The Restoration Begin!!!!

Hey Everyone,

New to the forum and new to RV'ing.  2 Years ago and I picked up a 1988 Econoline Tioga Arrow 23' motorhome...  Looking at it at the garage I thought...  Not too bad.. I could fix it up..  So I bought it for $2000.00 and drove it home.....

It has sat for the last couple years because of work and no time...    Now I am ready to tear into it.....

First Problem...  Last week I went to have the ownership transferred to my name so I could get some trip plates put on.  The lady I bought it from signed it  "As Per Estate of" for her passed husband.  When I went to the Vehicle office the lady said it has to read Executrix of .........    So I went to call her and found out she died last spring!!!  AHHHHHHH!!!!!  Now the paperwork begins.  Won't be a problem, just will take a bit of time....

And now some photos for everyone..  It is in rough shape I know but I have restored 2 boats, 2 trucks and I am pretty handy with tools so I hope this will go smoothly.....

I saw there was a leak in the ceiling so I went up top to see why..... Well can ya figure it out   I planned on replacing the roof inside and out.

This is going to be a complete gut and re do inside and body work done on the out.  Maybe some new paint and vinyl.... We'll see.   

So what do you all think?      Suggestions other than get rid of it???

More to come as well as the questions......

Personally, I would write it off as a learning experience and look for another project MH if that's what turns your crank.

You can buy another motorhome, of that vintage, in great condition, for less than it will take to make that one even marginally acceptable.  There is potentially enough hidden water damage (not to mention the exterior wear and tear) on that rig, that you haven't even found yet, to cost you a small fortune.

It will cost several thousand dollars to get that rig on the road and you will never get rid of the mold spores and rotten wood smells.

Take the time to determine what you are willing to spend, to reach a certain level of usability and functionality from that rig, and compare it to what an existing rig in acceptable condition would cost you.  You may be surprised how many older rigs, in good to great condition, are available out there at reasonable prices.

I'm sure all that could have been said with a little more tact, but I've been in a similar situation in the past and only meant to give you the benefit of my experience.

My project RV was an '85 26 foot Tioga, and I was able to recoup most some of my $$ investment, but lost the many hours of work that I invested.

Really???  I was figuring on taking the spring and part of the summer to work on it.....

I plan to gut the inside.  new subfloor, walls and ceiling all from plywood...  Make all my cabinets from scratch....  Do the bodywork and fix up the outside.  Put a new roof on....

About the roof.  It is a metal material up there now..  What I wanted to do was take all that off, put new plywood down and lay down either fibreglass or a vinyl material...

Would this be ok?

Thanks for the help

Dezi

dezmond said:

Really???  I was figuring on taking the spring and part of the summer to work on it.....

I plan to gut the inside.  new subfloor, walls and ceiling all from plywood...  Make all my cabinets from scratch....  Do the bodywork and fix up the outside.  Put a new roof on....

About the roof.  It is a metal material up there now..  What I wanted to do was take all that off, put new plywood down and lay down either fibreglass or a vinyl material...

Would this be ok?

Thanks for the help

Dezi

Click to expand...

I gutted and remodeled a small travel trailer in similar condition several years ago, then lived in it for several years (it also had some burn and a lot of smoke damage). It's doable but it will be a big job. There will have to be a lot of reframing, based on the photos. I had to completely reframe the rear left corner, including roof and floor, because of rot.

dezmond said:

Really???  I was figuring on taking the spring and part of the summer to work on it.....

I plan to gut the inside.  new subfloor, walls and ceiling all from plywood...  Make all my cabinets from scratch....  Do the bodywork and fix up the outside.  Put a new roof on....

About the roof.  It is a metal material up there now..  What I wanted to do was take all that off, put new plywood down and lay down either fibreglass or a vinyl material...

Would this be ok?

Thanks for the help

Dezi

Click to expand...

Not to pour more cold water on your fire, but why??

If it's simply for the experience of it, go ahead......
If you don't care about the economics of it, go ahead......
If you would rather work on it than to use it for the next few years, go ahead......

It probably already needs new tires (from age alone), but it certainly will by the time you get it road worthy.

You mentioned replacing the floor, the sub floor, the walls, the ceiling, the roof and the cabinets.  What else is there?

There is NO structure left under, around or over the things you intend to replace.  It's NOT like a stick built house where you can remove those elements and rebuild on a skeleton frame work.  It doesn't exist.  Even if it does, it's, most likely, what has rotted out.

It reminds me of the carpenter who loved his old hammer and didn't want a new one, so he replaced the handle and then replaced the head rather than buy a new hammer.  Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

It was built by humans, so it can be rebuilt by a human, but the logic and economics of it completely escapes me.
I wish you luck....

dezmond said:

Really???  I was figuring on taking the spring and part of the summer to work on it.....

I plan to gut the inside.  new subfloor, walls and ceiling all from plywood...  Make all my cabinets from scratch....  Do the bodywork and fix up the outside.  Put a new roof on....

About the roof.  It is a metal material up there now..  What I wanted to do was take all that off, put new plywood down and lay down either fibreglass or a vinyl material...

