So we came home with this.

In your picture of the roof you can definitively see the roof is sagging from he weight of the AC unit allowing water to pool and possibly leak. You're going to need to unbolt and lift that AC unit off so you can replace the gasket under it. Once the unit is off you'll need to find a way to lift the roof from the inside and keep it up so water runs away from the AC. As you can see a 2x4 laid on it's side is not adequate to hold the weight, it's also really heavy for the application. Your idea of the steel tubing is good, but I would go with something like a 1 x 2 rectangle standing on edge with 3/16 walls. Every time I try to work with 1/4" it just seems too thick for most applications.

You might also try just pushing the roof up from the inside and slide a piece of 1x4 pine tapered at the ends between the aluminum roof and the 2x4 to put a bow in the roof.

Use a new gasket when you replace the AC unit and only tighten it down enough to compress the gasket about 1/2 inch. Do not over tighten and tighten it down until flat. If no leaks wait about 30-60 days then go tighten the four bolts another 1/4 to 1/2 turn each.

Here is your link. New members cannot post links.

Your photo album

If you want to post photos, use this site. . All you need to do is upload your photo, copy the URL, and paste that URL into your post without making ANY changes. Your picture will then appear and be properly sized for use on our forums.
No need for a "Hurmph!" :W
Barney

don't have much to help you. wanted to wish you good luck though, water intrusion can be nasty to deal with. Please keep us up to date as that setup is friggin awesome!

As you can see there are 2x4s that span the width of the trailer. How hard with it be to open up the seam of the roof so I could just slide those 2x4s out and replace with some newer boards or even some aluminum tubing?

It just seems like some 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 x 1/4 wall tubing on each side of the AC unit will be stronger without adding much weight (1.6lbs per foot)


With that being said, how would you fix it? I have remodeled a house to the point of being able to walk through the exterior wall, so I should be able to do this.

Edit: You would think I could do better than upload full sized images. Here is the Imjur album. Should make it a little easier to view.
https://imgur.com/a/f6b8XB8 (and making it a link gets removed. Hurmph!)

Lwiddis wrote:
Beautiful! Don’t change anything....except that ugly door.

A real ‘67 396 Chevelle?

Yes, it's a real 396 big block. I rebuild it a few years ago. My guess with the intake, carb, cam, headers that it is about 50hp over stock. It also has the Turbo 400, so I feel very confident on the drive train side of pulling this trailer.

toedtoes wrote:
It looks similar to a kencraft. Is it fiberglass? If so, look them up.

Not fiberglass. It is all aluminum.

Vintage465 wrote:
It wasn't until the '70's that most trailer manufacturers started reinforcing the roof for A/C units. It might be kind of difficult to sneak a piece of 3/4" plywood under the metal roof to span the opening to the next joist/rafter.

Lucky for me the inside ceiling has already been taken down. I'll try to post some pictures here of what I have to work with.

MitchF150 wrote:
Well, that trailer was probably never designed for a roof AC unit, so adding one and not reinforcing the roof structure could cause your issues.

Take the AC unit off or rebuild the entire roof to hold it.. Those AC unit's are heavy and need the proper install to not leak and to support itself.

Love the 67 El Camino and the trailer with the updated interior.

Good luck!

Mitch

The past owners said there used to be a window unit installed. Being down in Louisiana the AC is a must have.

Well, that trailer was probably never designed for a roof AC unit, so adding one and not reinforcing the roof structure could cause your issues.

Take the AC unit off or rebuild the entire roof to hold it.. Those AC unit's are heavy and need the proper install to not leak and to support itself.

Love the 67 El Camino and the trailer with the updated interior.

Good luck!

Mitch

It wasn't until the '70's that most trailer manufacturers started reinforcing the roof for A/C units. It might be kind of difficult to sneak a piece of 3/4" plywood under the metal roof to span the opening to the next joist/rafter.

It looks similar to a kencraft. Is it fiberglass? If so, look them up.

there is a company I've seen on tv the restores trailers like that, they are in Bend Oregon

This might be helpful:
https://tincantourists.com/identifying-an-unknown-trailer/