Camper Remodel Diary Day 2 on our Jayco pop up camper. Removing the curtains and counter tops and checking out the lift system.
Day 2: Our first good look at the camper. Some troubleshooting, planning, and a little bit of demo.
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Pop Up Camper Remodel Diary Day 2
If you’re new here, start with Day 1 of our 1999 Jayco Pop Up Camper Remodel Diary!
Day 2 of this camper remodel diary wasn’t exactly day 2, but pretty close…
It wasn’t too long after getting our 1999 Jayco pop up home before we were able to pop her up and take a closer look inside!
Tearing out the curtains
It’s so satisfying to tear out those outdated, dirty, wrinkled curtains. Tearing out the valance may be even sweeter.
It’s always one of the first things to do because it’s so easy and all that fabric will get in your way anyway.
Also Read: Musty Camper Smell: How to get it out
I’m not sure what we’ll do yet for curtains…
In our first pop up camper, we were able to use the curtains – after a good cleaning – because they were a solid color and didn’t look terrible.
We definitely left the valance out completely.
In this camper, I feel like we’ll have to see what happens with the curtains to know whether we need a little something to cover up the seams/screws near the ceiling.
For now, I think the plan might be to add some fresh, white curtains to freshen everything up.
Removing the countertops
This camper layout doesn’t leave much room for countertops.
There is the one section that houses the sink and one even smaller section near the door.
The good news about this is that we can replace them easily! In fact, we even have enough scrap wood to build entire new surfaces. So excited!
The section of counter with the sink is in very rough shape anyway. The corner is a mess, and the faucet isn’t even attached. In addition, it catches when we flip it down for traveling. So, it needs a new one anyway!
The new sink counter will be just a touch shorter to clear the bed more easily.
It will also have the same faucet, which I’m not too excited about…
It needs the low profile to lay fat when folding it up. We could replace it in the same style with this shiny white faucet at least, but we’ll see…
Also Read: Outdoor Camper Kitchen Must-Haves
Canvas
One of the largest problems with this camper is the canvas. It’s a very tight fit on each bunk end, the entire side is missing a zipper and “sewed” together with fishing line, and the canvas also seems to be a bit twisted.
The problems with the canvas are actually part of a larger issue that is affecting many different parts.
It seems that the lift system is bit out of whack.
The back side raises higher than the front.
This is what caused the back zipper to break and separate…
It’s also the reason the door doesn’t fit properly…
It also causes the front side of the roof to need a push when putting the camper down…
Also Read: Pop Up Camper Replacement Parts Everyone is Buying
Checking out the cable system
The nice thing about this camper, compared to one’s we’ve looked at in the past, is that the cables are pretty easy to access.
Just behind the dinette, in the front of the camper, you can remove a board and see most of the cables easily.
I also really like where the crank for the cable lift system is on this camper. It’s right on the front side instead of down near the hitch under the bed like our last one. So nice, and much better on your back!
Our last task of the day was trying figure out the problem with the lift cable.
The first thing we did was add lubrication to all the sides and crank them up and down repeatedly. Added bonus, the stuff we used smells like a vanilla candle, so the whole camper smelled great for a few days.
That made a pretty big difference, but didn’t completely fix the problem. So, we watched the cables as we raised and lowered the roof.
It seems one of the cables is catching and needs some work, but that is a job for another day…
Pin to keep up with our progress!
