[SandDawg]

:howdy: This will be a long running project due to using reclaimed materials mostly for the rebuild to keep my investment down. :fing32:

Bought an 80-90's camper trailer off CL a few months back planning to refurbish it and take the family camping next summer. Had all new appliances, flat screen TV, car radio and a new portable A/C (rooftop unit inop.) Decided with the weather cooling off and four days off from work due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I'd start the repairs. Pulled camper out from under carport, I did get 2 days of work into it.

The previous owner said he'd repaired all kinds of things on the camper including the roof. Of course I knew he'd done a bunch of patch jobs just to sell it and for certain I'd have to replace the old roof membrane to make certain it was rain proof. I really liked the radio antennae he'd cut a hole in the roof membrane to install. He used rubber gasket on top (with lots of caulk) and a large fender washer on the inside to clamp it to the roof material it self. Leaked like a screen door on a submarine. :dunno: So there's more water damage than I'd hoped and several other problems I missed when looking it over before buying.

So far the roof removal was fun, day and a half of scraping caulk, tar, CoolSeal and anything else they could smear on to seal leaks with. Just to fight a couple hundred rusted out screws that was in rotten wood, basically sit and spin. Once the membrane was removed, the water / rodent damage could be seen. I'll be replacing all the rafters, insulation and ceiling with new wood I have stored.

If you noticed the wooden door on the rear of the camper, that's a fold down ramp. Previous owner made the camper into a toy hauler by cutting the back wall out. I'll be redoing the ramp, most likely with aluminum diamond tread plate. Thinking about making it with a fold up expanded mesh porch width and all most as tall as the camper that can be lowered as a ramp or jacked up for a rear porch. Just fold up and lock for travel. Just ideas knocking around in my head, like I said.....depends on scavenged materials.

Here's some pics to look over.

 

[SandDawg]

More pics due to limited file size. I'll need to start reducing my picture size I guess. :fing32:

As you can tell from the last roof pic, that repairs have been attempted from below by the previous owner. One new rafter at the front and all the newer yellow insulation. The front bedroom has a newer bathroom tile board ceiling that has buckled downward due to being installed wrong and rain leaks. Waste of time and $$ in my opinion since the roof still leaked. :dunno:

 

[Ingersoll444]

Looks like you have your work cut out for you

 

[RoyM]

I shudder when I see evidence of a roof leak, if water got into the walls you will have serious structural problems. We bought a fifth wheel that had a leak in the nose, the floor and lower 6" of the walls were rotted. I was able to fix it, we got a serviceable camper for 2 grand, but don't think I would try it again without a spacious fully equipped shop.

 

[SandDawg]

Ingersoll444: Looks like you have your work cut out for you

I agree, it's going to be a long term project.

RoyM: I shudder when I see evidence of a roof leak, if water got into the walls you will have serious structural problems.

Me too! I've decided to basically gut the interior and make it right. So far floors are good and wall studs seem good from above. Rafters are needing replaced along with the 2X2" outer rim to flush rafters with metal wall sheathing.

It's not going to be fancy....think they call it "RUSTIC". It's a camper, we'll be roughing it in the wild! :sidelaugh

 

[RoyM]

It was assembled from the inside out. The cabinets and appliances are installed then the walls are put up, the roof goes on last. I say this because gutting and trying to rebuild from the inside will be a difficult process and unless you have lots of time, patience, and fabricating skill may look less than satisfactory.

 

[Austen]

Thanks for starting the thread! It will be fun to follow along.

 

[SandDawg]

It was assembled from the inside out. The cabinets and appliances are installed then the walls are put up, the roof goes on last. I say this because gutting and trying to rebuild from the inside will be a difficult process and unless you have lots of time, patience, and fabricating skill may look less than satisfactory.

Agreed.

Right now the roof, overhead cabinets, rafters and ceiling will be removed completely. The walls I was planning to do after the roof was dried in....I'll have to look into how they are built.

Thanks for the heads up! :fing32:

Austen: Thanks for starting the thread! It will be fun to follow along.

