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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2015 13:31:21 GMT -8
Hi friends I need your help with something. I have cut to fit a new corner framing piece in my Compact and it's on the right rear corner. I think the new piece is cut quite nicely to fit with the angled rear skin shape and can get it into place but as I try to bring the two sides, the rear and right skins together the rear skin doesn't come over far enough. I'm really frustrated. The new piece fits in flush to the other frame members top and bottom but the skin doesn't come far overy enough. Any thoughts? Why would it do that? I have the whole thing propped up appropriately inside so that corner I've been repairing doesn't cause the whole camper to sag.
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Post by danrhodes on Nov 30, 2015 13:43:56 GMT -8
Hi friends I need your help with something. I have cut to fit a new corner framing piece in my Compact and it's on the right rear corner. I think the new piece is cut quite nicely to fit with the angled rear skin shape and can get it into place but as I try to bring the two sides, the rear and right skins together the rear skin doesn't come over far enough. I'm really frustrated. The new piece fits in flush to the other frame members top and bottom but the skin doesn't come far overy enough. Any thoughts? Why would it do that? I have the whole thing propped up appropriately inside so that corner I've been repairing doesn't cause the whole camper to sag. Did you match the framing that you replaced? It's hard for badly rotted areas, but I try to match the other wall in that case. Pics might help
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2015 14:14:39 GMT -8
I definitely should have provided a pic. Hope this helps.. thanks for response. Yes the old piece was so rotted it was missing an inch or more at the end of it all the way up. Other side not the best either. It's so weord, it matches up to the top and bottom framing but the skin doesn't want to come all the way over.
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Post by bigbill on Nov 30, 2015 16:15:08 GMT -8
Put a straight edge up the other side to see if it is bowing . If it is straight check your cross bracing to see if it is bowed out from side to side. Either of these could be the problem. OR the corner may have been built wrong at the factory. These are the first things I would check assuming you have the trailer level in all directions.Also are your new boards the same thickness as the original they look a little thicker in the picture. Another thing is your floor supported so it is level and straight or is your inside supports causing the floor to bow making your walls spread out?
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Post by bigbill on Nov 30, 2015 16:31:26 GMT -8
Just for info when you do find the problem you will most likely feel stupid that you missed it the first time, but be assured that the way most of us have learned is by experiencing the same things over and over. Anybody that rebuilds a severely rotted trailer and everything turns out perfect the first try is either lucky or the exception to the rule. Almost sixty years of building and repairing campers and one still bites me now and then. If it was a simple and easy thing everyone would have a beautiful old trailer and none would have ever been junked.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2015 16:48:53 GMT -8
Hi bigbill, thanks for your time. You bring up some very good points. You may or may not have struck my battleship on a couple of them. Haha. I never knew the floor could be bowing, I have been having to reconstruct the framing inside because of putting new windows in as well as replacing rotted areas. I know I need to be careful. It's coming but slow. I do know that the bumper is about a half inch higher on the side I am working in vs the left side of it. Not sure if that's enough to mess everything up. I cut to fit a 1x8 board, so same thickness as the 1x2. I think I will make it. At least the top and bottom fits the new 1x8 in place flush so that's good. Kind of a catch 22 as well, I can't very well reconstruct and reinforce the framing if my corners aren't good first. Lol
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Nov 30, 2015 16:52:21 GMT -8
So the wall is now too wide for the rear skin to round the corner?
Close up photos are hard to interpret. Did you frame with 1x or 2x4? As you know the Compact has thin walls. Anything heavier than 1x will cause issues. How far out does it overextend? 3/4 of an inch? Or 1/4"?
It could be that the walls were slightly bowed from the factory and the skin cut accordingly. Hold a straight edge on the rear skin and see if it was cut square and straight.
Can you post a photo of the entire wall, not close up?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2015 17:15:43 GMT -8
Hello nccamper here is a look farther out. Hope you can see what you are looking for. Yeah its crazy I t seems to be somewhere between a .25 to half an inch short. Later this evening I got closer to it wotking but it's taking some effort. Wasn't really expecting that. It's a 1x8 I am using, same thickness as the original framing. You can see in this photo the top seems to be in some and farther out as you go down. So maybe the top of the camper needs to be adjusted to the right some? I just don't know. Lol
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Post by nccamper on Nov 30, 2015 17:35:51 GMT -8
I was working on my latest project and discovered the wall was out of square. I used a trick from Mobiltec: By bracing the wall against the house I adjusted it to the point needed. I then framed across to secure it. It could be that when you check as BigBill suggested you'll find either your wall is bowed or the skin was cut for a bow. Does that make sense?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2015 17:48:05 GMT -8
Aha! I can do that I have a carport as well.. just have to find where it's not square. I can't believe they would cut the metal according to a bow, and then of course my straight new piece would expose that. Yes that makes sense thank you.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2015 17:55:06 GMT -8
As seen from the inside. As stated trying to reroute the inside framing and starting with the corner of course. Boy this new wood looks so much better than the rot. The rear skin should end up buttoning up nicely once I figure things out.
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Post by nccamper on Nov 30, 2015 21:33:39 GMT -8
Make sure you're not squeezing or tilting it too much. Think slight adjustment, not camper corset.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2015 16:22:45 GMT -8
10-4 nccamper thanks!
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Post by bigbill on Dec 1, 2015 18:07:35 GMT -8
Rich I think you are gaining a huge amount of knowledge to use on the next ten trailer you rebuild. As for being built out of line you have to remember how inexpensive these were new. Then subtract the dealers profit, the transportation cost, the factory profit and it only left a very few dollars for material and labor. So they were built lean and quick, if something wasn't exactly right they mask it and went on.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2015 19:08:44 GMT -8
Hi bigbill! Thanks I sure am.. I appreciate it and you all are helpful to keep me on track with things. Thanks for your comment earlier about not feeling stupid! Well heck you know before you get familiar with these trailers you think they are just perfect little pieces of craftsmanship, when really they were in fact quite cheap and quickly built. But then 50 and 60 years later they get rebuilt and repaired better than ever! I'm right in the middle of open heart surgery I feel like with mine, just gotta be sure to properly stitch it up. LOL
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