New to me camper, missing door.

My next step will be to rip out the old floor, attach the new tongue, then to replace the whole floor. I'll then reside the upper half with either plywood or fiberglass with aluminum corners.
I'm debating on whether or not I can get away with straight fiberglass for the sides, it depends on whether I can get hold of some thicker panels vs the thin bathroom sheeting they sell in Lowes.

Looks good and you just proved where this is a will there is a way!

Well, it now has a rear door, its still in primer but its water tight.
I used a garage door handle as a latch and two steel hinges which are through bolted to the door and riveted into the door jamb.

I used screen door weatherstrip around the inside and put a strip of 2" wide aluminum across the top of the bottom half of the door. The top door also secures the lower door, along with the door knob on the lower door. Both doors can be locked.
I now have to figure out how to weather proof the lower door, there's no inner stops other than it closes against the edge of the floor.
The door fits tight, so it really don't leak but there's no sort of stop along the sides. I may add an aluminum edge there too so I can add some weather stripping.

In NJ, a title is used as proof of ownership, however they do no title trailers under 2500lbs, its not even an option. A full size camper would have a title due to weight. Motor vehicles are titled only if considered for road use. Dirt bikes, ATVs etc are not titled here.
Neighboring states have different laws, which makes it tough to sell things like trailers from NJ to a state with different title laws. Most trailers here are registered as 'Homemade' if under 2500lbs. If I were to buy a trailer out of state, with an actual title, that title gets surrendered in lieu of only a NJ registration card. When its sold, there is no longer a title to sign over and transfer to a buyer from out of state. I know that PA and DE will not accept a NJ registration card listing the trailer as homemade as proof of ownership.

On this trailer, it no doubt weights well under 2500lbs, my guess is that its not much over 800lbs total as it sits. It has no signs of any data plates, VIN plates, or brand names on it. It doesn't even have tail lights or any signs of them. It did at one time have marker lights on the roof, a few of them are still there but missing their lenses. There is light wiring molded into the right side fiberglass panels, its glassed right into the body but it don't appear to have been used. Whatever this had for lights had to be completely bolt on or external, of it was using only the marker lights?
I've been looking around for a suitable tail light assembly to use, something that won't interfere with the half door folding back against the body. Their location will have to be so that the door knob won't punch out the lens when the door is open.
I'm thinking either surface mount 7" bus lights or flush mount 4" truck lights but I'm not big on cutting two big holes in the body that could eventually leak. I've also thought about making two angle brackets that attach underneath and bend around and upward to bolt the lights too, therefore avoiding drilling any holes in the fiberglass.
The fiberglass on this thing is gel coated, no paint, and I see no signs where lights were or holes were filled in. I guess its possible it never had tail lights? There was a time where you didn't need tail lights on a trailer if your trucks tail lights could be seen but that would never be the case with an 8' wide trailer.

As to RoyB s comment about the title , it is very common to sell autos and trailers without titles , what you sell is possesion . Possesion does not in itself quarantee title or title transfer . That is the way in most states that autos are sold for storage .

slowleak wrote:
Are those LED panels already 12V or did you have come up with a converter for them?

They run on nominal 12v, i.e. when my converter or solar controller is on, the panels are seeing about 13.5 V. They should operate at 11.5 or so V, also but my batteries have always stayed charged at above 12v.

No, you don't need a converter or any special device to run them, just plug and play. I think the 48 count LED panels are real close to the original incandescent bulbs they replaced. These are the ones I like the best. I used the molex connector on one of the adaptors for my connection to the panel. Should I need to replace one, I can simply unplug the panel and plug in a new one. They are rated for about 30,000-50,000 hrs. so my great-grandkids may have that job.

Are those LED panels already 12V or did you have come up with a converter for them?

slowleak wrote:
Its pretty much going to be for swap meets, I'll keep enough of the camper features so I can still use it to sleep in overnight but it needs to haul items as well. Most venues have showers and bathroom facilities, so plumbing won't be needed. I like the idea of the LED lights but I was pretty much planning on just leaving the 4' florescent lights that it came with. I have a small Honda generator that I carry and most places have 120v hookups anyhow. I may add a few low voltage lights just in case though. I was thinking of just using a few LED adapter/conversion bulbs but they aren't great for light output.
What did those lights look like before you modified them? I don't recall anything but flashlights at the dollar store here.
Also, mounting lights in this thing may be a challenge in that the roof is bare styrofoam insulation, its cut to look like stucco and held in place only by a few wood grained metal strips and glue. I don't think it ever had anything else up there. One the bright side, its light and it don't provide any hiding places for critters to live when its parked.

I threw the original fixtures away, they were too brittle and broken to be usable.
The LED panels have a sticky tape on the back of the panel. You can just peel and stick but wiring will have to be engineered. The wiring needed, probably 26 ga., is small enough so that a guy could glue it in place, I guess. Maybe a foil tape to hold the wire. I'm sure you'll get the lighting worked out, just thought I'd throw this idea out there.

Francesca Knowles wrote:
Love the lights, Westend- very clever, and good looking, too!

Is that a toggle switch there in the center? I see just one light's on in the pic so am interested in how you control the off/on function.

The circuit to the light fixtures is switched on the wall. The toggle allows either one or both to be on. Someone that wants to control both fixtures with just one toggle could use a DPDT (Dual Position Double Throw) toggle. I like my lights switched on the wall just like my house.

The really neat thing about the card frame fixtures is that 1)They have a glass lens, already 2)I cut a piece of aluminum, discarding the frame's cardboard back. The aluminum piece was screwed to the ceiling with the LED panel attached. The card frame then slides around/under the aluminum piece, a very easy attachment and can be removed quickly for service.

Its pretty much going to be for swap meets, I'll keep enough of the camper features so I can still use it to sleep in overnight but it needs to haul items as well. Most venues have showers and bathroom facilities, so plumbing won't be needed. I like the idea of the LED lights but I was pretty much planning on just leaving the 4' florescent lights that it came with. I have a small Honda generator that I carry and most places have 120v hookups anyhow. I may add a few low voltage lights just in case though. I was thinking of just using a few LED adapter/conversion bulbs but they aren't great for light output.
What did those lights look like before you modified them? I don't recall anything but flashlights at the dollar store here.
Also, mounting lights in this thing may be a challenge in that the roof is bare styrofoam insulation, its cut to look like stucco and held in place only by a few wood grained metal strips and glue. I don't think it ever had anything else up there. One the bright side, its light and it don't provide any hiding places for critters to live when its parked.