I want to rehabilitate my old Dodge Class C

[Smart_Alec]

Taking it in small steps.

First off, I'm not as young as I used to be so I'm in no hurry.

The ceiling leaks, so correcting that should probably be a priority, no?

I want to take the roof panels down so I can look at what is behind them. Replace moldy old insulation with new stuff, what's it called, that lightweight stuff cheap ice chests are made of? Then put up new ceiling panels.

I have a 20 year background in construction work and am familiar with the use of many tools.

I don't want to disturb any of the framing or cabinetry if I can help it but I do want to get a good look behind the ceiling and upper walls.

Of course I want to seal the roof. Replace damaged roof vents, caulk all the cracks, and at the present time I believe the liquid sealer that you can apply with a paint roller is what I should use cross that job off the list. If I am wrong I need to know ASAP (actually, no, as I said I'm in no hurry but it's been raining a lot here in Western NC, which sort of gives me a sense of urgency).

For taking down wall and ceiling panels without disturbing anything else I have a secret weapon, which, sorry, I can't remember what it's called, but I first saw it on a late night infomercial. Expensive, made in Germany. However Harbor Freight jumped into the fray with a much more affordable unit, which is what I have got. It's the little vibrating back and forth thingy to which you can attach various blades. Anybody here know what I am talking about? You can cut around switches and light fixtures without having to remove them.

So, to repeat, I want to take my time here, at some point I'll be looking at building a custom bed and a custom desk in this thing, but those are topics for a future thread.

Thoughts, anyone? 🙂

[Cousin_Eddie93]

toedtoes wrote:

Bordercollie wrote:
Not to argue, I take months to build detailed scale RC model airplanes, crash and repair them and finally round-file them. My take on owning an RV is having it ready to use confidantly and enjoyably without frequent problems on the road and having to spend a lot of unplanned time and money fixing/replacing old stuff.

I think that shows - it's a personal choice as to what's "worth it" or "winning". Another person would never fly their RCs because they don't "want them ruined" after all that time creating them - but that same person might happily buy a $4000 RV and put time and money into it.

You probably speak for half this board. Just take a look at the old Dodge thread. I find great pleasure and personal satisfaction in doing my own RV repairs and upgrades. The time I spend working on it is actually fun and it's something I have control over because I own it. The last thing I want to do is buy a new rig then have it spend weeks at the dealer waiting for parts because all those gizmos don't work just like the show model did or because some defective part failed and because its warranty work, it sits at the shop at the bottom of their priority list. I've read too many nightmare stories here on that. So there's a good deal of risk in buying new as there is buying old; albeit buying old, perhaps more risk but it is an expected risk which decreases proportionately with the amount of upgrades and quality repairs you have made. It's all a matter of personal preferences and means.

[toedtoes]

If the only reason he is doing it is to make a living, then he's not going to get far. But, if he's doing it because he enjoys the work and can make a few extra bucks, then I don't see the problem.

As an amateur photographer, I can spend hours and hours and hours out taking photos. Each year, I make up one or more calendars to give to friends, sell, etc. If I can sell a few, then I say "I made money!" I don't count the time I spent out taking the photos, because I would have done that anyway. Sure, I could have worked overtime at my job for those hours and make a lot more money, but instead, I spent my time doing something I love to do and made a few bucks off it.

[Bumpyroad]

toedtoes wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
sort of reminds me of a friend I had at work. He would buy an older car for say $2,000, spend $2,000 fixing it up using hundreds of hours of labor. He'd Sell it for $4,500 thinking he "won".
bumpy

If he enjoyed doing the work, then who's to say he didn't "win". Isn't the saying "find something that you love to do"? He did and he made a few bucks off it. If you don't enjoy fixing up old cars, then it's not going to be worth it to you - but that doesn't mean it's not worth it to anyone else.

but he was doing this to make money. he could have put in a few extra overtime hours at his desk job and be way ahead.
or bought a newer more valuable vehicle to rehab and make a lot more money.
bumpy

[toedtoes]

Bordercollie wrote:
Not to argue, I take months to build detailed scale RC model airplanes, crash and repair them and finally round-file them. My take on owning an RV is having it ready to use confidantly and enjoyably without frequent problems on the road and having to spend a lot of unplanned time and money fixing/replacing old stuff.

