Standy camper on a pop up frame

[tmclemore]

I began my build back in September after looking through this site for about a month or so. I wanted to build a simple teardrop but my wife insisted that what ever I build has a toilet and preferably some sort of shower facility. So I looked and looked at other builds to find something that would fit the bill. I found this build that came pretty close to what I was looking for. viewtopic.php?f=50&t=33938.

This is my original design.




This is what I started with



Hopefully in the next few days I'll get the rest of my progress posted here.

Cheers!!

[tmclemore]

I started out tearing down the pop up to see what I had to work with. That process took a couple of days and unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the process. I did learn that the frame was in good shape except for surface rust. So I wire brushed the whole thing applied Ospho and painted with Rustolem black paint. I also took the time to repack the wheel bearings. The tires were a little cracked but held air. I chose to replace them with new 10 ply tires. The axles are rated at 2200 pounds so my hope is to keep the weight down to as light as possible. I then used 3/4 inch tongue in grove plywood to make the floor. I coated it in the sticky black stuff I found at TSC (post and fence coating) I think is what it is called. What a mess. I think next time I would find a better product. This stuff refused to dry. I'm not sure it is completely dry even after 9 months. This is what it looked like during that process.



I then attached the flooring with carriage bolts and self tapping screws. My intention is was to attach the walls to the floor with glue and pocket screws. Also relying on the interior walls attached the same way to add strength to the build. So far so good!

[tmclemore]

I then turned my attention to the first wall. I searched and searched for straight 1x2 or 1x3 lumber to build the frame skeleton out of but had no luck. So I ripped 1x 10 and 1x12 white pine to various widths to make my frames out of. I was able to use the plotter at work to create full size plans of the radius then glued them to 3/4 inch plywood to cut them out. It seemed to work out fairly easy. Everything was glued and screwed together using pocket screws. The stringers and cross braces will be used to attach the galley and bed to the walls.

This is the first wall set in place to give me an idea if the height was going to work. I liked it so moved forward.

[tmclemore]

Sheeting the walls was a concern. I searched the site for different ideas. I wanted something thicker than 1/8 inch ply and the choices for 1/4 inch were limited. My local box store has a limited supply of quality plywood. I was able to find some 1/4 inch underlayment that wood work and was within my budget. My plan is to paint the interior so I wasn't to concerned about the looks but I did want it smooth and strong. I cut a chunk off and left it in a bucket of water over night to see how it reacted to the water. I didn't see any de-lamination so I went with it. I glued it to the inside of the frame and used brads to hold it in place until it dried. Then used my router to trim off the excess.
did the same thing for the opposite wall.

[tmclemore]

I wanted to use 2x2 pine for the spars but finding straight 2x2s was another challenge. So I picked out the straightest 2x8 s I could find and ripped them to 1.5x 1.5 left them laying on the shop floor for a couple of days then picked out the ones that didn't look like pretzels. The ones I used still had a little curve in them so I just put the crowns up and glued and screwed them to the walls. I didn't get any shots of the spars by themselves but this is what it looked like before I added the insulation and 1/8 inch ply to the outside.

[tmclemore]

For the inside front, back and ceiling I used 1/8 inch birch that I found at a local cabinet lumber supply. I tried using the 1/4 inch underlayment but could not get it to bend to the front radius. The 1/8 inch worked out and looked a whole lot better. I applied glue and 3/4 inch brads to hold everything in place.

[tmclemore]

I found some 1/4 inch birch at the same lumber yard so that is what I used on the outside skin. At this point I didn't know if I was going to paint it or use some other type of covering. I didn't want to have to sand for ever. The outside skin went on the same as the inside. used 34 inch XPS foam for insulation. One problem I did have is the 1x framing was sometime a little thinner than the foam insulation. Had to do a little sanding to make everything flush before I could attache the outside skins. I did coat the outside ply in TBII before applying it to the frame to glue all the insulation and framing together. Then I use copious amounts of 3/4 inch brads to hold it all together. (So much for not having to sand the outside). In retrospect it would have been better to build the complete wall on the ground before attaching it to the trailer floor. I think I would have ended up with a stronger wall. Although these turned out to be pretty tough. Also I extended the outside skin down passed the bottom of the trailer to give me another point of attachment for the wall. I don't want this thing coming apart while going down the road. At least that is the goal. Not sure it matters but it does look a little better not being able to see the trailer frame.

[tmclemore]

The galley is located in the front of the trailer in roughly the same place of the original design. I wanted enough room to put two 5 gallon water containers and some storage. It turned out better than I expected. I used 1/2 inch Baltic birch for the counter top with paint and epoxy. That was an interesting process but looks like a natural stone top...sort of.

The cook top and sink were salvaged from the popup and took a little sanding and appliance paint to make it look acceptable to the boss.

[Staryder61]

Just read your newbie post and had to come find the build page.. Looks great, I love the design.. still working on ours and already have sketches of a standy going on,, shhh I'll deny that one..
Will keep up with yours to get plenty of ideas from you..

[tmclemore]

I still have the plumbing to finish. I chose to use all 12 volt lighting sense I was able to salvage the converter from the popup. I installed a/c wiring for the air conditioner and the microwave. I'll only use them when shore power is available. I added the 12 volt breaker panel so I could power the lights, water pump, fan and a few other items with separate breakers. All the wiring is in the closet under a false floor.

[tmclemore]

Just read your newbie post and had to come find the build page.. Looks great, I love the design.. still working on ours and already have sketches of a standy going on,, shhh I'll deny that one..
Will keep up with yours to get plenty of ideas from you..

Thanks. The biggest mistake I made was not taking enough pictures. My wife would sneak out every once in a while and take a few shots to post on face book. I need to go through her photos and see if she has some that may show a little more detail than what I have pics of.

[Staryder61]

Never have enough pics..
Checked out the pics you have in your album. I'm impressed..
What's the width of the camper? What is your TV?
Waiting to see what the total weight will be.

[Atomic77]

My only suggestion would be make sure you have the weight forward of the axle. Pop ups tend to be overly balanced to the center

www.astroliner.blogspot.com
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[tmclemore]

My only suggestion would be make sure you have the weight forward of the axle. Pop ups tend to be overly balanced to the center

http://www.astroliner.blogspot.com
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Thanks, yes that is one of my concerns. I am able to stand in the back of the camper and not lift the front. So that's 190 pounds way behind the axle and the jack doesn't leave the ground. I think by the time I get the battery and propane tank on the tongue i'll be alright. My biggest concern is that I'm over weight for the axles. If all else fails I'll upgrade. In hindsight I think I would have given the back of the trailer less height and sloped it down more leaving just enough room to install the A/C and do away with the upper cabinets.

[Atomic77]

What axle/springs are you running and what is the gross estimated weight?

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