worth the investment or not?

[B_B_Upch]

Hello first off I am new to the forum & new to RVing. A friend has a 96 allegro bay 34ft. motorhome with 1 slide out. It's a 454 on p30 chassis. The rv has about 40,000 miles on it & has been sitting for a couple of years due to the mor-ryde suspension getting weak. I knew it need some roof repair & had a little water damage in the cabnet where he messed up his air horn & water got in. There was also bubbling on the wall in the bedroom. It does start & run & was able to drive it the 2 miles from his house.
The good.
It drives & I have mor-ryde sending me new suspensions under warranty because he got the wrong ones. So no cost there.
The 7000 onan generator works.
most lights work.
Stove, convection oven, hot water heater, both a/c units all work.
Holding tanks all good.
outside of motorhome in good shape.
New tires.
Good batteries.

Now the bad
It has a bad roof. Much worse than I thought. Will need new rubber & most boards replaced
It has complete water damage in the side walls in the bedrooms. (It seems to be 3 mil paneling) But no ceiling or floor damage.
The cabinets in bedroom are water damaged & will need to be replaced.
The fridge is out. He thinks it leaked the coolent out.
The carpet is terrible.
It has the auto park light that stays on.

Ok so that is most of the stuff that I can think of.
The price is FREE if I can fix it up.
So my question is? Is it worth investing the time & money in repairing a 20 year old rv?
Would love to know what yall think?
Any advice, suggestions, upgrades are greatly appreciated. I look forward to reading some of the many posts on here & hearimg back from some more experienced people.
I have used forums in some of my other hobbies & it has proved priceless so I'm hoping for the same here.
Thanks again.

[rgatijnet1]

booty51 wrote:
You were able to drive mo ho with auto park light on.Usually that means that the auto park break is engaged. And with the break being engaged you should not have been able to move mo ho.

I believe if someone had problems with the auto park brake all you have to do is go underneath and pull one pin. That disengages the auto park brake so you can drive it. Naturally you do not have any brake to hold the vehicle but I believe the light will stay on showing it as being engaged.

[booty51]

You were able to drive mo ho with auto park light on.Usually that means that the auto park break is engaged. And with the break being engaged you should not have been able to move mo ho.

[Bumpyroad]

lonfu wrote:
yes, the glue will have an "unlocker". could be carb cleaner, laquar thinner(like car paint) or just regular paint thinner. Some times a heat gun will soften the glue to make the old panel come off easier, but you still have to clean the surface completely. I don't recommend a propane torch as they can be a bit tricky, and burn the entire coach down. It is tough to get off. You will need to make up some upright braces to hold the new panels in place. Usually a board that is braced against the opposite wall or some other part of the coach.

my suggestion, insure for $10,000, follow up with propane torch glue removal.
bumpy

[lonfu]

yes, the glue will have an "unlocker". could be carb cleaner, laquar thinner(like car paint) or just regular paint thinner. Some times a heat gun will soften the glue to make the old panel come off easier, but you still have to clean the surface completely. I don't recommend a propane torch as they can be a bit tricky, and burn the entire coach down. It is tough to get off. You will need to make up some upright braces to hold the new panels in place. Usually a board that is braced against the opposite wall or some other part of the coach.

[Bruce_Brown]

lonfu wrote:
I used the 3/8 inch ply, but check your roof material to be sure it is wide enough to cover the extra height, 1/8 inch at each side. I use PL-400 subfloor adhesive on any thing that I'm screwing down. If I clamp then I use titebond 3. both should be available at Home Depot. the reason I use the PL-400 is that it is pretty waterproof. I used it one time to seal my brass boat plug base into my boat 6 years later it is still holding water and I haven't sunk yet!!!!

Moho construction rule, glue AND screw!!!!

Absolutely! Then when you're done double and triple seal EVERYTHING.

When I did the TT every place 2 pieces of wood touched there was liquid nails and screws. I just checked my materials list - I went through 15 tubes of some version of liquid nails. And a few of those were the big contractor sized tubes too. :B

[lonfu]

I used the 3/8 inch ply, but check your roof material to be sure it is wide enough to cover the extra height, 1/8 inch at each side. I use PL-400 subfloor adhesive on any thing that I'm screwing down. If I clamp then I use titebond 3. both should be available at Home Depot. the reason I use the PL-400 is that it is pretty waterproof. I used it one time to seal my brass boat plug base into my boat 6 years later it is still holding water and I haven't sunk yet!!!!

Moho construction rule, glue AND screw!!!!

[lonfu]

Something that I remember from when I was younger.....

I found that having an moho was better than a pickup, the insurance was cheaper. I had these special blankets to cover the cabinets when I hauled materials that might damage them. I used to haul supplies for my business I could deduct part of the expenses of repair and maintenance on my taxes. I also have found that RV's and kids seem to go together, I'd store sports equipment and kid stuff in. Every time I'd go out to start it up they were at the door wanting to go. Besides, it gives a parent something to do with your kid. Eventually, I spent 6 years with my youngest traveling the North American continent and stopping at every museum along the road.....There are some really strange museums in this country!!!!!

[rgatijnet1]

If you have the skills, all of the work can be done without too much difficulty. As you found out, you can get the materials to completely replace the roof for 10% of what the dealer will charge you. Building the cabinets yourself will be almost the same thing with the total savings of thousands.
In all probability, when everything is done, you will be lucky if you break even on this coach, which is MUCH better than most of us do financially that own RV's. Just looking at the coaches owned by some of the naysayers about rebuilding this coach, the depreciation loss alone each year on their coaches is more than what it will cost you to rebuild this one.
You don't get in to RVing to make money. It is all about the adventure and enjoyment.
Have fun with the project and set small goals that you can accomplish in a short period of time. before long it will be completed, paid for, and you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor. IN addition you will learn skills that will help you if you ever decide to upgrade.