Would this be ok?

Thanks for the help

Dezi

Click to expand...

not sure you need the fiberglass. we used flashing for siding it is aluminum and just added a few extra seams.

how ever once you open it up you will find a ton of damage. most of the studs will be rotten. all of the insulation will need to be replaced. wiring should be checked. I did this a couple maybe 4 years ago. took 2 full summers. lots of work...lots.

here is a link to some of what you will find
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=18576.msg175247#msg175247
when I was finished I had almost 7k into. sold it for 2k

I built cabinets from scratch bought cabinet doors at yard sales for 2 to 5 bucks. My wife did the upholstery and we saved several hundred on that.
I would never do it again.
I am refreshing another older MH but this is more a refacing of the cabinets.

good luck take pictures.

This is my first motorhome.  With the way the economy is, I cannot afford to drop $3000.00 all at once on something better..  This way a couple hundred here, couple hundred there, won't be as bad.. 

I have a buddy that will be able to get me some roofing material for it for nothing, my other friend said he would plum al new propane lines for me in it regardless of condition.

The motor runs great, brakes are good.  I had  mechanic look it over for a pre safety and it don't need much at all.  I can fix it myself as well.

I don't think it is going to take a couple years to do.  With help from a couple friends, and working on it on weekends and nights, I should be able to have it done by mid summer.. 

It will be a fun experience.  I won't be spending thousands in it thats for sure... I know I can do it for a lot cheaper.....

The Fun begins....  Going to start to remove the cabinets and stuff this morning

Photos later today.

wonder how many years on those tires

It's certainly doable as  a project, just a long time and a lot of effort. And a lot of $$ too. More than a few hundred here and there, I think.

Takes lots of pictures as you go along and please post them here. We enjoy watching a labor of love!

Tires do need to be replaced for sure..  Got a good deal on a set of six though.  No problem there.....

It will be a lot of fun for sure...  I have time, some cash and lot's of help for the journey.  Also since I will be ripping out the whole inside to 4 outside walls, I get to rebuild it the way I want to

The 2 kids helped me out today get the bench seats, water tank and hot water heater out so far.  Not too bad.....

Will get some photos up soon...

Dezi

My son did this about 5 years ago. he built it to last. by the time he was done, he was over the GVW of the chasey. he had to redo things to
get the wiegth down. cost him alot of cash. took him and 2 buddys 2 summers to get it done, and pass inspection.
build it light so you don't go through what he did.
good luck and have fun.
Lorn

The project can be "economical" if you can scrounge for most of the materials needed. After all, it is a used motorhome so used materials wouldn't be inappropriate. When I remodeled the TT, I actually paid for very few materials. Most was scrounged from scrap piles (with permission) at construction sites. You may be able to find much of what you need at salvage yards (Habitat for Humanity has a lot of salvage stores across the country) and from scanning the want ads (I found a lot of material for a song from want ads). Don't be afraid to repurpose material, use residential materials and appliances, etc.

I agree Lady 100%!!! I have a nice bar fridge I plan to use, the water heater and furnace works fine in there.  The tanks look clean..  I have a buddy that can get me the roof membrane for nothing and I have a  lot of wood material still left over from my build at my old store..  Sure Tires, flooring material etc will cost a bit but at least I can do a big chunk of it with very little investment.....

Going to be a fun ride for sure

Dezmond,
Go for it!!!  Sometimes the journey is the most fun. I have a similar project waiting for me, maybe not as bad. I like fixing up stuff plus the little changes to things means I get to MAKE IT MINE in the process. My Labor is free to me.

dezmond said:

I agree Lady 100%!!! I have a nice bar fridge I plan to use, the water heater and furnace works fine in there.  The tanks look clean..  I have a buddy that can get me the roof membrane for nothing and I have a  lot of wood material still left over from my build at my old store..  Sure Tires, flooring material etc will cost a bit but at least I can do a big chunk of it with very little investment.....

Going to be a fun ride for sure

Click to expand...

Two cautions. First, be careful how much you put in. You don't want to be overweight before you even put you and your stuff inside. Second, be prepared to spend more time than you expect. Don't set any deadlines for completion. Otherwise, it will be too easy to take shortcuts that will come back and bite you later. I've seen pros fall into that trap. Ok, I just thought of a third caution. Make sure you have a reasonably firm plan in place before starting. It will save you from having to rip out and restarting too many times. However, do not be afraid to rip out and restarting if the need arises. You will regret it later if you don't.

Beyond that, have fun!

do it..mine is horrible and if i listened to family, and everyone else for that matter it would be in the junkyard.. there is nothing like putting in time for something you desire.. just start it and dont stop.. you will be happy in the end.

Got a lot done Friday on the motorhome.  Very close to being gutted on the inside...  All appliances are out now, bedroom, table, sink, kitchen areas all out.. 

Still need to get the bathroom out and the upper cabinets....    Having a lot of fun so far..

The main power pack....  I really don't want to rip this out if I don't have to..  If I could find a schematic for it or manual I would.  Any ideas?

Anywho, here are a bunch of pics for ya all!