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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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.

[McZippie]

oldtrucker63 wrote:
Open for honest opinions here.:h

OK I'll take the bait. Winter is a coming on. Get those sides and roof done ASAP so you can work on the interior. Rule of thumb, the last 10% of the build takes 90% of the time. Long long road ahead, before 'even' getting to the 'finish' interior work. But hey, it's you're Rig and you're Time Table. Just hate to see you're project ending up like so many others that never get finished. Hang in there, we all enjoy reading you're updates. We're pull'in you for!

[John_H]

From all of those years with glass boats, I learned that fiberglass is not waterproof, it is the gel coating that makes it so. In a Ranger that I ran I cracked & chiped (the gel) on the front part of the keel. So before I posted and knowing my memory, I looked up,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Quote: from From the duroplastic web site.

"Gelcoats are specially formulated polyester resins with a flexible additive to improve the impact resistance against cracking and to produce a tough, resilient film on the surface."

But waterproof is a questionable statement, just how much waterproof is required in this or any appliable situtation.

Also a very good UV paint with an appable primer. I would, in my opinion, stick with a know name gel, tented in white.

If you had read the post that I sent....Epoxy is extremely hard but has a poor raiting from UV. You can apply epoxy resin over poly but not poly over epoxy, If applying gel you may want to skuff the surface JUST a BIT to allow a new surface, to adhere to, on & on, curiousy did you read any of the referance I sent or wasn't it worth the/your time ???

[oldtrucker63]

Open for honest opinions here.:h

[oldtrucker63]

McZippie wrote:
Now your cook'in, get 'er done. A final coat of a thick non-glossy white hides a lot of imperfections. Aim for the 20 foot test. If she looks good at 20 feet away, it's good enough.

LOL thats for sure, But lets try for the 6 inch man If I can get it to look good at 6 inches It will pass my test.:C

[oldtrucker63]

And the old look.

[McZippie]

Now your cook'in, get 'er done. A final coat of a thick non-glossy white hides a lot of imperfections. Aim for the 20 foot test. If she looks good at 20 feet away, it's good enough.

[oldtrucker63]

Back to the fiberglass, I think this looks great and I can flex it by pressing in on this and bend it in and out with no cracking, Anyway this RV will not flex like most RV's do Its not put together with staples its put together with the L Brackets and big wood screws all of the flex is at the suspension Not in the body.

[oldtrucker63]

Done for the day.



Many more hours to go.

[oldtrucker63]

There will be a lot of Hours spent on body work and paint.

[oldtrucker63]

This was not a work day, We was just wasting time waiting on the fiberglass to dry.

[oldtrucker63]

All of the stripes has to be taken off and a lot of body work to be done this thing will have to be very smooth.

[oldtrucker63]

The boss is hard at work.


And here too.

[oldtrucker63]

OK this is one layer dried and sanded and to me for just one layer I think by the time I add two more layers and get it sanded down it look good and on this top piece the liquid rubber will be over this fiberglass also.


Side view.

[McZippie]

Resin it up and slap it on, apply more resin, good to go.

[skimask]

The stuff we use in the shop for repairing circuit boards has a 24 hour cure time to 90%, another 3 days to 100%, dependant on temperature.
You'll likely run in to the same thing...colder temps = longer cure times.
As far as using less hardener, I'd do a test piece with that too. If we don't use enough hardener with this 24 hour stuff in the shop or if we don't mix it well enough, we won't know it for at least a day or so. The stuff just stays kinda mushy, never finishes curing. Big ol' waste of time.
Is the fiberglass going to be the outer layer on the edges? I assume it's going to get a few coats of paint eventually too? Hope you never have to take it apart again!!! And judging from the time and effort you've put in to the project, I don't think you will.
JDG