rebuild of 1999 Fleetwood Elkhorn 10W

[biggjb]

We purchased a 1999 Fleetwood camper and now realise it is a fixer upper. I need to replace the rubber roof and some of plywood on the roof as well. there are also sidewall issues which will require extensive rebuild of the frame. As I now have a winter project and the fact I have never done this type of work before, I'll need some advice. Should I clean up and keep all the corner molding? As I will need to replace some the ceiling inside, where can I get the wood (Home Depot)? Also, I will need to replace some of the frame. I have some interesting ideas on how to remove rotten wood and add good quality material but would like to hear from someone who has gone through this work before. Thanks

[Downwindtracke1]

Yes, they use that formula in wooden boats. Works great they say. But if you let the wood dry , it usually just surface moisture, and keep it dry, the wood will out last you. The trick is to keep wood dry. That means doing a good job of sealing. I worked in the industry when I was younger, and have no use what so ever for grey butyl tape. They use poly urethane sealant, like Proflex, on the bottom of boats, that tells you something doesn't it.

[biggjb]

Thank everyone for the advice. After taking the camper I noticed that there is a lot of wood that was wet and I thought I would have to replace it. However, that wood is very solid and I have been doing a lot of research on some products I could use to stop the rot and perhaps use it on the wet wood so that I could keep it. I have seen many suggestions with Borax, Borax acid and anti-freeze but all the formulas given gave a quantity of about a gallon or slightly more. I am sure I will not need that much and was wondering if anyone has formula that requires less products and perhaps does not require heating or a suggestion of a different product. I have looked at using wood preservatives.... any suggestions.

[AnEv942]

If you look at his rebuild http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/25001739.cfm you'll see the partial space was where his wrap around windows were...
(cant link pics from your computer, need to be hosted somewhere.
https://imgur.com/ is free

[mountainkowboy]

It was easy on the S&S cause the front windows wrap around the front of the TC and the pieces of tin were pretty small and I just "tweaked" them a little. I didn't want to pull the windows out and probably should have and took all the siding off it. After we move and I have a shop again I will tear it apart again and redo/modify it again. I did remove most of the siding on the back and sides while repairing the rot back there. My old thread is still floating around the internet when I did it and can be found here...clicky...it may or may not help you with yours. While our brands are different they're built similarly.

[biggjb]

mountainkowboy wrote:
The amount of rot that you will find...will surprise you. This started out as a reseal of the front windows. It's not hard to fix...trust me we replaced ALOT of wood.

MountainKowboy, noticed in your picture that you just removed a portion of the siding on the side. On my TC they run the full length...almost 18 feet. There are some portions that are smaller, example between windows. However, in order for me to get the structure on the cab over portion I will need to remove 3 full length pieces. Is there a way not to remove the full length as the only area (so far) is only the cab over? The bed portion scares me the most as one side is completly rotten and I am surprise I didn't fall through.

[biggjb]

Thanks MountainKowboy. I have started to remove the siding and have found a lot of rot. The one side, where I sleep, actually sank almost 2 inches because of the rot. There is one good side though, the rot is contained to the front sides and most of the bottom of the cab over portion. This is going to be an very big job.

[mountainkowboy]

The amount of rot that you will find...will surprise you. This started out as a reseal of the front windows. It's not hard to fix...trust me we replaced ALOT of wood.

[biggjb]

Thanks for the advice Downwindtracker2. I have most of those tools but fein multicrafer and Kreg jig. I will try to find as I have seen a lot of rotten wood just under the front window.

As for the siding most of it is in good shape but I will need to replace some. I am going to go to my local dealer to see if he can find some.

[Downwindtracke1]

Right now I'm replacing the furnace on a '99 Adventurer 810, the original squealed like stuck pig, which made sleeping problematic. The fun of old campers.

First lesson : The 1/4 interior plywood is the main structural component in the walls. Leave it alone as much as possible.

If the 3/4" plywood tub on the bottom is rotten, walk away, you have your money in appliances.

Second lesson : you repair a stick and tin from the outside, the aluminum siding was the last piece put on. Pull off the vinyl strip by removing the stop screw at the bottom. I replaced mine with new strips . Pull the trim by removing the 1/4" headed #8 trailer screws with a nut driver bit in an impact or drill. Pry it gently off with a putty knife and a casing bar. Save it. For the siding, you start at bottom and pry the staples with a tack lifter , a screwdriver with a bent end, and pull with a needle nose vise grips. It's pretty easy.

Now you will see the rotten wood.


Don't despair, it is not that difficult to replace. There are two magic tools, a Fein multicrafter and Kreg jig. They allow you to cut out the rotten wood surgically and splice in good stuff.

Besides common wood working tools, like a jig saw and a table saw, you will need an air powered narrow crown stapler to put your siding back on.

When I put the corner molding on I use Proflex caulking, I don't want to do this again in 2 years, and #10 stainless screws. The one size larger bites in the original holes. Use Self Leveling for the roof vents.

I did all the sealing, the roof too, the wings, and the back end in three weeks on my hunting camper.

It's much better sealed than new and when I fit that 19,000 BTU furnace, warmer, too.

[northshore]

I had some good luck with you tube when I was fixing some of my water damage.
I would like to agree with Joe, are you sure you want to go through with the repair, my first one was way worse when I got into it, I just kind of patched it back together and used the heck out of it, the grandson is using it now. My second one I was determined that it would not have water damage, found what I thought was a good one,WRONG it had damage too. This one I have been working on and for a "great camper nothing wrong camper" its had its issues. I keep finding more and more problems that were well hidden, I just hope Im at the end of the suprises.
good luck

[biggjb]

Joerg68, I have reviewed the "Truck Camper University" threads for a lot of ideas. I have decided to replace the rubber roof with another roof and not metal. There are some very good repairs conducted with great ideas. As I dig into this camper I am planning for the worst and hoping for the best. I like working with my hands and I have a couple friends who are the same. I am hoping they will help but I am not expecting. I know I will need help to remove the siding as some lengths are almost 18 feet and I want to reuse as much as I can.

[joerg68]

Have a look at the sticky thread "Truck Camper University" at the top of the Truck Camper forum. There is a lot of useful information there.

The corner moldings are a bit tricky to get off undamaged, and a PITA to clean (remove all old caulking). On the plus side, they are an exact fit. Especially the pieces that have a bend radius are very difficult to reproduce when you have never done this before and do not have the special tools..

In my experience, water damage is always worse than it looks and will be more work than you anticipate. Are you sure you want to invest your time, work, and money into such a project rather than, say, go camping, or spend time with family? At this point, it might be cheaper overall to cut your losses and sell the camper with full disclosure. But only you can make that decision.

[d3500ram]

See it through, keep a positive attitude, it can get discouraging if new surprises appear. In the end it will be something to be proud of. I did similar on a previous TC and almost gave up but I got 'er done. I will not do it again.