1976 Cab Over Alaskan Camper .... As-Is, Mods,Damage and Fixes

[docalex]

New Pirelli is wider than the old???



the old pirelli does not extend full width out to the edge of the mounting strip ?




dirt line showing old pirelli position



What a pain cleaning this stuff up. There is silicon in a few spots and what I think is polyurethane in most.
wd-40 seems to help with the silicon although after multiple rounds there still seems to be a residue. I have not tried any solvent on the polyurethane ,yet, laboriously scraping.

My spidey sense use the new pirelli full width and extend it all the way to the edge of the mounting strip and seal the outside edge with polyurethane...?

 

[docalex]

Dry Rot...

Ordered totalboat penetrating epoxy and "rusty"s" alumiwood. I am thinking sister support maybe a scarf joint replacement.
I have not opened the other side yet , but expect the same.

cab over drivers side

 

[docalex]

More dry ROT

on the bottom of the upper section plywood...
I think I can over raise the top section without overextending the rams?
Maybe coat the bottom couple of inches with penetrating epoxy and then try more epoxy on the delaminated plywood sections?
Or , JUST, replace the pirelli seals and just get going ????

Any suggestions ?

The edge end grain of the plywood under the aluminum siding could be sealed some How?

 

[thisoldcamper]

More dry ROT

on the bottom of the upper section plywood...
I think I can over raise the top section without overextending the rams?
Maybe coat the bottom couple of inches with penetrating epoxy and then try more epoxy on the delaminated plywood sections?
Or , JUST, replace the pirelli seals and just get going ????

Any suggestions ?

The edge end grain of the plywood under the aluminum siding could be sealed some How?

I had the same problem with the veneer delaminating on the upper half of my camper. While I had the two halves separated and blocked up, I re-glued the veneer and used drywall corner bead to hold it in place. You can't see the corner bead once the two halves are back together. Then I put the seal on.
Blocked up:

Veneer edge glued and secured:

 

[docalex]

Thank You ...for your responses....

I will rig up something to relieve the strain on the electrical pigtail.

And the veneer fix , great idea, .. I am super pleased to discover that the damage in this area seems to be confined to the veneer and the wood structure underneath is mostly sound.

 

[docalex]

..... a can of worms
......pandora's box

I just wanted to replace the pirelli seals and get her ready for ski season....
It is taking way more time than I thought .... mostly ruminating , what to do ? should I ? etc.......
I am very grateful for this forum and others like it....
So I will leave here what I can get around to for the next guy....

A little win.... pirelli going in




Rot in drivers side cab over corner.... notice this side 45 brace is solid lumber



passenger side cabover ...plywood



The silicon caulking failed and allowed water to penetrate the wood along the screws. Where longer screws were used there was more damage

 

[docalex]

When i exposed the cabover side beams the insulation crumbled to dust when you touched it. I think it might have actually been foam rubber. So I removed the ceiling of the cabover.... more work.... I am going to have to open up the main camper ceiling if I want to get this junk out of there.. argh!!!!!!



I have decide to use wool insulation... That was actually an easy quick choice for me. Check out "havelock wool"

https://havelockwool.com

 

[docalex]

only 1x2 ...3/4 x 1 1/2 ... framing members ... really

thinking of aluminum angle , channel, flitchplate????

or sister joists?

Worried about about strength of the cantilevered cabover and don't want to add weight ... It has been ok for 43 years vs... making it better?

" a little better is the enemy of good enough"

 

[docalex]

another issue.... the aluminum roof skin does not actually rest on the roof joists. The roof vent has a 1/2 plywood frame placed on top of the roof joists. I believe this to accommodate water draining of the roof and away from the vent...but the aluminum skin is no longer supported underneath making it very flimsy.

I was thinking , and that dangerous, of ripping some shims to take up the space...

also considering sister some aluminum angle for more support.?????

Feedback, criticism, ideas, ......welcome





ps... check out the fried wires from fortunately un-catastrophic electrical faux pas

 

[docalex]

wood rot fix products I am using....

and a little surfboard epoxy resin with fiberglass

 

[docalex]

not super pleased with my jb weld small hole fix..... going to try this next

It is kind of gritty and does stick to the aluminum as well as I would like.

 

[docalex]

I used aluminum "T" beams mated to the existing 2x2's and pieces of a snowboards I cut to size

 

[docalex]

havelock wool insuLATION

 

[docalex]

eternobond tape, butyl tape ,
next polyurethane caulk

 

[docalex]

Secure and seal cabover sections ......
I was unsatisfied with the slide bolt solution because the sections of the camper move so much in relation to each other. There were quite a few holes already drilled. I reinstalled one slide bolt aligned with an existing hole. After I moved the camper it no longer fit.

Here is my solution ..... clamps from China Freight that I butchered with a grinder, a couple of fasteners from amazon, and rubber pipe insulation from home depot.

The clamps are removable when I lower the top.

They really seal well.

They also allow me to partially open the sides for more airflow ...

Still need to find some suitable carpet for the bottom back corners ??? or else?

 

[docalex]

Ditched the ammonia absorption fridge ... added craigslist 150$ compressor chest fridge ... and fabricated a slide out shelf in the hole ... not pretty... but works well so far ... need to trim it out and make it look nice

 

[docalex]

battery bank and 40 amp dc to dc charger

used medical lithium Ion batteries ... 3 of em... 120 amp hours capacity ... ala WILL PROWSE

 

[docalex]

1st Real Trip .....
Went to Memorial Day FREEDOM protest in sacramento



Drove all night and slept in a rest stop outside sacramento... 3 of us me the old man and 2 twenty year old were surprisingly comfortable with our sleeping arrangements


After the protest we decided to Cross over the sierra mountains through Sonora Pass, Non of us had ever gone this way before... We Scored Great Dispersed camping ans Awesome Roadside Spring Skiing... THIS IS WHY I GOT THIS CAMPER!!!! Yipee




Camper to do list naturally grew a bit with this first real outing....

 

[docalex]

Max Air fan


DIY Swamp Cooler......Prototype
Blows cold air but need to dial in water Distribution and Drips

 

[docalex]

T-track Rail to seal front cabover door ... regardless of top to bottom alignment