MEASURING TIPS & DEMOLITION of my VINTAGE CAMPER photo booth
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Hey all!
This week I'm finishing demolition on my photo booth camper rebuild and that means taking some measurements for my Sketchup and looking at some things I would do differently next time. Thanks for watching!
Thank you Thank you! for showing viewers the gaps that were covered with the wood molding. Your discussion of how the roof panels should rest on the tops of the walls are so important. Finally, I liked that you showed the benefits of bracing before you removed the roof to prevent collapse on folks inside during the demo phase.
Thanks! I wouldn't normally tackle someone else's renovation, but since it's my own stupid mistakes that I made before I knew any better, I'm really the one that should fix it, lol!
I just bought a 16ft 1958 Holly. It is in dire need of a flooring replacement. I'm also going to reseal the metal frame. It has no windows in it. So I'm using your videos as a tutorial! Thanks for being so knowledgeable!
Thanks for watching, Paige! Sounds like a fun project, let me know if you have any specific questions!
Super cute helper you have there. Looking forward to you’re rebuild
Thanks! I'm hoping it goes a bit more quickly than our Cal-Craft build.
Hey Lila, Jerry here from Mobiltec Patreon, glad class is back
Thanks for watching, Jerry!
I did not realize you were going to take it right down to the frame. I kept going oh, oh, every time you'd pull the wrap off and then the sides. This will be an interesting and I am sure informative rebuild. Simon is so cute, and he will be a great helper to you in just a few years. Teach 'em when they're young. Thanks for sharing Conan.
He's already a great helper! So long as I don't mind taking twice as long to get anything done, lol.
But yeah, the frame and the chassis boards needed some work, so of course everything on top had to come off to get down to it.
WELL THAT CAME OFF PRETTY EASY. NO GLUE.
Yeah, there really wasn't much holding it together. I'm actually surprised it was as "sturdy" as it was.
I think you are going to find that if you put GFCI breakers and outlets in your camper you are going to be blowing breakers all the time when plugged into Park Power or your house. This is because those circuits that you are plugging into already have GFCI because they are outside and if you have GFCI protection in the camper also, you're going to be blowing breakers because they will fight each other. Best way to explain but you're going to see that. I don't ever put GFCI breakers and outlets in my campers for this reason. Also..... A lot of the cabinets are fastened from the outside and the inside for structural integrity. You can't just decide how you are going to do it because of ease. There is a reason for it. Finally, if you are going to reuse your old skin, you want to copy exactly the radius and measurements of the old walls. I'm only half way through the video right now... If I find anything else I should put it in another comment. Nothing else found.
Thanks Larry!
I sort of have to go the extra mile with GFCI protection since this is something that members of the public are actually going to be going into (at least that's the counsel of my electrical advisor, lol).
Unfortunately, since I dismantled this camper several years ago when I wasn't as versed in camper construction as I am now, and the original cabinets are long gone, I have to just decide the best way to attach the new cabinets. So my basic approach is to ensure that I'm always driving into the thickest material for maximum holding force; although, cross driving some fasteners would be wise as well. Regardless, it should be plenty strong and well enough engineered when I'm done with it.
And I haven't really mentioned it in a video, but I was talking with my dad (a retired sheet metal worker) about it and he said they've got this gauge of aluminum at the shop he used to work at, and they can break it as well, so I may be replacing everything on it after all.
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure OH that's great. You're going to save a lot of money like that. Learn all you can about painting or polishing raw aluminum. You build nice cabinets. The ones that are fastened from both sides are upper cabinets and floor to ceiling cabinets. You don't have the floor to ceiling one because you need the airspace for photos. But you have enough in there to keep it together. It's just going to flex a bit more so it will begin to leak sooner than normal. Simple re-seal takes care of that later on.
Sidewalls detached, my snack is in my hand, lol
Conan, that had to make y’ou sick to demolish all that work.
You know, not really. I used to teach painting and drawing at a local art center, and one of the things I always said to my students was to not let their best work stand in the way of their better work. That's why we have erasers.
At one time that camper was the best that I knew how to build, but now it's going to be better this time.
Great job. Another informative video. How’s the calcraft?
Thanks! The Cal-Craft is good, just back under its tarp, waiting for me to finish this one. I'm where I need to buy a bunch of appliances and finishing bits for it, and that adds up quickly, so...
I've decided I'm going the solar route with my camper, however, I'm leaning more towards selling it once renovated. So, the person that buys it may want the option of a normal RV hookup. Ugh, that doesn't sound fun so still deciding. Since I've only camped with a tent I have zero knowledge on how an RV water system truly works. I found the tank and the pump. They look remarkably decent but the previous owners did not use the water and didn't know if it worked. It seems to be very similar to the system I was looking into with the jugs that I recall you're not fond of. 😊 Can you tell me how similar the jug system vs. regular rv system?
I was sitting here looking at my sketch and thinking about how to store the skins and I came up with an idea that I think will work it will just require a little more work. I could use some old boards to screw the top and bottom of the skins (mine don't have the curve like yours, straight except on front and back edges) then attach boards going up and down to those boards. Then it can stand up and lean against a building and be covered with tarps.