I think that shows - it's a personal choice as to what's "worth it" or "winning". Another person would never fly their RCs because they don't "want them ruined" after all that time creating them - but that same person might happily buy a $4000 RV and put time and money into it.

[Bordercollie]

Not to argue, I take months to build detailed scale RC model airplanes, crash and repair them and finally round-file them. My take on owning an RV is having it ready to use confidantly and enjoyably without frequent problems on the road and having to spend a lot of unplanned time and money fixing/replacing old stuff.

[toedtoes]

Bumpyroad wrote:
sort of reminds me of a friend I had at work. He would buy an older car for say $2,000, spend $2,000 fixing it up using hundreds of hours of labor. He'd Sell it for $4,500 thinking he "won".
bumpy

If he enjoyed doing the work, then who's to say he didn't "win". Isn't the saying "find something that you love to do"? He did and he made a few bucks off it. If you don't enjoy fixing up old cars, then it's not going to be worth it to you - but that doesn't mean it's not worth it to anyone else.

[Smart_Alec]

Bumpyroad wrote:
sort of reminds me of a friend I had at work. He would buy an older car for say $2,000, spend $2,000 fixing it up using hundreds of hours of labor. He'd Sell it for $4,500 thinking he "won".
bumpy

So you're saying he really "lost"? Who is better qualified to judge his outcome, you or him?

[Bumpyroad]

sort of reminds me of a friend I had at work. He would buy an older car for say $2,000, spend $2,000 fixing it up using hundreds of hours of labor. He'd Sell it for $4,500 thinking he "won".
bumpy

[Smart_Alec]

Bordercollie wrote:
If we knew what we were doing, we would have saved our money and bought a much newer and better conditioned rig that suited our needs much better for $21K

Well, that's why I'm here, because I don't entirely know what I'm doing and I want to seek advice from those who have traveled down this road before me.

My construction skills will serve me well, I think, but this is still a new area that I'm still exploring. RV construction seems to be an esoteric field.

😄

[Cousin_Eddie93]

Smart Alec wrote:

Bordercollie wrote:
More power to you. There are a number of old rig refurbishment threads on this forum and those who have done it will provide advice. It is sad, however, when a project like this bogs down for health or other reasons and never gets finished. It is likely that the old appliances, plumbing, 12 and 120 volt systems electrical systems will require replacements and upgrades not to mention engine, cooling system,transmission, brakes, dash AC, wheels and tires, suspension,(etc.) that will need repairs or upgrades to make this sows ear into a silk purse that you can trust for serious motorhoming. Think it over, it's a lot like renovating a termite ridden dry rotted old house.

I hear you.

And I agree with you.

But, you know, these old Dodges are tough.

That said, it's hard to deny the tolls taken by years gone by.

I like this old girl, but no, I wouldn't to take her on a serious road trip.

Still, it would be nice to get her running well enough to visit a State Park once in a while.

If she's mechanically fit, I'd go for it. As stated on my post above, all that work minus the water heater and wrenching cost me well under $1,000. With prior carpentry experience, these things are a bit different from home or commercial construction; kind of like a cross between home construction and automotive repair but in the the end, prior experience with problem solving, solution seeking and innovation will get you there.

[Cousin_Eddie93]

DaHose wrote:
Here is my cabover rebuild thread. I am not quite done with the cosmetics inside, but we can use it and it's sealed tight.

http://forums.goodsamclub.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27231261.cfm

I have a bunch of threads detailing the ongoing "rejuvenation" of good old Mabel. Some work just takes tools, time and know-how. Other work takes grunt and teamwork. The main thing is really understanding each issue, taking a methodical approach and having the time to do the work.

