Відео

Thanks! I'm always amazed when I go into a new camper and the cushions that convert into a bed are just regular foam and not very thick.

You are very welcome!

Ha ha, well thanks! Unfortunately it's not my camper anymore, but I have followed up with the new owners and the only issue they've had is that it's not quite powerful enough on the hottest days when the camper's sitting in the sun. There's some things I'll be doing differently on the next one. They should really be placed higher up in the interior of the camper so that the air can mix naturally without the need for an extra fan on the floor. And instead of taking in air under the floor I'll draw it in through the roof and exit it directly out of the side of the camper. I'll probably also try to go with a slightly larger unit; that one was 5000 BTU and it would've been fine in a home with a small room, but campers aren't insulated like a home. Now if you have the budget, I recently saw one of these: www.pioneerminisplit.com/products/pioneer-9-000-btu-under-bench-rv-heat-pump-air-conditioner and I think that'd be ideal for a vintage camper build.

Your welcome! Thanks for watching and good luck! Let me know if you have any future questions.

You're welcome! I'm always happy to answer questions if you have any, and one of these days I might have a minute to post some new content too!

They don't all have to be big projects, but they all have the potential to turn into one, lol! Just take it one step at a time and take lots of notes. These things really aren't too difficult to rebuild.

Thanks! It's really pretty easy to do too!

Thanks!

Keep in mind your AC may have a higher amp draw when the compressor starts up unless it's one of the nicer inverter style units (the same may be true for your fridge), so for very short periods you might exceed 15 amps. Personally, I wouldn't want to add any high current draw items without knowing the full status of the electrical system in my camper. In the 80s they weren't planning for as many electrical devices as we now have, so your wiring, the connectors they used, and the outlets themselves weren't of very good quality (honestly, neither are the ones in new campers today). I would probably rewire the whole camper, but you could at least install a new power inlet with a modern breaker box, and run a good couple of branch circuits for your A/C and your fridge using 12-2 wiring and outlets rated for 20A, then you'd be in good shape.

@TrailerTrashtoTreasure I keep trying to post a link to a product, but it's not saving, so Im trying again without the link. I found a 30 amp plug that splits to 2 15/3 connectors, which means I could have a dedicated line for my air conditioner. Just wondering what your thoughts are on that. The company is Leisure Cords. What could be in this adaptor to ensure that 15 amps are evenly distributed I wonder? Thanks

They may have inline fuses, but likely there isn't anything at all. Those things aren't really intended to be used as substitute distribution panels. But personally I wouldn't go that route for a few reasons. For one you'd have to have extension cords coming out of your RV somewhere instead of having one weatherproof plug that connects to the pedestal. But also most pedestals that have a 30A plug will also have a separate 20A circuit if you just want to plug multiple things in to it. Like I said, if it were mine I'd just rewire it to make sure everything was safe and up to code. If you don't want to pull the skins to do something like that, you can always use surface mount conduit like they do with brick or concrete construction to keep things looking clean. It's not really that hard to do, and for functionality and peace of mind I think it's worthwhile.

Basically. You'll probably need to find something that's about 1/8" for the ceiling wrap, because you won't be able to curve 1/4" if you're working on a canned ham style camper. Some campers will use 1/8" for the wall paneling as well. If you're intending to see the grain you'll want to get a bit nicer grade of plywood, most use birch, but the floor can just be standard construction grade plywood; although, I would avoid getting the cheapest, roughest looking grades. And a final word of advice: DO NOT use any treated plywood or lumber in your camper.

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure you’re freakin awesome man! I’m planning to live in my 13x7.7 foot 1970 Road Ranger. I do live in pretty wet area. Materials stay the same ? And extra precautions you might take?? And tips or tricks info is very appreciated!

No changes in material needed for wet environments, just do a good job when you reseal your windows and make sure to use butyl tape when you put everything back together. Also don't drive in the rain, those old jalousie windows work fine for keeping rain out when it comes straight down, but not when it's coming in sideways at 50 mph.

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure copy that! I planned to add thin window covers we also tend too get fair amount of snow don’t want it packing around the windows. The only modification other than bed is gonna be ventilation. I plan too add several small fans in the 6inch slide windows. Other than that some super light set up solar for electric and I’m off! Thanks a bunch!

If you aren't already planning it I would do a Dometic or Maxxair fan in the roof vent too.

Thanks!

I would refurbish them. It'll cost a whole lot more and probably take a lot longer to try and replace them.

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure thank you ! I was told finding the proper rubber was going to be the hard part .. and I could hear properly when you mentioned that part. Where did you find yours ?

