Don't trust anyone!! Repairs that should'nt have to be made.

[FiveORacing]

Originally Posted by Gene

That is quite a project.

Here is a link to a 2362 with similar problems.

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...pair-9066.html

Thanks Gene. Very similar. That thread will be handy as I go through this.

[Anita1]

I'm curious, could you smell any mold on the inside of the camper? Musty????

I was lied to on my camper too and I feel exactly as you do. The guy was at least 82 years old...one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel and the guy ripped us off. The world is a crazy place. I guess in the end it all comes back to something your Mom probably told you when you were 6 years old, "it doesn't matter what anyone else does, it only matters what YOU do." Keep living the good and honest life so that you can look into the mirror and respect yourself at the end of every day. There is reward in that and self respect is all you will ever need.

[Poppy & Nana]

Originally Posted by Anita1

I'm curious, could you smell any mold on the inside of the camper? Musty????

I was lied to on my camper too and I feel exactly as you do. The guy was at least 82 years old...one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel and the guy ripped us off. The world is a crazy place. I guess in the end it all comes back to something your Mom probably told you when you were 6 years old, "it doesn't matter what anyone else does, it only matters what YOU do." Keep living the good and honest life so that you can look into the mirror and respect yourself at the end of every day. There is reward in that and self respect is all you will ever need.

And it sure makes it easier to get through those "Pearly gates" in the end!

[FiveORacing]

Originally Posted by Anita1

I'm curious, could you smell any mold on the inside of the camper? Musty????

I was lied to on my camper too and I feel exactly as you do. The guy was at least 82 years old...one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel and the guy ripped us off. The world is a crazy place. I guess in the end it all comes back to something your Mom probably told you when you were 6 years old, "it doesn't matter what anyone else does, it only matters what YOU do." Keep living the good and honest life so that you can look into the mirror and respect yourself at the end of every day. There is reward in that and self respect is all you will ever need.

Didn't really smell mold, it was musty, but we were told and assumed it was that the trailer had just been opened after being closed up a while. There were signs, and we were mislead when we asked specific questions. If you have tin foil under the table leaf it's not because you're eccentric and afraid the stain on the table leaf would leave a mark on the carpet. You know that the carpet got wet. Carpet doesn't dry out on its own and they said they went to check on the trailer after the storm that broke the back window. Battery worked perfect while I was looking at the trailer. (should have, the battery charger was right there.) but was deader than a doornail when I got home. I mean, who charges a battery before selling a vehicle because you know it's bad? How hard is it to say " she'll need a battery." I have bought and sold about a hundred vehicles in my life (this was the first used camper) and never ever covered up one thing. Ever. Never hoped they wouldn't ask a specific question I didn't want to answer. Never failed to mention something bad I knew about a car.

We asked all the right questions, but if we had gotten honest answers, we wouldn't have bought the trailer. What's that old Buddhist belief about Karma?

Please don't tell me how stupid I was to buy this trailer. I know it.

[Anita1]

You weren't stupid...you are just an honest decent person that got taken advantage of by an evil person. You have NOTHING to feel bad about. NOTHING.

I felt stupid too but in the end we see the world through our own values and I never want those values to change and neither should you.

You are a better person that a lot of others. Be proud of that.

[frank]

Originally Posted by FiveORacing

Thanks Gene. Very similar. That thread will be handy as I go through this.

I don't get to spend as much time on the forum as I'd like, but that is my repair thread from when we had the same issue.

As I recall from one of your other posts you are only about a half hour away from me. If you have any questions or want a second opinion feel free to shoot me an email or PM on here.

- Frank

[Sunline Fan]

Not to mention too that Frank and his brother built one AWESOME homemade trailer, so he has A LOT of knowledge to share.

Sunlines do have a unique smell to them when new that still comes around when they've been closed up. I'm fortunate to still have this smell. Once a trailer starts leaking, it'll smell musty inside, and even after replacing the rotted wood, I don't think it'll ever have that same factory smell back.

What's the issue with the taillights? The hole is big so that the lights can be installed/changed out easily so that wires with wire nuts on them can fit through. The plastic grommet very sufficiently prevents the wires from coming in contact with the edge of the aluminum. Not sure where you think foam is needed, but insulation is in the wall. The taillight is installed with putty tape all the way around to seal it. The back wall doesn't have water running down it regularly, so they didn't need to put roof sealant on the top of the taillights. They did on the tops of the clearance lights, which is something most manufacturers don't do.

