Toy Hauler Nose and Roof Replacement

Question

Hows it going everyone. So im new here and im glad i found this place.
Im hoping to learn a lot. This is my first rv of any sort and im really looking forward to some good track days as well as going camping with the bikes for rides.
I recently bought a 2006 Keystone Hobbi Toy Hauler. I got a great deal on it, but of course that meant there were a few things wrong.
1. The nose has water damage from a leak that was once fixed, in the top right corner where the main terminal bar is.
2. soft bathroom floor
3. tires were sitting for 4 years.
4. old battery.
but for 4k it was a deal, especially since he put a whole new floor in the cabin.

So now what im dealing with. of course with the water damage the ceiling panels, just in the front were sagging. luckily the leak was isolated to just one place.

What im planning on doing, is replacing the whole front piece 8x9 sheet if fiberglass, with a new piece of filon using 1/8 sheets of backing board glued to the frame, replacing the insulation with r30 1/2' foam board and painted 1/8' backing board for new ceiling panels also glued to the frame.

Second, i noticed when looking for the leak entry point that the epdm roof had slight rips in those areas. So im replacing that too. That job looks fairly straight forward. time consuming and a bunch of elbow grease, but easy enough.

what im not sure about is the filon replacement, as ive had a hard time finding anyone else that has done this..
is there anyone else here that has attempted this?
any help is greatly appreciated. TIA

donn0128 · Answer

Is mold worth 4K to you?  Sounds like you sadly bought a pile of junk. You could further dunp another 4K into this thing and still habe mold issues.  I think you would be better off scrapping it hoping to recoupe some of your money.

joe417 · Answer

I've done a couple of jobs like you are describing. I experimented and the only adhesive that worked well for me was polyurethane, such as Gorilla glue. It is moisture cured and doesn't need air to dry. It's also fast compared to any of the other types that I tried.

Polyurethane expands while curing if not contained.
The only issues that I had was figuring out how to press the filon on to the substrate so that the polyurethane didn't push it away from the surface while curing.

The first job I did taught me a lot because I ended up doing it twice. Thankfully my wife helped me clean up the mess that didn't work, Scraping, very carefully, the polyurethane off. An 8x8 piece of filon seems huge when your doing that.

You'll most likely need to put what ever you're using as the substrate on first and then attach the filon. Filon and 1/8" plywood bonded together doesn't bend very much at all. Yes, I tried it. But the front cap I was rebuilding had much sharper curves than yours.

Others on the forum have done a lot also. If you'll post some picture other will probably chime in as they have done similar repairs. Also, if you have specific question, ask, somebody has done that before.

audiojunkie · Answer

donn0128 wrote:Is mold worth 4K to you?  Sounds like you sadly bought a pile of junk. You could further dunp another 4K into this thing and still habe mold issues.  I think you would be better off scrapping it hoping to recoupe some of your money.thanks, i understand what your saying, ive already torn down the ceiling panels and removed all the insulation. there wasnt any mold in the wood or attached inside the trailer. the insulation and ceiling panels, well thats another story. but as of now its clean down to the frame inside at the nose.

audiojunkie · Answer

Joe417 wrote:I've done a couple of jobs like you are describing. I experimented and the only adhesive that worked well for me was polyurethane, such as Gorilla glue. It is moisture cured and doesn't need air to dry.  It's also fast compared to any of the other types that I tried.Polyurethane expands while curing if not contained.The only issues that I had was figuring out how to press the filon on to the substrate so that the polyurethane didn't push it away from the surface while curing.The first job I did taught me a lot because I ended up doing it twice.  Thankfully my wife helped me clean up the mess that didn't work, Scraping, very carefully, the polyurethane off.  An 8x8 piece of filon seems huge when your doing that.yeah thats what i was planning, lay the backing panels. 1/8 plywood basically, on the frame and use liquid nails or GG to bond it and clamp till cured.. then seal up the seams with polyurethane, cure, then use contact cement working my way up from the bottom pushing out air bubbles and finally securing it by laying backing boards on top of the filon and then 2x4's across the backing board secured with ratchet straps till cured..You'll most likely need to put what ever you're using as the substrate on first and then attach the filon.  Filon and 1/8" plywood bonded together doesn't bend very much at all.  Yes, I tried it.  But the front cap I was rebuilding had much sharper curves than yours.Others on the forum have done a lot also.  If you'll post some picture other will probably chime in as they have done similar repairs.  Also, if you have specific question, ask, somebody has done that before.

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Toy Hauler Nose and Roof Replacement

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