Fixing water damage on the old Dodge (pics)

[Spectramac]

I got started on my summer project the last couple days. I found this thing on Craig's list for $100 and drove it home. It's a 78 Dodge Monaco 23' with a 440. Here's what it looked like when I brought it home.





Ok, time to dive in!











Oh man, I can't believe the huge bag of rusty screws I have already! It's actually not as rotten as I was thinking it was going to be. Just in the corners, where the screws need to be. Still so much to remove....

[CISCO8325]

This is one thread that will go into a world record of how big and long its has gone. I got my fill for this month with the picture. Thanks ,I know now we are moving forward.hehehehehe...lol

[Spectramac]

These are GAF Grand Canyon series, but circa '04. It doesn't look like they are made anymore checking out their website. They have something called Timberline that looks pretty close now. I hear Home Depo is carrying this brand now, but haven't seen what styles yet. They look pretty much like old shakes. WAY too fancy for this little shed, but what're ya gonna do??? 🙂

Boy am I sore this morning after all that ladder climbing.... 😞

[BobsYourUncle]

Hey Malcolm,
Those are really nifty looking shingles. What are they called? And what is the profile of them.
I ask because my stick house needs a new roof and I really like the look of your choice of roofing.
BTW, nice work on the shelter.

[BobsYourUncle]

PapPappy wrote:

That may end up being the most expensive chain saw you ever traded!! :B

As Malcolm can attest, you may have gotten yourself into a major project, that will end up costing almost as much as buying a 10 year old RV in great shape (no leaks).

We have a tendency to look at the project as an adventure....but more often than not, it is doomed from the start. I'm not saying that Malcolm will not finish his MH project, but if you go and look at the early posts....he thought he'd have it completed in time to take it on vacation at the end of the summer....last year!!:R

These are basically black holes....sucking our life and our money into them....but then, that's half the fun!!

If you start a thread similar to what Malcolm has done, and post tons of photos, I'm sure that you'll have a similar following, and a plethora of advice and suggestions! 🙂


Malcolm, the roof looks great! It's coming along great, and I hope you can get it done by next weekend.....as I'm sure you'd love to get the RV parked in there before Thanksgiving!! 🙂

Amen brother!:B

You just described my "Black Hole" TT project perfectly.

But like you said, pouring our life and money into them is half the fun! We could be piddling it away in a bar instead . . . . At least these projects we take on give us some tremendous satisfaction and something to show for our efforts.

I started my TT rebuild in November '03 and it is still not done!! Sigh . . . .

[PapPappy]

bgriffey wrote:
Wow! is all I can say, I just traded a 15 year old chainsaw for a 1979 Dodge Sportsman RV.

That may end up being the most expensive chain saw you ever traded!! :B

As Malcolm can attest, you may have gotten yourself into a major project, that will end up costing almost as much as buying a 10 year old RV in great shape (no leaks).

We have a tendency to look at the project as an adventure....but more often than not, it is doomed from the start. I'm not saying that Malcolm will not finish his MH project, but if you go and look at the early posts....he thought he'd have it completed in time to take it on vacation at the end of the summer....last year!!:R

These are basically black holes....sucking our life and our money into them....but then, that's half the fun!!

If you start a thread similar to what Malcolm has done, and post tons of photos, I'm sure that you'll have a similar following, and a plethora of advice and suggestions! 🙂


Malcolm, the roof looks great! It's coming along great, and I hope you can get it done by next weekend.....as I'm sure you'd love to get the RV parked in there before Thanksgiving!! 🙂

[bgriffey]

Wow! is all I can say, I just traded a 15 year old chainsaw for a 1979 Dodge Sportsman RV. It has almost 51,000 miles on it but it has been sitting for 3 years. I put a little gas in it, poured a little into the carb, and she fired right up and ran pretty darn smooth. The roof has been linking, I say for almost 3 years. It looks like the worst rot is on the drivers side near the back. I have noticed that the roof is sagging a little where the a/c unit is.
I know nothing about RV's and I'm not much a carpenter. So all this is going to be a task for me. I don't have anyone to help or show me how, so I guess I have to learn it and do it all by myself. Your photos has shed some light on what I'm about to get into. So if I can't do it, I guess I'll have a flatbed truck with a hole in the roof!

[Spectramac]

I had to work Saturday which was alright being as we were dead all week. The rain did stop today so I dove into the roofing project. It took me a bit to figure out how to install these fancy shingles but I finally got going. Too bad with the missing hour today I ran out of light already. Looks like dry weather tomorrow, so I'll probably stay home and see if I can get the one side finished at least.

[TreeSeeker]

Do you all know that you can subscibe to the message thread and get email notifications of new messages? Then you don't have to keep checking for updates.

But then, that might take all the fun out of it...

[PapPappy]

We all love pictures.....even pictures of the shed that will be holding the RV.....keep 'em coming Malcolm. We all have confidence that you'll get back on the RV project next spring.

[ron_dittmer]

firemedic16 wrote:
.......I can't stop checking for new updates.

Me too.

[firemedic16]

It's like waiting for your favorite team to make the playoffs. I can't stop checking for new updates.

[KDOG2010]

You got me watchin this thread very closely now!

[Ripsnort]

Spectramac wrote:
You are a smart man Bill! That sounds like a great plan. 😉

I did find a great deal on 6 squares of high end roofing for the shed last week. Only $200! Now I'm just waiting for a couple dry days in a row to get it up on there... You're right about having a lot of cleanup to do around the RV when it makes it's big move.

I have a nice big magnet that I tied to the end of a piece of string and walked it around the edge of the gravel where it means my concrete floor of our RV garage. Works like a charm, sucks up any rogue screws, staples, or nails within 6" of the magnet. :C

[BobsYourUncle]

Funny it took me a year and a half to stumble onto this thread. Usually I am always up on peoples repairs and I didn't find this one until tonight.

All I can say is Wow! That is some undertaking! I went through all 64 pages but just skimmed. I don't have 17 hours to read the whole thing right now.

But I can really relate to what you have done here. Many of the forum members know me for my old Citation TT rebuild. I did as extensive a repair as you did to yours. I replaced nearly every single last piece of wood in it and I'm still not finished.

Rather than post pics in a thread as you have done, I put up my own website outlining the entire repair. Unfortunately, my webserver died and I haven't had time to build a new one.

It is very easy to put up a website. The content and quality of you rebuild work would make an excellent website. Just a thought you may want to consider. I have people from all over the US and Canada email me with questions about "how to" after they see my website. I am only too glad to try and help.

Sure wish I had the room to build a shed like you have done. That looks awesome.

Keep up the good work! I'm subscribing to this one.

Bob (the builder)

[WILDEBILL308]

I came to your thread later than most. I do appreciate the size and scope of your project. I have had to do some repairs on a “C” to but not as extensive as you have done. I do have a suggestion as to insulation. I have used the expanding foam that comes in a can. This stuff helps to glue things together and ads rigidity and strength. You get a feel for how much it expands so you can limit waste and after it is hard just trim off any excess. You can pack the trimmed off pieces in the big holes and foam over them to reduce waste.
I have my own “never ending project” I may post something on it in the future.
Bill