I purchased this 84 Coleman Columbia popup tent trailer and started rebuilding it a year ago . I have taken a lot of inspiration and ideas from other people’s rebuild projects that I found on the web.
I started this project a year ago and took pictures along the way (See slideshow below). I was a weekend warrior on this project. It was more like 1-2 weekends a month (and usually just Saturdays). I would have to say a rough guess would put total time at 25 full 16 hour days. The time and cost has spanned over 11 months so far.
I’ll lay out the costs here:
- $30 – new paint (it is oil based, farm tractor paint in white from Neumann Paint and Supply 928-472-9054)
- $17 – HVLP paint sprayer (Harbor Freight)
- $16 – floor tiles
- $23 – Cover material for foam (think vinyl from Wal-Mart)
- $129 – New 3″ Foam (H & R Sales in Phoenix – great place, great price – I HIGHLY recommend them.)
- $25 – 2×2’s & 2×4’s for framing of cabinets.
- $60 – New wood cabinet facials. It is an oak veneer over 1/8″ plywood. (Habitat for Humanity store)
- $15 – New plumbing supplies (hose filter washers,
hoses
, clamps)
- $70 – New Porta Potti 135 RV (Camping World
)
- $30 – New pump (Harbor Freight)
- $75 – Electrical supplies (wire, fuse block, DC outlets, battery box
- I already had the deep cycle battery from my boat, otherwise that is an additional $65 at least.)
- $70 – odds and ends (screws, nails, light bulbs, etc)
Everything else I had collected as donations from friends garages (like the counter top for the galley, the slide rails for the pull out shelf) and from the trailer itself (galley sink, faucet, hinges, etc.)
And Finally…
Total out the door so far $660. And I have yet to do all the neat Modifications, like hanging shelves etc.
I am in the process of writing a series of step by step articles (with pictures!) about my restoration process. The first article will be about painting the popup. If you would like to be notified about that series, please click here.
Here is the slideshow:
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I have an old, pop up tent trailer. The fabric on the walls in deteriorating. Is there anything I can use to revitalize it? Is leaving it open hurting it?
@Joe – Do you mean the Canvas of the popup? If so, weather can adversly affect Canvas – keeping it closed helps to preserve and protect the Canvas. For example, the sun “bakes” and causes the Canvas to dry-rot. There is not much you can do for dry-rotted Canvas except cut it out and sew new canvas in it’s place.
If it isn’t the Canvas you are talking about, can you be more specific?
Great blog…I wanted to read/see more. I tried to subscribe to your emails but it always had errors. This is what I want to do some day and I love to read about what other people have done. Also, you never mentioned what kind of a deal you got on the tent trailer.
Thanks, Niels
Great Job! on your restoration of your vintage pop up. We bought a 85 coleman Chesapeake 11′ in oct ‘08. and so far have replaced the roof inside and out, lights, cabinets, sink, stove, all the cables, new tires. And bought the new canvas. Will put it in after we paint the box.
I need to update my webshots but heres my link, and my blog.
Keep up the great work, oh and popup portal is the place to be. Love it.
Sharon
I'm in the prossess of rebuilding a 1985 coleman sequaia pop up its 11foot long and 6ft wide so far we had replaced the inside of the roof and fiberglassed over the outside of the roof.can you keep us posted on your progress thanks
sorry i miss spelled sequoia
How did you replace the inside of the roof? I need to do the same.
Thanks,
Kerry
Hi Kerry, I am also trying to replace the ceiling in my 1979 coleman brandywine. I called fleetwood trailers and they we not much help(main Factory). If you get any info. on this can you let me know? Thank you, Rick
Where is the link and how did you replace the inside roof? I just got a Starcraft Meteor and the roof is rotted
So sorry I just now saw the link to Sharons webshot page. I really would like any advice on fixing this trailer, Me and My husband are a young couple so we don't have a lot of money to spend fixing this trailer up but can't wait to start. My dad's girlfriend gave us the camper and I am really not sure what year it is but know it needs a lot of repair work. I am so thankful for Jeff's slide show and description. If any one has any advice it would be greatly appreciated
Geez! for got the dang link. sorry.
http://community.webshots.com/user/msrmobley85
Sharon
I have a full set of canvas for a 1984 Coleman Shenandoah popup. It is in very good condition. This ia a replacement canvas from coleman. It is gray in color. I will sell for $400.00. 716-667-0127
Do you still have this canvas? I'm in need of it.