Feel free to follow along.....Promise I'll edit the cuss words out and hope you like Horror stories! :sidelaugh

 

[FlintMich]

Do you plan to add a nice peak to the roof to improve watershed? That's my biggest complaint about RVs. Each of the 6 I've owned over the years eventually leaked from one extreme to the other. From a tiny water stain on the ceiling to a trailer full of mildew/mold when I opened the door in the late Spring for the first time since Fall. Ceiling, walls and floor were pretty much ruined. Since you are building the rafters, you could put a nice pitch on the roof to keep the water from sitting up there. I've noticed that more and more trailer manufacturers are peaking their roofs over the last several years - of course, now that my kids are grown and I'm out of the RV years of my life. Of course they start to make them better now!
:crybaby:

By the way, the PO actually did a nice job on that ramp door. When I read your first comment I assumed (shame on me) it was going to be a hack job but when I saw the pics I was pretty impressed. I'll definitely be following along on this one.
:fing32:
Oh, and keep the pictures comin!!!

 

[DJ in WV]

Boy oh boy. I see a glutton for punishment. I honestly think the pain and suffering of RV repair falls under a provision of the Geneva Convention.


You bet I'm subscribed. I'm sure I'll learn something. Nice cleanup on that roof too.

 

[steddy]

Ouch!
That takes me back to my days as service manager (and tech before that) at a local rv dealership. We saw this kind of stuff all the time on trade ins and people attempting to make an insurane claim. It's never pretty, nor is it ever a quick easy fix.
We considered actually just burning some of them to save ourselves the headache. After about 2 years, the manufacturer rarely stocks the original carpet, linoleum, paneling, wallpaper border, fabrics, etc, so we could hardly ever make them look perfect like people wanted. I did a 1992 Terry, complete roof tear off and replace. Never looked anything close to right, but very strong and never leaked.

 

[SandDawg]

Do you plan to add a nice peak to the roof to improve watershed?

Yes, I plan to arch the new rafters to give it more of a domed shape to keep puddles off the roof. That's one of the reasons I'm replacing all the rafters. I've already purchased a 10' x 25' RV 60 mil Black EPDM Roofing Kit so I'll have a little extra side to side, front and rear material to work with.

I want to reduce the amount of roof penetrations also....less openings, less opportunity for leaks in my mind. I'm doing away with the inoperable roof mounted A/C unit. Planning on a slim line wall mount unit, I'd like a heat pump but would have to upgrade the wiring to 220V. I'll be using a portable 110V A/C for now. The only roof vents I'll reinstall will be the fixed vent for the refrigerator, then adjustable vents in the bathroom (a must have with a 12V electric fan :fing32: ), shower and probably where the roof A/C was mounted over the kitchen area. This will help with air circulation and daytime lighting. Of course the plumbing vent as well, which was another big culprit in the roof leaking, a new boot and cap will be purchased.

By the way, the PO actually did a nice job on that ramp door. When I read your first comment I assumed (shame on me) it was going to be a hack job but when I saw the pics I was pretty impressed. I'll definitely be following along on this one.
:fing32:
Oh, and keep the pictures comin!!!

The PO did a fair job, I'll have to post better pics of the rear ramp for you. I'll have to replace the left window glass that's broken from when the PO slammed the door to hard. I do not like a few details on how he built the ramp/door. I plan on improving his design and making a more heavy duty but light weight ramp/door. My motorcycle weighs in at 900lbs with a full tank, then add me into the mix and that's a lot of weight! Thinking of a expanded metal hinged deck (with jack legs) that will fold up / locked against the back of camper for transport or down to the ground for a wider ramp into the trailer opening. Would be nice to sit back there for morning coffee over looking the lake.....OK, back to reality.

DJ in WV: Boy oh boy. I see a glutton for punishment.

Yes, I am the poster child for that phrase. :fing32:

steddy: Ouch!

Yup!

I'll probably be thinking of burning that camper before I'm finished with the refurb! Small steps with a lot of beer breaks will see the job done, I'm sure. :fing32:

steddy: After about 2 years, the manufacturer rarely stocks the original carpet, linoleum, paneling, wallpaper border, fabrics, etc, so we could hardly ever make them look perfect

No plans in trying to make it look perfect, I don't expect it to be.....it's an old camper. I'm going for usable, Rustic and with country charm. The charm part will be extra when / if I ever sale it. :kens:

 

[Ingersoll444]

OK, so Im not really a camper guy... Ive done some work on them, but nothing major... As for the roof stuff... Do you NEED to poke the vents and stuff through the roof? is there any side venting options?

