92 Jayco Sportster 8' rebuild in the States with support from Deutschland

[corybrown50]

One thing I forgot to add about the "new to me" truck.....Whenever I get a "new to me" vehicle, I always plan on putting new front end on and brakes, fluids, etc.....I replaced all the steering components, as well as ball joints and control arms....When I replaced the upper control arms, I was looking at it and the angle didn't look right. I matched the control arm that came off, but it just didn't look right....I went to the Moog website to check which side was which as far as part number, and sure enough.....whoever work on it last switched the sides, passenger on the driver, and driver on the passenger......NO WONDER HE HANDLED HORRIBLY!!!! And he has a name....yes, this truck is a he.....The color of the truck is Ford Chestnut....and I am an Ohio State useless nut.....so....he shall be known as Brutus....

 

[corybrown50]

Rocking and rolling here now....good grief....everything I take off adds another day to the process.....

Well, let's start simple.....here's the curve for the corners in the cabover....

Adding the front aluminum, I left the front loose so I can add the insulation underneath.

 

[corybrown50]

Here's the insulation. I added double sided foil on each side with some regular styro in the middle. Trying a bit to conserve and reuse there.....

And attached up......

Added the strips and insulation to the front of the cabover area....

With insulation.....

 

[corybrown50]

Now for the hardest part by myself.....fighting this thing across the whole edge was a real pain in the bum....getting one side in, moving to the other, then it would fall out....I probable spent 2 hours just getting this piece attached. I really could have used some help here.....

Who can spot my mistakes?????

And finally.....the last piece of aluminum from the front.....

Added the front window after trimming the "MISTAKE".....

 

[corybrown50]

Well, I took Friday off work to get some more work done on the camper, but first....my little helper and I got to head out to our first daddy/son fishing trip.....

FHFH hats for all!!

If you don't know about Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, check us out.....FHFH.org.....We pay for the processing of meat and donate it to local food pantries....really great group. Our chapter that our men's group helps has really grown in the last few years....5 years ago we served around 5000 meals.....last year.....almost 70,000 MEALS LOCALLY!!!

Heading out....

Go this way Daddy!!

Just remember to straight arm the fish so it looks really BIG!!

And the result......

 

[corybrown50]

After the morning of fishing....got into the camper and put the front area together. This will lift up for storage.....

Gotta test it....

 

[corybrown50]

Well.....now to dig into the roof a bit....she definitely need some help.....

I yanked the cabinet down and this is what I have to work with....

First thing first.....let's get the canvas off.....I made some supports for inside to maneuver around.....

And the back

 

[corybrown50]

So, I lowered the roof down to the supports, then released the lifting mechanisms and lowered them. They of course were rusted through, I'm surprised they didn't break. Looks like stainless steel replacements are in order there....

Lowering the lifts allowed me to move the canvas in a way that allowed me to the raise the lifting mechanisms and reattach, shift the canvas, remove the mechanism again, and get the canvas all the way off and down. This was definitely needed for my wife to be able to get it cleaned up before reinstalling later.

 

[corybrown50]

So....the front and back are fried....sides are ok enough to keep.....

Started peeling off the roof inside. I find it interesting how the cabinet was attached to the ceiling. sheet metal glued to the bottom of the insulation.....again, surprised it was strong enough to stay..

 

[corybrown50]

Well.....sometimes it snows in April......and sometimes it snows in July in Ohio!!

Taking all the insulation down was a pain in the bum.....6" putty knife and hammer scraping it all out by hand.....

You know you have a water leak when you drop insulation from the ceiling on your foot and say "OW!!!"

I measured a 2"x2" piece....2.45 oz

So......let's do some math.....

2x2" = 4sq in
Ceiling is 84"x143"= 12,012 sq in
12,012/4=3,003
3,003x2.45 oz=7,357.35 oz


7,357.35oz/16oz= 459.834 POUNDS!!!!!

There was a it of dry in there, but let's go SUPER CONSERVATIVE and divide that in half.....230 extra pounds of insulation!!!

The scraping actually took a long time, one night and one morning, probably 6 hours total, well, it's clean.......

BUT I'M NOT!!!

 

[corybrown50]

I had to get 12' wood, and the smallest I could find quickly was 2x4x12, so I got out my old school joiner and planed it down to 1".....

