They attached the sides HOW?

[thetundrawolf]

Hello,

I have a Toyota Dolphin 20' RV. It had been stored by the ocean for many years before I bought it.

There's a big hole in the floor, and basically the entire floor needs to be replaced.

I brought in a carpenter to look at it, and he was stunned. Apparently they attached the walls to the RV by using screws that they drilled into the edge of the plywood, all around!

I was hoping to not have to completely disassemble the entire cab area just to put in a new floor (Plywood).

Any ideas?

I can't just lay new sheets over the existing plywood because it's already too small for me, (I am 6'1").

[Snowman9000]

I guess I could add, instead of Dicor on the roof, consider Eternabond tape. Search this site for days and days of reading on it. If I was starting with a clean/new roof, I'd use the EB tape.

[Snowman9000]

Do not use silicone caulk. It doesn't hold up well in RV use. It will look like it's still working, but can be leaking. And when it's time to re-caulk, it won't stick to itself. And nothing else will either.

If you are caulking anything on a rubber roof, use Dicor self leveling lap sealant. For caulking on the aluminum, use ProFlex RV, or equivalent Sikaflex or OSI Quad. Underneath corner trims, window flanges, roof vents, and other mounting flanges, use high quality butyl tape. Usually it will be medium gray, and it's almost bubble-gum like in texture. Not the drier putty tape. I've used a lot of the putty tape, it's okay, but the butyl tape is a lot better.

On any window or other sidewall penetration, after you install it with the butyl tape, then drape the top and side edges of the joint with Proflex. On a roof, you drizzle the Dicor over any finished joint or flange, and don't skimp on it.

repeat after me: No silicone!

[thetundrawolf]

Actually, I need to re- do everything. The shell, I mean. My stepdad said not to buy 2x2's, as we can get 2 of them from a 2x4 for half the cost XD I plan on using polystyrene sheets as insulation, and expanding foam to seal the cracks. A gallon or two of elastomeric sealer and a few tubes of silicone caulking. It really is falling apart on the inside as it was stored by the ocean. And it's thirty years old. Being a carpenter, he said to build cabinets all over the inside (I like it more open- a bathroom only because it is mandatory) to reinforce everything, but I am not entirely sure if that is necessary.

So, the plan is to strip the tin off (Is there a product I can use to repair the holes and tears in it? It's not in that great of condition. Something like a solder?) and duplicate the 2x2's, plus maybe an inch so I can actually stand up in it.

I want to build some storage units on the underside of the RV, and maybe have them accessible from the inside, as well as outside.

Electrical will be run alone the inside of the walls, where I can get to it, and upgrade/add/repair it as needed, in a tasteful fashion, of course. Plumbing will be PEX and run underneath the RV.

I am on an extreme budget, but I need to do this. With the polystyrene sheeting, expanding foam, elastomeric sealer, and ripped 2x4's, I am hoping to get it done for less than $500. I already have the plywood. I would have liked to have gotten the marine grade plywood, but I cannot afford it. i will seal this plywood up good, though.

[Dakzuki]

thetundrawolf wrote:
thanks for the advice, guys. It appears like i am going to need to re- do basically everything. Today it rained, and water was streaming in even after I thought I had gotten all the cracks in the ceiling.

My hope is to buy a bunch of 2x4's, rip them down to 2x2's, and use polystyrene as insulation.

Easy there, Sport. That RV is already strained enough weight wise. Reframing with 2x4s is just going to exacerbate the situation. You obviously want to make it strong enough but don't just do it by adding bulk.

[thetundrawolf]

thanks for the advice, guys. It appears like i am going to need to re- do basically everything. Today it rained, and water was streaming in even after I thought I had gotten all the cracks in the ceiling.

My hope is to buy a bunch of 2x4's, rip them down to 2x2's, and use polystyrene as insulation.

[Sea_Dog]

eb belote wrote:
aint gona be but so strong. think id be putin L brackets from floor
to wall. you can hide em under carpet or such.
I think mine was 1 1/4 not much more. it dern sure aint a piano


pa

Eb.
Where have you been?
Have not heard from you in years.
Hope all is well!

[Snowman9000]

I would expect to find 2x2s in the walls. You probably could get a good overview by googling for travel trailer rebuild or something like that. Our poster "BobsYourUncle" has something in the archives here. Search on his username, older than one year, on the term rebuild or maybe Citation. I agree with tatest, everything is built onto the floor.

It's not that hard to remove the lower runs of aluminum siding to make the job accessible from the outside. It comes off from the bottom up. Well, it does mean you have to remove the corner trims, or at least loosen them a lot. I mean, it's a big job, but it's not hard, if you get my drift, lol. I did this to rebuild the lower corner wall framing on a fifth wheel trailer. I ended up with good wood, and nicely resealed corner trim, etc. You'll want to buy a decent staple gun at some point, to put your siding back on the way it was installed.

Edit: Here is Bob's rebuild site

[eb_belote]

aint gona be but so strong. think id be putin L brackets from floor
to wall. you can hide em under carpet or such.
I think mine was 1 1/4 not much more. it dern sure aint a piano


pa

[thetundrawolf]

Francesca Knowles wrote:
Is this one of the early molded fiberglass Dolphins, or is the "camper" body ordinary frame construction with aluminum siding?

It's the "Camper" body ordinary frame type with aluminum siding.

It's coming apart where the main living quarters attaches to the cabover. I really should probably re- do the entire thing. The question is, does it use 1x1's in the walls? I don't know...

[tatest]

That's the usual way of attaching laminated panel walls to floors, although many manufacturers now have a metal frame around a floor that is also laminated constuction.

If the original floor is rotted through, replacing the whole floor means taking everything out and everything off. The floor is the foundation for the contruction methods used. Framed walls are built atop the floor, laminated panel walls attached to edge of floor, either way the floor is a key structural element.

[blangen]

If it's a wood floor, the common carpenter/house framer approach would be to get underneath and block the seams and just cut an inch and a half inside the wall (the width of the base plate on a circular saw). Of course... this is house framing... I know nothing about your Toyota. Just sharing something that you might find a tidbit of value in.

[crasster]

My dolphin's floor is a solid piece of stainless steel sheet metal....

[Francesca_Knowl]

Is this one of the early molded fiberglass Dolphins, or is the "camper" body ordinary frame construction with aluminum siding?