Forum Discussion

lane_hog's avatar
lane_hog
Explorer II
Jun 11, 2019

Rebuild Cabover using Great Stuff?

After spending ten years of its life in the desert, our Minnie has succumbed to three years in Illinois, and has water damage in the cabover.

The luan on the drivers side was totally disintegrated, and I am now faced with rebuilding the drivers side wall.

For now, the filon is still attached to the roof and rest of the coach, and there’s a diagonal cross brace which makes it somewhat impractical to build a new sandwich wall. I also don’t want to mess with where the filon meets the roofline.

What I’m considering...

1) screwing external luan into the aluminum bracing, and gluing down the filon
2) building up a foam core using normal GreatStuff (1” gap)
3) attaching the interior luan to the bracing
4) filling the void with more GreatStuff

I’ve seen where some people have used closed cell foam for rebuilds. Yes, I know it’s messy, but at least I know it would adhere to the luan without question vs doubting if I have a solid sandwich wall, and it would also attach to the cross bracing.

Following that, I’ll replace the front filon with new product and eliminate the front facing window, which is where half of the damage originated, but that’s after I figure out the side wall.

Thoughts appreciated...
  • I also removed the front windows as well with out 1977 Roll-a-Long due to rot in the top bunk then rounded the front out original front , and with new front installed
  • Thanks... didn't have my phone with when I was doing the repairs, so no photos yet.

    The idea was to try and create a structural panel between two sheets of luan, but it sounds like that might not work as thought. Apparently the spray foam can also trap water, which is the last thing I need right now.

    Guess I'll have to go back to cutting down a foam panel that will fit into the aluminum frame, and gluing that down to the luan. GreatStuff does make a polyurethane spray adhesive that says it will bond to foam panels, so maybe I'll have to give that a try.
  • Without pictures, I am having a little bit of trouble visualizing the exact use of great stuff. Is it just to fill a gap? Or is it to create a structural panel?

    You absolutely cannot create anything structural using great stuff. The type of foam you use is extremely important to the integrity of a panel. Great stuff is what is called friable foam. it will fall apart in a short time if it is subjected to a load.