We Bought a RV Clark!! Oh no! Rebuild thread

With the weather turning for the worst, and being so busy at work, I have not spent much time working on the rv. Something about 15 inches of snow and freezing temps have kept me inside as much as possible.
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However, I'm feeling cooped up and bored, and overall, just ready to do something constructive on the rv. So I cleared off the kitchen table, covered it with some carpet padding, and brought the 2 big side windows in for some love. Cleaning the old sealant off is really tedious and I'm happy to have help! She's actually doing a great job and is proud that her little black ball of sealant keeps growing.
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This is what we're up against. A very sticky mess!
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I removed the screens and trim to better reach the cracks for a good cleaning. The windows, while 20 years old, are in great shape overall and will clean up nicely.
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I've got a great friend that I've done a lot of work for over the years. I think @GotWood will recognize him. Told him about my rv project and he was excited to help me out if he could. So I found a little project to take to his retirement man cave work shop to work on. With some good ole bluegrass music rollin in the background , we set out to fix up the kitchen table a bit. <I had a great time. It was fun to see this man actually work for me for a change. I kept asking if he was done yet ,if he could cut me a break on pricing,and if he was doing it correctly...you know, the same stuff hes been asking me for 20 years. Ha! Like I said, it was fun.>
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The 4x8 sheet of formica was a bit more than I needed and almost 100 bucks. WOW! Could I find a better deal? Yes...yes I did! I found this on the floor under the shelf. It was cracked on 2 corners. A little negotiating and it was mine for only 20 bucks.
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Gotta peel the old edges off. Putty knife works best. Careful! Dont cut yourself. This stuff is sharp!
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sand the edge
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Get the edge cutter set up...we need a 3/4 inch edge
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Of course it needs gluing. Theres gotta be glue. I mean, if theres no glue, what's the point?
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Next we attach the edge and rout it down to size.
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I dont have any pictures, but we sanded and scuffed the top up a bit...added more glue and stuck the top on. Then routed it down to proper size. Cut out the cup holder holes and.....

Vioala. ! ( not sure if I spelled that correctly. Hell, I dont even know if I pronounce it right)

Ok Ok... Abracadabra!
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We have ourselves a fine new table surface!
 
Had a little time and it was one of the best weather days in recent history, so Kieth and I decided to install the 2 big side windows. It will be good to get the windows re installed, it will help hold heat a lot better so I can do some inside projects when it's cold out.

First, the outside needed a little more prep work. Most of the old sealant stuck to the window itself, which was removed, however, some sealant remained on the side walls. I used a sander and acetone and made quik work of it.
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Next we test fit the windows. I was hoping they'd fit perfectly, but the inside paneling had a few spots that needed a little massaging. No problem..just hit it with the sander!
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Next we add the window sealant. Silicone would have worked, but true automotive windshield sealant works better. Costed a lot more too. Boo!
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Then we set the window, and started attaching the inside trim piece. Alot of screws in this part.
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Here it is. While it looks like nothing special, it's been resealed and now has "piece of mind " value!
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Rinse and repeat for the other side.

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Looking good on the inside!
 
Today we'll attack this ragged side. We've already made the panel for it. I'll have to dig it out of the storage shed.
Edit..hehe,already dug it out,there it is by the front tire.
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And maybe we'll start working on the roof some. This is how I left the roof last time I was up here.
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Here's the side panel. I left the window hole open until today. I made the final decision today to close it up. There will be no window now. We used the killer spray glue and replaced the cut out piece.
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Then we held it in place, took a few mins to square it up, marked our new seam line on the old side and cut it off straight and smooth.
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Then after cleaning off the surfaces,and adding a bunch of glue, we were able to place our panel and staple it up.
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You know in reality, ...well who thinks realistically how a motor home is made? You would think that they use space age, light, and super strong material. I always figured that they used steel or aluminum framing, rigid insulation, and Fiberglas or composite panels.
Basically you’re driving a cardboard box down the damned road! :shaking::D:eek:

But y’all are doing one heck of a great job!
 
