1998 Bigfoot 2500 series

Question

Hello,&nbsp;i just recently got a bigfoot and noticed there is some delamination bulging on both sides 1 is very slight and the other is quite noticable on the right side right above the fridge access so top right, ive seen people say it could be due to sitting on jacks for a long time witch would make sense but there seems to be water intrusion on the windows, i was told it was bought from an estate sale so who knows how long its been sitting on jacks but the roof and mainly the sides seem pretty good.I know im going to pull the sides and fix it some time soon but concerned taking it on a trip if the wooden brace is compromised, really wanna get a couple trips it before i do so to feel it out and swap or install things when i do so&nbsp;&nbsp;

stircrazy · Answer

what do you mean by delamanation?&nbsp; bigfoots won't get the traditional delamanation like other trailers as that is the thin fiberglass board delamanating from the foam and frame and it looks like a giant air bubble.&nbsp; it is pretty much a rare thing now but still happens.
with a big foot or NL or any other pure fiberglass clam shell design you will get actualy fiberglass failure, and the proper way to fix it is to grind it out then re-filberglass to build it up again.&nbsp; you could just inject resin into the part that is seperated but thats just a bandaid and no guarentee that it won't keep going.&nbsp; with your kind of rv it is more constructed like a boat.&nbsp; for repairs on the shell reading up repairs on fiberglass boat hulls would be the best advice I could give you.&nbsp;

kiyomi · Answer

Gotcha, just to get and understanding, what contributes to this ? I see the right front leg is kinda kicked forward. Not sure if that has anything to do it. Just wanting to get a understanding to make sure it doesn't happen again&nbsp;

stircrazy · Answer

basicly watter intrusion, then going through hot and cold cycles over the years.&nbsp; the leg, if there is anything wrong, would be from water intrusion into the wood backing rotting it out. dammage can also cause it, but the biggest cause for old bigfoots is sitting in a feild with moss growing on them.&nbsp;&nbsp;
the problem is everyone buys clamshels thinking they are leak proof and don't do any maintenance.&nbsp; the fiberglass still needs to be protected with wax or something, and the seams still need to be inspected a couple times a year and resealed as nessasary

morsnow · Answer

Repairing Bigfoot or Northern Light camper's walls is not like just opening it up like all of the other manufacturers.&nbsp; They are made as two piece fiberglass clam shells and put together at the seem line you can see all the way around them.&nbsp; Even fixing the corners where the jacks are is more cumbersome.&nbsp; If you can access the corner with the damage, you may be able to just add some solid wood on the inside and re-bolt the jacks.&nbsp;&nbsp;

grit_dog · Answer

Hope you got ‘er real cheap because that is as crooked as a dogs hind leg.
Only 2 ways to fix that is if you can reach it from tearing apart the insides to get to it or wiz wheel it open form the outside and do some real fiberglass work afterwards, IMO.
The bigger question is I understand why you have it jacked way up with no support under the belly AND walking around inside it? Are you testing the ultimate strength of that bent/rotten corner to see what it takes to make it collapse?

I know you had to jack it up within an inch of its life to get it off that lifted truck, but may want to exercise a little caution in stability or your next step will be loading it back into the truck with a reach fork and some straps to haul to the garbage dump.

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1998 Bigfoot 2500 series

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