Usually solar is installed as an addition to a standard 12v/120V system. You'll be adding some extra bits to make the solar work, but if you don't want to permanently install the panels you can get exterior outlets that allow you to plug in stand alone solar panels.
The jug system for water just replaces your fresh water tank and your gray water tank with jugs. I don't like it because it's not a very efficient use of space.
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure yes, I think I'll end up using the RV water system mostly. I do plan to get a tankless water heater and get rid of the current water heater that I don't think exists anymore anyway. I know I'll be boondocking without hookups so I want to have enough to last several days without having a ton of jugs.
Yeah, if you plan to mostly not have hookups often I'd install permanent water tanks. You can always fill them up from a jug if you can't take the trailer to a water station.
Excellent explanation on structural integrity Conan!
Thanks, Whitney!
Can’t wait to see you are going to do with frame. Thanks for sharing
Oh, it's not really going to be too exciting. I need the rear piece of angle iron replaced, and I need some brackets moved, and a new hitch put on it. Well, and probably new springs, and maybe levelers. So yeah, just a couple things, lol.
For the flooring, how thick of plywood are you going to be installing? 3/4 + 1/4 underlayment?
It'll be 3/4" in the Aljo, yeah, but I'll be trying to avoid having to put down any underlayment. I generally recommend sticking with whatever thickness was originally used.
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure is there a particular type you’re going with?
I just got a ‘56 Aljo, have it stripped down to the chassis. It must have suffered water damage in the past as most of the floor was cut out and replaced with new.
Just regular exterior grade plywood. You don't need anything fancy, but I wouldn't recommend OSB and definitely nothing treated.
Im just wondering, why you won't just built the new frame on top of the old? If it's gonna be exact copy of the old, why just do the copy? I just bought myself 1973 Ace diplomat (its european). And what I have learnt from videos of you and others, I think I might have complete re-build ahead of me.. So the copying thing is something I might try. By just removing the sheets and then building on top of the old frame and then just lift it aside, remove the olds and put the new ones on. What you think? 🤔
That is absolutely one way of doing it. If you watch my very early videos where I rebuilt a Play-Mor Model 140 I did just that. The only thing I'd really do differently is to drill for and use pocket hole screws instead of metal gussets to hold everything together.
The reason I haven't done that on the other three campers that I've shown on my channel, is because they involve some modification to the design, and while you could do that by building on top of old, I chose not to since this will be a complete rebuild with new skins and everything. Plus, where I have the SketchUp models to take lengths from, I'm not too worried about not copying the original exactly.
There's not necessarily one right way to do everything on these, but any way that minimizes error and allows for efficiency in construction is probably the way to go.
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure thanks for answering and like you videos ✌️
No problem, and thanks for watching!
If I don't take walls down like you have, if I remove the cabinets will the walls collapse? 😮
The walls shouldn't collapse unless they're very far gone, but you wouldn't want to tow the camper anywhere without some sort of bracing.
When I first bought my CalCraft I did a search for videos with that search term. I found a lady who was doing a restoration. She tore it down to about where you are at the end of this video. Then she opted to rebuild the frame. Then she never posted another video. I think I know why. I know one thing about myself, I am very good at tearing things apart, putting them back together, not so much. I admire your work ethic.
I always say that tearing something apart really feels like you're making a lot of progress, but really, when you think about it, what your doing is the opposite of making progress, lol. Still though, it is fun to see big changes happening. I'll get back to the Cal-Craft when I'm done here, it's just that I'm at the point where I really need to spend a lot of money on appliances for it.
I guess this is what you call an off frame reconstruction.
That's basically what it is. It's usually a lot easier to start completely over than it is to try to fix things little by little.
I bought a 1976 Fleetwood Taurus travel trailer for $200 but it has severe water damage so I will be gutting it. You're not the first person to say the skin should be taken off, however, I don't have shelter for my camper or a place to store anything from rain. It is my cousin's property so I will need to make sure it's clean and debris free each time I visit. So, I don't know how I would take the skins off first. Is it possible to do one side at a time maybe? I would greatly appreciate any advice you have to offer. I'm so thankful to have found your channel! I always wondered how the curve was made on a trailer and it is definitely easier than you think. My camper has 2 small curves in the front so that knowledge will be handy.
It kind of depends on how badly damaged everything is. If you don't need to do a lot of work to the floor, then you can probably work on one wall at a time, but to fix the ceiling or the front and rear ends, you've got to take the top skin/outer wrap off, because the interior ceiling material needs to overlap the walls and be nailed down into them. That material is actually a lot of what keeps your walls aligned and what makes the whole box of the camper strong enough to stand up to crosswinds and highway speeds.
But to work on those walls, you need to be able to see into them, so you're going to have to take the outer skins off. Then you can work on replacing any rotted framing, plus you'll be able to actually see what needs to be replaced. It's not a great idea to just start pulling out the interior before you see what really needs to be fixed.