michael@sterling-clark.com
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may i ask where you live? we are in Ontario and looking for this exact thing
oopsy….here is my email nadeen2@sympatico.ca
Hi. We just bought a 1975 used tent trailer Bonair 1200 & are in the process of renovating it. The previous owner had some damage to the front side after it fell on the road. We have taken off the aluminum siding on the front & door side & reconstructed the front which is in three parts due to the shape. We just finished redoing the wood framing on the door side & attached the door to it. (had to do it this way to make sure the door fit was ok before the final attaching) Problem is no matter what we do we can't seem to get the door to hang properly so that we can reattach the side to the frame. We levelled everything & have tried repositioning the wall frame so many times that I am ready to give up! So close to finished, …..yet so far. Does anybody have any ideas what the problem might be?Great work on your 84 coleman tent trailer Jeff. I watched your slideshow , it was very interesting & obviously a pretty big job.
Lorna,
Do you have pictures of the current state of the popup? I think it would be very beneficial to see exactly what is going on with the side.
Hi Jeff. Sorry it took so long getting back to you with the pictures. We've had a lot of rain, & life has been pretty hectic these past few days. Today we tried again with the trailer. We put up a large tarp over the trailer in case it poured again. It did. My brother had mentioned that we should have had the trailer on stands on all 4 corners & leveled that way, not just on the hitch stand. So we gave that a try & we saw that it did make some difference. Then we re-checked the side wall that we had redone & realized that we were about 1/4" too thick to be able to put the wall on, so because we had used PL Premium along with screws there was no way we could adjust that wall & we had to remake it again. Being an older trailer there is no pre-formed box on the outside. The walls are fastened to the floor & seat bench & then they are tied into the 3 piece front. After these are fastened down there is metal siding put over this & a one-piece front cover. When the rain finished a strong wind came up & the tarp practically knocked me off my feet so we now had to take down the tarp. Once we had remade the side wall & re-attached the door we realized that the reason the bottom of the door was sticking out was because the top of the side wall needed to be pulled out slightly, so we did that but found that it is the bench that will keep that in alignment. So we checked the bench & found that it was leaning inside a little too much & there would have been no way that the table would have gone down for sleeping. So then we readjusted the bench. Then we reattached the front two bottom panels & screwed them into the side wall. We then discovered that when we did that it pulled the door about 2" away from being able to close. I'm at a loss. The way I see it all the pieces should go back together just like a puzzle. Everything that we changed we used the old stuff for templates & double-checked everything. I just don't understand. The time that we have spent on this is just crazy. It's not rocket science. By the way this will be the 4th trailer that we have done some sort of reno on, & I have never seen anything take so long as this. So now we have called it a day, a frustrating day. Tomorrow they are calling for more rain. If you look up & you see a tent trailer flying through the air it will just be this one. I'm hoping that our frustrations will somehow help someone. What drives us to try & redo trailers anyway? I know that when tomorrow morning comes we'll be up for the challenge again with dreams of this wonderful finished trailer. I know this all sounds pretty mind boggling but if you think you even have the slightest idea or suggestion for us I would more than welcome it.Tks, Have a nice evening.p.s. can you tell me if I have subscribed to RV Hobby I can't remember if I did or not. I took some pictures of the trailer to send to you, and my e-mail is listed below (it says not displayed publicly but you must be able to see it?) so if you can please send me an e-mail to that address I would be able to send you the pictures.
I am doing same with an 84 Columbia. Where can I get new door seals, part #4710F4101?
Problem solved! Rule #1: Nothing is perfect. We should have taken pictures or made some notes before we started the reno. The wall that we reconstructed using the original as a template needed to be raised up about the thickness of a roof shingle for about a foot or so to the right of the door.I don't know if it ever really sat properly attached on the floor as we were trying to do. We also cut 2 pieces of 1×2 and placed them temporarily from one side to the other in the bed track to keep the wall out& properly aligned. Then we made sure the table top was in the lowered position so that the bench on the wall we were working on was now pushed firmly against the wall. On the floor under the bench we screwed down a 2×2 to the floor & then on the outside once we made sure the door was ok to close we screwed the bottom part of the wall into this 2×2, and then screwed the rest of the wall into the bench. after that we were able to reattach the front end to the side. It now seems stronger than it was before.Having the trailer on stands & leveled on all 4 corners was necessary. All we have to do now is replace the foam board insulation that was there & the outer panels & trim. Originally I responded to Jeff's reno on his '84 Coleman tent trailer & had asked for some advise. I hope that our experience helps some one else should they try to repair an older trailer like our '75 Bonair 1200.
