Nebraskan Virgin

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Nebraskan Virgin

Postby sprinklebell » Mon Feb 27, 2017 6:26 pm

So I have never truly built anything in my life. I was the girl who begged to be transferred out of shop class because I didn't want to go to class all dirty the rest of the day. Haha
So now I'm here, 25, and engaged to a wonderful gal.
She tried to build a truck camper once... it almost worked. Haha

Now we have a problem. We have a 1968 red dale camper that's falling apart. We decided we are going to strip it down to the chassis and rebuild a teardrop of sorts.

We want something the we can stand up in and we want to have a composting toilet at the least.
The back we want to have a garage kitchen to free up space inside and also have a table we can fashion to the side of the camper.
Then inside we want enough room for a queen bed and two fold down tables as well as a mounted tv and a bit of storage space.
We are going to be living out of the "standy" that we build for at least one year... maybe more.
We want it to have a water holding tank and electricity and propane.
Ultimately if we could connect it to solar power that would be ideal.

We really don't know where to start and could use any advice you have.
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby bdog1 » Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:08 pm

I'm no expert. With that out of the way, I'd make an honest assessment of what you have and the cost and skills it's going to take to get where you want to be. It's sometimes much more economical to start with something better ($$$) Your brief description sounds like a full on project. It's easy to bust the budget.


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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby sprinklebell » Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:18 pm

We have already put so much into this camper that it's like if we don't strip it and start over we will be out 4 grand... at least.

This way we at least get a chassis out of it.

We have been able to find some plans that are what we are leaning towards but I want one to stand in and have a galley kitchen in the garage so it's hard to find any that have what I want out of it. /:
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby rebelrider.mike » Mon Feb 27, 2017 10:59 pm

Hey Sprinklebell,
I'm a noob with building trailers too, but I think you're already on the right track. Having a clear idea about what features and functions you want will help you design something you'll be happy with. For my build, I plan to start with the floor area, and figure out where things I want will fit. I also plan to make a full scale mock-up of the walls and ceiling out of cardboard scraps to get a better idea of what the interior will be like. If you're careful with your tare-down, you might be able to reclaim some parts or materials and save a little money. I have no idea if my plans will work out or not, but I think the best way to learn it is to do it. I hope you find the process enjoyable. :)
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby sprinklebell » Thu Mar 02, 2017 9:15 am

Thanks for the input Mike!
Our current camper has mold and the wood is rotting out and I think it has termites or carpenter ants as well. The only thing worth saving is the stove top and the propane tank and possibly the cushions... My fiancé already reupholstered them so we might as well keep them... fabric is expensive.
We are starting a welding class next week and possibly a carpentry class here in the future. Our local community college has an industrial training center.

We are going to build from the floor up and as we take measurements and what not kinda figure out where things should go. We already have a portajohn but it is used and from the previous camper owners and I don't think we will be using it. That just screams nasty to me. We will probably either buy a new portajohn or just get a composting toilet to put in.

My mom got hurt at work and is likely to get a nice amount back because she is now disabled and she may even be buying us a new camper. I don't know if I want that though. I feel like building this would be a great experience and then in the future if anything happens I will know how to fix it because I put it together.


I do have a question though.... The wood when I look from the ground up (under the camper we currently have) is rotted out. It's like a sponge. How would you protect against that happening?
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby greygoos » Thu Mar 02, 2017 9:39 am

Salvage as much as you can from the camper including doors, windows, lighting, converters, fans and even the siding. . Lay out the dimensions of the floor and start imagining where you might want to place items, your appliances, bed and such. Mock up with your side profile even if you use tape on a wall and start to place your windows and door. When you are happy with your design then start on the floor. The underside can be coated with many things for protection. Probably the simplest is Henrys coating or asphalt fence paint as well as crack filler. I have used bed liner for pickups because I do the frame with that also. Use the design library and read this forum as much as possible. Once you have a design in mind see if someone on here has built that type already by using the search bar. Once you finalize your design lots of people will start to help with ideas and suggestions. Start by posting pictures of your current camper. Pictures are the best way to get help. Have you looked into the Foamie section. It is usually a less expensive alternative. As someone just starting out this might be a good way to go. Who knows where you will be in a year? I wish you luck in your build.
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby rebelrider.mike » Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:08 pm

sprinklebell wrote:I do have a question though.... The wood when I look from the ground up (under the camper we currently have) is rotted out. It's like a sponge. How would you protect against that happening?


From what I've been reading here and seeing other places, folks are putting some kind of under coating on their trailers to keep that from happening. Looks like there's different things one could use. I'd say at a minimum would be to prime and paint any wood that will be exposed under the trailer. Like if you're using a 4x8 sheet of plywood, just coat the whole underneath side before you bolt it on. Some folks use fancier stuff like truck bed liner. If you do decide to build your own, be sure to start a build thread so we can see your progress!

That's cool you're considering taking classes. These kinds of skills will be useful and help you save money in all sorts of different ways. Not to mention the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself. Be prepared for setbacks though. I make mistakes and run into problems all the time with my various weird projects. But its not a failure, just an unforeseen challenge to solve. I sometimes get frustrated and have to walk away for a while. But its worth it in the end. Anyway, I hope this turns out to be a fun experience for you.
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby sprinklebell » Thu Mar 23, 2017 7:23 am

Super excited!!
We found a guy who already had a 14ft jayco torn down to just the trailer and he had left the original floor boards there. He traded us that and a smaller tilt trailer for the rundown camper that we had.
Now it all fits in the garage and we can start mapping out where we want things to go as well as start getting to work even if it is still cold outside because we are inside now!
:D
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby bobhenry » Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:14 am

Maybe you can find some ideas here..............http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=47804
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby bobhenry » Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:15 am

and your wall mounted tables........viewtopic.php?t=43504&highlight=side+tables+again
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby mtbikernate » Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:12 pm

This might interest you. This is my friend's trailer. He basically put a shed on top of a flat trailer. Queen bed and a small kitchen inside. Tall enough to stand in.
gypsywagon.jpg
gypsywagon.jpg (378.96 KiB) Viewed 1366 times
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Re: Nebraskan Virgin

Postby sprinklebell » Fri May 05, 2017 11:49 am

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I have not been on here much lately bc im too lazy sometimes, but we have an update.
We got the smaller tilt trailer (about 4ftX9ft) cleaned up and repainted. We then put down a piece of 3/4" plywood that we had painted with rustoleum down. Then we put a frame for the floor using 2X4's and insulation (foam board) and covered with another piece of 3/4" plywood.
It's been cold and rainy so we have been trying to work in a cramped garage for this so far.
We pulled her out yesterday because it was nice out. We got 3 walls framed and two windows put in!!!
We are putting in 2 doors as well and the hardware for those came yesterday as well.
We are doing the insulation for the walls today and putting down the flooring as well.
For the smaller trailer we decided we will use it for little camping trips like when we go to SD this summer.
We are going to do a pop up type of roof. That way we can stand to get ready. The galley kitchen has been the hardest design to figure out. I think we are going to have doors open out instead of up for it.

I will be putting up pics soon!
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