My Project

So I was given this RV which is in okay condition but of course you get what you pay for. I knew that the roof on the RV leaked but honestly I really didn't know how bad. It wasn't THAT bad but it is definitely what I plan on focusing on this summer, getting rid of the leaks. Not just the leaks in the roof. But the leaks that cause the drafts, that let the heat out. My boyfriend and I currently live in this RV and here soon we will be welcoming in a child. Right now it has warmed up here and the nights are not chilly. But this winter I worry and so there's pressure to get this done. When I signed up for this forum I prayed I would meet people who could help me with this process and reach my goals.

So right now the focus is fixing the leaks on the roof. Right now it leaks into the RV via the center seam in the ceiling. The strange thing is that it doesn't do it all the time. It worries me but I feel that maybe it's pooling somewhere in the roof and then when it overfills, it leaks into the RV. That worries me because that means there could be mold in the ceiling. We've decided to remove both of the AC units in the RV. There is a vent in the kitchen/dining area that seems ok but probably should be resealed. The one in the bathroom needs to be replaced.

I guess I'm looking for suggestions on how to start working on this project. I feel my first step in this project will be to patch screw holes, cracks and damages in the exterior shell of the RV. I feel that by fixing that, I can prevent any further damage to the interior. We plan to remove the refrigerator from the inside of the RV and will need to patch that large access hole on the outside. Any suggestions as to where I could get replacement shell material would be great. When we remove the two AC units, I'd like to install almost a sunroof type idea.

Then I think the following step would be the insulation. You'll see in a photo I'm going to post from the inside back closet that you can see the light through the ceiling material, that the insulation is gone. I've started researching insulation but I'm so confused. The insulation I have seen is all foam and it doesn't appear to have a frame anywhere. It's almost like the RV has a floor and then the frame along the very exterior corners and the rest is molded. I guess that's a blessing and a curse. A rotted frame may be to much for me to work with. And then the last step would be the panels on the interior.

I have an idea of what I want to do but I'm seeking direction maybe... advice... tips in the right direction so I can do it right the first time. I realize that because we live here, we have to do this a certain way. I really don't want to mess it up.

Ok, photos.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w141/xoxocammyxoxo/RV/IMAG1071_zpsca82d89c.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w141/xoxocammyxoxo/RV/IMAG1072_zps82889e81.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w141/xoxocammyxoxo/RV/IMAG1073_zps7dde2b70.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w141/xoxocammyxoxo/RV/IMAG1074_zps54a25e68.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w141/xoxocammyxoxo/RV/IMAG1076_zps10a29a38.jpg

Also, while I was outside taking these pictures I noticed that the pipe that you use to expel the grey and black water is leaking. The ground under the opening is kinda dead (obviously). We don't use the toilet in the RV because we live with someone and use the bathroom inside but I do know there is water that has been sitting in the grey water tank for who knows how long. Obviously with it leaking out and killing the grass, I need to fix this. Does anyone have any suggestions for that as well?

I spent a lot of time today trying to even look up what kind of siding that this RV has and I've become really discouraged. I thought that it was fiberglass but I've yet to find anything that resembles the siding. I know it's not metal.  Then I found something that said it could be vinyl but that doesn't make any sense. Then as I dug deeper and deeper into this, I'm realizing that I may not have a choice. I may have to wait until we don't live in it anymore to fix it because of the water damage that may already be there... It's becoming really discouraging.

what kind of rv is this? That would be a good way to let us know. post some photos of the exterior.

Its a 1974/1976 Dodge Vogue. I just recently uncovered a binder of information on it from under the front seat so I'm going to dig through it and hopefully find some information. This is a photo from last year when it was given to me.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w141/xoxocammyxoxo/RV/RV201201_zpsf669c4e2.jpg

I'm going to continue pushing through this.... On my commute to my uncle's house yesterday I drove by a property with a Vogue sitting against the tree line. I told my boyfriend I wanted it.... This could get addicting. :-\

Although I am going to start documenting everything I do, probably in a blog post so that it can be out there because it seems almost IMPOSSIBLE to find information without having special access.

Vogue was a primo coach in its day.
There happens to be a Vogue for sale close to Ft Worth- newer style- diesel

Yeah that's what I've been told by a couple of people but it just amazes me the lack of information that I've been finding. I managed to scan all the pages of the Vogue user manual into my computer today. I'm surprised that they are all there since when I found them they were all loose leaf sitting in a binder. I'm slowly going through all the other appliance manuals because unlike the newer manuals I've looked at for the newer RVs, this one was not all in one book.

