Demolition. . .

[James Kelly]

Started pulling things apart and there is some water damage.  I expected that really.  I am going to remove the walls as a whole unit (framing) so I can use as a template to build new walls.  IE:  Height and Width so the exterior metal will fit back on....  There really isn't that much to construction.  Definitely learning how they were assembled at the plant...

[James Kelly]

Been awhile and I have been busy, LOL.  Thanks you both, Rich Thomas and Lakota Wolf for your comments!  I am doing a COMPLETE rebuild and have got the camper down to the frame.  By complete rebuild I mean I am taking it down to the frame and building it back up the way I want it, not necessarily the way it came from the factory..  I do take a lot of pictures, prolly a thousand so far, and have already had to refer to them for 'reminders'!  I picked up a second canned ham camper at a VERY REASONABLE price and plan on using parts off that and my original camper during the restore.  I picked up some .5 inch birch plywood (it ain't cheap) at Menards to use on the floor.  I am installing 2 inch pink foam insulation (R10 value) between all the rails of the frame.  It comes in 4x8 sheets and I am cutting it to fit as I go.  I have had to replace a lot of the sub floor, floor joist if you will, that were completely rotted away.  As I am putting the floor back together, I am using roofing tar (comes in tubes from Menards) to 'coat' ALL the sub floor wood.  'All' meaning all four sides of the wood.  Some OCD going on there, LOL!  Once I get all the floor back together, I plan on brushing undercoating over the entire bottom of the camper.  The neat thing in using the 2 inch form insulation is the underside is pretty much flat.  So brushing on the undercoating should be a easy process.  I think that spending the extra time on the floor will be worth it in the end.  I don't want the camper to leak!!  Trying to think ahead..  I am going to install two 12 volt batteries and an Inverter.  The inverter is a 2000/4000 watt Cen-Tech model (affordable).  I will be wiring 110 to the TV, DVD, and possibly a fridge.  I will also use it for morning coffee.  I plan on wiring all interior camper lights with 12 volt LED lights.  I will use the old style lights for outside the camper, running, brake, turn signal, etc. lights.  I drive an older (96) truck and don't want any problems with my electrical system due to LED lights on the camper.  The interior lights will run off the two batteries inside the camper and the exterior lights will be run through the trailer connection between the camper and my truck.  Hope that makes sense..?  There are LOTS and LOTS of things to consider when putting it back together.  Right now I am trying to plan the 'wiring' and how it will be routed.  I try and be a 'think ahead' type person when I can.  Sometimes that don't work though, LOL.  QUESTIONS NOW:  What type 12 volt batteries should I be using?  I know that because they will be installed inside the camper they need to be a certain type.  PICS to follow.  I must be doing something wrong because I can only upload 1 pic at a time - very frustrating and time consuming..  

[Lakota Wolf]

Rich was right on the button with search the site for others who have done a total rebuild,, May I suggest a couple of things that will be very helpful? Take a lot of pictures BEFORE, During and After,, not just to show case them later, but its when you get into a situation of where the heck did that piece of plumbing go, or what wire is that from,,, Take a sharpie and write on the panels,, Left,front, right front,, mid left, back right etc. If your NOT ripping all the wire out,, take marker tape and mark the wires every 6 inches to a foot of what it was hooked to and where it goes etc,,,  Like water heater,, outlet above sink,, bathroom light etc.   sounds like a pain, but trust me,, it will come in handy down the road and will keep you from that Ut Oh moment.

And when replacing walls,,, They GO ON TOP OF THE FLOORING,, so its wise to figure on replacing the flooring to save a huge headache later. I have helped others with that ut oh moment several times when they re-install a new wall,, then later realize the flooring was a bit soft and they were trying to figure out how to repair it UP TO THE wall without actually going underneath the wall.. It can be done, But is not a pretty sight and involves getting into a gumby position to install flooring supports. An advantage of replacing the flooring, is, #1,, if it has the particle sponge board,, it NEEDS replaced, #2  you can add better insulation, #3 You can put down fresh flooring that will last pert near ferever. #4 If you put down vinyl flooring,, its way easier to cover the complete floor and not have any wall hugging curls to trim.

When dealing with CURVES,, you can cut your wood to compinsate the degree of curve,, and Lowes or Home Depot have Rolled light guage steel (wide flashing) that you can use to cover a drastic curve and make it more stable. Dont worry about it looking pretty,, you will be covering it with paneling anyway. And try and stay with the 2x2  structure,,(1 3/4 actually),, converting to 2x4,,(which a lot of people have done,) only increases the weight,(not good) and it a pain to work with. With insulation,, You have a vast aray of materials now a days to work with,, But remember,, you can never over insulate an RV. (unless you wrap the exterior with Bubble wrap a foot thick,, but then the neighbors will look at you funny and will be tempted to sneak over and pop the bubbles.) Remember, a lot of members are on here to give you advice on your rebuild project.   Good luck.

[Rich Thomas]

Basically 2"x 2" pine some 3 ply birch, a few staples and a prayer; hoping that it all holds together till they get them off the lot. And they were better made then than now. I think what you have is pretty much typical of most of the projects found on here. There is a wealth of knowledge at most levels of the restoration stuffed away here on the site. post a search up at the top right corner or take a look around the links posted just under the picture header. It is very easy to get discouraged too during the project but, if you lay things out in sections, then each one you complete will be a small victory and motivate you to complete the next and so on. another thing you can do to stay up beat is to go through the links on the site and see what others have done, contact them by posting questions hear in the general discussions and chat at the bottom of the page. Good luck with your project James.