Restore "58"

[rott13]

Hi everyone. My husband bought me a 1958 8 ft nco . I've had it a year and now its time to make it new again.
There is nothing inside. It has a coupe of holders for hanging a cot but I don't know if that's original or not. It has wood rot in the corners ect. and the floor needs replaced. All the window but one are good. and the guy that sold it to us gave us a replacement. There are no blinds. It has a pull down screen for the door. That's pretty much it. SIMPLE no frills
My question is (like its the only one I'll have) Is it best to work on the top first or the bottom. They both need work. Or does it make any difference? Any advice will be appreciated. I cant wait to use it.
Thank you

 

[Oryguntroutbum]

rott13,
Once you start digging into these campers you will realize how easy they are to work on. The first thing I would do is pull all the windows. It will allow you better access to the frame and you will want to replace the butyl tape around the windows anyway. It is not uncommon to have to replace the 2x2's under the windows, and that dry rot can often creep up several layers of 2x2's in the corners.

There are several good threads on here which show repairs that have taken place. The end walls are plywood and depending on the amount of damage you can either patch with an epoxy wood repair kit or do a full replacement. As far as whether to do the top or bottom first, I would suggest pulling the two apart if you have the room to do it.

Lots of good info on this site and some very knowledgeable folks.

Good luck!

 

[Rusty]

I've seen the top separated from the bottom and cradled upside down. It worked for that repair.

pulling the windows as has been suggested is always a good place to start with frame repairs.....and the drip edges...retain the drip edges...they're like hen's teeth

no matter how strong the urge to replace rotted wood with pressure treated wood...don't do it....the chemicals permeate the living area....replace them with like materials (clear pine or hemlock/fir for weight) and seal it well...use butyl tape as has been suggested...

Lots of great information onsite

a new location has been found for drip caps over the windows...the 72" caps were difficult to find and new, they make a huge difference in appearance of the final product

Best of luck

 

[rott13]

Were building a dolly for the camper today. Rayct77 you mentioned butyl tape for the windows. I have never used it before but i've read a few different things about it and RV putty. What's your take on the rv putty?
Rusty you mentioned building a cradle for the top. Do you mean actualy suspending it from each corner or setting it down on something supporting the perimeter.
I dont want to assume anything and mess it up.
I appreciate your input.

 

[Oryguntroutbum]

I'm not sure what you are referring to as far as the "RV putty", it may be the same thing as butyl tape. Butyl tape usually comes in rolls around 20 ' long and costs around $7 per roll. Readily available from any RV service center or RV parts store. This is a good time of the year to work with it as it's a pain to work with if it's over 70 degrees. It becomes really sticky.

When the windows, eyebrows, and drip edges are removed you will see the old butyl tape. Once the old stuff is removed you can replace it with the new. Some pieces may need to have the butyl tape doubled up depending on the gap. I doubled up on my windows to make sure I got a water tight seal.

I also covered my bottom 2 x 2's that needed replacement with Rustoleum Leak Stop spray paint. These are the 2 x 2's that are closest to the Pirelli seal and most vulnerable to water damage.

 

[Gone Surfing]

As far as the cot goes,I have one intact.Also wondering if it was an add on for a custom order.It has two sets of holders.The more forward set is for traveling and the set closest to the rear is for sleeping.Can't wait to take my Granboy camping and put him up there.HaHa.He's only 3,but time does fly.

 

[rott13]

Mine also has the two sets of holders. I'm trying to get all of my duck in order before I start on this. I'm interested In what is the actauly type of paneling in these old campers. Is it birch? And a good source to buy it. With the aluminum skin, does it take a speacial type of screw so there is no electrolisis

 

[Rusty]

Ash was the typical interior finish...door skin material and you can get 1/8" sheets 4x8...but a bit pricey

they didn't worry about electrolysis when they built these....when I painted mine I replaced all the galvanized screws with SS...a pain but when you're applying linear polyurethane aircraft paint....only one way to go.

wholesale plywood distributors....hardwood yards...California ply in Sacramento, Ca. has it....if you're close

the original putty was linseed oil putty tape....don't even think about using it....butyl is the only way to go under...I use polyurethane for all remaining crevices after reassembly....poly paint covered it nicely...but annual touch up is imperative with any caulk...especially on the back of a 4x4

 

[rott13]

Rusty you mentioned on an previous post about making a cradle for the top. Did you mean actual suspending the top from all 4 corners or setting it down supporting the bottom and the perimiter. Also the 2x2's can a person use cedar or does it not work with the aluminum skins like the pressure treated wood.

 

[Rusty]

there are several ways to make repairs on an Alaskan....if the repairs are relatively small (initially) simply jacking up the top and supporting it with a few 2x4's across the bottom section works...

Another method is to remove the top and support it independently upright and work on it from below. Having it on stands or horses so you can work on it standing up is preferable.