Jose

Wow that brought back memories of remodeling my cab over. My water damage was not nearly extensive as yours but I still had to removed all the filon off the passengers side and remove its aluminum nose cone and windows. There were a lot of things I wish I could revisit in hindsight as well but over all I was seriously impressed with my work, especially in the interior which came out brand new. My labor time was about 24 hours, that's pulling two 12 hour days over a weekend. Since then, four years ago; I've replaced my roof, 1 and 1/2 times actually because I seriously f***ed up around the AC unit and neglected to realize the old roof had some sagging and thus she releaked the first trip out after the initial rebuild. My fix was fairly easy, only took a day. But I had to cut out a 10 foot section of my new EPDM liner then I simply graded the roof with three sheets of plywood and some ripped 2x4's using a 1" sheet of water resistant OSB under the AC unit then graded each side with a half sheet of 1/2 ply and spay foam contoured under neath it. Re cemented the EPDM with contact cement and about 35 feet of eternabond tape. She hasn't leaked in the three years since it was done but redoing the inside was a bit of a challenge until I came up with a wonderful fix for the three small spongy areas of luan. Rather than gut the entire interior roof like I did for the cab over, I removed the bad luan then used nylon spackle tape which I pressed into a 1/4" spread of fine acrylic grout. The stuff spread perfectly flat with my 10" blade inside the gap and the nylon tape bonded to the good luan with no cracking at all since it was completed three years ago. The ceiling was then topped off with contoured white ceiling paper. The roof top and bottom is strong as it ever was even stronger. Fortunately I had no water damage above or inside the cabinetry walls or refrigerator. Since then, I've repaired all of the exterior delam, (with the exception of a small area on passengers side cab over that I need to revisit). Since then I've replaced the hot water heater, the Genny's fuel pump (what a rip off, $240.00 for OEM Cummings pump). I upgraded hot water heater from a six gal to a ten gal; replaced the power steering pump and both front brake caliper pins and upgraded 50% of lights to LED's Otherwise she's like new minus the fading original exterior decals and pin stripes which I'm considering removing and making her naked.

[Bordercollie]

As a young family with a small budget, and not having much mechanical and RV repair know-how, we bought an old leaky, smelly 1979 "orphan" rig for $13K that looked nice externally but had been a rental before the previous owners bought it. Turned out that it needed serious engine and cooling system overhaul, roof and dash air conditioner repair, RV generator overhaul, tires, etc, etc. We spent another $8K on it the first year and got it "running good enough" to even do some serious touring and camping even though the rig was still old, had leaks and mold smell, as well as a very poor floor plan for our needs.If we knew what we were doing, we would have saved our money and bought a much newer and better conditioned rig that suited our needs much better for $21K. If you can actually do most of the overhaul, repair and replacement work yourself, in a reasonable period of time, and get a considerable amount of use and enjoyment out of your rig, your project may be worth it to you regardless of resale value.

[Smart_Alec]

Bordercollie wrote:
More power to you. There are a number of old rig refurbishment threads on this forum and those who have done it will provide advice. It is sad, however, when a project like this bogs down for health or other reasons and never gets finished. It is likely that the old appliances, plumbing, 12 and 120 volt systems electrical systems will require replacements and upgrades not to mention engine, cooling system,transmission, brakes, dash AC, wheels and tires, suspension,(etc.) that will need repairs or upgrades to make this sows ear into a silk purse that you can trust for serious motorhoming. Think it over, it's a lot like renovating a termite ridden dry rotted old house.

I hear you.

And I agree with you.

But, you know, these old Dodges are tough.

That said, it's hard to deny the tolls taken by years gone by.

I like this old girl, but no, I wouldn't to take her on a serious road trip.

Still, it would be nice to get her running well enough to visit a State Park once in a while.

[Smart_Alec]

Did I mention I'm on a tight budget?

My 1976 Dodge Tioga Class C is what I've got. Not looking to buy, I already have it. It is where I live, with very affordable lot rent in a nice RV park; I'm a broke-ass "full timer".

Yes, it's funky in many aspects but it has a nice vibe to it as a place to live, and I would like to make it as nice as possible before selling it and moving on to a larger unit.

That's where I'm coming from. 😄