[Bruce_Brown]

Don't let them scare you. I did a TT a few years ago - it was a mess. I have around 400 hours into the rebuild, 395 of them we were just a blast. There really isn't anything too complicated about it, just time consuming.

As far as the costs go, shop around and you'll be fine. We bought a bunch of stuff off ebay, the carpets were remnants from Lowes and/or Home Depot, even my local RV dealer helped me out.

I kept track of every dime I put into the repair, this one was $2,611.33. That even includes the new tires and $400 I have listed as "miscellaneous", just in case I missed something.

Would I do it again? Probably. :B

Camper Rehab

[sailor_lou]

If you are comfortable doing the work I say go for it. RV's are not a financial investment, but rather an investment in fun. Personally I enjoy doing the maintenance and take extra pleasure in incorporating new mods. In the end you'll have a custom RV and will have more pride in what you have accomplished than the guy that dealt out big $$$$ for a new rig. Good luck and keep us informed on your progress.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy (with dozens of DIY mods)

[B_B_Upch]

B.B.Upch wrote:

lonfu wrote:
Rubber roof, yes replace it, but if you can afford it, then replace it with a single piece aluminum roof. It is easier than it sounds. The hardest part is getting the aluminum up on top of the coach and remembering to put on sunscreen while you are installing it. I always coat my roofs with white roof coating to reflect the suns rays.

You will have build any replacement cabinets, I can show you how to make the doors. Make cabinet bases the same way as the ones you pulled out. Buy an air nailer, titebond 3, and a bunch of clamps. I like 22 or 23 gauge nailers as they don't show, but an 18 will work just fine. You can use paneling or MDF and paint it. Many choices...... Wife and I prefer greys, blacks and reds vs the yellows and greens of many of the older coach styles. So, we remodeled... If you have questions or would like some pix private message me.

What glue do I use to put the wood roof & walls on? Seems like everything is glued on lol
Not sure how to private message. This forum is a little different then the one I'm use to.

Thanks I have a buddy that offered to help with the cabinets (he builds custom cabinets for a living) so that's good.
If I do this I am looking at going with a 3/8 plywood b grade for the roof that way it has a smooth side. They are about $17 a sheet at homedepot & going with the 1/4 luan side walls they are about $12 a sheet. I could go with 1/4 on the roof since that's what's on there now but I think the 3/8 plywood could make it stronger.

What do yall think?

[B_B_Upch]

lonfu wrote:
Rubber roof, yes replace it, but if you can afford it, then replace it with a single piece aluminum roof. It is easier than it sounds. The hardest part is getting the aluminum up on top of the coach and remembering to put on sunscreen while you are installing it. I always coat my roofs with white roof coating to reflect the suns rays.

You will have build any replacement cabinets, I can show you how to make the doors. Make cabinet bases the same way as the ones you pulled out. Buy an air nailer, titebond 3, and a bunch of clamps. I like 22 or 23 gauge nailers as they don't show, but an 18 will work just fine. You can use paneling or MDF and paint it. Many choices...... Wife and I prefer greys, blacks and reds vs the yellows and greens of many of the older coach styles. So, we remodeled... If you have questions or would like some pix private message me.

Not sure how to private message. This forum is a little different then the one I'm use to.

Thanks I have a buddy that offered to help with the cabinets (he builds custom cabinets for a living) so that's good.
If I do this I am looking at going with a 3/8 plywood b grade for the roof that way it has a smooth side. They are about $17 a sheet at homedepot & going with the 1/4 luan side walls they are about $12 a sheet. I could go with 1/4 on the roof since that's what's on there now but I think the 3/8 plywood could make it stronger.

What do yall think?

[lonfu]

Get new insulation. You don't have to us the same type as you removed. Sounds like you have the skills to do all the labor yourself. New "moho"s are priced out of this world. Your 34 footer would be at start at $125k and go up with any extras like a spare tire!(-: The low mileage is good, but you will end up putting in some $$ into the engine, stuff like cat converters, sensors, belts and hoses things like that. So, if over the next 2 years you spend $10k in materials and have a nice custom coach vs $150k bank loan and payment. Hmmmm let's see $600 per month loan payment for 24 months is $14k, so you will be ahead by $4k at the end of 2 years. I've done 3 of these projects over the last 40 years. The trick is to not "cheap out" the materials that you replace and try to take short cuts.

Rubber roof, yes replace it, but if you can afford it, then replace it with a single piece aluminum roof. It is easier than it sounds. The hardest part is getting the aluminum up on top of the coach and remembering to put on sunscreen while you are installing it. I always coat my roofs with white roof coating to reflect the suns rays.

You will have build any replacement cabinets, I can show you how to make the doors. Make cabinet bases the same way as the ones you pulled out. Buy an air nailer, titebond 3, and a bunch of clamps. I like 22 or 23 gauge nailers as they don't show, but an 18 will work just fine. You can use paneling or MDF and paint it. Many choices...... Wife and I prefer greys, blacks and reds vs the yellows and greens of many of the older coach styles. So, we remodeled... If you have questions or would like some pix private message me.

[njtony]

Run forest run...