Happy Birthday

This weekend was my 38th birthday. I decided to take the day off in order to work on the camper. I wanted to remove the interior paneling to determine the state of the electrical and 12 volt system. This would also reveal any upper rot that needs to be reconciled.

The electrical has obviously been reworked at least once. It all looked pretty solid. The AC and 12v are separate systems where the 12v only runs the exterior lights on the camper. The AC has 2 lights, 2 outlets, a fan line and breakers. I am hoping to rewire the camper so that the AC and 12v work together like modern rv's. I plan to run at least 1 deep cycle battery in order to allow for dry camping. The plan is to run lights, DVD player, and a vent fan when only on 12 volt. When AC is available to be able to run everything including AC.

I do not plan to run a fridge, or running water at this point, but as my knowledge builds this may change. I have been ready a good book called Managing 12 Volts by Harold Barre. Conversations on the electrical are fun, but it will be sometime before I get to that part of the project. Why you ask? Wasn't that the point of removing all the interior paneling? Well there is a reason I called this the Nebraskan Camper. The top is junk.

I knew the top by some rot, but between the top and the bottom, I thought the bottom was worse. I was wrong. removing the interior revealed a top that is very rotted. I sat in the camper for a long while contemplating the situation and determining the next steps if any. The camper was either ready to be junked, or I make a real commitment and rebuild the top from scratch. The top is really quite simple. There are 3/4" plywood ends and 2x2 runners and window frames. This does not sound too difficult, but it is made more challenging since the camper is in my backyard and not moving until the tree guy removed the 2 very large trees in my backyard, the snow melts, I rebuild the fence, and create a driveway to the alley. That means that any and all rebuilding will need to take place where it is. - great. The good thing is that I estimate the total cost at less then $200 to rebuild the entire framing.

Then there is the matter of the exterior. I was planning to save this to cut costs, but I am doubtful that I will be able to reuse it once a new frame is built. For that matter a rebuilt top deserves a new shell. I have no idea on this yet, but we will not let that from letting us proceed.


Here is nice pic of the interior paneling removed.

Not looking so good

This is what I had hoped for.

This is what I got...

From the outside.
I had to put the camper on blocks so that it would be easier to work on the top. Plus nothing looks better then having something up on blocks in your backyard.

Not so good electrical connection. That is just plain scary.

A nice picture of my ghetto backyard.

The best picture for last. A fifty year old camper on blocks under a tarp. I just need to slap my wife a few times and buy some cheap beer and the package will be complete.

Camper cost

I wanted to address this earlier, but got excited about rebuild pictures. I bought this camper for several reasons.

First, I wanted an Alaskan camper and this was the first one I have ever seen for sale within several hundred miles.

Second I am not sure what I want in a camper. The new smaller campers did not meet my expectations for luxuries while the large camper require a monster truck. I wanted a smaller camper to experiment on.

Third, I like living as debt free as possible.

So here is the break down so far.

Camper - $500 (Craigs list)
Jacks - $100 (Craigs list WTB response - lucky me)
Wood and hardware to replace the floor - $75
New electric drill (yes I am cheap) - $30
Re-plumb the lift mechanism - $35
Total cost to date - $740

Upper Cabinets

I pulled the upper cabinets out today. I plan to remove all of the internal paneling so that I can add foam insulation, fix some rot along the edges, and redo the wiring. I managed to feel some electrical current a couple of months back when I touched the camper while also touching the jack. I have been doing research on 12v systems and plan to rewire the camper just to be sure it is safe.

Not planning anything grand. I want to be able to run off shore power, or battery. Electricity has never been my store suit, so I order a book.

http://www.amazon.com/Managing-12-Volts-Troubleshoot-Electrical/dp/0964738627

I have also been doing some research on the tear drop forum. If you have not checked this site out it is worth a look. There is a done of DIY camper information there applicable to all campers.

http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/

Here are the 3 upper cabinets. I have been deciding whether to build new, or paint the old. I am leaning on building new at this point to give the camper an updated look. Probably face frames and 2 doors per cabinet. I also need a 4th cabinet. There are only 3 in the standard Alaska layout, but since my camper is empty I might as well fill that space for more storage. Now to decide what wood to use. I think something light and natural with just a Tung oil finish. I will want to match the new interior paneling once that is installed.



I could some help identifing this plastic. It is used throughout the camper to fill in any gaps in the cabinets where they are mounted to the camper. What is it? And where can I get something close? It is a plastic tab with a round end on one side used to cover up any gaps between the cabinets and the paneling.


