92 Jayco Sportster 8' rebuild in the States with support from Deutschland

[Manfred65]

Better than any so called "Camouflage-design".

Looking great!

 

[HoppyToGoWandering]

Cory,
This is spooky! You're doing the exact same things that I intend on doing on mine!

 

[ShawnKC]

Nice timing! I've been meaning to get on here and ask if anyone has a source for some new stripe kits for these? Or the dimensions for stripes? Mine is still fully tarped up as I'm preoccupied with foundation repairs at my house. They finished today, so I'm getting closer to being able to work on the camper again. I ordered in a couple Jayco decals, but the stripes are next.

 

[corybrown50]

The Jayco decals I got were a bit off, but at 6 feet who cares. The "pinstripes" at the top are 1" vinyl striping, eBay find for both. The Jayco decals were 1/8" smaller, and if I had more time to dedicate to it, I would have stripped it further. Honestly I like the shadow effect that it gave.

The camo is a truck rocker panel vinyl set. There was more than enough to wrap around the whole thing. I could have also put it in the "front" where it contacts the bed, but no one will see that area and it would have needed a seam. Biggest thing with the rocker panel decal doing it myself was I should have done it in a warmer time of the year. Nothing a heat gun couldn't help me out with though. Definitely worth it for the look, especially since I got the rocker decal on a pretty good discount from a local hardware store.

Looks good to me....now I need to find replacement decals for all the little decals, fresh water, city water, etc.

She's loaded up on Brutus right now ready for a weekend of turkey hunting, Godly men sharing experiences and Christ's love, and NO CELL SERVICE!!!! OPENING DAY!!!!

God bless all your work. Stay safe out there.

 

[ShawnKC]

Thanks Cory! I'm kind of embarrassed to use mine because of all the stickers being tore up. So, a little lipstick on it will definitely help!

I'm sure you've looked at it before, but the factory Jayco catalog has some of the smaller decals in it.

https://www.jaycorvparts.com/catalog/Jayco2015Catalog.pdf

Have a safe trip!

 

[corybrown50]

Well...no gobblers this weekend, but great fellowship.

I had to take a few beauty shots too.

The extra battery and solar panel helped tremendously. Even with rain most of the weekend and overcast skies, I came home with over 12v.

 

[corybrown50]

Couple more. No I'm not a Jets fan, but I am a fan of a nice canopy for less than$20 [emoji12]

 

[corybrown50]

And one with the closest thing to a mountain we have here. We went to the top looking for those thunder chickens with no response

.

 

[alan_h]

Hello;

Looks like you had major project on the 1992 rebuild. I have a 1993 Jayco Sportster 8. One of my roof lifts is not working. I will not close down. If you have any photos or information that can assist me it would be greatly appreciated. I took it to a local shop and they could not make the repairs. I am attempting to get as much information as possible prior to starting it myself.
Thank you,
alan_h

 

[HoppyToGoWandering]

Allan,
I am in the same situation dealing with it. I completely pulled mine out. It is Dutton-Lainson Brake Winch (not wench ha ha ha), a probably DLB800 but might be a 1200. I found a couple of places to find replacement. The 1st is at www.popupparts.com. The specific part is: http://www.popupparts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_1932_1933_3274&products_id=2061.

Of course I found a couple of other places but accidentally deleted the note I was keeping. The Jayco number is (800) 283-8267

Hope this helps you out.... GH

 

[corybrown50]

Manfred's redo with a 12v winch was pretty cool. I've contemplated doing it multiple times. For now, the winch works and it will stay for now. There should have been some decent pictures of the routing here in the rebuild.

 

[Manfred65]

Hi guys,

once again:

@alan : sometimes the springs are bent or there is so much rust in the steel tubes that they can not run smoothly.
Other failures are broken wires and broken pulleys in the corners.
https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/8779-jayco-sportster-8ft-renovation/

Good luck and feel free to ask whenever and whatever you want to...

 

[corybrown50]

Brother,
That is so satisfying to watch.

I never noticed that you have an awning......Which awning do you have? I been looking for one for the side and possibly the back. Hard to find something to use on a camper that has a lift roof. Any pics?

 

[Manfred65]

Hey Cory,

the Awning is an older Fiamma Awning that came with the camper. As you can see it is mounted to the roof.
Problem 1: You have to open it before you open the roof
Problem 2: The original plastic support brackets have been mounted to the lower edge of the camper as well as my airline tracks that i installed there to hang whatever stuff along the sides and to support the awning legs. This way if we open the awning it does not reach out very far and it sits pretty high on the rig. So it keeps us off the sun only around noon.

This is the awning problem on Truckcampers esp. Popup: if the awning is mounted below the window it sits too low, above the window there is most time not too much room for an awning. An awning will reduce the free view out of the side window.
A self supporting awning like a batwing or the Bundutec Bundu-half has a high risk for damage on the camper wall. Rory Willett is building his campers to use these awnings...but you know the Jayco frame. Ours is "double sized"...may be ,....

 

[corybrown50]

Thanks Manfed,

I've been running with a 10'x10' pop up canopy that I set up on the passenger side and a tarp that I connect at the rear and run out that way. If I had an awning mounted on the outside that would eliminate at least the pop up and give me significantly more packing room inside. My friend that worked at the RV dealership locally has moved on to another job, so I don't have as much access to items that could be repurposed in a truck camper way.

On another note, I must say that my 100 watt flexible solar panel that I put on the windshield has been amazing!!!! Keeps both batteries fully charged even on rainy days..... I'm very surprised how much difference LED lights make. I think I have a really good set up now with the propane fridge, propane heater (factory), outside grill, and LEDs. My only thing I am missing is water, but so far using 5 gal containers has been fine.

These things are very compact and fun to travel, as long as I'm not bringing the whole family (wife, me, 8yo son, and 13yo daughter). Still trying to figure that one out.

 

[Manfred65]

I am glad you like your Jayco.

Tarps and other stuff is a good choice for campers. If you leave them alone and a storm occurs it does not damage the camper like a fixed awning can do. And they mostly save weight.

LED-Bulbs are a big game changer. If you would change to a compressor fridge you may need a little more solar power. I have 200W on the roof but this is more than enough with our Engel-compressor fridge.

I installed a new 15 gal Water tank in our Jayco and never need it. OK, we are only two persons. I see the danger of getting microbes in the water tank. We use the tank only for washing and dish-washing. So you better stay with the containers. Easy and no expensive water pump to fail. A drop in pump is the best choice if you need one. Pull it out and it empty and can not fail due to freezing in winter.