 

[SandDawg]

OK, so Im not really a camper guy... Ive done some work on them, but nothing major... As for the roof stuff... Do you NEED to poke the vents and stuff through the roof? is there any side venting options?

I'm not a camper guy either....this is my first camper but not my first rodeo or getting back on the bull after being thrown.

Idea behind the roof vents is for sunlight to brighten the interior during the day and upward airflow ventilation (since heat rises) causing a cross draft from the partially open side windows. That's the idea anyway.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Ventline-V2111-11-Colonial-Horizontal-Exterior/dp/B000B8VWP8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449142109&sr=8-2&keywords=RV+wall+vents[/ame] These external exhaust vents could be used to penetrate the side walls. Then a decorative steel grill/grate on the interior. The steel grill is used so a magnetic sheet can cover the inside closing it off. Plus the vent it self has an exterior lockable baffle in it. [ame]http://www.amazon.com/ProMAG-White-Vinyl-Magnetic-Sheet/dp/B000PSL68C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1449143507&sr=8-4&keywords=sheet+magnet[/ame]



Seen home made pillow vent plugs for the square roof vents. Its a square insulating pillow used to plug the vent opening during the winter time to retain heat, either wedged in or Velcroed over the opening. Can be used to block sunlight during the day as well.


I'm leaning toward doing away with all the adjustable skylight vents except for the shower and bathroom. Now that you have me thinking of side vents I might do away with the refrigerator roof vent also. since the propane/electric fridge was replaced by an electric only model there's really no need for a large roof vent. Think I'll install a wall vent there behind the Dorm sized fridge. :fing32:

 

[tiretrx]

Looks like an interesting project......I'm on board :thThumbsU

 

[SandDawg]

Looks like an interesting project......I'm on board :thThumbsU

Welcome tiretrx hope the project will be entertaining.

Just started on your 95 page Gravely Custom endeavor posted in your signature, might take me a few days to get to the end of that post. :fing32:

Stay tuned, if the weather holds out I'll try to do some more on the camper this weekend.

 

[FordTractors]

Thank you for starting this thread. I have an older unit, I just bought and the roof is not in great shape, but no leaks. The guy I bought it from told me to put some paint on the roof and a tarp over the bump out. I am hoping to learn something here, I already did. The roof goes on last.

 

[SandDawg]

Thank you for starting this thread. I have an older unit, I just bought and the roof is not in great shape, but no leaks. The guy I bought it from told me to put some paint on the roof and a tarp over the bump out. I am hoping to learn something here, I already did. The roof goes on last.

Hope everyone who plans on repairing an RV can learn from my mistakes. :sidelaugh

Roof on last is not an option in this case, luckily I do have a tall enough carport to park the camper out of direct rain. Currently I've got black plastic sheeting covering the open rafters to help keep dew / blown rain out.

I will be replacing the ceiling throughout, rafters, insulation and roof membrane to dry in the camper. Then plan to start refurbishing the interior. Might even redesign the lay out of the kitchen a little.

 

[mikeinri]

Looking good!

My FIL and I did a roof and bunk (over cab) rebuild on my Class C RV about 9 years ago. Here are my lessons learned:

Go with the thickest plywood that will work for the roof. We stayed with the original luan, and it bows.

If you have a flat roof, add curve to the rafters to make it pitch. We didn't think of this until later.

Replace everything above the roofline. AC, all vents and antennae.

The biggest one: Rent a garage so I can work on it after dark.

Mike

 

[steddy]

Yes... Good advice. Just replace the roof vents 14x14, stink tank vents, and refrigerator vent, and fromt and rear edgemoldings that were covered with caulk. Makes reassembly 100x easier amd less prone to leak down the road. It only costs like $20 for each vent, and they come with new lids. Can't hardly clean the caulk off the flanges of the old and straighten them for that. Same with other vents and moldings. Tv antenna will ne fine, though.