I have heard a lot of people say they think a trailer must just smell a certain way because it has been closed up a while. I don't want to say it's a lie because no one usually tries to say otherwise, but I'm inclined to say it's a myth. Closed up for two days or a year, it shouldn't smell much different, unless of course water got in.

My last trailer had just that. A bad musty smell that I thought was from sitting near the woods (where it had sat for maybe 3-4 years, and was stored there a lot before), or from the guy's cat. Cleaned EVERYTHING, tried smell removers, etc. Finally found the water damage, replaced all the wood parts that needed to be, and then sold it. Couldn't turn down the chance at one of the last new ones left, even if it meant driving out to Jersey to get it. That damage was a little different though because it came from an internal leak- the kitchen sink drain, due to poor/lack of winterizing one year and a poor repair attempt by the PO. It must have happened early on and dripped down over the years. If I were to ever buy another Sunline, or if I look at one for someone, I definitely take smell into a much higher consideration than ever before. Even if the main part of the trailer doesn't smell like the Sunline smell, the inside of the cabinets (or at least non-kitchen) should still.

While it does seem like you did get a problem one, it the big picture, it isn't bad at all. Just google for Aerolite problems and you'll see what I mean. They, particularly the ones from the late '90s, were built so poorly that there really isn't much left to save after digging into them. They sure were hot around here at the time, but these days they are definitely something to be avoided. While Sunline construction wasn't perfect, it's far superior to most of the competition out there.

[FiveORacing]

Sorry if I'm being a little tough on the brand, just not happy to be doing this when I should be at at the campsite I reserved and now lost money on. Having said that, I do enjoy working on things and the project is rolling along. I just prefer to choose what I want to work on and I have two cars I'm trying to rebuild.

Didn't make a ton of progress today as I has a couple of tough spots to get out. The corners pieces had a ton of fasteners in them and it was hard to get cutting tools in there. My multi-function vibrating cutter was a lifesaver today. Here's the corner before I cut out the last two pieces.

[FiveORacing]

All the bad wood is out and I started the rebuild. Here's the first piece ripped down and installed under the floor and bolted to the frame. More tomorrow.

[Poppy & Nana]

Joe at least you have the ability to do the repairs - can you just imagine how you would feel if you were not able to do them.

Your progress is so far along in just 2 or 3 days - just keep plugging along and keep posting pictures so all can learn from your experience.

Thanks for posting and the details explanation!

[Sunline Fan]

Oh no worries, I understand we all need to vent at times.

I hear ya on projects. I've got a boat I'm working on now that I hoped to spend the day working on, but since it isn't at home, I have to drive there. My car is clean, as in I basically detail it all the time when I wash it. It's been about a week now and hasn't gotten caught in the rain. It's raining today. Clean car>boat progress...

[Sunline Fan]

I'm not sure if it would help you much at this point, but here's a link to pictures taken by Pat & Cindy (emam) while on a factory tour in September, 2006.

Sunline Coach Company Owner's Club - Sunline Travel Trailer Factory Tour

I'm not sure what happened to those pictures when we converted the website, so that's just a link to the web archive. Feel free to browse around there a bit too, including the forum part, which all has the feel of Sunline Club vintage summer 2008.

A real throwback is Sunline Club vintage January 2007!

Sunline Owner's Club

[FiveORacing]

Replaced all the studs with some ripped up PT wood and used wood glue and staple strips to firm them up. The wall studs are 1 x 1.5

[FiveORacing]

all the woodwork is done!!

[FiveORacing]

I had to split R13 insulation in half. Full thickness would have been too compressed. So I have R 6.5? Not sure what it came with.

[FiveORacing]

Just a few tools..... Outside is almost done. I'll post some pics of what the inside looks like after all this if anyone's interested? I have to replace the carpet and put everything back together.

[Anita1]

I'm definitely interested in the after pics!

[Gene]

That is quite a project and it looks good.

[Sunline Fan]

Same here! Good news is, you don't have much carpet, and you should be able to keep the main part of the vinyl floor without having to redo that too, I hope.

Keep up the great work!

[FiveORacing]

Waiting on an order of Dicor caulk and butyl tape and I can finish up the outside.