How's everyone doing? So I'm new to the Scamp family. I have just started to take apart my 13'. I took the cabinets out and now I'm trying to figure out how to remove the floor. The prior owner let part of it rot out so I want to do the whole thing. I also plan on removing the whole body off the trailer so that I can sandblast it and refinish it. Any help on this would be appreciated. Oh, another question.... is it safe to do the roll and tip finish on the outside for resale purposes? We plan to keep it but I don't want to do anything that would not allow me to sell if I had to. Thanks!
Fri, 07/20/2018 - 16:26
#1
Floor removal
Scamps have four sections in the upper floor and two sections in the lower floor. Scamps to do not really lend themselves for complete frame removals but it can be done if the frame is completely shot . They are easier to repaired by replacing one floor section at a time an wire brushing priming and painting the frame when the section is removed. The upper floor is a structural part of a Scamp and when the floor is completely removed the shell can become unmanageable.
Eddie
Thanks for the reply. I would love to clean one section at a time and I may do that, but how is the body connected to the floor and then to the frame? I think there is so much crud on the floor in not seeing what I have to do.
John Ellet
The floor is tabbed to the shell on top and bottom.(fiber glassed) When removing the floor you cut the top tabbing and leave the bottom tabbing on the shell. You try to separate it from the wood on the bottom. The floor is held to the frame with screws Some times you can get them out if not cut the wood away on either side of the frame. then remove the wood from around the screws and grind them off flush with the frame. A rotted floor is fairly easy to remove if most of the floor is solid you may just want to patch the rotted areas.
Eddie
Thanks Eddie, I'm one step ahead of you. I took a better look and figured it out. I agree with you about not taking the whole she'll off the frame. So it's going to be one piece at a time. Pictures to come!
John Ellet
So a couple of sections of floor are out and I'm cleaning up the frame. I know I want to add a hitch to the trailer to Hold a bike rack or cargo rack. Any suggestions to support the frame? It's a 1981 13 footer. Also my axle may be shot. It's sitting pretty low. I can get a leaf spring axle for free. Any ideas about using one of those?
John Ellet
Bike racks on the back of a S-13 don't do well, they induce sway. I suggest going with an over the tank rack for S-13 like Floyd uses. When the back floor is out I would install an angle cross member like in newer Scamps for extra floor support and to be used if you install a grey water tank. You get what you pay for with a free leaf spring axle. I have made a trip (vacation) to Backus (Scamp) for an axle swap from Va. They make two appointments a day but it only takes them about two hours to install a new axle. Their prices are very reasonable. Orbital Machine/ Perfect Casita sell rear hitches for Scamps if you go that route.
Eddie