1983 Jayco Sportster 7 rebuild

Well I spoke too soon on the roof. I spent all day working on it, and have determined some of this stuff just isn't made to come apart and be reused. The front of mine was rotten, and the back is rotten as well. the frame appears to be in good shape, but it is sagged in the middle and I can't get the dang aluminum to cover it back up. Plus it is obvious that the front and middle is where the water is coming in. I have determined the only way to do it "right" is to replace the roof. I'm finding some rubber roofing kits on amazon for under $200, so not terrible. Just a set back I really didn't want to have to deal with!

As far as insulation- I've got a question- replacing/adding Insulation in the walls and roof seems like what everyone does when rehabbing these things, but with the canvas sides, it really seems like a waste of time to me. Won't all the heat just escape through the thin canvas unless you also insulate that?
 
Hahaha.....in a nut shell....yes....the insulation can kind of be a waste. I went through the same thing. My final thought was, do I really want empty spaces? Does the insulation give any kind of structural advantage? I put insulation back in.....Styrofoam on the sides, and pink closed cell is going in the roof once framing is done.
 
Just bought a new rubber roof kit from Amazon for $228. My plan at this point is to just scrap and rebuild the entire thing. I'm planning 12ft 1x6s for the perimeter where it ties into the lift points, use a couple 1x6s across for support, then 1/4in or maybe even thinner plywood across the top, and apply the rubber roof directly to that. Definitely using some small metal L brackets tying the whole thing together. Baffles none of those were used in the original construction, just some trigger happy staple gun operator.

Not sure about the inside, but I can probably reuse the white paneling that's there. Possibly add some insulation. Thoughts on that plan?
 
If I had the cash, I'd probably do the same thing.....unfortunately I cannot. Building from scratch will definitely allow you to use a better design. If building from scratch, I'd set up a ribbing design with cross lap joints and make sure to build up the center for drainage/run off.

Reusing the inner paneling would work, but if you are rebuilding anyway, it would be much easier to use new melamine or even better, 1/16" plastic panel....my local Home Depot has it in 4x8 sheets for $22. You could use 3 and have it be super clean. Use closed cell insulation though for the ceiling. I've posted some updates on my build for some insight on stock set up.
 
I was out of town last weekend and am current in the airport for a trip for this weekend, so no new progress. I did get my rubber roof skin, so pretty excited to get the roof and exterior stuff done and move on to the fun stuff- the interior!

Any progress on yours?
 
I too was gone all week. Just returned home tonight. Ready to hit the ground running this weekend and push for thre finish. I did update before heading out Monday.

Hopefully I'll have some good updates come Monday. Taking off the end of next week as well. Hoping to finish Friday at least "campable" so we can head out Sunday morning.
 
Got the new roof structure completed today. It’s a little bit narrower than the lift posts like, measure twice cut once! I should be able to tweak it a little and get the top going up and down smoothly again. Very pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get the rubber coating on it.

IMG_4469.jpg
 
Definitely jealous you’re camping in yours! I got the rubber glued to the top today on mine. Added a little more support to the inside and routered out a hole for the vent fan. I put it right smack in the middle of the roof, figured that was the best spot for airflow. Still have plenty of room for solar panels if I want to expand. Also got a few notches put in so the roof frame fits like a glove.

I have decided what I’m going to do to trim the bottom edge of the roof yet. I may reuse the metal trim that was already on there, but I’d really like to use something new. I’m planning on wrapping the rubber excess all the way around the roof and tuck it up inside somehow, that way it’s one complete piece for the entire thing, which I’m hoping will be much much less prone to leaking as long as it doesn’t get torn anywhere. Open to suggestions on how to trim the roof.

It looks like it’s just draped on there but I promise it’s glued to the top. Used rec pro superflex. Appears to be pretty heavy duty stuff.
IMG_4472.jpg
 
Just got back from the trip.....She looks GREAT!!!!

I like the idea of wrapping the rubber as well. My only concern would be that the water will cling to the surface and get inside. It needs a place to run of.

I think the trim from before would be best. If it was me.....I'd place the trim on the body, lower the roof, sikaflex in place, allow to cure, them raise the roof and screw it up. The sikaflex will seal the metal to the rubber, allowing water to run off over the body.

I'd do it this way after dealing with trim not fitting exact after screwing it in and lowering the roof myself.

Sikaflex and Dicor self leveling are my 2 best friends right now [emoji16][emoji106]
 
THanks!

I bent my metal trim some getting it off, and the rubber insert is trash. I still haven't decided, but I'm thinking of using this to trim the roof: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Metal-Sales-5-in-x-10-5-ft-J-Channel-Drip-Edge-Flashing-in-Galvalume-4227441/204289037

Then running one of these seals all the way around to keep water out while driving:
https://www.pellandent.com/L-Shaped-Trailer-Seal-Replacement-


And then finally a single piece of rubber weather stripping all the way around to seal it up when the top is down.
 
Cool. Just make sure the top goes over the body for proper water flow off the roof.

Good luck....a storm blew in while camping this week and all I thought was "don't leak on my wife's head, please don't leak. " She held fine so far.

You're thinking it all through. Good job!!!
 
Big progress this weekend. Got the floor replaced and new laminate the wifey picked out installed, put reinforced water proof plywood along the drivers side, installed the fourth jack and did some serious caulk work.

I bought flashing to tuck the roof rubber, but it didn’t fit like I wanted so I returned it. Home Depot has some C channel aluminum that looks perfect. Will hopefully pick that up this week. Also got new paneling for the inside, and yet another sheet of plywood to start on the cabinets on the inside. Will be getting to work on the inside during the week, feeling great about the progress and my goal of being campable by the end of August and totally finished by end of September!

IMG_4478.jpg
 
full


This is upside down, but this is the floor. for some stupid reason i can't figure out how to save it once flipped when I upload it into my gallery, and something about the image doesn't work to upload through the tapa talk app.
 
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