Fixing water damage on the old Dodge (pics)
I got started on my summer project the last couple days. I found this thing on Craig's list for $100 and drove it home. It's a 78 Dodge Monaco 23' with a 440. Here's what it looked like when I brought...
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Spectramac wrote:Now you are going where I hoped you would.
Well, no more mister nice guy! I'm gonna make a mobile dance floor out of it!
Basically start fresh.
Reuse what you desire, but strip 100% of the platform to get the foundation right. Then spray the underbelly with a waterproofing coat of something appropriate.
Use this opportunity to replace as much old material as the flatform will allow. I know there is more weight involved, but I would consider adding a layer of waterproof 1/2" a-c plywood over the old floor, then lay a seamless roll of durable vinyl flooring to cover the entire platform in case there is a plumbing leak later in life. Once the RV is done, carpet over the flooring where carpet is desired.
Adjust the interior walls the 1/2" for the added layer of plywood.
It's a lot of work, but less than disecting and reusing. Increase your budget to $2000 so you can have a new RV on an old Dodge chassis. You don't want to do all that work, just to have a musty & creaking old RV. The bulk of the added expense will be new cabinetry, but I think well worth it. It's not like you have that many cabinets to buy like a house kitchen would have.
If you really wanted to go crazy, take off the platform and get the chassis redone.....taking care of frame rust & mechanical stuff. Then secure the platform better too. But that is going into a much deeper commitment, both time and money.
