Class C Cabover Rebuild

[SpencerPJ]

Enjoy your camping. Many people on Forums don't like to read 18 previous posts that may or may not apply to your condition. Your leak? is it worse when driving in rain or stationery? Is it wet above the windows or just below? What does the caulking look like on the roof at the seams? These are places I would start first. Eliminating that front window could create a whole new set of problems. Are the weep holes plugged? I agree with Rene, start a new thread, more people will chime in.

 

[Rene T]

Starting a new post stops members having to read a real old post only to find that another member has a different issue.

 

[jmack108]

Oh, wow. I knew it was going to be hard but hearing that it is a major job has me a little nervous. Financially, I can't afford to have someone else do the work so it's definitely going to be a DIY job. I do have the space and tools between my family and my boyfriend's grandparents, and I'm hoping that I have the foolhardiness and skills required too.

So - what did you do? Did you reuse the outer fiberglass or buy new materials?

I just watched several youtube on this very subject. There are plenty on there. I hope it helps. Good luck with yours. Peace

 

[TCinCO]

As that was my 1st experience with this, I tried to salvage as much of the old Filon at possible. That was not a particularly good choice. #1 - the Filon has a thin layer of plywood glued to the backside. Much of the plywood was rotted and had to be removed and replaced. #2 - The edges of the Filon where the screws attached it were torn up and pretty rough. This made for difficulty in reattaching things together. So, in answer to your question, yes you can probably use the old Filon, but you'll have to balance the extra work to do so vs the cost of new Filon. That said, Filon itself is no too expensive, but shipping will eat your lunch. If you can locate a nearby mfgr that you can drive to, it would save a LOT of cost. Try Googling "Filon". It typically is sold by the foot from 102" wide stock. The 102" is essentially the width of your RV siding. Here's a possible sourcethough not necessarily recommended, only the 1st in a Google search.

Now, to be totally honest, I had to rebuild mine twice. It's a long story, but I will tell you that the 2nd time I replaced the front with new Filon and did not install the window that originally went across the front (one less possible leak source).


If you decide to accept this assignment, Determining the source of the leak and making sure it is addressed is just as important as the repair of the cabover. Otherwise...


Some more photos - The 1st is the bunk bottom made with new Filon. The others show the progression of rebuilding the front and covering with new Filon (no window).

resurrecting an old post.

@Molaker, I'm also performing this exact rebuild on a similar year Coachman. When I took it apart, I noticed there were no reinforcing ribs in the upper curve, only cardboard. Like you, I've added a couple extra ribs and I have created a substrate over them with luan. However, in doing so, it appears I have duplicated the same crown that the roof has. When fitting the filon to this area, I am fighting the bow created by the crown while trying to also bend to the curve to wrap around the front and it appears this is going to create potentially unmanageable bubbles on each side. Did you encounter this problem and if so, how did you work around it?
I do like the extra attaching points of the upper ribs, but I'm wondering if the factory did not include these to allow the filon to better conform to the curve of the front of the cab. Perhaps I could sand them down to reduce the arc they are creating?