Next, ole Bobby started taking down the old trim edging. Seems like a thousand screws to remove. But he got it. Both sides!
Maybe I should borrow some scaffolding from my buddy. Lol Bobby kept mentioning having to climb down and move the @##$%#@! Ladder a million $#@@#% times.
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Meanwhile, Kieth was busy on the inside, removing the vents, a/c, and the old antenna winder upper thingy from the cieling.
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And while they were busy doing their things, I was up on the roof peeling off old lap sealant so I could expose the screws in order to remove the stuff from the roof.
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Heres a rooftop view of a few things that must go. This old antenna used to work by winding a winder on the inside and it would raise the antenna up.
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This a/c unit seems to work, but how well it works and how long it will work is anyone's guess. I've been online window shopping several different units that will fit the bill. I'm considering buying a new unit that has heat AND air, and totally doing away with the gas furnace. It doesn't work anyway.

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R Q said:
You know in reality, ...well who thinks realistically how a motor home is made? You would think that they use space age, light, and super strong material. I always figured that they used steel or aluminum framing, rigid insulation, and Fiberglas or composite panels.
Basically you’re driving a cardboard box down the damned road! :shaking::D:eek:

But y’all are doing one heck of a great job!
Click to expand...
There is an aluminum frame, but without the complete " sandwich" surrounding it, it's a bit wobbly. Definitely light weight.
 
Anybody have experience with rooftop a/c and heat units? All in one..

How well do they heat?

I realize that by deleting the gas furnace which doesn't work, I'll be completely relying on having electric power to heat the rv. (Unless buddy heater in emergency) But realistically, we probably wont be camping in the dead of winter, but who knows...we just might.
 
Dylan W. said:
I've been online window shopping several different units that will fit the bill. I'm considering buying a new unit that has heat AND air, and totally doing away with the gas furnace.
Click to expand...

If it's just heat strips, don't bother. I have one with heat strips, it doesn't put out shit for heat.

I'd try to fix the furnace, since it's probably ducted to help spread heat around the camper. They're not awesome either (they suck down a lot of 12V to run a loud ass fan and they waste a lot of propane), but they do put out heat.

Or, consider adding some propane-powered ventless heaters. There are several different types, including little catalytic ones that install in the wall and ceramic freestanding ones. The freestanding ceramic ones aren't much different from Buddy heaters (which you can also use - a Big Buddy has a propane fitting that can tap your onboard system). Any of those options will use little to no power, very little propane, and can roast you right out of the camper on a chilly night.

Our camper has a regular RV furnace, but we usually run the Big Buddy on low (one element). That's enough for even the coldest nights. I think it uses 1# of propane in 4hrs at that setting, but I'm going off memory.
 
I've cut a bunch of the old rubber roof away and exposed alot of the roofing luan that I'm gonna have to replace.
Looks like I am removing the a/c screws in this pic.
Looks good eh? Of course the old luan is so delaminated that it'll only come up in layers.
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Next, Bobby and I lift the a/c unit out of the hole and carefully slide it down the ladder to Kieth. It wasnt as heavy as I feared, but still, it wasnt very light. 60 lbs maybe..?
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Next we went to work cleaning off the front rafters over Ella's bedroom, above the cab.
I can't quite put this process into words , not any clean words anyway...other than scraping layers and layers of crappy luan off, all the way down to the foam....SUCKS! Just imagine...
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once it was all cleaned up, we added a bunch of glue to the rafters. .

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Then...we cut our new luan to fit..added plenty of counter sinking ceramic tile backerboard screws (they'll never rust and they tap the aluminum rafters nicely)

Next thing you know...we have a new roof started!!

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The day was moving along nicely. So, we decided to go a little further. A decision was made to clean off 1) 4 ft section at a time. Then, install the luan over that section.
Once the old luan is removed, it makes it waaay sketchy to walk around up there. So by doing 1 section at a time, we can sit, stand on the new part and scrape the next old section without much fear of falling through . It's still hard to trust it, but it's fine.
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Let's get a new sheet up here and lay it on down bro!
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After gluing and screwing another sheet down, it was time to cut out the vent hole and sand the edges so they're smooth for the new rubber roof.
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I know they are pricey but while you have good access to run a bit of wiring look at a Fan-tastic vent. I have a couple in my Cyclone and they are awesome for moving fresh air. They actually compliment the AC in the summer by drafting hot air up and out. They also have a thermostat controller and a sensor to auto close when it senses moisture (rain). This one is one of the fancier ones but the make em with more manual options as well. They are awesome though.

Fantastic Remote Control Vent and Vent Parts | 31-2286

And for any of your manual vents add a maxxair on top of it. It helps with keeping the UV off the vent lids ao they last longer and also lets you drive with the lids open for ventilation. They provide a bit off rain protection too if you forget to close a vent.

Maxxair Vent Cover - White - 00-933066 - United RV
 
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