2001 Lance 1121 Rot Repair
Update 05/02/2020: This is a topic I posted in 2014 detailing the replacement of the two rear skirts on a 2001 Lance 1121, which is an all-wood frame camper. After the skirt replacement, I then cov...
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After getting the two rear skirt panels installed, I put the edge trim back on that would be blocked by the jacks, and then reinstalled the jacks. The camper is back on it's feet again, yea!
The jacks are straighter now than they've ever been since I've owned this camper.
Before putting the long pieces of edge trim back on that run from front to rear, I got a wild hair and decided to do something that I'd been wanting to do for a long time: cover the tub and the undersides of the wings with FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) panels. FRP panels are typically used to cover shower walls, or sometimes entire bathroom walls, and for back-splashes. The vinyl wallpaper like material that covered these areas originally had loosened and was peeling because moisture had gotten behind it. While removing the vinyl covering with a heat gun from under the wing on the driver side, I discovered that the wood along the outer edge was rotted enough that it needed to be replaced. As you can see here, the lauan plywood has been replaced on the underside of the wing.
I was a little apprehensive about what I would find behind the plywood, but fortunately the rot was confined to the skin. Getting the new lauan cut around the city water inlet and the LP T-junction box was a little tricky without removing a bunch of stuff I didn't want to. Because the wing was more than eight feet long, there was going to have to be a seam in the plywood somewhere. I positioned the seam so it cut through the middle of the hole for the water inlet, and along one side of the LP box. You can see them poking through the plywood in this picture.
FRP is pretty tough material, it should protect the tub from getting damaged by stuff I store in the truck bed next to the camper. It has a rough, bubbled texture one one side that you can see here.
I think it was JoeChiOki that gave me the idea of using FRP for this. He used some in his Kit camper rebuild project, and it looked like interesting stuff. So, thanks for the idea, Joe. My shoulders thank you too. They love it when I take on a project that involves lots of upside-down and over-the-head work. :( This would be a lot easier if I could turn the camper on it's side.
I hope to have both sides of the tub covered in the next few weeks, get the trim back on, caulk it up, and then GO CAMPING DOGGONEIT!!!
:):)
The jacks are straighter now than they've ever been since I've owned this camper.
Before putting the long pieces of edge trim back on that run from front to rear, I got a wild hair and decided to do something that I'd been wanting to do for a long time: cover the tub and the undersides of the wings with FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) panels. FRP panels are typically used to cover shower walls, or sometimes entire bathroom walls, and for back-splashes. The vinyl wallpaper like material that covered these areas originally had loosened and was peeling because moisture had gotten behind it. While removing the vinyl covering with a heat gun from under the wing on the driver side, I discovered that the wood along the outer edge was rotted enough that it needed to be replaced. As you can see here, the lauan plywood has been replaced on the underside of the wing.
I was a little apprehensive about what I would find behind the plywood, but fortunately the rot was confined to the skin. Getting the new lauan cut around the city water inlet and the LP T-junction box was a little tricky without removing a bunch of stuff I didn't want to. Because the wing was more than eight feet long, there was going to have to be a seam in the plywood somewhere. I positioned the seam so it cut through the middle of the hole for the water inlet, and along one side of the LP box. You can see them poking through the plywood in this picture.
FRP is pretty tough material, it should protect the tub from getting damaged by stuff I store in the truck bed next to the camper. It has a rough, bubbled texture one one side that you can see here.
I think it was JoeChiOki that gave me the idea of using FRP for this. He used some in his Kit camper rebuild project, and it looked like interesting stuff. So, thanks for the idea, Joe. My shoulders thank you too. They love it when I take on a project that involves lots of upside-down and over-the-head work. :( This would be a lot easier if I could turn the camper on it's side.
I hope to have both sides of the tub covered in the next few weeks, get the trim back on, caulk it up, and then GO CAMPING DOGGONEIT!!!
:):)