I went outside today to pick at the exterior of the RV because the manual doesn't say anything about it other than don't use abrasive material to clean it. I've come to the conclusion it's mixed. The bottom portion appears to be bendable like metal but the back has fibers like fiberglass and then other parts are like plastic sheets and then the roof I'm pretty sure is some sort of fiberglass. I was looking at the spot where the overhang thing that used to be there was ripped out and it struck me as odd. I don't think there's a wood frame underneath these panels. Like, last year when we replaced the window in the rear I didn't think there was but I really didn't get a good look. Today though I spent some time looking under the roof and the roof was screwed into the side panel and then into the white foam and I couldn't find any evidence of wood anywhere. I mean is that even possible? Is there a way to find out if there's a wood frame without pulling the panels off and looking?

I'm really kinda like stunned I guess buy this because every video I've watched online on remodeling and rebuilding RVs includes some sort of wood frame with insulation and honestly I'm not finding any wood anywhere. My boyfriend mentioned that there has to be some sort of support and there is. On the interior every six feet or so there is a metal beam that goes up the side, across the ceiling and then down the other side of the wall. I guess my worry is when I start tearing apart the roof and walls to fix them and re insulate them, that I really don't have anything to work with to "put them back together" again.

if you plan on removing the inside paneling and wish to add wood, you can do that by using epoxy and secure the new wood to the outside skin

Winnebago uses that same method of wall construction.  It's a sandwich panel, where the interior paneling, foam core and outer skin are bonded together to make a rigid panel.  Sometimes called vacuum bonding because the sandwich is placed in a vacuum press while the glue bonds.

The panels are then joined together to make the walls at the splices you found.

Ok so later today I will look up Winnebago wall repair and see what I can find. I know right now the outer skin isn't bonded with the foam because when I repaired the rear window I could look down to the ground between the outside skin and the white foam. That was the first time I realized that this wall construction may be different.

My plan is to pull the roof off and repair the roof and the foam underneath it. I know it's bad, it's been leaking for years. Because I can see light in the back right corner, I think there are actually some parts of the roof that lack foam/insulation all together. So I was going to do the roof first, then go down the back and sides and front. My goal is to try to fix all the insulation issues and leak issues before winter this year so that we won't freeze this winter.

This whole RV is just so different then everything else that I've watched videos of.... I had to pick the different one  ;D

Well today was actually a pretty productive day today. Managed to do some research on the sandwich/thermopanels and found some good information. The good news is that it is within my grasp, I can do it but I'm going to have to do planning because it will ultimately involve me taking the entire wall down at a point. So I will continue looking into that. My focus right now has turned to the roof, which is all one piece and fiberglass. Good news in that is that I took a class in high school for fiberglass. The front and the rear are fiberglass as well but I'm sure there's something to the insulation that I will have to figure out later. Someone on the Winnebago site suggested the spray foam that expands. That's something I may consider for the front and rear of the RV.

So after a couple hours of reading I wanted to do a little work on it. Since neither my boyfriend and I are working right now, we are limited to demo so we continued pulling up some more carpet. I found a hole in the floor that showed me the floor isn't solid. I have plywood with supports and Styrofoam for the floor. Knowing that now I'll probably end up having to remove the floor and replace parts of it as well, especially in the bathroom. I took a minute to look into the roof panels and found tresses in between the metal beams. That is good to know as well and it appears that the foam in the ceiling is NOT the same foam in the floor and walls. It looks like regular foam insulation.

So I learned a bit about the RV today. There are two thinks that have me scratching my head now. One, the ceiling panels are flat for the most part till the edge where they curve down. If I have to replace any of them, does anyone have a source for information on bending panels to create the curve? And in the process of pulling up the carpet I found a wire that is live (yes... really). How do I "fix" it so that there isn't any exposed wires to create any issues? Like capping it.... I found the diagrams for all the wiring and it appears that the only way to kill the power to that wire is to shut off all the power on the curbside which shuts off all the power we currently use to run things right now.

There are two kinds of spray foam insulation - one that expands when it meets resistance, and one that keeps expanding.  Use the first.

amandamwright1984 said:

............................. And in the process of pulling up the carpet I found a wire that is live (yes... really). How do I "fix" it so that there isn't any exposed wires to create any issues? Like capping it.... I found the diagrams for all the wiring and it appears that the only way to kill the power to that wire is to shut off all the power on the curbside which shuts off all the power we currently use to run things right now.

Click to expand...

Isn't there a circuit breaker box somewhere in the RV? If so shutting off the breakers one at a time should let you isolate the circuit until you can deal with it.

Jeff said:

Isn't there a circuit breaker box somewhere in the RV? If so shutting off the breakers one at a time should let you isolate the circuit until you can deal with it.

Click to expand...

Yes, there is actually a group of circuit breaker boxes but none of them are labeled and the one that stops the power to the wire also shuts down all the electricity to the curbside of the motor home. The fuse that also controls that wire also has the same effect. It's one of those things were capping it would fix the problem temporarily and I'm looking into options for installing a newer/improved fuse box.