Total Rebuild of a 1979 Dodge Class C

[oldtrucker63]

I would say some of you have seen the start of this build that my brother bgriffey had posted, Well I have now bought the RV from him and plan to post the pixs of the build I have found a lot of rot in this RV I have torn out everything on the inside and have the rear opened up and the skin off the lower driver side, I will be buying a camera for my wife for christmas and im sure she will take the pixs if I can learn HOW to post them on here, Please remember its winter here in Kentucky so it will be slow but we will keep the pixs coming, Like I said this will be a total build from floor to walls and roof and custom inside build so I would appreciate all the help I can get this will be my first build and I will be learning as I go so any info will help. THANKS......Tony Griffey.

A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model. If you are retired and use your RV to travel then why not save the money for your travels rather than on spending a large chunk of money on a brand new travelling vacation home. When you decide to have an RV remodel done you can have your old model completely gutted and rebuilt to look just like a newer RV and when the work is done you will not even recognize your old mobile home. Going about having a new RV to travel in this way can save you thousands of dollars and you will not have to worry about the payments on a brand new RV home. Many retired people are travelling this way nowadays so they can travel the country and be comfortable while doing it, and there are many others that own these vehicles that they will take on summer family camping trips. The RV’s that are made today are unbelievable and have all of the luxuries of home at a fraction of the size, these make it great fir families and retired folks to travel comfortably, and having an RV remodel done you can make your old RV look just like a brand new one.

Statistics show that the amount of registered RV homes on the road is growing steadily every year, and much of this is due to the baby boomer generation retiring and wanting to travel the country in comfort and style. Having an RV remodel can make your RV brand new. Some things you may want to consider is having all new beds and appliances put in. Since RV appliances are smaller than your normal home kitchen appliances they are much cheaper, and a complete RV remodel will probably cost you anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000, depending on how many changes are being done. The latter price could even be a little more if you are having your RV completely gutted and redesigned. It will still save you a lot of money over purchasing a new RV home. Another thing to consider during your RV remodel is if you plan on just remodeling the inside or if you want to have the exterior redone as well, and if this is the case the project will cost more money but will still be cheaper than buying a new RV. Most of these vacationing and traveling vehicles have a type of siding on them, and the more modern ones are sometimes made of more durable fibreglasses and plastics, these materials are very nice since you do not ever have to worry about rusting.

If you plan on getting a loan out for this remodeling job then you will first want to get various estimates, much like a home remodeling project. Once you get all the estimates you want you can then apply for the amount of money through your financial institution or credit union. The amount of money you need should not be hard for you to get approved for, especially if you have good credit. If you are a retired individual you most likely can take the money out of your pension or 401 funds, and this would be your best bet due to interest rates. Usually the place where you originally bought the RV can do the remodel for you as well, and if they cannot they can usually refer you to someone who can do the job for you. With the popularity of these vehicles constantly growing there are also many new dealerships and shops that specialize in these vacation vehicles. Having a comfortable vehicle to travel year round in or to just vacation in yearly is a great asset and can also be a great stress reliever. It is also a very popular vehicle for families to use on family camping trips, and the nice thing is that if the kids want to rough it while camping they can just sent their tents up right outside the RV.

[oldtrucker63]

and here.

[oldtrucker63]

Here is one layer and there will be two more over this, It look to me like it should work, And I made a test patch on the ground to see if its brittle or if it will flex, Its just one layer on the test but it will flex and dont seem to want to crack.

[oldtrucker63]

skimask wrote:

oldtrucker63 wrote:
OK help here you say Fiberglass/bondo....??? There will not be any bondo used on this,?? The resin is polyester resin and sets up quick but I will be doing small areas at a time and from what I read this stuff will not crack and will stick to just about anythig, But its just fiberglass and matt Not any Bondo, Bondo is for dent repair on cars.?? Is this right...I Just dont know..???

I'm not 100% myself. In fact, I think I might've been confusing myself a bit. First thing I saw in that picture were the big words "BONDO", and that says to me 'old school car fixing' type stuff.

One thing I do know is that the faster the epoxy stuff sets up, the more brittle it is. The more prone to cracks it is because it is so brittle.
Back in the day when I used to build and fly R/C planes a lot, I'd almost never use the 5 or even 30 minute epoxy mixes. I'd always use the 2 hour epoxy types, especially where strength and a bit of flex were needed. I could tell in the finished product, even though it took forever to fully cure (a day or more at room temp), the 2 hour stuff had a LOT more give to it before it would think about cracking up. The 5 minute stuff was just too brittle to use anywhere for me.

Heck, might want to stop down to the local boat shop and ask around there. Boats=fiberglass, Boat shops=guys that know fiberglass repairs...with any luck...
JDG

OK The cure time on this polyester resin is 2 hrs and and it kinda sets up in about 12 to 15 mins and I think you can make this longer by using 10 drops of hardener instead of 12 drops, Again I just dont know.????

