Rockwood Popup

[MikeyLikesIt]

We got a Rockwood Popup camper for $60. It took 3 and a 1/2 men and a few beers to strip it down, but it looks like it has a solid frame and very little surface rust.





Has anyone used one of these before?

At the widest it's 6'1". It's on a 4' torsion axle.

I would like to have a 5' wide teardrop. Any suggestions on modifications?

I would also like it to ride higher. Is the angle on the axle difficult to change?

Thanks,

Mikey

[angib]

I would like to have a 5' wide teardrop. Any suggestions on modifications?

You made a good choice as it looks like the 'outrigger' parts of your frame can be cut off leaving just the inner frame. That may be less than 5' wide but you can build the body wider than the frame -though you still need it to fit between the wheels.

I would also like it to ride higher. Is the angle on the axle difficult to change?

Is impossible difficult enough for ya? The angle can't be changed so to ride higher you carefully cut the axle off the frame, weld in a spacer (rectangular tube is best) of the right height and weld the axle back on.

It would be sensible to check the axle is in good condition before doing much work. If you stand on the frame at one end of the axle and jump, does the suspension move a decent amount? If there is no/little movement (say, less than half an inch) the rubber in the axle is shot and the simplest/cheapest cure is to replace the axle - repair is not possible.

[aggie79]

If the axle is still good, you may be able to find some larger wheels and tires that fit the bolt circle of your axles' hubs. This might be easier than adding a spacer to the axle.

[MikeyLikesIt]

I did the bouncy test and the axle does have a good flex.

I plan on some larger wheels. I think the ones on it are only 8".

[fromeo]

I built on a Rockwood frame, very similar to that one. Like Andrew said, the outriggers are easy to remove/modify, so altering the width is not difficult as long as the wheels where you need them width wise. Also as mentioned above, the axles are not adjustable, so I added an additional 2" of steel spacer to allow for bigger wheels/tires. Some pics on page 1 of my build thread: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=37391.

- Frank

[Laredo]

I would also like it to ride higher. Is the angle on the axle difficult to change?

Is impossible difficult enough for ya? The angle can't be changed so to ride higher you carefully cut the axle off the frame, weld in a spacer (rectangular tube is best) of the right height and weld the axle back on.



If you go to Popupexplorer, you will find many tutorials on flipping the axles on popups over, which increases ride height. Some of the folks who post there have done this with ZERO WELDING.

[MikeyLikesIt]

I think we are going to go the spacer route as I want larger wheels too.

The outriggers will also be cut down so that the width of the frame is 5'.