TT rebuild - exterior skin choices

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Taycodog

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Joined
Aug 29, 2015
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13
Hi,
      I'm new to the sight and new to rv'ing as well.. So here goes, I bought an old trailer 14 ft. and intend to strip it down to the frame and do a complete rebuild inside and out. I am a cabinet maker by trade and renovate for a living so I'm not afraid to take on the project. I have decided to build the frame from 2x2 lumber and glue and screw 1/4 " plywood to that, this is where it gets tricky , I was hoping I could use FRP material (4x8 sheets rough pattern on one side) and the appropriate glue to attach to my walls which I will build flat on the ground and instal after all cutouts are done. Does anyone know if the panels can take all the bashing around some roads give and what about expansion, there are strips that come with the material for joining the sheets and corner pieces for ends..I will use vinyl wrapped paneling to finish inside and it uses the same system, I'll glue it on to the foam insulation and framing as well. Any help would really be appreciated as this is something I'd really like to try. I've looked at using new aluminum but where I am (canada eh!) they want $8 a sq. Ft. Which shocked the heck out of me, and that's ridiculous. I am likely to use the same system to seal the outside corners as most companies use and the roof will be rubber glue down. I'll post pictures as I go for anyone that may be interested. Thanks in advance. T
 
I'm in the same boat trying to figure out my exterior skin choices that won't rob the bank. I can tell you FRP is amazing stuff... on the inside. It's only downfall is the sun. It will oxidize and fade. Then become brittle and crack. Out of sun it will look good for decades. I've used it in a couple commercial kitchens. I haven't used it in maybe 10 years so they might have an outdoor version you can use today.

I did find a company online that will custom cut a full size sheet of aluminum and they have some amazing graphics. They can blow up any photo or Photoshop any graphics to it. The finish is automotive quality.
I'm scared to call them for a quote $$$, lol. It would definitely be the coolest camper around.
http://www.amerimaxbp.com/blog/redesigning-your-rv
 
Thanks for the info , I have my doubts about FRP's durability but have not heard weather or not the new stuff will hold up betterthan older plastics. Oh if I had the budget I'd love to do graphics thing! Pretty impressive looking designs and I'm sure like the price probably is sky is the limit.lol
 
If you can find a whole sale company for aluminum set up a cash account as if your self employed. some roofing company's also sell 4 x 8 and 4x 10 sheets. I used .024 x 3 ft. wide coil aluminum pre-painted. The coats were about half the price as a retailer like Home Depot. I found the coil was generally less expensive than the sheets and I had less seams. Good luck with you project.

Happy Camping, Tom
 
tc tom said:
If you can find a whole sale company for aluminum set up a cash account as if your self employed. some roofing company's also sell 4 x 8 and 4x 10 sheets. I used .024 x 3 ft. wide coil aluminum pre-painted. The coats were about half the price as a retailer like Home Depot. I found the coil was generally less expensive than the sheets and I had less seams. Good luck with you project.

Happy Camping, Tom

Is that the stuff they use for metal roofing stock? I thought about it. We have a metal roofing supply in town and I know he has a press and makes his own. Maybe I could buy some 3' off the roll from him. Maybe use two colors and duplicate the original pattern.

A brake would be nice for the seams. I think I can rent one of them from Home Depot.
 
It might be. I get mine from a screen/patio supply house who also has metal roofing.

Tom
 
Thanks I found a place that has 48"x 80" 24 gauge colored(lots of choices) who will ship to me for a reasonable price, I thin that's the way to go, I intend to use contact cement to bond if to 1/4 " plywood and rputer out the holes for hatches windows etc after. Thank for the tip I appreciate the advice I'll try and keep pictures right now I'm welding the frame in a few new places.
 
Hi T!
I will be pulling the front of my TT off this summer to repair delamination and water damage on front cap.  I am planning to rebuillt framing as necessary, and then reskin with luan and aluminum.  Could you tell me where you are sourced your aluminum skin and how your project turned out?
Thanks!

KG
 
I ended up going with fibreglass reinforced plastic panels instead of the aluminium, it was too much trouble finding then shipping the aluminium sheets and I wasn't prepared to take the chance on its condition upon arrival. FRP may not be the way to go here either but so far it seems to be ok , tine will tell. If I could figure out how to post photos on here I would .
 
Photos may be included as attachments to a message when using the full feature editor (instead of the Quick Reply box). Just under the lower left corner of the text entry box you will see a line that says "Attachments and other options". Click that to add files for phots or other atatchments. Notice the size limitations, though. You may have to resize photos to make them smaller.
 
Do not have a picture of the finished product. This might give you an idea of how the 3 ft. coil material worked out.

Happy camping, Tom
 

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In an old popular mechanics article on building your own teardrop they laminated the sides by laying out the frame on the ground, contact cementing the whole thing, laying the skin on top, followed by a tarp, followed by a bunch of sand to press it together.  If your already planning to prebuild the walls before assembly this might be a good plan.
 
KKTravel said:
Hi T!
I will be pulling the front of my TT off this summer to repair delamination and water damage on front cap.  I am planning to rebuillt framing as necessary, and then reskin with luan and aluminum.  Could you tell me where you are sourced your aluminum skin and how your project turned out?
Thanks!

KG
I did that two years ago and had difficulty finding a supplier that could/would supply ribbed aluminum with the lap seams. I finally found an rv shop that had some leftovers that I could make work but they cost me dearly. Must have lost money on the repair job. ::)
 

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