I've removed the top and cradled it upside down before....I shouldn't have mentioned that...It worked for that repair but I wouldn't do it again. The bottom chords had been completely rotted out and we didn't want to take the entire top apart so we supported it upside down to expose the entire circumference of the top for the repair. Minimizing the damage to the top aluminum was important and we didn't want to remove the aluminum entirely so we flipped the top and supported it on a temporary plywood cradle. It provided access to the entire camper rim at one time but was awkward and took a number of young men to accomplish the task. Sometimes looking back on what you did as a young man with the intention of saving time, may not be the best thing to pass on.

The most obscure method I've seen was where a rotation method was used like an engine stand ...but on both ends.....this guy had taken a couple boat seat stands and had bolted them to the ends outside the frame...then drilled a couple holes for the seat posts to fit in and had a frame which he raised with a chainfall...moved it up and out of the way when he wasn't working on it and let it down when he had time to work on it. The entire top section could be rotated so either side at whatever height he wanted could be attained easily....I think he spent more time building the support method than the repairs...but it worked for him. It was done in a barn.

Cedar or clear, dry, heart redwood are best...but the object is to make it water tight, lightweight and sealed up....so pine/spruce/white fir will do....the white fir is least preferable...if you have clear cedar....you have it... use clear wood and no pressure treatment

it took 40-50 years to get it to the state it's in now....hopefully it'll last another 40-50 years...I personally need another 10-20...If I'm lucky

 

[rott13]

Well we finally got the camper seperated and sitting on seperate dollies. 2 weeks ago I started working on the bottom first. When taking the sheet metal off along the underside bench area someone or maybe from the factory ? Had put nails through metal into the plywood and on one side it looked like maybe there had been some kind of wooden strip attached going from the front to the back centered on the sheet metal.
Can anyone tell me if this is how it was suppose be done or someone tried to fix something ? Also the seals?
There was a this material maybe what some call fire hose seal I really dont know one the top portion held on by narrow stips of metal and on the bottom under the trim was a light colored approx 1" material. I'm guessing that is the pirelli seal?.From what I've read now its a good idea to use the pirelli on the top and the bottom is that correct.?

 

[Rusty]

Correct, pirelli bottom and top. you may find you'll need a little extra length on the screws that hold the brass strips on the exterior. Water tends to wick under the edge of the top section and makes its way into those screw holes...also a good idea is adding a little silicon or polyurethane adhesive to each screw as you re-assemble...a real PIA...but worth every dab of goo.

 

[rott13]

Ok I'll make sure i do that, any certain kind?
As far as the area that had the wooden strip attached I believe this area sits on the bed rail of the truck or close to it. I'm not sure,we brought it home on a trailer.
Was there a wooden strip attached as some point originaly or was this an after thought by someone?

 

[Rusty]

The interior wood strip on mine is a piece of ash which matches the cabinets...it wraps over the edge and down the interior face about 1/4". It had flat heads holding it down to the rail. The last time I changed the pirelli I put back brass, ovalheads and refinished the molding. Upgrade at every opportunity

When you replace those screws for the brass retainer strip holding the exterior pirelli...think about stainless screws

eliminate rust and corrosion at every turn...camper killers

 

[rott13]

The strips I'm referring too are on the underside on the outside where it overhangs on the truck bed.
I thought about just putting some butyle tabe on the back side of the metal and run a s/s screw it. Since there are wholes alread in the skin'
I'm replacing all the screws with s/s.
I was thinking about using 3m 4200 for the sealant.on the screws have you used this product before? i read that if you half to remove it at some point you will be able to unlike the 5200.

Along the exterior of the metal where it attached to floor it had some ? behind the metal and then the 3/8 screws through it holding it together. I thought about using butyl or something similar to seal out the moisture from getting to the plywood, has this been done before.
I'll post some pics as soon as I figure that out.
Thanks for all your advice

 

[Rusty]

I've used 4200 before (below the waterline on an welded aluminum boat for a transducer)...great stuff

That poly would be a vapor barrier for sure....I've seen some real ugly construction conditions in metal buildings where the vapor barrier was ripped and torn....big time damages..make sure you tape those polyfoam joints with some duct tape...or something to seal them up

 

[nixfwc]

Rusty, my 77 CO has tan plastic L strips holding down the inside Pirelli wiper with screws. Does yours have a wooden piece on the inside to hold down the Pirelli wiper? Wood could look nicer.

 

[rott13]

I looked at plywood Friday all I could find is 1/8 birch or red oak no ash here in S.Oregon. When I get ready to replace the sections with the curve any tips. I had planned to steam the sheets.

 

[Ripperj]

I'm not having any luck in Ct finding ash door skins either, I can find 1/8 poplar and lauan.

 

[Rusty]

I found Ash in Sacramento Cal at Capitol plywood...wholesale, but available to you through Higgins or Mcbeath

http://www.yellowpages.com/sacramento-ca/mip/capitol-plywood-inc-3140881


check with your local hardwood supplier and have them give Capitol a call...by the time it gets to Ct....it may be worth much more....the ash probably came from back your way in the first place.

Emerson Hardwoods in Oregon has 10 mil paperbacked ash veneer....I've never used PB veneer but it may be one way to an end