1966 217 1/2 T

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JoeKan

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Jun 3, 2018
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I bought a 1966 Winnebago and I going to take it to the RV service place in my area for them to check out the roof to make sure it's not leaking. But I'm wanting to redo the interior, take out the old existing walls and then insulate and then install paneling. My problem is the compressed foam they used back in that  time. The way I understand this, they did not put any studs in the walls or ceiling beams in the ceiling, but the foam is what secures and stabilizes the walls, floor, cabinets, and roof. And the foam was heated/glued to the outside skin, which makes it almost impossible to separate the two (So I've been told).
What I hope to do is to gut it and then add studs and ceiling beams, but from what I've been told, doing it this way will knock the walls out of plum and it will be very very difficult to square the walls, ceiling and floor back up.
Is this true?? 
I don't want to take everything down to the frame.
Any one have any experience, advice, counsel?? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Joe
 
Wow, you are way beyond any owner maintenance/upgrade documented experiences here, and I've been hanging around for a bunch of years. But, welcome.
 
Well, there has to be some structure, but you are probably right that the foam bonded to the skin is a substantial part of the structural strength.  Newer RVs aren't all that different, with some light structural stiffening and much of the strength coming from vacuum-bonded lamination of the side walls.  I have no experience or insight into the problems you face, however.

Taking the old coach to a dealer to check for leaks is probably a waste of money.  You should be able to spot leaks yourself from the inside, stains, ripples in the interior wall covering, soft spots on the floor, etc.  Will this dealer just visually inspect, or do they do the internal air pressure thing with the rig in a water spray?

I hope this is a labor of love to prodcue a collectible, cause no way will it be economical to restore that old timer!
 
Having worked in an rv plant many years ago I am familiar with the type of construction you are facing. I am not saying your goal is impossible but it will be very difficult at best, the only practical solution is strip it to the floor and start over. You will however be adding a lot of weight the chassis was never designed for. Also be aware that conventional s&b type construction is not well suited to rv's because of the constant movement and body flex.
 
Winnebago still uses the same pressure bonded wall and ceiling structures, although they've added some framing around the cab and in some other areas over the years.  But the walls and ceiling are still the same sandwich construction as your motorhome, with the interior wall, foam insulation and outer skin bonded together into a single unit.

The sandwich itself provides much of the structural strength, you can't start cutting willy-nilly into it without compromising the strength of the structure.

Also, the interior walls and cabinets are often part of the structure, acting as trusses to add stiffness to a corner, for example.

A friend wanted Northwood to delete an overhead cabinet above the corner mounted kitchen sink on a new trailer she was buying because she hit her head on it while going through the motions of washing the dishes.  The factory refused, when she said it was a deal breaker, they had to do some quick thinking and added a diagonal brace in place of the cabinet to preserve the corner's strength.
 
Thank you so much for the help everyone!! I'm so glad I didn't jump in and start gutting it out without checking into it first. Maybe after all these years I'm starting to be more careful :)
Ok, then plan B. There is minimal water spots on the ceiling, which I think happened a long time ago. The previous owner had a relative living in it for about 1 1/2 years so I'm guessing that if there was a roof leak, they would have done something about it. The walls are not in that bad of shape. I was wanting to gut it mainly because: 1) the previous owner smoked in it and 2) to add more receptacles and lights.
But from what I've gather on how much of a pain it would be to gut it, I can live with the existing walls. But, what if I use 1/8" luan paneling to cover the old walls? I can used contact cement and I think that would hold it. (?)
Gary, you're probably right about wasting my money taking it to the RV dealer. I can use a water hose and spray water up that and find out a lot.
Anther thing, the ceiling paneling has some facial pulled off. What would be the best way to make that look right? Can I use sheetrock mud and spread it on it, sand it, then paint?
I really love the look of this camper and I really enjoy getting something vintage like this and restoring it so I hope I don't have to abandon it.
Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it. Any more advice will be welcome!
Joe
 
JoeKan said:
The walls are not in that bad of shape. I was wanting to gut it mainly because: 1) the previous owner smoked in it and 2) to add more receptacles and lights.
Click to expand...

I once bought a cheap motorhome that the previous owner chain smoked in, he was also liked to fry fish on the stove.  Needless to say, it reeked.

I sprayed the walls and the hard ceiling with a mixture of ammonia and water (Windex), wiping it off with clean paper towels.  The ammonia did surprisingly well cutting through the grease, tar and nicotine and got the smoke and fish stink out of those surfaces.

There was still stink in the fabrics and carpets.  I tossed them out.
 
I seriously doubt that sheet rock mud wouldn't crack the first time the mh moved. You need elasticity in whatever you use to smooth it out and then perhaps a fabric.

Ernie
 
Mud won't work for the reason Ernie cited, but there are elastic patch materials that are probably OK. Here's one that might work:

https://www.grainger.com/product/2GKZ6

There are also subfloor leveling compounds that are elastic - check Lowes, Depot, etc. in the flooring dept.
You can panel over the existing interior walls, or clean them well, prime and paint. 

Exterior leaks are almost always at seams or where something  protrudes through the roof, i.e. where caulking has cracked or dried to much.  Use a highly elastic caulk to replace or seal over the leaky joint. Avoid pure silicone caulks, because silicone has to be removed to re-caulk, whereas other formulas can be touched up as needed. Siliconized acrylic is probably ok. If th caulk is paintable, it can also be resealed. However, I recommend caulks rated for RV use - they are elastic and heat resistant.
 
There's some questionable places on the outside roof. What if I put this on the seams just to be on the safe side?
https://www.amazon.com/EternaBond-RSW-4-50-RoofSeal-Sealant-White/dp/B002RSIK4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528160581&sr=8-1&keywords=EternaBond+RSW-4-50+RoofSeal+Sealant+Tape%2C+White+-+4%22+x+50%27
 
As John says, Eternabond (or Dicor DiSeal) tape is an excellent product. Tapes are useful in some places but difficult to utilize in others. It works best on smooth flat surfaces but not so well on curves or over existing mounds of caulk.  As with most things, choose the tools and materials to meet the requirements of the job.
 
A couple things that concerns me about using either eternabond or Dicor is I lose the metal roof, which is what I was hoping to keep. And since I have a lot of trees on my place and they are always dropping seeds and sap, it will mark the roof with ugly black marks.
Any way to avoid this?
 
The way I'm understanding this is if I use either Eternabond or Dicor, that would "rubberize" my roof? Is that correct? If so, then I wouldn't have the metal look like the original. I may have this all wrong??
 
You're not doing the entire roof, just the joints primarily around penetrations. Most likely they already have "pooky" on them.

Ernie
 
What Ernie said. Etrnabond comes strips that seal seams, self leveling sealant like Dicor is applied to any roof penetrations and joints - maybe one or two inches along a seam or a ~two inch diameter around a fastener.
 
As others have stated, those are tapes, 2-3" wide, used to seal joints and seams.  The primary roof covering remains in place.  They are merely an alternative to the lap sealant (caulk) used at the factory. There is nothing wrong with sticking with a lap sealant if you prefer to keep the more original look.

Be very sure, however, that the original metal sheathing does not have tiny pinhole leaks. Rust corrosion was a common problem with roofs of that vintage & types.  Those tiny holes let small amounts of water penetrate and slowly cause wood rot and/or mold underneath. Most owners end up coating the metal with an elastomeric sealant product to stop those leaks. The metal roof sealants are available both gray/metallic and white.
 
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