A different kind of pop-up (11-5-17) fixing lessons learned

[les45]

Finally got past the holidays and back to work on the pop-up project. Installed the Fantastic Fan today. The pop-up came with a large roof top AC unit but we do not camp in the heat of the summer so I decided to install the same type of Fantastic Fan that I had in my weekender. The depth of the main frame of the fan was greater than the thickness of my roof so it stuck out about 1/2" inside the cabin. I had to build a wood frame of 1X3 around the inside opening in order to seat the inside trim piece. I did the standard installation using 1" butyl tape under the outside flange and caulked the outside edges with Dicor Lap Sealant. The Dicor sealant was touted in some related Forum posts as being superior to silicone caulk since it could be more easily removed. The wiring to the fan was run in a short section of Wiremold conduit from the nearby terminal block junction box. Since I couldn't raise the mast to run power to the roof, I installed some jumper cables and checked it out. When I connected my power cord and flipped the breakers, the fan and overhead lights all worked like a charm. Next step, after the caulk dries, is to install the Ultra Breeze fan cover. I used this on my weekender and really like it as it allows me to keep the fan running during a rain. I'll be posting an update on that installation next.

The frame around the opening was necessary to properly seat the inside trim piece. The DC wiring comes from the nearby terminal block junction box through a short piece of Wiremold conduit and through a hole in the 1X3 frame. I used spade connectors to connect to the fan wiring.


I used 1" butyl tape on the top flange.


The original screws were tightened until the butyl tape oozed to the edge of the flange (four of these screws will be removed later and replaced with the latch screws for the Ultra Breeze when it is installed after the caulk dries).


Fantastic Fan is installed and sealed with Dicor Lap Sealant.


Interior trim piece installed and terminal block junction box cover in place. Roof electrical is complete.

[Pmullen503]

Have you decided yet how you will build the walls? I have a similar old pop-up with no canvas. I was thinking of foam panels, covered in canvas that would swing into place when the top is lifted. Still haven't sorted out the corners yet.

[les45]

Have you decided yet how you will build the walls? I have a similar old pop-up with no canvas. I was thinking of foam panels, covered in canvas that would swing into place when the top is lifted. Still haven't sorted out the corners yet.

I'm about 95% on my design for the walls. They will be light weight panels made of two sheets of luan paneling with 3/4" foam board in the middle and framed around the perimeter with 1X4 at the top and 1X2 on the sides and bottom. Haven't figured how they will be connected yet but it will be some sort of quick connect fastener. The sloping end walls will get two panels each and the sides will have a panel on each side of the door and three panels on the opposite (driver side) wall. The corners will be a custom canvas panel that will fasten to the wood panels with velcro and wrap around the gap at each of the telescoping legs. My wood panels will be removable and stored on the bed when the top is lowered.

[Pmullen503]

I was thinking of handling the corners the same way or making hard corner pieces that clamp into place. I want mine to be hinged to the top and store folded up into the top. That way I could crank up the top and swing them down. I still have to find a good way to secure them for travel. Windows are an issue as well.

[les45]

I was thinking of handling the corners the same way or making hard corner pieces that clamp into place. I want mine to be hinged to the top and store folded up into the top. That way I could crank up the top and swing them down. I still have to find a good way to secure them for travel. Windows are an issue as well.

I'm going to do some windows in a few of the panels. If you look back in my journal you will see some window frames that I bought to make my own windows. The only problem with windows is that they add thickness to the panels and make them harder to store. I still plan on at least two windows on the dinette (front) end, maybe in the two sloping end panels.

[Pmullen503]

I found a type of combination storm window that is thin and has a screen. Still glass which could break. I'd thought about replacing the glass with lexan. Maybe add a couple fixed panes which wouldn't add any thickness to the panels.

[les45]

Today was a simple item to install the Ultra Breeze fan cover. I had the Ultra Breeze on my weekender (see my avatar) and I really liked it. It let's you run the fan in the rain and leave it open in cold weather for ventilation even when the fan is not running. I know they make fans that now do the same thing but I just liked the looks of the Ultra Breeze. I left it on the Super Bee all the time but I'll store it inside the pop-up when the top is down since I will have a custom cover on the pop-up while in outdoor storage. The installation is really simple. You remove four of the original mounting screws for the Fantastic Fan and replace them with screws that hold down the brackets that the Ultra Breeze fastens to. I put a dab of silicone in the screw hole before installing each bracket (probably overkill). The pins on the bracket are adjustable and the holes in the Ultra Breeze are slotted so making everything match up right is no problem. The Ultra Breeze is held in place with a quick connect pin and washer on each of the four brackets. Easily removed and re-installed.

The four bracket screws replace four of the existing flange screws (second from front and second from rear on each side).


The brackets have a pin that can be moved side to side. I found that centering the pins in the slots in each bracket made the cover fit perfectly.


