gear storage. Still undecided on a sink inside, and if I should keep the oven or not. I've been doing a little research on on-demand water heater systems and I'm liking what I see (although I have no first hand experience). If I can get the layout how I want it the white water storage tank and pump, city water system, sprayer and possible kitchen sink will all be very close to one another and will not penetrate the floor. Lots to think about, but I'm having fun!
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Aug 20, 2022 14:15:11 GMT -8
Just remember that things like on demand water heaters use a lot of resources, like propane and water... And they use them quickly because it's too easy. With a 6 or 10 gallon tank heater people tend to conserve more.
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thethird152
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Post by thethird152 on Aug 21, 2022 6:43:40 GMT -8
Great advice as usual Larry, thank you. I'll definitely be doing my homework when it comes to outfitting this thing. Right now I have hundreds of ideas running through my head, and have not come to a concrete decision on very many of them. Made some more progress yesterday and I think I'm finally done with the disassembly/discovery phase - at least in terms of the camper part of the trailer. Next steps are to examine hubs/brakes/axles/springs, etc. I don't have a ton of experience with this so I'll be enlisting the help of some friends/neighbors. I'll be investigating the brakes too and repairing and/or replacing everything as necessary. I need to buy a new wheel (camper was missing one at time of purchase so I've got a slightly smaller one on there now just for while it's sitting - I would never go down the road like this) - actually, probably two new wheels (one for the spare) and all new tires. The tires on it are still in great shape but I'm pretty sure they're old (I'll check the date codes) and I have no desire to take any unnecessary risks when towing. After that, the fun part where I get to buy tools starts I've been researching lots of different methods for restoring old rusty trailer frames and I think the route I'm going to go is just grinding this thing down to bare metal, cleaning it really well, and repainting it. That means I'll need to go buy a grinder...and maybe an air compressor and paint gun Air compressor will be necessary in the long run anyways, so that's on my list. I'm undecided on paint so far - lots to consider. I can rattle can it. I also have a good friend who is literally an award-winning painter in terms of show cars who I'm sure I could rope into helping me put an amazing paint job on this thing. I'll likely fall somewhere in between those two. Thanks for following along - more to come soon! Please feel free to leave any and all comments or suggestions, even constructive criticism. I'm new to this and I have very thick skin so nothing is out of bounds to me (obviously adhere to forum rules and general spirit). Thanks gang! Paul
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ruderunner
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Post by ruderunner on Sept 4, 2022 3:57:19 GMT -8
Bit of advice from a fellow who's done several auto restoration. Save the tires and brakes for last. By the time you get everything else done, you might have to replace them again. BTDT.
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thethird152
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Post by thethird152 on Sept 5, 2022 4:00:37 GMT -8
Bit of advice from a fellow who's done several auto restoration. Save the tires and brakes for last. By the time you get everything else done, you might have to replace them again. BTDT. Thanks ruderunner - that's not something I had really considered. My assumption was that it would be far easier to work on the brakes and hubs and everything before the camper was sitting on top of the trailer, but I could definitely be wrong. Would you suggest doing tires/brakes after the entire camper is rebuilt or were you more suggesting just waiting until after the frame is sanded down and repainted? Thanks for the input!
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Sept 6, 2022 6:18:42 GMT -8
Bit of advice from a fellow who's done several auto restoration. Save the tires and brakes for last. By the time you get everything else done, you might have to replace them again. BTDT. Thanks ruderunner - that's not something I had really considered. My assumption was that it would be far easier to work on the brakes and hubs and everything before the camper was sitting on top of the trailer, but I could definitely be wrong. Would you suggest doing tires/brakes after the entire camper is rebuilt or were you more suggesting just waiting until after the frame is sanded down and repainted? Thanks for the input! The very first thing I do is put new tires on my trailers even before I move them from the place where I bought the trailer. When you are down to the metal chassis of the trailer, that's the best time to do the brakes. You never know, you may even need to change the axle. Just depends on what you find. These are not cars. They are trailers. These are not houses. They are trailers. When someone gives you advice on a trailer that refers to an auto rebuild, you need to remember that they are not the same thing. I don't know why someone would tell you to wait to work on the brakes. If your trailer is already at the place you will be retoring it, you can wait on the tires.
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thethird152
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Post by thethird152 on Sept 6, 2022 17:50:59 GMT -8
Thanks ruderunner - that's not something I had really considered. My assumption was that it would be far easier to work on the brakes and hubs and everything before the camper was sitting on top of the trailer, but I could definitely be wrong. Would you suggest doing tires/brakes after the entire camper is rebuilt or were you more suggesting just waiting until after the frame is sanded down and repainted? Thanks for the input! The very first thing I do is put new tires on my trailers even before I move them from the place where I bought the trailer. When you are down to the metal chassis of the trailer, that's the best time to do the brakes. You never know, you may even need to change the axle. Just depends on what you find. These are not cars. They are trailers. These are not houses. They are trailers. When someone gives you advice on a trailer that refers to an auto rebuild, you need to remember that they are not the same thing. I don't know why someone would tell you to wait to work on the brakes. If your trailer is already at the place you will be retoring it, you can wait on the tires. Thanks for the input Larry - it's always appreciated. I did keep the existing wheels/tires on this when I bought it but ONLY because I bought it from a neighbor that lives across the street. Towed it less than 1/4 mile. I'm a firm believer in paying attention to your tires, and that remaining tread is immaterial if the tire is past a certain age. Haven't had a ton of spare time to get much work done lately - will definitely provide pics when I have some updates.
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