[skimask]

oldtrucker63 wrote:
OK help here you say Fiberglass/bondo....??? There will not be any bondo used on this,?? The resin is polyester resin and sets up quick but I will be doing small areas at a time and from what I read this stuff will not crack and will stick to just about anythig, But its just fiberglass and matt Not any Bondo, Bondo is for dent repair on cars.?? Is this right...I Just dont know..???

I'm not 100% myself. In fact, I think I might've been confusing myself a bit. First thing I saw in that picture were the big words "BONDO", and that says to me 'old school car fixing' type stuff.

One thing I do know is that the faster the epoxy stuff sets up, the more brittle it is. The more prone to cracks it is because it is so brittle.
Back in the day when I used to build and fly R/C planes a lot, I'd almost never use the 5 or even 30 minute epoxy mixes. I'd always use the 2 hour epoxy types, especially where strength and a bit of flex were needed. I could tell in the finished product, even though it took forever to fully cure (a day or more at room temp), the 2 hour stuff had a LOT more give to it before it would think about cracking up. The 5 minute stuff was just too brittle to use anywhere for me.

Heck, might want to stop down to the local boat shop and ask around there. Boats=fiberglass, Boat shops=guys that know fiberglass repairs...with any luck...
JDG

[tenbear]

Many years ago I was a whitewater kayaker using a fiberglass kayak. It was not uncommon to bounce off rocks and damage the kayak. The universal cure was to use fiberglass and polyester resin to repair the damage. I never had a problem with the patch failing. The patches were small compared to what you are doing and I have no experience with using fiberglas on rvs, but I have used it to repair cars with no problems. You have to make sure the fiberglass is saturated with the resin.

I can't say how it would stand up under the flexing in the area where the wall joins the roof.

[oldtrucker63]

skimask wrote:
I'm curious as to why you want to use fiberglass/bondo to do the re-work of the overhead?
From what I remember, fiberglass/bondo gets really hard after it cures. I'm thinking that in an RV application, that stuff won't flex nearly enough and it'll end up cracking up on the first outing, especially up high and on the corners like you're planning on doing. Maybe somebody makes a "flex agent" that you can add to it like they do with plastic bumper paint, keeps it from cracking up.
JDG

OK help here you say Fiberglass/bondo....??? There will not be any bondo used on this,?? The resin is polyester resin and sets up quick but I will be doing small areas at a time and from what I read this stuff will not crack and will stick to just about anythig, But its just fiberglass and matt Not any Bondo, Bondo is for dent repair on cars.?? Is this right...I Just dont know..???

[oldtrucker63]

I think I will try a small area of this polyester resin and fiberglass mat and see how it comes out, I just dont know but what the heck try and see I guess from what I read this polyester and mat will stick to anything and if mixed right it will not crack, Anyone know the facts of this polyester resin.????????????????????:h

[oldtrucker63]

One of the advantages of polyester is that when one layer
is completed, the next layer can be done at any time, even
days later, without sanding between layers. When working
with epoxy, each layer must be added before the prior layer
cures (usually within 24 hours) in order to avoid sanding
between layers.

Looking at everything I read, This polyester will work and stick to just about anything and if done right with the mixing will not crack, Is this right, I just dont know.???

[oldtrucker63]

The epoxy resins cost to much to me, Is there anyway to use what I have now???

[oldtrucker63]

Thanks everyone I will return this and find epoxy resins to do this job, Thanks for helping me out on this I will be working blind.:C

[twarner]

Those are great links. I've used a lot of the MAS epoxy talked about in the fiberglass 101 link. Good stuff and about mid price.

Here is the marine supply we use.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/

Terry

[bdosborn]

Here's a link to marine epoxy:

Generic Fiberglass

Here's a link to how to use fiberglass:

Fiberglass 101

Bruce

[twarner]

Don't use bondo as it will get hard and crack or just come out. And the resin you have bought at the auto parts store are Polyester resins. This will be a mess as they do not have enough working time, you need epoxy resins for this job. Check Aircraft Spruce and specialty's web site and use any of the epoxy's they sell. Good marine supplys will have west systems epoxy as well. You will be able to get the working time you want and need. Make sure you prime any rustable metal before you apply epoxy or any resin over it. The metal under will rust under it if it's not primed. I build many things out of epoxy resins and fiberglass. Here's a pic of the Observatories we build.



And our web site:

http://astroobservatorys.com/thunderdome/index.html

Just trying to help:)
Terry

[skimask]

I'm curious as to why you want to use fiberglass/bondo to do the re-work of the overhead?
From what I remember, fiberglass/bondo gets really hard after it cures. I'm thinking that in an RV application, that stuff won't flex nearly enough and it'll end up cracking up on the first outing, especially up high and on the corners like you're planning on doing. Maybe somebody makes a "flex agent" that you can add to it like they do with plastic bumper paint, keeps it from cracking up.
JDG

[oldtrucker63]

There calling for rain in the morning about 70% Maybe I will get some luck.