new owner, old camper

[amyrennie]

I am a first-time camper owner, and i have a 1966 Wheel Camper.  All I had to do on it was some minor repairs until one of the U-brackets (I don't know what any of the proper terminology is, please excuse me, and please correct me!) that hold the vertical poles in place that hold up the roof, well, one of the brackets popped off--or most of it did.  the bit that's left still has the screws/bolts in it, and i can't manage to unscrew them from the outside.  a handy friend of mine suggested that i'm going to have to get inside the camper (that can't be properly set up right now), rip out part of a bench and wall, and get to the screws/bolts from the inside.  i want to know first--where do i get a replacement part?  second--do i really have to rip out one of my walls and go in that way or is there a way to fix it from the outside? and third--should i get a professional to do it, if i can, which i doubt?  all this needs to be accomplished in about a week or less before i leave for the Arizona Renaissance Faire for two months--HELP!!

also, i've been reading that most other campers seem to crank up or otherwise lift mechanically.  mine you just grab one end and lift, while a buddy grabs the other and does the same, until the corner poles can be pinned into place.  is there somehting else majorly wrong with my camper, or is it just really really old?

[griffsmom]

Well, I don't have any answers for you , but I did want to say welcome to the boards!!  You've posted your question at the right place--there are a lot of campers here who are very knowledgeable and will probably know what to do to help you fix your problem.

I hope you are able to get your camper fixed so you are able to go to the Faire.  I love those old campers.  Feel free to share any pictures!!

[amyrennie]

thank you!  i called around in my area and found out that the camper and part are obsolete and the only people who do any work on pop-ups is backed up 3 weeks--but even though the news was bad, knowing is half the battle.  

so i got some really good tips on how to "invent" a solution and how to make it so it will work, look relatively nice and be sturdy.  so i now have a bag of steel plate and  steel strip and nuts and bolts and lots of hope that everything else goes smoothly.  

i am so glad to have found you guys.

[tlhdoc]

I too would like to welcome you to PUT.  Good luck with your trailer and if you have any pictures I would love to see it.  Feel free to post away with any questions or ideas that you come up with.

[gsm x2]

Amy...congratulations on the new-to-you camper.

The modern camper does CRANK up, but I believe many of the early campers pulled open like you describe.  My wife Georgeanne's parents had a camper that they nicknamed, "The Dumpster" because that's pretty much how it operated.  Lift up one side to OPEN, then repeat for the other side.
 
Atlanta to Arizona....that should be a wonderful trip.  Do you have to rush, or can you spend some time along the way?
 
gsm x2

[amyrennie]

tee-hee!  "dumpster"

I'm loosely caravanning with a friend, and we'll be taking four days (including a day of rest in dallas after the long first leg, where she has a friend).  it should be a nice trip.