GOT SAWDUST???

So, after a it of finessing....I was able to replace the rear wood, and put in the center support....

Instead of factory staples.....I used these "mending plates"....hopefully they are stronger than the factory staples......

I added back in the new stainless eyes for the lift....don't worry about the clearance light, they are being replaced....on order and coming Wednesday.....

Ok, so....a major question.....

How do I make sure that the that the roof is sloped up.....The wood I bought was fairly straight, with a slight bow that I faced up to allow the curve to create drainage. Once in place, the weight pushed it down. How can I support the roof up so I make sure I don't get a low point in the middle for water to pool?

HELP!!!!

 

[corybrown50]

I'm thinking that if I support the roof from the inside, creating the slight positive arc that I need, then glue and screw the middle rib, allow to cure.....that should allow it to remain?

 

[corybrown50]

Trying to kick it up even more lately. I've only got 8 nights and 3 full days to get finished.

And of course......the rain is back......

Don't get me wrong, we need it pretty badly, but what I need is clear 70 degree days.....good luck with that in July I guess.

I went out last night after the rain came through yesterday and found water inside of course....

So, I've got to get the center ridge off and reinstalled with fresh sealant. The last owner had an oversized ac unit on top that had been removed. Of course, the weight stretched the aluminum skin a bit.....

After removing the center ridge outside. I started framing up the inside a bit more.

Once finished, I used Sikaflex 221 between the skin and the center post, braced it up, then started reattaching the center ridge from the outside. I'm hoping the artificial arc I created with with the support inside stays once I take it out after curing today.

Here's a shot showing just how warped the skin is before securing down.

A gift from a friend replaces the sheet of acrylic that was put in the hole from the ac unit from the past owner......

Got everything installed with butyl tape so far.....haven't had time to seal completely yet. My buddy that works at a dealership has offered to come over and do that all "right" for me. He is way more meticulous on that stuff than I am, and I am more than willing to accept the help. I got everything covered just in time last night before the clouds started rolling in again......

Pray for me everyone......I'm working super hard on this to try and get done this done so I can take the family camping. So far I have missed the major part of the kids summer break and all the little stuff that we do......I hopeful to make it up with a big trip right before they go back to school. This plays a major part in those plans......

 

[corybrown50]

Well, unfortunately the tarp wasn't set down well enough for the storm that was blowing in last night. I came out in the afternoon to see everything blown off and the inside was all wet. Cleaned it all up as best I could and opened everything up to let it hopefully air/dry out.

More of a fidgety night last night on the camper. I got the front plywood installed mostly (still need the arced metal attached, but will put that in from the inside before putting in the top panel and insulation).

Added some new jewelry to the old girl.....all the clearance lights were junk, so I replaced them all with clear lens leds. I definitely like the cleaner look. Also an added benefit with these is that they are 3 wire.....so I can wire them for braking and turn signals. No excuse for anyone behind me to say they couldn't see my lights.

And the back.....lots of clearance lights on her....not sure if it was factory or added some time after. 5 red in the back, 2 red in the back sides, 2 yellow in the front sides, and 2 yellow in the very front.

I wanted to play a bit with a new toy.....a decal remover.....4" wide decal remover. I'll put in before and after pics later, but I can tell you that it is difficult at times to use and does burn through the paint in the aluminum high points.

And lastly......the holes in the roof from the past owner putting a 2x4 across the inside of the roof to support it......drilled straight through the roof down into the 2x4.....left 15 holes for patching. I siliconed the washers outside and inside, and the bolt going through. It's ugly right now and I will clean it up later, but hopefully it will not leak again there.....as you can see, trying to squeeze every little bit of time out of each day......

Still a lot of work to do......I have 7 nights and 2 full days left to be able to work on it......keep praying for me!!!

 

[Manfred65]

Cory, we wish you the very best with your roof and that you get it sealed. Ours still leaks and we cannot find it. The shape was the same mess like yours. We sealed the center-line between the Aluminium sheets, between Aluminium and upper profile and the screws separately. Then sprayed it with white tinted Raptor-Liner. It leaked somewhere in the center line, added another layer of Raptor-Liner....than tried another roof sealant. I am going to plan B: Building a new roof or let it build by one of my manufacturers in the US. Container shipping is free in my own container.