I get needing to keep a tidy work area, but you're going to need to take some parts off and stow them away for a bit while you're making repairs. As for not having a shelter, you might consider a temporary car canopy that you could put up until you're finished, or you might get a heavy duty tarp and tent it over the camper, by putting a 2x4 with a bucket on the end up through the skylight to hold it off the roof. There's ways to keep it covered and out of the rain.
Thanks for watching, and good luck!
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure thank you! I like the idea of a temporary shelter.
If you decide to go with a Harbor Freight Car Canopy I made a video on how to extend the legs a bit to fit a camper under it.
ua-cam.com/video/HRwqJaZtgxQ/v-deo.html
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure awesome! Thank you so much, Conan! I plan to get myself organized this weekend and make a game plan while I'm cleaning all the trash out of my treasure. Hehe I'll add harbor freight to that list. I can't wait to start but I'm terrified at the same. I should recorded our attempt to put a tarp on it with 70 mile an hour wind...... yeah, it didn't go well at all. I have a lot of measurements to do this weekend. I don't even know how long it is yet. I think 17 but could be 23 feet. The molding or j+rail....I'm not positive on the correct terminology, but I think it needs replaced. I know my camper is different from the ones you usually work on but it seems to look similar. I think it needs replaced. There is no plastic/rubber that covers the screws but I've noticed a lot of old campers don't have it. It's necessary for protection from water, right? And if I take it off first will the skin just fall off?! Oh, the things that have run through my mind while considering options. Lol and that should lead me to ask....what should I take off first, windows?
There's an easy-ish way to put a tarp on. Maybe I should make a short about it.
J-rail is common on a lot of trailers. It doesn't need to be replaced unless it's especially bent up, but a lot of times you'll have a nicer finished product if you go with new. If you're going to reuse it use a 5-in-1 scraper to work it loose after removing the screws, and do your best not to bend it out of shape so it goes back easily without kinking.
The little plastic strip that I think you're referring to is just trim to hide the screws, it doesn't do anything for weather proofing.
You'll need to take off anything that's holding the skin on, so the windows, trim, j-rail, door frames, vents/hatches, lights, etc., but even then the skins ought to be held on by hundreds of little staples or nails that you'll need to pry out using a 5-in-1 scraper and a pair of diagonal cutters. The wrap should technically come off first, then the lower side skins, and lastly the top side skins. It's a process, but it all makes sense when you think about it.
I want your opinion. I have a choice between restoring 2 different slide in truck campers. One is a 1988 with foam board insulation and minimal wood framing, with paneling laminated to the wood and foam board and a sheet of currogated filon laminated to the outside of the foam and wood structure. Would you take on a camper like that? My other choice is a 1969 with traditional construction, but in worse condition.
The fiberglass siding is like the 1988 Toyota Dolphin motorhome with wood framing just around the edges and around the windows and doors
Hey Joni, I would personally pass on the '88, but that's partially because I've never worked on a camper like that. From what I know of those laminated panels, unless you have a giant vacuum press (like large enough for a full sheet of plywood) you wouldn't be able to recreate them properly to make them structural. They need to be bonded under pressure for the adhesives to work fully. You might be able to purchase pre-fab panels though, but I really don't have any experience with that type of camper.
The '69 though sounds like it'd be a fun project, but I prefer my campers to be trashy to start with.
I've seen a couple of Dolphins but I really don't have any experience working on them or ones like them.
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure Thanks
You're welcome!
I have a ‘56 Aljo I’m rebuilding and struggling identifying what windows it has. I think I’m good on the Jalhoise windows but stumped on the pop out front window and what it is. I wasn’t able to find a match on trailer gaskets website.
You might want to email/call/text vintagetrailergaskets.com and ask him. His website is great, but he knows so much more beyond what you can find online!
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure I’ve tried to get ahold of via email, text, and call with no luck unfortunately. I had placed a small order a few weeks back but haven’t heard from him since. Hoping all is ok with him.
Hmmm...he was real quick to reply when I called him awhile back. Hopefully things are okay on his end; he's really an invaluable resource in the community.
What type of flooring do you plan on putting back in? LVP, laminate etc?
I will probably go with VCT tiles. They're inexpensive, easy to install, and very durable. Plus I just kinda like the way they look!
Will you offer the sketch up for sale?
I will not. I will give it to you for free though!
Just let me finish it and clean it up a bit, and I'll put a link below one of the next videos for you to download it.
I would be interested in the sketch up too!
I'll post it in a future video and make sure and mention it.
wow , not a lot left. the chasis is basic isnt it.
The chassis on these older ones barely provides any support; it really just allows you to attach the axle to the body of the camper and tow the whole thing behind your car.
My daughter bought a trailer and it’s been 2 years already that she still waiting for me to fix it , haha I don’t know why she thinks I can do that 😅
Well sure you could do it, but the real question is why doesn't SHE do it herself!
What the name of the camper you have?
This one is a 1961 Aljo.