CO top splay

[nixfwc]

My 77 CO top door has never fit tight. Hits at the bottom before the top leaving about a 1/2 inch gap at the top. The bottom edge of the top half is splayed outward as there little to hold it square to the sides. Not surprising after all these years but it has always bothered me. I could cut a thin tampered shim and attach it to the door to fill the gap but it seems crude. So what I would like to do is find an aluminum angle bracket about 18 inches on each leg and about 1/4 inch thick, bolt that to the outside rear corner in the hope that the bracket would pull the rear closer to square and the door would fit the hole. I considered a Simpson strong tie bracket but I don't believe it is thick enough to pull it to 90.
I imagine this is a common phenomena on older alaskans. If any one has fixed this problem, has an idea where I could find a bracket, or has a different idea, I would love to hear about it. The bottom door fits fine.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Rusty]

could you take a picture?....please...descriptions of door swings and positions are difficult to imagine


inside and out...open and closed....I love door issues

 

[nixfwc]

The rain has stopped so I got a chance to gather some door pictures. Camper stayed dry which is great and possible leaks always a concern .. Looking at the photos you can see ( especially on the inside shot) the gap at the top of the door on the latch side. The top door bottom hits the door frame on the top half of the camper at the bottom ( latch area) before the top of the door makes contact. A photo will make this clearer I hope. It looks to me like the bottom of the top rear camper half has splayed outward towards the rear of the camper. There is not much I can use to try to pull it square again. Consequently I was considering adding a 90 degree angle bracket around the rear corners to regain squareness on the rear top half. Check the photos and again if anyone has a different idea I would love to hear. Thanks.

 

[nixfwc]

More door photos.

 

[nixfwc]

Last door photo. Hope this works.

 

[Rusty]

the last pic has a latch of some type which the top is resting on (mounted on the bottom half)...what is that latch?...does it have to be in the up position?

 

[nixfwc]

It is a folding step. To get to the roof rack. Top half barely touches it. Biggest gap is when the top is up.

 

[Rusty]

I've only seen this once before...it was because of a heavy weighted container mounted on the back and the camper had been parked over winter on a sloped drive....the frame had been held in the same position for a year or two...and when the camper was moved...the top section stayed in that shape.

I don't believe it's a door issue...more like a frame issue which affects the doors closing. Does the top remain in the same splayed shape when its up?

does the front of the top section have extra clearance to the bottom section at the pirelli?

have the sections ever been separated? sometimes things get "tweaked" when they are separated

 

[Willys Addict]

Set up your camper level, square it up and check for plum, then you can check what is out. this may take a little time but you can then confirm what is out. use a square. Your door is two sheets of plywood treated on one side exposed to the exterior on the other, that said its most likely stable and not to bad.

 

[PackRat]

As Willys Addict posted....park on level ground (the truck bed) then start measuring near the door on both sides of it on top and bottom and on both corners where sides meet rear panel and identify where the problem is.

That step sure looks to be the culprit at first glance...left to cold, damp weather over time if the top settled down and was pushed OUT by the step, that might be the cause. Parking on an incline with the front of the truck uphill would make the rear settle as much as it could.

To test this you can park on a hill and see if the top wants to come down enough to be forced OUT by the step.

 

[nixfwc]

Yes I believe it is a frame issue also. The rear panel has gotten warped. It does not rest on the folding step in the down position; I can fold the step down with the top half lowered. No difference. A possible fix for the warp is to attach a 90 degree angle bracket at the outside corner long enough to reach to the door frame in the hope of squaring that corner up and having the door fit tight again. I would like to do the bracket in 1/4 or 3/8 aluminum but have not found a source yet. It will entail raising the top half of the camper above the bottom half to attach the bracket. This of course could potentially expose more problems. The work never stops with an old camper but then again what would I do my winter weekends?

 

[nixfwc]

After plumb bobbing, measuring and squaring, I have found it to be two problems. The door is warped on the non hinge side and the top is played outward. So it looks like I am going to have to rebuild the door. However I would like to be able to reuse the sheet metal and have had difficulty removing the screw nails in the past. Does anyone have a way to get the nails out with out destroying the metal? They really have a grip from the twisty part of the nail.

 

[Willys Addict]

The door is not to bad to do, look at my Gallery as I rebuilt the whole top and door I used a round tip die grinder bit and it worked great. I reused the most of the door skin, cleaned the inside and sealed it, I did have to replace a couple of pieces but that was simple. Part of the reason for the warping on the door is that the inside is sealed but the outside is not. I cut out the door and window glued the halves and then used fiberglass resin on the edges and exterior side to protect and stabilize the door. If you need more pictures let me know and I will see if I have them.

 

[Willys Addict]

This is taking the old door half apart.

 

[Rusty]

Willys....a series of pics rebuilding the top door would be a valuable addition to the archives....did you by any chance take any?....if you didn't maybe we could talk Nixfwc to take some

I have a sneaking idea that I may be doing the same project as soon as I finish building this Ark and gathering a few animals.

remember...treat the work like Willys did...like boatwork....you won't be sorry....

 

[Willys Addict]

I thought I did but no, I will take a couple of pictures today and you can see the re assembly and some new pieces replaced due to corrosion.

 

[Willys Addict]

As you can see from the old and new, I used 3/4 Canadian plywood as it has marine glue. The old door was drilled screwed an rotten, so the frame pieces were cleaned washed with vinegar and filled with white marine Tex where needed, instead of the sheet tin on the inside I used a piece of arborite for the inside by the latch and am still yet to trim around it. I filled all the outside holes and then put on a piece of stainless around the door sealing all the holes with fiberglass resin. the bottom and inside angle pieces were to far gone to fix so I cut some camper siding and bent it, its new and against the wood stapled and sealed all seams with marine sealant. instead of nails I screwed everything back together #6 and #8 screws.4 coats of minwax on the inside everything else is fiberglass resin two coats.

 

[Rusty]

sounds pretty bulletproof.....the upper door takes more uv than any other part...hence the deterioration of many....

couple questions Willys....White marine Tex?.....arborite?.....please esplain Ricky

 

[Willys Addict]

As you can see from the picture above there was corrosion so I cleaned and neutralized what I could,and made some pieces to fit in, in places that had holes or deep big areas of corrosion I used the white marine tex, It is like Devcon, but is somewhat pliable and attaches very well, I would also sandwich it with a piece of siding in the back for reinforcement such as were the old plugs went. its sand able as well this has helped with some unwanted screw holes even if I re drill. As for the Arborite, when my door was assembled the piece of siding that is on the inside of the door where the handle is located went between the halves and this gives a lift of about 1/16" and air space as well. I wanted no extra air space for water so I did not duplicate.I could have used siding but it scratches and does not always clean well, the arborite cleans and is durable with good water retention as well easy to work with.

 

[nixfwc]

I am currently trying to beat this miserable cold and bronchitis thing but I see a rebuilt door before long. I appreciate the effort Willys put into his door redo. Still bit confused as to the arborite and Marine Tex but hopefully it will be clear when I disassemble my door. I also have the rod and extension handle that go to the top of the window allowing you to open the latch with the top down. I don't see it in Willys picture. I look forward to starting on this.
Also deliberating on the gap difference top and bottom rear problem. Last year the camper fell on its nose. A disaster I watched with helpless horror. it was a slow fall but enough perhaps to shift the top forward a half an inch. There is not much that locates the top on the bottom, just guide tracks and the hydraulics. as far as I can tell. So I have to figure out how to shift the top back to its original position. Incredible what these Alaskans can survive intact.