Great job! I just bought a 982 Redwood and am working on it…One thing, do you have any pictures of how the battery (12 vDC) is hooked up at the battery and inside…….the person who owned this before…..totally tore it all out. Leaving me with nothing really. any info on wire guage, fuse bus etc…..
Again great job and thanks for the posts
Bryan (Tempe)
Hi Bryan, not sure who you were asking about the 12 volt battery hookup. It's been "12" weeks now & you probably have your answer. If not I'll try & find out for you as I see that no one has replied. We've camped a few times in the '75 bonair this year & now we're fed up with the setting up etc. Been there, done that! In a few weeks I'll be starting a reno on a 21ft PMC weekender. I think it's a '76. Hoping I'll have it finished by spring. It has water damage, & I've already took out the ceiling, benches etc. After seeing those new 5th wheel Denali's I think I'm going to make some changes to this one other than the standard "trailer" look. How is the reno going on the Redwood. Must be finished?
What is the curb and gross weight of your tent trailer, Jeff? I'm looking at a Coleman camping trailer model 360. I believe it was made in 1979. I can't seem to find the curb or gross weight listed anywhere and the owner doesn't know either. I think it may be similar in weight to yours. You can e-mail me at margaret.kovach@gmail.com. Thanks!
Looks like I might be wrong about the manufacture date. It might be 1969, but I'm not too sure. I can't find much about it on the internet.
No, I don't. I am going to look at the camper tomorrow. It is being given away for free and the owner doesn't seem to know much about it. She only knew it is a Coleman camping trailer model 360. When I searched for that on Google, I came across this link http://www.popupportal.com/index.php?action=page%... which lists the model 360 in 1969. This link has a pdf version of the owner's manual. It doesn't list a curb weight or size though. Here is a link to the camper I am looking at: http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/zip/1279674959.h...
Thanks,
Maggie
does any one know how to hook up the battery on a 1984 coleman redwood there are no wires for it
My '82 Redwood has no provisions for a battery, though one could be added. The 12 volt system runs directly off of a 6 amp battery charger.
any idea where to purchase a new rail for the queen bed to slide on for a coleman 92 camper.. Front door side???
Jeff, that was a great buy on that '82 Fleetwood Jamboree. It looks to be in great shape! Hope you & your family are enjoying it.
I have a 84 coleman cape cod that I have been renovating. I've redone most of the inside and the canvas and windows are less than 3 years old. I am looking for the replacement caps that go on the outside corners of the roof. Does anyone know where I can find some? I am at a loss for where to look. Thanks for the help
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/252687703010... This person might be able to assist.
I bought a tent trailer to restore, but am stumped on the roof. What material did you use that was light enough???
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I've got a 1985 Coleman Columbia that we are going to start restoring. I've already purchased a new canvas. However, I am in need of a source to buy all of the other odds and ends for the camper. Right now, I need the four rubber/plastic corners for the exterior top. Any idea where to get em? i need a good place to find old camper parts…
im looking for a entry door for my pop up its a coleman can anybody help me out if so let me know
I have a 1987 Coleman Ligonier pop-up. Interior and trailer itself is in great shape, however the canvas is shot. Can anyone point me in the right direction to order new canvas? The Coleman web site wasn't very helpful. We use the camper frequently and the canvas is getting worse by the minute. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Jay. e-mail jsn5236@gmail.com.
Hi i have a 1980 coleman brandywine ltd. Two things i need to do. One replace the internal part of the roof due to a leak whats the best way to do this? and second since i’m replacing the roof i’m installing a roof mount ac unit. Do i need to add braces. Any place where i can get parts, manual, etc for this pop up??? Thanks Ron D
I have a Coleman Santa Fe I need the roof weatherseal for it. Does anyone know where I can get some cheap? Ron
I have a 1977 Shasta Travel Trailer and the floor is completely rotted out. We have it stripped down to the bare metal, which is rusted through as well, is there anyway we can patch this aluminum and rebuild?
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We just inherited a 1984 coleman columbia in really great shape. However, the bed bow for the small end broke and I am having trouble finding it. Anybody know how to fix it or a place to get a replacement part? Thanks!