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Old 09-17-2016, 09:41 AM   #41
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I'll tell you what; I'm not sure who did repairs on this roof before but they must have used every kind of caulk except lap sealant. I've had the roof on for a week and its a slow process to clean all the trim to get it to an installable state. Its progressing though. I haven't even installed anything back on the roof yet like vents, ac, or skylights. I was successful in getting her water tight against rain though. Its a slow process but its coming along well. We had a pretty good thunder storm last night and the roof is watertight. I did order some gutter spouts this morning though after watching the rain exit the gutters. I'll shoot a video tomorrow and let everyone see the progress so far. You guys have helped me immensely with all your ideas and suggestions on the proper ways of fixing her up. I greatly appreciate all the knowledge you guys are willing to share. Hopefully folks in the future will use this thread to help them get through some pretty substantial repairs.
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Old 09-17-2016, 01:09 PM   #42
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Hi Phil,

Yes, cleaning up the moldings etc is a job. I can attest even if the correct sealing tape and caulk is used, it is a job... It took both my son and I over 2 complete days working to clean up all the corners, gutters, roof flanges etc. We did it in multiple days breaking up the tasks but still it was a job. For a dealer charging time, it's cheaper to buy all new moldings... charging to clean up the old will cost a small fortune.

In our case, mineral spirits will soften up putty or butyl tape and rub..... Plastic scrapers get you close then the mineral spirits to get the rest. In some cases a little heat from a heat gun will soften it up and then scrape. Again using plastic scrapers where you can to not scratch. After everything was off, then paint thinner or car paint cleaner to get any oily residue off before putting fresh butyl on.

If they used silly cone or other sealants, well that adds another layer of issues...

We also flattened out the moldings after all the goo was off them. Put a metal strip under then, a metal strip on top and dead blow hammer flattened them at the screw holes. Like this





The lower anvil was aluminum where it would fit.

Your doing great, keep up the good work and looking forward to the next picture installment...

John
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Old 09-18-2016, 06:01 AM   #43
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Great minds think alike. I did it the same way with just a couple of differences. I used denatured alcohol after the mineral spirits and a body hammer and dolly on the staightening part. It been on and off rainy this weekend so far but the Sunny is bone dry inside. It's a great feeling to have finally got the major problem taken care of. The rest is not so daunting and is all pretty straight forward. Once the exterior is finished I'll be independent of the weather and progress will move along pretty well.
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Old 09-28-2016, 08:00 PM   #44
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Hey guys, I'm making progress slowly. It seems I keep running out of materials.... So while I was waiting for stuff to come in, I thought I'd take a look at the door. Its the last thing I have to install to seal up the Sunny. I pulled it out of the camper(its been stored across the dinette) and put in the shop for a quick once over. Ya' know clean off all the old putty tape and prep it for reinstall. Well, apparently it took a hit either from my son or the previous owner. I looked it over and decided to replace the outer piece of FRP(Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) so I started with a heavy putty knife and began pealing back the damaged side. Of course this was after pulling all the aluminum casing off. Here is what I stared with.

The next pic is of the damage.

When I got the FRP off here is what I found. The bottom of the door. The wood fell apart as I pulled the FRP off. Completely rotted.

And the top.


So it looks like I'll be rebuilding the door. Not too difficult, I just have to be sure to create a replacement that will be 1-1/2 inches thick, so it will fit in the aluminum casing again. I'll photo document the process as it won't be too involved. Basically I'll take some treated lumber and build a skeleton as the original is built and use some XPS type foam board to fill the space. Then its laminate some new FRP on both sides and route out the holes for the window and the door latch.
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Old 09-29-2016, 04:58 AM   #45
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I did the same job on my 92 Solaris and I increased the width (height in the door's case) of the replacement bottom wood member to give more strength to the door. Whenever the door is pushed against the hold-open catch, it causes the frame to twist, so a wider piece of wood gives it a little more strength.
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Old 09-29-2016, 09:25 AM   #46
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Quote:
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I did the same job on my 92 Solaris and I increased the width (height in the door's case) of the replacement bottom wood member to give more strength to the door. Whenever the door is pushed against the hold-open catch, it causes the frame to twist, so a wider piece of wood gives it a little more strength.
Rich
Good idea. My dad rebuilt one of mine in the past and added an extra crossmember in the middle of the door for strength too.

