1976 13 Scamp Rehab

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1976 13 Scamp Rehab

My wife and I recently were given a 1976 13' Scamp that is in usable shape. I like to build, tinker, and invent, so looking forward to working in it. I noticed that the white textured vinyl walls are sticky and the tape on the seams is yellow and coming off at places. Do you have any words of wisdom concerning these things? Also I was wondering if I may possibly need a new axle being that it is 30+ years old. Any suggestions on how to check on this.

vdum
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Axle testing

To test the axle look underneath at the axle flex arms while having someone go inside and jump up and down. If the flex arms are moving and point slightly downward the axle is probably ok. If the only flex is from the tire sidewalls then you need a new axle. I just ordered a flexride axle from Southwest Wheel for my 16' scamp. My axle is completely bottomed out with no flex at all. The flexride allows height adjustments in 6 deg increments.

Joe Z
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axle testing

The Jumping up and down is a good way to check ...... not sure on scamp axles but on casita trailers a stock axle is 10 degrees up angle and i high lift axle is 10 degrees down angle for about a 2" Lift

  A big thing to check underneath is if its completely welded to the frame or if there are brackets under there so you can unbolt it? Hopefully you can unbolt and bolt a new one in otherwise new brackets need to be ordered with a new axle and the old axle cut out which adds to the cost.

Joe.

Joe & Linda
New River, Arizona 

2013 Casita SD 17'

patricia2park
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70's Scamp 13 rehab

Hi!  We are new to this site, but have a simillar Scamp that we have owned for about 17 years.  The inside vinyl seemed to get moldy very easily with poor ventillation / exterior condensation.  We would be interested in your ongoing repairs, as they most certainly will be simillar to ours.  As I poted in the "general info" section, we are trying to pinpoint the exact year.  It is registered as a "1976 homebuilt" to the Arkansas DMV, our best guess.  Park and Patricia

Park and Patricia Arkansas

ELongest
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Seam tape

I usually just remove the seam tape. I fill in the cracks with arcrylic latex (ALEX paintable calking). I fill the crack and level it with a putty knife and dab it with a damp sponge or was cloth to match the texture of the ensolite.  I then prime and paint the ensolite after a good cleaning. You still can get the seam tape from Scamp if you like but people have issues with it sticking and usually have to hot glue it in place.

Boreggo
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Caulk vs Seam Tape

I LOVE the idea of having a clean, unbroken look to the interior surface! How has the caulk in the seams held up in the last 2.5 years since your post? My big concern, living in North Florida heat (100 degrees last few days) and winter cold snaps (occasional teens & single digit temps overnight), is cracks from shrinkage. What cleaning agent did you use to get rid of the "sticky" feeling on the ensolite?

Thanks! Bernie

Bernie & Bob,
Newbies needing Mentor(s)
1984 19' 5er PROJECT "Boreggo"
1999 Dodge Ram 4x4 2500 "Thunder Buggy"
Tallahassee, Florida & Poway/Rancho Bernardo, California

mccownw
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We have owned our '73 SCAMP

We have owned our '73 SCAMP 13' 40 years.  We lived in the PNW several decades; the interior ensolite got moldy in the winter several winters.  Fortunately, we were able to clean off the mold...and the liner is still in pretty good condition.  However, replacing the seam tape (which we have done several times) has been a serious challenge.  The process simulates sticking masking tape to wax paper!  Hot glue is the only kind we have found that works...which makes for a challenging job, and the result has never been 100% pefect. 

Boreggo
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Seam Tape Re-do vs. Caulk

Good to know that the replacement tape is an ongoing problem....I really like the caulking idea to acheive a smooth, unbroken interior surface look; My concern with caulk is "cracks" after painting where it may shrink up and/or pull away from the edges of the seam, due to weather extremes/age. I know from household and automotive caulk use that some cracks after curing are inevitable, but I want to avoid an all out caulk catastrophe! Minor cracks could be cosmetically filled using matching interior paint and a very small paint brush.

Does anyone have any "mature" (2+ or so years old) caulked ensolite seam sealing they can report back pro or con on the long-term condition?

Bernie

Bernie & Bob,
Newbies needing Mentor(s)
1984 19' 5er PROJECT "Boreggo"
1999 Dodge Ram 4x4 2500 "Thunder Buggy"
Tallahassee, Florida & Poway/Rancho Bernardo, California

Greg A
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Elephant Hide

We redid an 81 13 Scamp with the Ensolite (Elephant Hide). Highly recommend cleaning and painting it with Zinsser Perma White. In the video of our initial remodel you can see how the paint went on and made a world of difference. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2xez3W0tUE&feature=youtu.be

Also, seals any and all remaining odors. I also used the Zinsser on the sub flooring to seal and remove any odors. I didn't caulk the seams yet in the video, however, I did very shortly after. Used the 25 year paintable interior caulk and after you do a seam or two you can make the look almost invisible. Painted the caulk with the Zinsser when it was cured. We had the trailer for about 3 more years with no issues with the seams. We never had shrinking, cracking, or any repairs to it. We still see pics of the trailer from time to time and 10 years later the owner isn't reporting any issues with the hide or the seams. The Zinsser is extremely durable on the hide and if you got an area that scuffed and wouldn't clean you just touch it up

Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape

Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:

Fiberglass-RV-4Sale

natekane05
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Greg, great post! I just used

Greg, great post! I just used zinnser too. We are going to paint it with high quality latex paint on top of the zinnser. Do you see any issues? Haven’t decided on the tape or caulk. Buddy primed abd painted over the seam tape...interested to see how it holds...

Lis
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Sticky Elephant hide

Hi,

One of the first thing I noticed when I went to look at my new to me 1985 Scamp 13' last month, was the sticky walls. I washed the walls with Murphy's Oil Soap in very warm water, I used 1 cup to about 4 gallons of water. Dunked a hand towel, squeezed it and wash 1/4 of the walls. Rinse all the soap off before it dries. Then dry the wall with a clean, soft towel.. It worked for me!

If it works for you would you please let the forum know, so others in SOI will know.  

Lis in RI