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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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

[MichaeleH]

Keep up the great work, you sure know how to do things right or learn how to fast.:C your little one sure is having fun working with dad. 🙂

[oldtrucker63]

I got the steps built today just need to finish a little in the morning and maybe a little more fiberglassing. Need to use what I have now and just go over it with the west system stuff.:Z

[oldtrucker63]

I found a west systems kit that comes with just over 3 yards, This should right at finish the edges off counting going over what I have put on of this polyester stuff, This kit comes with the slow harding stuff so maybe I can compleat one side at a time and get this over with. The kit is $180.00 counting shipping.

[oldtrucker63]

What little bit I have done looks good anyway.....LOL

[oldtrucker63]

OK, I finished some more fiberglass today with Polyester resin, I must have been to happy to get to fiberglass some of this old dodge because today I'm sold on the west system and I will be ordering some real soon, This polyester really sets up to quick and I just don't need to do such a small part each time, So I guess its order the slow drying west system. Should have listen the first time....LOL:S

[oldtrucker63]

chinook440 wrote:
You really should sand of the paint on the aluminum with a fairly coarse grit of about 80 of so to give the glass some tooth to bite into , i,d also make sure you overlap the glass onto about 2" of the bare wood . Fiberglass sticks well to bare wood......not so sure about that magic tape though.
Since you asked for honest opinions ,why didn,t you try to utilize the original mouldings ??? it would have been much easier and probalby turned out much better. Not trying to belittle or discourage you but with all the disimiliar materials you have up there i think you might have adhesion problems in the future. Everything expands and contracts at different rates. Bolted on mouldings will give a little vs. all chemically attached ones.

The original mouldings was busted up real bad and the way that I built it back is not like the original build so that molding would not fit right in most places anyway, That would have been the best way but too late now.

[chinook440]

You really should sand of the paint on the aluminum with a fairly coarse grit of about 80 of so to give the glass some tooth to bite into , i,d also make sure you overlap the glass onto about 2" of the bare wood . Fiberglass sticks well to bare wood......not so sure about that magic tape though.
Since you asked for honest opinions ,why didn,t you try to utilize the original mouldings ??? it would have been much easier and probalby turned out much better. Not trying to belittle or discourage you but with all the disimiliar materials you have up there i think you might have adhesion problems in the future. Everything expands and contracts at different rates. Bolted on mouldings will give a little vs. all chemically attached ones.

[oldtrucker63]

EMD360 wrote:

reading for Hours and Hours and watching videos on U-Tube and still did not learn very much

Yeah oldtrucker, I can read and watch how to do something but need that practical experience to really figure it out. That is how learning happens.
The fiberglass looks great on those edges. Why would you need a special gel coat on the fiberglass if you are covering it with the rubber roofing? Was the fiberglass applied to get a smooth surface for the roofing material?
Just a bit confused by the experts here. Guess I should have watched the videos...:h

Yes it will be covered with rubber so as long as it holds up and I think it will it should be fine, I have watched the Videos over and over and a bunch of them too and I still need the hands on to learn, I'm just hard headed I guess....LOL:h

[EMD360]

reading for Hours and Hours and watching videos on U-Tube and still did not learn very much

Yeah oldtrucker, I can read and watch how to do something but need that practical experience to really figure it out. That is how learning happens.
The fiberglass looks great on those edges. Why would you need a special gel coat on the fiberglass if you are covering it with the rubber roofing? Was the fiberglass applied to get a smooth surface for the roofing material?
Just a bit confused by the experts here. Guess I should have watched the videos...:h

[John_H]

Gel coat makes fiberglass reinforced products
attractive and practical. Technically, it is a surface
coating of pigmented polyester resin which gels
against the mold surface and cures with the structural
laminate. It faithfully reproduces the mold surface,
imparts color, and protects the reinforcing fibers from
external elements. In many cases, the surface
treated with gel coat is the only part of the structure
that can be seen. To the user, it is simply a reinforced
plastic. Resins, fillers, pigments and promoters are
carefully selected and formulated to develop the
quality and surface appearance needed to make the
product durable and saleable. Customer acceptance
of the product can depend entirely upon the care and
handling of gel coat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhiceLakS5o&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymS-FOeNVpw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i32yJeucB-Q

[oldtrucker63]

McZippie wrote:

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!

Yea You are right I plan on being on the inside by mid-Fall. I Hope, This one will get finished As long as I don't kick the bucket first and if I do maybe the wifes new boyfriend will finish it and keep you all updated. LOL..:B

[oldtrucker63]

So should I be adding Gel Coats into my mix of polyester resin.???

[oldtrucker63]

John H wrote:
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 ???

Yes John I looked at all of them And set here reading for Hours and Hours and watching videos on U-Tube and still did not learn very much Thats why I kept asking trying to learn more, But sometimes I think on hand training is best, Thats why I just went ahead and fiberglassed a small area, Just to find out what it would be and how hard it is to work with and if it will crack and so on, But after all I think it works and looks good, I may be wrong but I'm learning.

[oldtrucker63]

Thank you John B.

[john_b1]

oldtrucker63 wrote:
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.

For the life of me I do not know how you got those big ripples in the aluminum to look this good but keep up the good /great work. On another note, primer surfacer will draw moisture and rust so keep that in mind for your sake!! Great job ,keep us entertained jb