Remodeling a 21' "minnie winnie"

Hello out there in the RV forum!

I recently picked up a 1985 minnie winnie that needs to be remodeled.  It belonged to my brother.  He basically gave it away since He didn't have time to do the renovation.  Rodents had declared war on it a few years back & it appears that they won!  On the toilet, it leaks from the floor.  It might be cracked from water that was left in over the winter.  I see one bolt by a pedal that holds it down.  Are there anymore?  The ceiling has significant water damage to the panels around the roof air.  It looks like the ceiling was built out of 1-1/4 inch plywood.  The plywood is waterlogged.  I'm not sure if its smart to try to replace it.  Perhaps it will just dry out.  Any suggestions?  Any ideas on how to eliminate the rodent smell?
The wall cabinets present the greastest mystery to me.  In my 40 years of tinkering, I've never seen a cabinet or anything attached to a wall with screws that the company does not allow access to.  I ended up using a sawzall to cut them free.  These are the bottom screws that attach to the wall.  My only guess is that you need to remove the veneer of the cabinet to get to them.  I appreciate any suggestions & thanks for any advice offered!

Jim W.

Sounds like you have a project on your hands!   My first motorhome was a 1970s vintage Itasca that I bought for $400, did some quick fixup and drove to the RV forum rally in Quartzsite, where it was promptly christened "Le Trashcan".  Partially due to the overall condition, partially because after I stripped the interior of all fabrics, I didn't have any curtains, instead I hung black plastic trashcan liners for privacy.

The toilet attaches just like the one at home.   Two bolts hold it to the floor flange ring.   If you can see one in the front, the other should be in the rear, 180 degrees out.   If you can't see it, look for a little pop-out panel.

Winnebago used a vacuum bonding process for the walls and ceilings.   Plywood, styrofoam insulation and the outer skin are glued then vacuum-bonded together.    So you can't just replace the interior plywood, unless it is already delaminating from the sandwich.  If you have mold growing in the panel, try bleaching it out - put some bleach in a spray bottle and soak the area.  Otherwise you're probably best just letting it dry out.

Rodent smell likewise responds well to bleach - but you have to find the nest and clear it out first.   On my Itasca, the previous owner was a smoker and loved to fry stuff on the stove.   I found Windex (or a solution of ammonia and water) did wonders to cut the nicotine stains and grease.

The roof air should have a gasket between the air conditioner and roof to keep water out.   Tightening the hold-down bolts (accessable through the inside opening) may stop the leak.  However, sometimes the roof sags enough from the weight of the air conditioner to let a lake form that's higher than the gasket.  If this is the case, you might want to get some 1x3s and build a platform around the roof opening to raise the air conditioner enough to keep it out of the water.  Caulk the joints and bottom side of the platform (the stock gasket can go on top) and you should be set.

Good luck on the project!