Replacing Minnie Winnie Cabover; 12/29 New Post With Photos

I am also interested in hearing others' answers to this question. I've been battling a leak in the front window of my Class C, and it seems to me that just eliminating that window would be the thing to do if/when a rebuild is necessary. Has anyone done this? Short of an entire cabover rebuild, is it possible to just remove that pesky front window and fiberglass over the area?

From my vantage point now, I would like a new cabover section to be short (coming to the edge of the cab roof), fiberglass and no windows. One of the items on my short list when I was shopping was an open cabover. We use it to put the TV in and minimal storage. With any rebuild, the smaller and less wind resistant the cabover is the better.

Back in 2005 or 2006 I was considering purchasing a used class C with a seamed cabover that got severely damaged from hitting something low-hanging. I had researched RV manufactures at the time that were offering new rigs with a seamless bucket. None of the companies were willing to sell me that bucket nor wanted to share their supplier. I also researched B+ caps getting the same results.

After you exhausted all other avenues, I would call an RV company who sells a motorhome with a bucket you think will work for your rig and tell them you have one of their units in your body shop. You'd appreciate the name of the company that supplies their bucket. I hate lying like that, but I don't know of any other way to get that information. Then call the supplier and spill the beans that you own a different rig with X Y Z dimensional requirements, and ask if they have a bucket that fits your need. If not, ask them who else you could call.

For reference, the pictures below is a rig like ours getting it's B+ cap installed at the factory. The B+ cap is very light weight for one man carries and places it into position, and then screws it down all around to the van roof.

I would seek a C bucket or B+ aero design that follows the lines of and fastens to the perimeter of the van roof like ours does. This to eliminate that major challenge. Then you only have to be concerned of the over-all width & height & transitional side/wing walls. If you own a Ford chassis, you will have many more choices.


I would be very interested in what you learn through your research as this subject had me in deep thought (more like obsession) many years ago.



Note how the B+ cap rests tight (screwed down) to the perimeter of the van roof. It also has a rubber gasket between cap & steel which has a rubber round bead that finishes the joint nicely and good against water infiltration. The cap is well secured to the van roof. That is easy to duplicate in a cab-over conversion. I would look for this kind of cap-to-van joint design to reduce conversion challenges.


Here is a non-bucket example with a joint I would try to avoid as I would not know how to reliably secure a bucket this way.

Couple of years back, there was an unfortunate incident, involving a low hanging roof eve and the front of my class c overhang. With a driver who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent.

It was an insurance job. I think it was around $4500 ish. Probably would be cheaper for private pay. I had them remove the window, and just make the front one piece. Following advice from this forum.

My only comment on the OP's plan, would be, I am sure you could do it, But you could really open up a hornets nest as well. In terms of getting everything to fit and sealed properly.

I would be tempted to take the window out and reseal it, Or take it out and fiberglass over it. Also If you take the window out you will need an new inside headliner as well. Maybe a case of if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Just my thoughts

On a Winnebago this would involve cutting the roof and sidewalls back to behind the cab, both of which are foam sandwich structures with interlocking aluminum perimeter frames.

What you end up with would be like the construction of the Aspect (B+ equivalent of MinnieWinnie) except that the Aspect is 6 1/2 inches narrower, so that cap won't fit. Since most B+ models are manufactured to eight-foot width or less, it might be difficult to find a cap to borrow, might have to mold your own.

Thanks for all of the posts! Ron Dittmer....LOVE the bucket idea. That is exactly what I want! It is hard for me to believe, that in this day and age, that it would be impossible for an individual to find and purchase one on their own.

Leaks in Class C front cabover areas can be coming from four places:

1) The forward facing cabover window. Brainstorming ... this could inexpensively be replaced by a "blank" or "plug" made of a shaped piece of white fiberglass glued to a thick plywood backing that is held in place by the original window's frame that pince-clamps (with screws) on both the inside wall and outside fiberglass surrounding surfaces. Seal this pince-clamp frame thoroughly as you reinstall it using the best stuff you can find - then all around this frame's outside perimeter edge seal it again with 4 inch wide white Eternabond tape.

2) The five(5) running lights. I removed mine on our Itasca, Eternabonded over their holes, and put them back in without reconnecting the wires (to eliminate water seapage along the wires) so they're still "there", but completely sealed and non-working.

3) The side, top, and bottom cabover fiberglass seams. These are easy to keep properly sealed using the recommended sealants from Winnebago's customer resources documents available at their website.

4) The side windows. These can easily be kept sealed properly as above.

Have you thought of asking the Winnebago factory if they take filler-work like replacing your cabover with a solid fiberglass piece? Of course their factory workmanship on a small (to them) rebuild project like this would be superb and hence done properly. If you like your rig, you might consider putting the "few thousand dollars" into it that Winnebago might charge to really add years of reliable service to your Class C.

We love our cabover area, as it gives us two permanent queen size beds - which we use all the time - and a shaded cool front cab area when traveling. We also store a lot of flat stuff up there at the head and foot of the bed (so we don't have to move it to use the bed)... like a light weight aluminum folding outside table, a folded outside lounge chair, a 12 volt Fantastic Fan for warm weather, books/maps, etc..

Although you have a great rig, before tearing it apart, it might be good to let someone else enjoy it--with info about how to manage the leak and buy a similar B+ with the cap you want. With all the miles you have put on it, you might want to start again with one in the 20,000-30,000 mile range.

I've thought about this type of mod, which I think is very feasible. Maybe not an easy project, but feasible for not much expense. My idea is to build a cap out of two inch thick foam and cover with fiberglass, maybe inside too. The foam can be easily trimmed to the aerodynamic shape you are after, best with a heat wire connected to a step-down transformer.

For more info on building foam trailers(or parts of a motorhome), check out the Foamies section of the Teardrops and Tiny Travel Trailers forum (wwww.tnttt.com). It's loaded with useful information and many trailer builds.

Keep us informed.

DA

All of the comments have certainly given me food for thought! I've thought of trading it in and getting a newer one using my short list criteria from the first purchase and adding an update for the cabover. With the exception of this constant dealing with the cabover leak, it continues to be a wonderful RV. And, it's almost paid for! Getting a newer one does not guarantee that it will be trouble free. In three years I've gotten to know Winnie. Winnie is mechanically sound and we'd like to enjoy her as long as we can. All input is appreciated.