Hallmark Popup Roof Built - Not Closing at Opposite Corners

[flysar]

I purchased a 91 Hallmark Cuchara for my son and I to use as our hunting/fishing mobile camp with conveniences. All appliances work but it needed a good cleanup and some wood repair... no problem I'll have it ready by summer, famous last words.

The roof was in poor shape so a few months ago I tore it off and yesterday I put a newly rebuilt one on. Built with wood, 1" rigid foam, glue, Kreg screws and staples, as original, except I could not reuse the aluminum ceiling and roof so I used luan panels on the ceiling, added a wood lip that will act as the weather seal when closed, and plan to fiberglass the roof and weather seal.

In the open position I have uniform height all around of 23.250" at the 4 attaching points and the roof looks straight and level. Fully lowered the roof touches the base in opposing corners and the other corners are raised 2 or more inches; I did not make any changes to the Heco lift system. Within 3" of the low corners touching the base you can easily see the roof on the passenger side is higher in the front than in the back and on the drivers side it is higher in the back than in the front. I know the torsion system works because I could not lower the lift system when the roof was off. I can't lower the system far enough to lower the high corners without putting a lot of pressure on the handle and it doesn't stay in place. I can pull the high corners down and probably latch them for travel but I'm afraid that will put stress on the fiberglass and latches and on rough roads something will fail. On my Heco lift the torsion rods are in the lower tube mounted at bed height.

If someone is familiar with this lift system and has any ideas on correcting the problem I'd really like to talk with you.

Thank you

[flysar]

I talked with Hallmark this morning they suspected bent tubes and/or faulty torsion bar(s).

As Hallmark suspected, bent and poorly aligned when welded bars were the problem - she's laying much better now.

Took a 2' & 4' straight edge to everything and found out the Drivers side (low in front) had a bent horizontal support bar forward of it's vertical support out to the roof bracket. But the real culprit on the drivers side was the forward vertical support bar (when the roof is up) was bent out or bent down (when lowered) which caused the front on the drivers side to contact early. After straightening those 2 bars it almost leveled out the front when lowered.

There were no bent bars on the passenger side (high in front) but I did see that the rear of the U-shaped support tube was not in alignment with the front, essentially twisted. I removed the passenger side assembly and as suspected the 8" tubes that are welded perpendicular to the horizontal top bar and insert into the U-shaped assembly were not in alignment with each other; either originally welded that way or possibly the torsion rod twisted the tube (not likely). Took the bar out to my trusty y-crotched tree that I use for straightening T-fence posts and twisted the tube putting them both in alignment. When assembled it raised the passenger side back end which pretty much leveled everything out when lowered.

Talk to enough folks, attack things step-by-step and with a little sweat equity this project is back on track; now I need to start laying fiberglass.

Thanks for the feedback.

[fishing2]

flysar
I allways need to pull down on the top on my starcraft a bit. I don't try to crank it down to hard just take the pressure of then pull down with one hand and latche it.

[popeyemth]

I'd load the low end a tad more the more pre-load the easier the roof will crank up especially if you add a 100 lb AC unit

[flysar]

popeyemth wrote:
Yes you can check that way IF there is no pre-load on the torsion bars .
The simplest answer would be the arms are out of phase when raised I E one is turned lower than the other.
Good Luck, Mike

OK, so if both ends still have torsion I guess I could unload the high end a little, right?

[popeyemth]

Yes you can check that way IF there is no pre-load on the torsion bars .
The simplest answer would be the arms are out of phase when raised I E one is turned lower than the other.
Good Luck, Mike

[flysar]

My limited understanding of the torsion system it that there is a square rod that runs through the tube which is inserted into stationary receivers at both end attaching points and then there is also a receiver in the tube that is welded to the tube. When open there is no torsion on the rod but when closed the rod rotates with the tube creating torsion which assists you in raising the top back to the neutral position.

Is it possible that the torsion rod on the low end on each side has failed and the high end is good?

I should be able to raise the roof (rested position) support it, unbolt the attaching ends and then see if either end rotates freely or easier than the other side, correct?

[flysar]

Bumpyroad wrote:
did it sit right before you removed it?
bumpy

The roof seemed to close fine but it was so rotted and limp it would be hard to tell if that was by design; pretty much the 2 skins of aluminum holding it all together.

I'm assuming it was like that from the manufacturer so you would think it would be straight the odd thing is when in the lowered position the attaching points aren't the same height; passenger side front is visibly higher than the rear.

[Bumpyroad]

did it sit right before you removed it?
bumpy