Nah, finding the gaskets is the easy part: vintagetrailergaskets.com/

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure ❤ thanks ! I’m watching your video again since it’s quite the project! E started yesterday and found lots of rotting wood 😅

Thanks for the views! Take it one step at a time and plan out what you're doing and any project can be made simple!

When it's added to an existing camper it goes where there's usable space and a workable solution. In a new build it would be best to install it near the top of the camper. But a simple solution to maximize the cooling with a lower mounted AC unit is to use a small fan on the floor to mix the air inside the camper, and it works pretty well. The insulated duct that I installed in part 2 keeps the exhaust heat away from the bed. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure ...Tells US More!!!

There's even more in the part two video!

Instead of staples? I wouldn't. If you don't want to get a compressor, there's a lot of electric 18 ga. nailers out there these days that are pretty inexpensive. Or you can even just use the clamps and wait for the glue to set up.

​@@TrailerTrashtoTreasureohh ok the liquid nail glue???

No I wouldn't use construction adhesive. Just use regular wood glue, my preference is Titebond 3, but any wood glue will work.

Ha ha, thanks! This isn't my first rodeo; I'm an experienced clown.

Thank you, and yes 100%, do NOT bond the ground and the neutral together; it can't be said enough in this context!

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure Also I would like to run one other thing by you and that is grounding the Ac to the trailer frame. I DON'T think it should be done. Do you really want a Ac electrical fault going thru your hitch and into your $70,000 pickup? To me any Ac fault should go back to your source thru your shore cable. What do you think?

So, I don't have a definitive answer for you, but I'll just say that I've always seen it done this way. I suspect the reasoning being that if your AC shorts to the skin, which has to be grounded to the frame for your trailer lights to work, you need a pathway back to source through the chassis. I would also guess that fewer people are plugged in to shore power while hitched up so it's a lesser concern about what happens to your tow vehicle. Also I can't afford a $70k truck. 😁

Well I'm no metal worker, but the lines are called brakes because they're made with a metal brake. You'll also want a Pittsburgh seam on the bottom edge of your top panel for the lower panel to slide into and keep water out. My dad custom formed these panels from .032 aluminum through his old workplace, but if you go through a place the deals in rv siding they'll know exactly what you need, and they'll probably have standard siding types on hand.

Treated lumber is a very poor choice for anything other than building a deck or a fence for a number of reasons including: it'll corrode the aluminum skin and most types of fasteners in contact with it, it changes size dramatically as it dries out, and it gives off noxious fumes that you don't want to enclose in a box that you intend to live in. Just use regular old douglas fir and you'll be fine. Treated lumber is for situations where it'll be in constant moisture contact. If you've got that big of a moisture problem you've done something drastically wrong.

Thanks, but nope, they were just your basic five lug wheels. Most tire and wheel shops can figure out what you need.

Oh I'm still here, I've just been busy with my actual job and trying to make some progress on all my other projects that have been stacking up.

The roll out windows are called jalousie windows, but sure you could replace them with something more modern. The jalousie windows let more air flow in though, so I'd personally prefer to keep them.

You mean louvered grill? It could work, I really didn't want to add any other restriction though, so I was thinking a more open sheet of what I think they usually call expanded steel, and then an extra sliding cover to keep out dirt and weather when I'm traveling. I've got a better idea for doing this in the future.

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasuresorry depending on which language my keyboard is set sometimes it try’s to auto correct it’s not 100% but yes that’s what I meant

Ah yep, mine is only ever set to English and I still have to correct about every other sentence.

You really have to have a fan on the floor to mix the air inside the camper. It works acceptably well, but no it's not ideal.

It was about $1700.

Hey, thank you! I'm not used to getting compliments on this video, lol! I do actually have a few ideas for the next time I do one of these that should make the whole thing a bit better.

The angle iron that runs perpendicular to the frame c-channel extends about an inch past the edges of the floor, so that's what it's resting on.

That's what a lot of people think until they start to work on one, but there are reasons why they're built the way they are, and it's kind of important to understand why and approach repairing one in an intentional manner. But just pop on a little Yakety Sax and you'll be done in no time. Thanks for watching!

@TrailerTrashtoTreasure How do I find a place that'll work on the axel for a full repair? Are there specialty shops or something?

There are lots of axle shops around, or even shops that specialize in trailers of all sorts. You might have to remove the axle and take it to someone, or you might be able to just take your trailer to them. I would call around in your area and ask if a shop could do it or if they'd recommend someone else. Good luck!

Nope, I'm from Kansas, but thank you very much for the kind words, and thanks for watching!

I suppose he's not going to do anything with it since these newer AC units evaporate the condensate to increase their efficiency, and the manual specifically recommends against opening the drain plug. Thanks for watching!

