Today: Folding Chair Plans, Awning Rail Installation, Awning Plans.
As the Earth's shadow begins to move across the face of the full Super Blue Moon, I start this post. And more than that, I write out a nine item post-it note checklist of things I'd like to do today - five of which are related to preparing Lil' Queeny's water systems for taking a shower in the garage, then winterizing and prepping her for a new birth - expulsion from the almost four year gestation in the womb of my garage. Tomorrow she may find herself outside! I hope she isn't colicky.
Legend has it, on the following day, if she see's her shadow, it will scare her back underground for the next six weeks. If she does not, it will be time to get her on the truck.
But I'm reporting a few days in arrears, so today we do something else.
While traveling down that ol' lonesome road, every now and then, you have to stop, pull out a chair, and smell for any roses in your immediate area. Often as not, a fantastic view comes along for the ride. Enter - easy to obtain seating. And that MAY mean, hanging on a camper's back wall.
Back in the day, the only choice besides a log turned on end, or if your were fortunate, a folding cot style camp chair, was the ubiquitous folding aluminum-framed plastic-webbing lawn-chair.
And how were these carried on a truck camper. Well - nine times out of ten, they hung right here!
Nowadays, there are better choices for comfort, like these - preferred by DW - we bought from Sam's Club several years ago to go with our new TT purchase.
'Course we bought the smaller of the big trailers, and subsequently, its outside storage doors were a bit smaller, so they wouldn't even fit there - we had to keep them in the truck bed. And they are heavy.
So we've just been using those at home, and for travel - these.
Very comfy, still heavy, but not as much. And a bit narrower, so they fit in the storage compartments. We used to carry these under the bed platform in the storage depths for the pop-up Starcraft camper we had for 10 years.
Either of these would fit in the back seat area of the truck, and for now at least, one pair will do so.
But I've been eyeing that camper back-wall now for years. Every idea I've had, I've discounted. Whatever goes back there - if anything - must be "just right".
I found these for sale online.
Yeah Baby! Now were talking!
But when push came to shove, they were too pricey, too heavy, and two large of a depth when folded.
Then how to hang chairs back there? And the hanging depth of two chairs are going to affect the full door opening. That would require some custom mods. And still will - likely speaking.
I've also been eyeing for years, the Skamper Camper's (parts camper) rooftop luggage rack and back-wall ladder. 1995. Not exactly vintage, but could be made to look so - and it's aluminum. So I took it all down...
And made this out of the pieces.
That's not installed. It's hanging on the window frame.
From there you can get ladder hooks made to hold chairs, from Camping World or some such. Even custom made stuff.
But we just weren't feeling it. It simply felt like the wrong look for Queeny. I finally decided that we'd leave well enough alone, until we find exactly the right chairs, then perhaps make something appropriate to hold them back here. Until then, it remains a blank canvas.
Now I hope Lil' Queeny isn't afraid of heights. She's soon to be elevated - 2'8" from her current height. The truck bed is 36" off the ground. She's currently sitting on an 8" camper dolly. So after calculating specific numbers and circumstances, I discovered that once she is on the truck, I'll be staring right at her rear door-knob. Sitting on this rolling chair placed me at the right height.
That's the info I needed to determine how to install an awning. No - we don't want a modern motorized roll-out awning. That's just wrong! For her I mean.
No - we want the vintage style "rope on an edge" awning, like a Jeep Door for a soft top. And I knew where one was. ;)
Right here on
Fair Weather June.
Because on HER, we'd probably do the modern motorized roll-out awning.
I removed her 14' and 2' pieces on a recent "not so windy day".
Then from ground level (sitting in my rolling chair), I raised my arms to a comfortable height, and discovered that height was well below the top of the window. It was more important to us to be able to deploy our awning without a step stool, than it was to shade the side of the camper.
So from the longer length, I cut ends off to get me into best existing holes alignment. And the chosen height was here.
After paint removal, and all the previously reported polishing techniques (wire brushes, sand paper and steel wool, oh my!), we got this.
That's just set in approximation.
I cut the end off to allow screw alignment in the painted over screw on the right.
Leaving this end hanging long.
This was going to require removing the window. I wanted to retain the window flange holes, so I wanted the awning rail UNDER the window flange.
After window removal, I reset the existing new butyl on both surfaces. Adding a bit here and there.
Cut my angled end (with DW's help).
And screwed it all up. That is to say, installed it with screws.
Here's the back end - jack head on the right, rear camper corner on the left, awning rail profile in between.
This pulled the window sides a bit from the wall like this.
Then after a day of oozing, I fine-turned screws and got this.
The seams are actually smaller than the photo indicates. I like it!
So now I need to order fabric, and play some more with my sewing machine. But to do that job right (awning poles), I want the camper on the truck.
Once in a blue moon, as my folks used to say, a man finishes his camper restoration. And that is right around the corner.
