1988 Fleetwood Jamboree Ralley Remodel

[wildcomfort]

Just inherited an RV from my fiance's parents.
We knew it needed work, just not as much as it's turned out to need.
It smelled horrible and we definitely had to gut it.
So we stripped out the carpet, stripped out the wood from the upper cab and exposed all the damaged wood of the frame. Apparently it had been leaking for years and rather than try to fix the leak someone had drilled drainage holes in the bottom of the fiberglass of the cab. -_-'

It's been a nightmare to take off all the metal tracks from the sides and try to remove the butyl tape. Reframing the top cab window was easy, but the putty is so gummy it just smears and it's been putting up quite the fight.

Now we found that the back end has quite a few leaks. All of these factory holes have leaked in. The tail light screws were leaking into it as well as where the latter was drilled.

We stripped out the carpet and bought some new laminate "wood" floor. Rebuilt the plywood bottom and front frame for the cab. We had plans to reuse the glass from the front window, but during "construction" someone mowing the lawn beside us managed to fling a rock and crack it.

Tried to get the flange off the bathroom floor, but I'm afraid if we turn it too hard it may break off.
So many more things popped up the further and further we worked.

Has anyone else tried to remodel a Fleetwood Jamboree?

[Bordercollie]

Our first newbie buy was a heavy, leaky, old 79 Higgins Delta moneypot. The aluminum siding and methods of joining sides to each other and to the top seemed much more leak prone than today's construction. Building them took days, rebuilding could take years.

[wildcomfort]

This project has yes, been very time consuming and tedious, but overall it's been extremely rewarding. We have gained so much from this process. I won't speak too soon, but it's all been worth it so far. Thanks for the input!!!

I've done my best to take as many photos as possible and will try to post them in chronological order with some details.

Starting with the beast herself:


Click For Full-Size Photo.

The cooler on the roof is to keep the rain from pooling on top when we cover it with a tarp. We have taken off the ceiling vent covers as they were cracked and we are replacing them with new ones. Almost every seam that had been screwed in through butyl tape is leaking...


Click For Full-Size Image.

[BobandShaz]

ksg5000 wrote:
Love to see some pics.

X2 thanks

[ksg5000]

Love to see some pics.

[PapPappy]

I know I speak for a lot of folks here, when I wish that you had taken pictures of this project, for all of us to look at.

There have been a couple of folks who have tried to rise to the challenge of a complete overhaul of an older RV, though few have completed the task. You may have already found that the investment of time and money will not result in the reward you expected. Heck, the flooring you replaced probably is almost equal to the value of the 26 year old MH.

That said, I also applaud you and your efforts. It is good to have a hobby, and this is a BIG one, so while you may not see a return on your investment, you are probably enjoying yourself, and learning quite a bit. Once you have completed the project, you'll be able to go out and enjoy it with the family, which in itself, makes the unit "priceless".

Please post pictures, if you can....I for one would enjoy seeing your "project".:)