Finally got my camper popped-up! Good News/Bad News

[BMW442]

Ok so this is my 1980-something Bronco Mini L

Just got my replacement HECO crank and opened it up for the first time today

Good news: The pop-up mechanism works great, I hit it with some WD40 last week and the chain & everything is legit. Easy to lift, no problems there. Also, the canvas, inside & out, is in shockingly good condition considering its around 30 years old.

Bad news: There's pretty heavy water damage under the cabover bed. I knew this was an issue so it's not a big surprise, but it's still gonna be a project. I ripped out all the soaked particle board that I could get with my hands, and plan to clear out the rest going very slowly with a sawzall or something. Then clean & dry it as much as possible and put together a new bed/underbed storage are out of plywood, framed in something thicker.

Also the rear left-side corner is a little off-kilter. The roof above it is sunk in and letting in water, I ripped out about half of the board that runs the length of the side. Hoping to just replace that, then re-screw in the metal trim.

Questions:

Has anybody done this type of underbed repair before? I've seen lots of posts about roofs but nothing about under the bed.

Is there supposed to be some sort of lock for the lifting bars? In the rear there's the hard-top half-door that kind of clicks into the sides, but I saw nothing in the front. I put some lumber up just to be on the safe side while I was in there but I'm wondering if I'm missing something or does it just lock on its own.

What is the best thing to use for cleaning the canvas? It's in real good shape but a little dirty/mildewy and I would like to clean it up both inside & out. Something with bleach? General all-purpose cleaner? Dish soap?

Any and all advice is much appreciated! Will post some pictures here in a sec...

[Bonesquatch]

Driver's side of my 2001 too.

[JimBollman]

The little flip down hook was on the drivers side on my 98.

[MKish]

Here's a photo from the web if I can link it right. You can just barely see the hook on the far right bar and it is NOT engaged. That thing flips down over part of the other bar to hold them together although looking at that photo it doesn't look like it would....but it does...

[MKish]

It should have a little hook on the passenger side (or at least more recent models of that system have it) that you have to flip down to hold it and flip up to let it down. Crude as, but smaller than, 2x4s. Maybe someone has a photo...my camera is AWOL at the moment.

[BMW442]

Cool thanks for the advice guys. I got out almost all of the wet wood. Looks to me like water was coming in right at that front cabover seam. That is the wettest part and there was also a small hole where it got dented in front.

I got it pretty much down to the aluminum skin there under the bed. Then sanded and cleaned that out. I think if I basically just reframe that whole section it'll be good to go. The top front roof corners are both dry which is a big relief.

Luckily I enjoy fixer upper projects, and also the camper was free so if I have to put some money/time into it it's still worth it to me.

Will try to post some more pics of the progress...

[garryk6]

There are different types of black mold. There are the toxic types, and the non-toxic types. Here in Alaska all the mold is of the non-toxic variety. DO NOT USE BLEACH! It causes the spores to release more spores and they go airborne, and the bleach doesn't kill the airborne spores, and the land and start all over. It is a reaction to the chlorine. I have not heard of the dry-ice, but that is a possibility. There are a few other treatments that "encapsulate" the mold allowing the mold to then be removed mechanically. Always wear respiratory protection to the level of what you are protecting against. My dad has been disabled for nearly 20 years due to exposure to iso-cyanide chemicals in Imron automotive paints before much was known about their effect on the respiratory tract. It would be best to, as already stated, start carefully peeling back the damaged sections till you find good wood to attach new wood to. Then rebuild the sections with new wood, sealing the new skin over as you go, then re-insulating, and rebuilding the interior to your specifications. Lots of work, but can be very rewarding.

Good Luck,

Garry

[dodgerdog]

They use dry ice in houses... some how they put it under pressure and it attacks the mold... Yes I watch too much DIY channel....


Mike

[JimBollman]

Can't give you any advise on the under bed area but I had a 1998 Palomino up to last summer. I like the camper and was almost ready to buy another one when I fell into a very clean Shadow Cruiser. Check the front edge of the roof and the front edge of the bed. I replaced the top front board twice. The first time with a strip of marine plywood, no one told me MP wasn't waterproof. Next time I ran pressure treated through planner to get the right thickness, much better. The reason I started looking for a replacement was the lower edge was going and I didn't feel like getting into it. Also check the bottom part of the door, mine was completely rotted out, I cleaned it out and put pressure treated insert in there to. I have been told that until they changed the way the roof came down over the door in the early 2000s that most have the door problem because of the way the water sheds down the back.

I got a spray mildew killer that I think is mostly clorax that worked like magic taking mildew off, don't remember the brand. Just sprayed it on let it sit for awhile wipe it off and it was mostly gone, just had to redo a couple of spots that I didn't get enough on the first time.

[sky_free]

I don't want to rain on your TC parade, but mold is toxic and exposure can lead to chronic respiratory illness. That black mold on the bed is scaring me.

[AlbertaNewbie]

Eesh, that's a huge job, almost looks like a total rebuild. Take your time and i'm sure you'll figure it out as you go. The hardest thing is having the balls to take things apart, after you do, it's often easy to see how these things are put together and rebuild.

[BMW442]

Here is the water damage...







here is the weird rear left corner



here is an outside shot