Rebuilding Interior Resources

[GrosJean]

I had to gut my 79 Sunline 12.5' trailer to replace the floor. What is a good resource to show a novice carpenter on how to rebuild the interior. Need basic instructions. I mean real basic!! I have all of the tools required, but not the skill to use them

[JohnB]

Have you gutted the entire inside? or just a portion?

How far did the gutting go? Are you back to seeing the wall studs and the inside of the aluminum siding all over?

We have many who have done repairs pretty close to the entire camper. Knowing more about what you are trying to accomplish can help us help you better.

If you are trying to start over totally, that is a different thing to work through if you are wanting to change the floor plan. It is doable but it will take planing and figuring so the tongue weight balance for the loaded weight of the camper creates a naturally stable towing trailer. You really need 12 to 13% loaded tongue weight on a camper per the gross weight of the loaded camper to tow stable in many of the camper conditions that present themselves. 10% loaded tongue weight is the low limit to not go under. Yes 10% will work but one accidental cargo move in the camper can drop the 10% down to 9 or 8% and the smaller the camper the less weight it takes to go that low. Then the camper can become unstable in certain conditions while towing.

This thread is a total makeover from the ground up. Frank did an excellent job on this but he did do the planning on weight and balance to keep it in check. http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f6...ect-11053.html

It is also easy to accidentally go over the rating of the axle or the GVWR of the camper when doing a rebuild so keep weight always in mind. Building heavy on a lot of items can use up all your cargo capacity

Let us know some more about what you want to do, rebuild the existing what was there or a new floor plan layout? Pictures really help in these cases.

Hope this helps

John

[GrosJean]

Thanks for the quick response John.
Gutted down to the studs. No wires yet. Have put foam sheets between the studs and replaced the floor. I will probably keep the layout according to the original diagram in their brochure, except will have two beds instead of one, will probably keep the fold-down bunk bed, but no refrigerator, 3-4 dry cell batteries, inverter, sink, etc. It will be for dry camping only. Possibly solar panels on the roof, eventually satellite and small TV. I do a lot of hiking so just need a "base camp." May put in a shower as I now have a 60 gallon water tank.
I will have to be careful where it will be relative to weight distribution, especially when it is full.
Anyway, still in formative stages and thank you for your advice and information.
Henry