The whole reason the wood rotted was because the aluminum door frame doesn't seal tight against the texture of the FRP panel, so water constantly collects in there. Just a bad design. Interestingly, by 1997, they had an aluminum channel frame wrapping the wood inside.

Also found that with new FRP, it's thicker than the original stuff, so you may have a hard time fitting it back together. My dad routed the FRP smooth on the edges so that it could fit in, which also helped with the water issue, even though he siliconed it too.

The good news is, despite the added delay, you'll have a better door than new when done.
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Old 09-29-2016, 02:34 PM   #47
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Good idea. My dad rebuilt one of mine in the past and added an extra crossmember in the middle of the door for strength too.

The whole reason the wood rotted was because the aluminum door frame doesn't seal tight against the texture of the FRP panel, so water constantly collects in there. Just a bad design. Interestingly, by 1998, they had an aluminum channel frame wrapping the wood inside.

Also found that with new FRP, it's thicker than the original stuff, so you may have a hard time fitting it back together. My dad routed the FRP smooth on the edges so that it could fit in, which also helped with the water issue, even though he siliconed it too.

The good news is, despite the added delay, you'll have a better door than new when done.
You're right the original Frp is about .035" while the new stuff is .090". It won't matter too much as long as the stacked assembly is 1.5". It's a matter of ripping the wood frame the correct thickness. I will definitely be looking at a bit more strength in the timber members. I might even fire up the Tig machine and weld one up out of aluminum stock. The trick with frp is to get a good lamination as the sandwich will be pretty stout once glued up. I used to use pallets of frp when I was building restaurants. It's pretty great stuff if used correctly.
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Old 10-28-2016, 08:46 PM   #48
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It's looking good, Phil! Thanks for sharing the videos! I spent a good hour or so watching and reading. Haha!


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Old 12-22-2016, 08:28 PM   #49
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Having done some work like this, my hat's off to anyone who attempts it. My work (with lots of help from dad!!) was on our last trailer, an 83 Prowler Lite:

Camper Repair

We've had our 89 Sunline T2000 for just shy of 10 years now. I bought it with a couple of soft spots in it...it has developed a few more unfortunately. I did pull a bit of one corners apart on the inside, fearing the worst as it seemed loose and paneling was coming apart, but it just wasn't attached real good inside. Fixed it up and covered it up, and it's been doing OK. I know there are other places that have water damage...I'm honestly afraid to know just how much all around! A couple of years ago I had one of those (relatively) inexpensive metal carport covers installed to park it under. Best thing I ever did! Worth every penny for protecting the trailer. Sad part is, between the concrete I ended up pouring and the carport itself, I spent more than the trailer is worth. But, should be good even if we get another trailer down the road...though it would be hard to find one I like as well...camping at the beach in the summer with no AC, you have to have those big jalousie windows!! The only down side to the carport is that you don't know about any new leaks until you are far from home...

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Old 12-23-2016, 04:47 AM   #50
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Ditto on the carport, I just finished modifying a Costco 10'x20' vinyl wrapped carport to fit our T-2499. It's a tight fit getting it inside, but it's so good to know it's clean, dry and out of the UV rays of the sun! I plan on parking it in there all year round between camping trips.
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Old 12-23-2016, 06:22 PM   #51
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Having done some work like this, my hat's off to anyone who attempts it. My work (with lots of help from dad!!) was on our last trailer, an 83 Prowler Lite:

Camper Repair

Wesley
Hi Wesley,

WOW... that was a rebuild... Good job!!!

While it is not great to have a water infected camper... these stick and tin campers can be rebuilt with folks who have woodworking skills. And the skills can be just beginners too. If one has the time, the materials are not that bad in cost. The time one the other hand, is a labor of love for sure.

It is always nice to see the repairs folks do. We all pick up things from these. There are many ways to rebuild a camper.

Thanks for sharing.

John
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