We purchased a 1999 Fleetwood camper and now realise it is a fixer upper. I need to replace the rubber roof and some of plywood on the roof as well. there are also sidewall issues which will require extensive rebuild of the frame. As I now have a winter project and the fact I have never done this type of work before, I'll need some advice. Should I clean up and keep all the corner molding? As I will need to replace some the ceiling inside, where can I get the wood (Home Depot)? Also, I will need to replace some of the frame. I have some interesting ideas on how to remove rotten wood and add good quality material but would like to hear from someone who has gone through this work before. Thanks

See it through, keep a positive attitude, it can get discouraging if new surprises appear. In the end it will be something to be proud of. I did similar on a previous TC and almost gave up but I got 'er done. I will not do it again.

Have a look at the sticky thread "Truck Camper University" at the top of the Truck Camper forum. There is a lot of useful information there.The corner moldings are a bit tricky to get off undamaged, and a PITA to clean (remove all old caulking). On the plus side, they are an exact fit. Especially the pieces that have a bend radius are very difficult to reproduce when you have never done this before and do not have the special tools..In my experience, water damage is always worse than it looks and will be more work than you anticipate. Are you sure you want to invest your time, work, and money into such a project rather than, say, go camping, or spend time with family? At this point, it might be cheaper overall to cut your losses and sell the camper with full disclosure. But only you can make that decision.

Joerg68, I have reviewed the "Truck Camper University" threads for a lot of ideas. I have decided to replace the rubber roof with another roof and not metal. There are some very good repairs conducted with great ideas. As I dig into this camper I am planning for the worst and hoping for the best. I like working with my hands and I have a couple friends who are the same. I am hoping they will help but I am not expecting. I know I will need help to remove the siding as some lengths are almost 18 feet and I want to reuse as much as I can.

I had some good luck with you tube when I was fixing some of my water damage. I would like to agree with Joe, are you sure you want to go through with the repair, my first one was way worse when I got into it, I just kind of patched it back together and used the heck out of it, the grandson is using it now. My second one I was determined that it would not have water damage, found what I thought was a good one,WRONG it had damage too. This one I have been working on and for a "great camper nothing wrong camper" its had its issues. I keep finding more and more problems that were well hidden, I just hope Im at the end of the suprises. good luck

Right now I'm replacing the furnace on a '99 Adventurer 810, the original squealed like stuck pig, which made sleeping problematic. The fun of old campers.First lesson : The 1/4 interior plywood is the main structural component in the walls. Leave it alone as much as possible.If the 3/4" plywood tub on the bottom is rotten, walk away, you have your money in appliances.Second lesson : you repair a stick and tin from the outside, the aluminum siding was the last piece put on. Pull off the vinyl strip by removing the stop screw at the bottom. I replaced mine with new strips . Pull the trim by removing the 1/4" headed #8 trailer screws with a nut driver bit in an impact or drill. Pry it gently off with a putty knife and a casing bar. Save it. For the siding, you start at bottom and pry the staples with a tack lifter , a screwdriver with a bent end, and pull with a needle nose vise grips. It's pretty easy. Now you will see the rotten wood. Don't despair, it is not that difficult to replace. There are two magic tools, a Fein multicrafter and Kreg jig. They allow you to cut out the rotten wood surgically and splice in good stuff. Besides common wood working tools, like a jig saw and a table saw, you will need an air powered narrow crown stapler to put your siding back on.When I put the corner molding on I use Proflex caulking, I don't want to do this again in 2 years, and #10 stainless screws. The one size larger bites in the original holes. Use Self Leveling for the roof vents. I did all the sealing, the roof too, the wings, and the back end in three weeks on my hunting camper. It's much better sealed than new and when I fit that 19,000 BTU furnace, warmer, too.

rebuild of 1999 Fleetwood Elkhorn 10W | Good Sam Community

biggjb
Explorer
Oct 06, 2018
Joerg68, I have reviewed the "Truck Camper University" threads for a lot of ideas. I have decided to replace the rubber roof with another roof and not metal. There are some very good repairs conducted with great ideas. As I dig into this camper I am planning for the worst and hoping for the best. I like working with my hands and I have a couple friends who are the same. I am hoping they will help but I am not expecting. I know I will need help to remove the siding as some lengths are almost 18 feet and I want to reuse as much as I can.
joerg68
Nomad III
Oct 06, 2018
Have a look at the sticky thread "Truck Camper University" at the top of the Truck Camper forum. There is a lot of useful information there.

The corner moldings are a bit tricky to get off undamaged, and a PITA to clean (remove all old caulking). On the plus side, they are an exact fit. Especially the pieces that have a bend radius are very difficult to reproduce when you have never done this before and do not have the special tools..

In my experience, water damage is always worse than it looks and will be more work than you anticipate. Are you sure you want to invest your time, work, and money into such a project rather than, say, go camping, or spend time with family? At this point, it might be cheaper overall to cut your losses and sell the camper with full disclosure. But only you can make that decision.
d3500ram
Explorer III
Oct 06, 2018
See it through, keep a positive attitude, it can get discouraging if new surprises appear. In the end it will be something to be proud of. I did similar on a previous TC and almost gave up but I got 'er done. I will not do it again.

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