Next up is to work on rebuilding these and work on pulling the paneling out. There are way too may tiny screws in the Alaskan. I have hundreds to remove. Once the paneling is removed the extent of the upper damage will be apparent. I do not feel positive about this, but it needs to be done in order to create a platform worth remodeling in the first place.

Replacing the hydraulics - the evil flare tool

The Flare tool is not your friend

I set to work this weekend on repairing the lift mechanism on the Alaska camper. I had nicked one of the lines gutting the camper. Once bare, I was not too keen on the how the lines where laid out. They meet dead center in the middle of the camper. Since I want to build 2 beds long the wheel wells and keep the center open, I needed a new layout. I was not too sure of how to go about re-plumbing the lines, and turned to Expedition Portal for advise. The general consensus was to keep the lines all the same length; which is how the original set-up is configured.

Armed with a few tips, I went to work. First up was a trip to Menard's for some new 1/4” copper line and a lovely flare tool. Total cost was $26 and $9 for hydraulic fluid at Advanced Auto Parts down the street.


Flare tool bad:


Flare tool good - remember the connector...


Well it took most of the afternoon, but I did finally get all the lines laid out basically how I wanted them along the wheel wells. The basic layout is the same. The left and right sides are connected. These connections are split in the middle. From here feeder lines run back to join both sides and finally the pump line runs to the connection of both feeders. This means that all lines are essentially the same length and receive equal hydraulic pressure from the pump.





Black beauty is finally down.

In the end I did get the jack working and was able to lower the camper for the first time in a couple of months. I was worried that there would be some leaks caused by having the lift cylinders empty for so long. This was not that case and all the seals seemed to hold. The one that did not was the only once I forgot to tighten. Needless to say, I cleaned up hydraulic fluid for some time and several more F bombs where recited.

Goals

Now that I have actually started the restoration, I thought it was a good time to re-examine my goals for this camper.

1. Use the camper to travel to the Grand Canyon with my son in June for 5 - 10 days (TBD).
2. Use the camper to explore Nebraska and surrounding states - looking for out of the way adventures (minor ones)

Camper Goals
1. Sleep 3 adults in a T configuration. 2 single beds along the wheel wells. 1 single bed across the camper towards the truck cab. This bed will fold down to provide back support for sitting on the 2 other beds when rellaxi
2. Late night Facilities so that you do not have to leave the camper if you choose not too. #1 only.
3. Fantastic Fan
4. AC - it gets darn hot in NE during the summer
5. Outdoor water. I like the outdoor showers on new campers. I just really need cold water and a sprayer
6. Battery power for lights, fan, maybe a laptop or DVD player since my son is 13 and likes his electronics
7. Outside lighting to read by so that a lantern is not required.
8. Some sort of awning that is self contained and easy to deploy.
9. Drawers and doors to store stuff.
10. Coffee maker or someway quick to make coffee in the morning. I hate waiting for it.

I am sure there will be a lot more, but some decisions need to be determined before I start building inside the camper. This is the part I am most looking forward too. The next post will describe what needs to be done before I can build out the interior.

Torsion Box

These pictures are in reverse order as I am still trying to figure out the blogger interface. I built this torsion box to go under the primary floor for a couple of reason. I needed to raise the camper a little to clear the bed rails on my truck. I also wanted to add whatever storage I could manage. The 2 outside compartments are 16" and the center is 24". All that is left is to fasten the 2 together.

This thing was heavier then I would have liked. I ended up dragging it over the snow from the deck to the camper. Again with the weight issue. Once I get the basics done, I plan to weight it in order to establish a baseline.



Here is a shot of the completed box. 2 1/2" sheets and several 2X4's. I used stainless steel deck screws to put it together. Once the weather improves, I will seal and paint it to increase its lifespan.

Attaching the Floor

Here are a few pictures of how I secured the floor. I ended up using 2X4's screwed to the walls and then up from the bottom. This resulted in a very secure connection. One item I need to keep in mind is weight. I really do not want this to be a tank, so I will need to watch it as the restoration continues.



Above is the area of rot that I need to complete repairs on. Even so, I wanted to secure the floor to align the camper since it will sit for a week before I can work on it again. This will need to be removed to complete repairs.


Here is looking in the camper to the left of the door. No rot here - sweet.

Here is one of the 2X4 braces. This will be covered up once the beds are completed.