Sort of, I decided that it would probably take longer to build the cabinets with the wrap in place than it would to tear it out, put the cabinets in and rewrap it. I got way ahead of myself for no good reason when I stopped working on it the first time, so now I need to go back and do a bit of rework. Haste makes waste. Unfortunately, I've been way too busy with my actual job to make much progress on it.

So my response to you is kinda complicated and would probably make a better video, so I'm just going to say that I don't necessarily disagree with you, but I still stand by what I said in this video. I'll also point out that I see most van builders installing reflectix incorrectly. Per the manufacturer's instructions, make sure to leave at least a 3/4" gap between the relectix and the skin or you lose most of it's R-value. And a final note, R-value is not the whole story here. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching and for the kind words, and good luck on your project! Hopefully I'll be getting back to mine soon.

Hey, thank you so much! I'm glad I'm not the only one that makes multiple trips to the hardware store in the same day! I'm hopefully gonna be making more videos soon, 'cause I gotta get this other camper finished up and off my to do list. Thanks again, and good luck on your project!

Hey Amber! Thanks for watching and following along. I was actually able to buy my J-rail locally; although, the last time I was there I bought all they had, and they didn't think they'd order any more. Virtually all extruded aluminum trim is bendable so long as you're careful about it, so if it's J-rail you need, pretty much anything you find will work, just make sure it's the same size and profile as what you took off. You can get it from several suppliers, just a few I can think of right away: Vintage Trailer Supply, Hemet Valley RV, Mac's Aluminum, but there's many more. You might check your local RV supply places first, because shipping can be a bit expensive on such long pieces. Good luck!

Thanks!

This was the Smartcore flooring that's sold at Lowe's, or at least it was sold there, I don't know if it still is. This particular finish was called Lanier Hickory, and it really did look nice in there.

You can basically do that, but your AC needs to be able to draw in exterior air as well so you want to make sure you have an intake for it; that's what the side vents on the outside portion of the AC unit are for. Good luck!

I started in January and I "finished" in September, but every build is different and everyone's schedule is different, so it's hard to say how long a rebuild will take. I still have a few things I haven't got around to truly finishing on it, but it's maybe 98% done and completely usable as is.

I still think the best results are with a sprayer, but I've seen some pretty dang good roller jobs too!

These weren't clutch head, just regular old Phillips #8 if I remember correctly.

A good place to start is by taking the skins off to see what's underneath. You can replace any rotted wood if needed then. If it turns out your framing is in good condition, great, put the skins back on and use new butyl tape to seal up your window, vents, trim, and accessories, which you need to do anyway if your camper hasn't been resealed in the last 10 years.

If you read the owners manual for most of these newer units you'll find that they're designed to evaporate the condensate to improve efficiency. There is a drain plug, but the manual specifically recommends against opening it. That said, I did open it and drain it through the floor.

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure O ok good to know thanks so much Love the idea

Your welcome. I'm planning a slightly different install in the next camper, whenever I get back to it.

@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure Yes I am redoing an 1975 airstream land yacht And it’s kicking my butt lol But getting ready to close the walls up Can’t wait to get it done.

Yeah Airstream's are a whole different kind of project than canned hams. Good luck with it; it'll all be worth it in the end!

"Nope" is a fair response I figured. Good luck on your Play-Mor; they're the perfect size for a small camper!

I certainly learned a lot on this rebuild, if only I had the time to apply it to the next one, lol!

Thanks for watching!

You don't. It's supposed to just drop straight down at the trunk, but I didn't take clear enough notes on that when I was demolishing it.

I actually wound up selling this one to take care of some debt incurred during the pandemic, but I thought I'd have its replacement finished by now, but I'm still working on it little by little.

In Kansas you can request a title search through the state and they will send you the last title holder's information. That is the only person that can request a replacement title. The state will not issue a new title on property that is titled in another person's name. Now, if what you're saying is that you've got an old camper with no serial number and no title and you want to title it as home-built, you might be able to do that if you can convince the highway patrol that it really is completely home-built and not a renovated vintage camper, but then you no longer have a vintage camper, you have a 2024 home-built camper and all of the issues that you deal with on home-built campers. Your state may be different, but Kansas is pretty strict on titles, and that's why there's the quiet title process.

@TrailerTrashtoTreasure If you contact your State department that controls registration and title work. They should give you a # to contact. They will come out to the location of the trailer and run everything. If you schedule an appointment. Hwy patrol has nothing to do with title work.

Kansas doesn't work like that. You can file TRDL-302 and they will tell you what title information they have on hand if they have any, but they don't come out and check anything for you. When you go to get a title they will require an inspection by the Kansas HiPo for any out of state or home-built campers, but you have to take it to them for inspection.

Yeah, wool is a nice alternative, but it's not always readily available to everyone.