The exterior roof lights on mine work nearly the same like yours...ok mine sits in a Longbed and the taillights are full visible.
2 White LED front, 2 Amber to the sides and 5 red ones on the back. The middle three work as brake lights too.

 

[corybrown50]

Thanks Manfred.....I'm glad someone is reading this.....and I really appreciate the reply.

We'll use Dicor Lap Sealant tonight to try to seal everything up as my buddy is coming over for it. Lots of gaps with adding to the structural integrity of the camper.

I took a note from you on signing the work.....I had wife and kids sign the back before adding the outer skin.....

Here's some pictures of the stickers removed with the decal remover......a good bit of burn through on the paint. Looks like I'll be touching it up with some sort of stripe after the camper is camp ready......

 

[corybrown50]

I had to add a bit for overlapping on the front. I went to my local Menards (FAVORITE HARDWARE STORE!!! Great employees very willing to help with out of the box thinking. Thank you Menards Reading/Glendale!!). I found a metal carpet border that turned out to be aluminum. Easy to bend and added butyl tape underneath and screwed on to take up the gapping.

With the outer trim added....

Started adding back on the exterior bits for sealing tonight.....

And covered the signatures and added the last window back in....

Now for the list of what is left......

1. Seal roof
2. Seal outside
3. Door frame
4. clean and install canvas
5. finish hinges and support for over cab bed
6. finish bed side seating with supports and cover
7. rewire exterior lighting
8. install new faucet and pump.....pump may wait until later as we will have water source at campground
9. insulate roof and reinstall aluminum roll
10. reinstall hanging cabinet
11. cut opening for new refrigerator and install
12. create bedding supports for removable cot
13. install passenger side lift
14. install new bolts for roof lift
15. install vinyl floor
16. install lp closet and lp lines
17. create closet storage area for inside camper
18. create front side under seat storage area for water and battery storage (also may wait)
19. larger opening in driver side bedside for ac to slide through.

KEEP PRAYING FOR ME!!! That's a long list with 6 nights and 2 days to go..... If I can kick 2 a night and 4 each full day I'll be good.....and nothing else pops up.....

 

[corybrown50]

Update from last night.....my buddy came over and was like a monkey in the trees on the roof.....scary to me as I'm almost 300#, but he said he's been on worse....

We got the roof sealed almost completely.....a few areas he didn't like the fit and finish that I needed to get tighter before sealing.

Silicone around the outer edge of the roof and sides.....

He's got a keen eye.....he found some small holes we'll have to address

Dicor self leveling around the vent and the holes that were previously repaired......We'll add Dicor to the center line as well as soon as Amazon's 2 day shipping of the insert arrives on day 3 or 4

This stuff is really cool....and is one of the only things that will stick to itself, unlike silicone for repairs....

I also got the LP closet back in......

So.....here's the list today......

1. Seal roof
2. Seal outside
3. Door frame
4. clean and install canvas
5. finish hinges and support for over cab bed
6. finish bed side seating with supports and cover
7. rewire exterior lighting
8. install new faucet and pump.....pump may wait until later as we will have water source at campground
9. insulate roof and reinstall aluminum roll
10. reinstall hanging cabinet
11. cut opening for new refrigerator and install
12. create bedding supports for removable cot
13. install passenger side lift
14. install new bolts for roof lift
15. install vinyl floor
16. install lp closet and lp lines
17. create closet storage area for inside camper
18. create front side under seat storage area for water and battery storage (also may wait)
19. larger opening in driver side bedside for ac to slide through.

2 items down......it was smoking hot out there last night and is expected to be hotter today.....I'll try to stay hydrated, and of course.....PRAY FOR ME!!! God is on my side.....I need to stay moving forward on everything....Looks like rain for tomorrow afternoon....then I leave for a work trip Monday and will return Friday, then a week of final push to be at least camp ready for the following weekend......I love deadlines!!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Nice work Cory, but be careful, heat stroke isn’t something that’s any fun.

 

[corybrown50]

I'm thinking about removing the heater and putting a window ac unit there.....Don't really plan on too much cold camping right now. Anyone remove their heater and use electric or catalytic instead? Not sure if the heater even works yet.......