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Jayco Sportster 8

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#1 flon3y

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Posted 22 August 2019 - 05:39 PM

I picked up a 1984 Jayco Sportster 8 last week.
 

Overall it's in decent shape but the roof needs some serious attention as there has clearly been a water issue for some time. The lights, stove and water tank/sink work but I'm not sure if the refrigerator or furnace do yet. For $650 I think I did alright. 

 

My plan is to rebuild and reseal the roof, lighten the camper up some since I'm hauling it with a 1/2 ton and modernize the amenities a bit. This thread is meant to document my process for others to learn from as I have already found that invaluable from the other users on here. 

 

 

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Edited by flon3y, 22 August 2019 - 06:17 PM.

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#2 flon3y

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Posted 22 August 2019 - 05:44 PM

Once I got the camper home the first order of business was to build a bench for it as the tripod three-jack system is slightly terrifying to be around when the camper is supported on them.

 

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I can't quite pop the top all the way in my carport but at least it's covered and stable. This was as far down as the jacks would allow me to set it.


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#3 flon3y

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Posted 22 August 2019 - 05:49 PM

Overall the canvas seems in exceedingly good shape and definitely re-usable. The P/O had gooped the corners up pretty good to keep water out so I'll need to give it a good cleaning. Fortunately because of their goop-job I think the entire camper body is very solid (aside from the roof). I removed the canvas and stored it safely in the basement along with the interior upholstery.

 

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#4 flon3y

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Posted 22 August 2019 - 06:03 PM

I peeled off the interior aluminum ceiling to see what damage was beneath. I definitely found some rot and soggy foam though not as much water as I expected. The center support at the front of the roof was completely disintegrated which was unsurprising as this was the saggiest part of the roof.

 

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#5 corybrown50

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Posted 22 August 2019 - 06:20 PM

Fantastic! These seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately...Good luck my friend and if you have any questions of want someone to bounce ideas off of feel free to reach out!

It will be great to see someone taking the roof off and building from scratch.

From my experience, if you have the man power and space....the best way to rebuild is the take it off, flip it over, and build it up with the top skin down building to the inside. Unfortunately, I had neither the space or man power, and had to build down from the inside and had some distortion I would like to have out.

There are a few others out there....myself, Manfred, and kmehr for a few.

Edited by corybrown50, 22 August 2019 - 06:25 PM.

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#6 corybrown50

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Posted 26 August 2019 - 07:45 PM

How goes the rebuild??


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#7 Manfred65

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Posted 09 September 2019 - 11:14 AM

Hi,

 

i wish you all the best with the roof repair. I canĀ“t make it as good as we hoped and we are still looking for a solution how and mostly for the time to build a new roof.

 

Hoping for a good progress on your rebuild.

 

Manfred


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2000 Ford F-250 SuperDuty SC LB 7.3 Lariat
1992 Jayco Sportster 8ft Popup

http://www.wanderthe...8ft-renovation/

BundutecUSA, TravelLite and Palomino TruckCamper Sales in Germany and Europe

 


#8 flon3y

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Posted 12 September 2019 - 11:42 PM

Thank you both for the welcome. After a busy summer I finally have some more time to dig into this project. After doing a lot of research and with input from the board I have decided to start from scratch and build a new roof. I'll reuse some of the existing roof parts such as trim, but not much. 

 

It has become very apparent to me that the roofs on these Sportsters are their weak point. As such I'm going to strengthen it up a bit hopefully without adding to much weight. The new plan is to put in additional framing to the center section with deeper members to add stiffness. The original top was framed with 1x1's, my plan as of now is to use 1x2's. I'm also adding two larger fantastic fans, and converting to LED light fixtures along with closed cell foam that won't absorb water in the future. I'm planning to buy a new seamless roof skin and intending to ad provisions for easy solar implementation later on. 

 

Here's a sketch of the plan:

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Edited by flon3y, 12 September 2019 - 11:45 PM.

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#9 ski3pin

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Posted 13 September 2019 - 04:47 PM

Congrats on your new camper and project. It looks good on your truck and it is nice to see your progress and craftsmanship. Thanks! :)


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#10 flon3y

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Posted 09 June 2020 - 08:31 PM

After much silence and pondering over winter, camper work has resumed with a plan and action.

 

Upon removing the roof it became apparent there was additional structural damage to the lower body. The first thing to address was the cabover section. I removed any rotted wood and spliced in new panels before giving everything a thorough coat of heavy duty primer and re-attaching the skin. Thanks to my girlfriend for the help! Having two people really speeds things along and keep motivated.

 

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