Almost complete restoration 89 Fleetwood Southwind

[treeDodgingCamp]

Hi everyone, I'm completely new here and new to owning a motorhome. So, it's probably a little crazy, but I'm undertaking an almost full restore on a 1989 Fleetwood Southwind 36'. I bought the motorhome on ebay under the impression it needed a paint job... it turns out it had a lot of water damage (go figure from what I've read), and now I've decided to completely strip it down and fix everything the right way.

I have plenty of carpentry skills, and can turn a wrench, so not much of a problem there, but I'm new to motorhome construction so this is a big learning experience.

I started documenting the process withe videos (the first few aren't that good, I'll try to make the next ones better)... so I'm posting that here in hopes of any advice, criticism, instruction... or plain tell me I'm nuts!

EDIT: I've uploaded 3 videos so far.. in the first video I mention maybe the body is rotted from the frame... I found it it's not and the driver's side is sagging due to blown strut and air bag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUCYh4HtluQ

EDIT: I was wrong. The box frame was definitely rotted (much if now repaired).

[John_Joey]

hershey wrote:

Francesca Knowles wrote:

hershey wrote:

Really think this over before investing any money in your project.

I always wonder what the point of this kind of after-the-fact "advice" is. If it's your position that the O.P. should just tow the rig to the junkyard and kiss off the investment already made, I think that's ridiculous.

Since you've done this yourself, surely you learned something that may be of use to him in this project- why not pass that knowledge along instead?

Francesca, I thought I did pass on my knowledge. Knowledge from my undertaking such a project years ago. I tried to be as tactful as possible but some things that you want very badly can't be just wished to be.

You did good Hersey. I did the same thing 30 years ago with a sailboat. To the OP age brings wisdom, youth brings enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm is good as long as you have limits on your project, otherwise everything that Hersey said may come to pass. What will happen is the old saying "in for a dime, in for a dollar" feeling. You'll have so much time and money invested that you just can't walk away from it.

The other thing I will add to Hersey's warning is that RV's are meant to make Kodak moments with your loved ones. Can you see that happening during your rebuild? If not, that's the real shame because you will never get that time back.

[treeDodgingCamp]

Ok, so it's been a bit since I uploaded a new video, so here's a new one: Part 5

Still in the demolition phase, but about to begin the process of repairing the undercarriage of the MH body.

[treeDodgingCamp]

Couple of pics of the finished cabinet doors.. this is after sanding, two coats of stain, coat of ply, sand, then final coat of poly.

More pics of the MH soon



The poly beaded up a bit on the edge here


Some minor sand marks if you look close

[doughere]

I'm sorry you're not near me in North Carolina, I'd love to help.

I keep wanting to do about the same thing; problem is we don't have any place to work on it.

I'll keep watching and wishing.

Good Luck,
Doug

[westend]

I'm liking the stained wood.

Hot tub? Put a big one on a trailer and pulli with the MH. Around here, I can take my pick from many, where the owner has decided it doesn't get enough use for the space it takes. Most of these are setup for 240V but some are 120V. Not much to change over besides a motor. I wouldn't put one inside a MH or trailer. I couldn't get a big enough one in to accomplish the "group sport" concept.

[treeDodgingCamp]

Here are some drawers I'm refinishing. Left is stained and ready for poly... center is sanded, and right is original with milky poly

Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum width.

[treeDodgingCamp]

Ok, so I'll be doing some work to MH tomorrow and will have some pics and more video then... but in the meantime I wonder what you all think about this idea I had...

I want to build a hot tub in the MH. Not a huge hot tub, but one the size of the original bath tub that was in there and in the same spot with the same drain... now here's my idea - buy 10 hot tub jets and some pvc or flex piping, a small water pump and an on-demand water heater like this

Portable tankless water heater

Here are some spa jets on ebay:

ebay spa jets

In total I'd say less than $350 in parts.

The Eccotemp LP water heater has good reviews and is only $120. It also says there is no chance of overheating... so I'm assuming it has some type of thermostat (if not I could make one)

[westend]

treeDodgingCamper wrote:
@westend

I've actually had a lot of people say they like the army green paint... and I'll admit it's grown on me a bit, but I don't think I could keep it simply because it looks like some kind of crazy tank going down the road haha... it definitely gets attention

I bet. A guy wouldn't have to go too much further on it to make a camo colored Duck Hunter Special.

[treeDodgingCamp]

TravelingTeacher wrote:
We are nearly finished with our 32' TT renovation and we LOVED doing it! It will outlive our ability to use it, I have no doubt. Here is my blog detailing what we did: TravelingTeacher Enjoy the process, as well as the results!

That's awesome. I'll definitely give your blog a read!

[TravelingTeache]

We are nearly finished with our 32' TT renovation and we LOVED doing it! It will outlive our ability to use it, I have no doubt. Here is my blog detailing what we did: TravelingTeacher Enjoy the process, as well as the results!

[treeDodgingCamp]

@westend

I've actually had a lot of people say they like the army green paint... and I'll admit it's grown on me a bit, but I don't think I could keep it simply because it looks like some kind of crazy tank going down the road haha... it definitely gets attention

[treeDodgingCamp]

Hey thanks everyone for the input.

I'll try to get pics up real soon and I'll be doing another video as well. I've had to catch up on work lately so haven't had much time, but very soon I will (and the weather might even help).

I'll try to lay out the plan of attack in the next video, but to sum it up this the order in which I'm planning (so far):

1. Gut interior
2. Pull up floor and assess and fix any damage to body, so this would include welding on the body frame (chassis is solid)
3. All mechanical work (brakes, struts, air bags, carburetor, tires). I have an engine and tranny with only 33k miles if I decide to swap them out
4. Completely repair roof (caught between liquid pvc and epdm sheeting)
5. Brand new interior (carpet, tarquet, refinish cabinets), but using the original appliances for now. Most of them are in great shape.

[westend]

Cool, I'm actually kind of liking the Army issue paint. :B

Thanks for posting the videos. There are a lot of diy'ers on the forum and we like pictures. Who knows when I can steal one of your great ideas? :B

I think you've got a real good process in mind. In fact, I did just the same thing but with a travel trailer. My rebuild thread is in my signature line, "The Cowboy/Hilton".

Once gutted, you'll have a real good idea of what needs to be done. If I had a few good ideas about the process it would be: Don't lose hope or momentum, draw out mechanical plans (doesn't have to be architectural grade), insulate to the max, plan on using solar in the future, try to incorporate more efficient appliances and your own ideas into the build.

If you have any questions, post them up. There are some really talented and helpful folks on this Forum.

[SteveB]

Just watched your 4 videos. Its a cool looking camper. It has potential. This project would need a steady, methodical approach to complete. I would not touch the roof until the interior is completely gutted. Cover the roof with green tarps. That plastic you had in the video will not hold up for long. Anchor the tarps to the ground like a tent so you can get inside. Just keep any more water out while ripping out the interior.
Take out all of the appliances and fixtures and store them so that they can be reused or disposed of later. You might be able to shore the roof frame temporarily from the inside but the A/C units need to come down. At least from the inside you could safely assess the condition of the roof framing before proceeding


Way down the line new plastic covers are available for about $200 if those are cracked. White Fusion paint works too.

Good luck with your project. It might take a while but if you're up for it you'll have a decent unit and fun times.

[campigloo]

If you are going as far as roof framing, ours has a domed roof. It not only helps to drain rain water, but it seems much roomier inside with the added head room. If you go to that extent, ceiling fans seem really nice too.