The cover is installed with the quick connectors in place.


A side view showing how the washers fit between the Ultra Breeze flange and the connector pin.


My next activity will depend on the weather. If I get a few decent days of warm dry weather, I will paint the exterior while it is still in the garage. Then I will roll the pop-up outside so I can raise the top all the way (48") and start fabricating my walls. Everything is weather dependent now but fortunately our winters here in South Carolina are fairly mild.

[greygoos]

I am watching your build very closely. I will be starting construction of a pop up in the spring. It will be 5 x 10, no slide outs. Once the roof is raised canvas walls possibly over foam. The bed will fold out similar to the Argonette. I am amazed that if I dig deep enough on here ideas that i come up with for a build have been done already. It makes it easier for all of us. Good luck. I look forward to your completion.

[les45]

I thought I was going to have to wait til spring to do the exterior painting of the shell and roof but we are having some unusually nice weather for the next week so I decided to get the painting done before the pollen starts flying in the spring. I had already primed the exterior with Zinsser oil based primer so the only prep work was to clean and caulk all the joints. The shell and roof have a lot of trim pieces that all needed caulk. Luckily the old caulk was primarily butyl tape and was very easy to remove. I decided to use the Dicor self leveling sealant that I had left over from the fan installation on all the horizontal joints. I bought a new tube of Dicor non-self leveling sealant to do all the vertical joints and the reverse angles at the bottom of the shell. The Dicor sealants went on really nice but they dry pretty quickly so you have to do small sections at a time. Water doesn't work on the Dicor and, in fact, it makes it worse so just rubbing a dry finger on the bead is about all you could do to smooth it out. Naturally you get the stuff all over your hands. Cleanup was also a challenge since neither water nor acetone would touch it. I finally found that Goo Gone was the only thing in my shop that would actually melt the dried caulk. I used an old Dobie scrubber to scrub the stuff off after the Goo Gone softened it up. Another helpful hint when using the Dicor products is to keep a paper towel under the tip when you put the caulking gun down while you smooth out the bead. Even when you release the plunger, the caulk would still ooze out of the tip for a few seconds. Tomorrow I'll start brushing the Rustoleum paint on the shell and roof exteriors. My paint scheme will be white with hammered silver stripes on both sides and down the middle of the roof.

I used the Dicor since it is supposed to be really good sealant and easier to remove than silicone.


Goo Gone was the only thing that would clean the dried caulk. Instructions on the tube said to use soap and water but that just made it worse.

[les45]

Nice weather here in the South allowed me to finish up the exterior paint and trim on the roof and bottom shell. Primary color is Rustoleum gloss white over Zinsser oil based primer and stripes are Rustoleum pounded silver. All of the exterior outlets in the shell are dummies except for the main power inlet (on driver's side). It was easier to cover the holes with dummies than to do sheet metal work to close the holes. The pounded silver texture in the stripes helps cover some of the minor blemishes along the sides where I removed the pin stripes and on the roof where the former owner had used a cloth like pipe wrap material to seal the seam down the center. The original license plate holder was integral to the left brake light. I trimmed that off and made a new license plate holder in the center using the front license plate holder from my Nissan Xterra tow vehicle. The new license plate holder covers up some major holes where the old spare tire rack was previously mounted. I don't plan to mount the spare on the trailer. I found a simple light on Ebay to mount on top of the bracket. I'm finally ready to pull the project out of the garage into the driveway where I can crank the roof up to its full 4' height and start building the portable wall panels. I'm off to the big box stores for materials.

Side view before


Side view after


Front view before


Front view after


Rear view before


Rear view after (new license plate bracket covers old spare tire bracket holes)

[Alan_H]

Lookin' good!!

[rustytoolss]

Really Nice. Can't wait to see it all popped up!

[S. Heisley]

That's slick looking!

[cshane]

Looks better than new, nice accent with the black insert trim. Good job!


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[les45]

Time to start building the portable wall panels. Home Depot and Lowes have both been out of 3/4" foam board for some time now. Today I was in Lowes and noted that they finally got some in. They also had a new product, a 5mm poplar plywood that is primed on one side and a really nice finish on both sides. It's actually better and cheaper than the luan paneling that I originally planned to use. I decided to go ahead and get both of these items just in case. Still have to go back and get my framing material but I'm still deciding on what to buy. My plan is to use 1X2 and it's usually cheaper to buy 1X4 and rip it in two. The down side is that the raw wood tends to warp, especially after it's been ripped. Lowes has a primed finger joint material that is even cheaper and doesn't warp but I'm not sure if glue will stick to the primer (I'll be using glue and staples around the edge frame). I'm posting a question in the General Discussion section as to what kind of glue to use on primered wood. Hopefully, the weather will hold out and I'll be making sawdust in a couple of days.