bought a camper and now I am sorry

[Gerry]

Hi! I bought this 1991 Travel air Camper 9' which is real nice inside, all the appliances work well, it has a a large fridge ( for a Truck Camper) heater strove/oven, hot water, Toilet and shower and Hydraulic jacks. The front passenger side jack was a bit wobbly and when I searched for the reason I found that I could pull the screws out with a pair of pliers. Also found that the tie down eye was very loose.I took a few of the screws out and found that the wood to which the hook and the jacks were screwed was completely rotten including the very bottom of the passenger side wall. I am in the process now to take a bottom strip of the corrugated aluminum off which is about 6" high for the length of the camper. It is joined to the next portion aluminum by one of those double folded seams and it appears that I can just slide the bottom portion down and remove it.
My question: if I remove this sheet of aluminum can I just slide it back into the folded portion of the sheet above or does this seam need to be pried open to accept the sheet below it.
If I have to remove a portion of this plywood wall which is rotten, can I replace it with a healthy sheet and join it to the remaining sound portion of the wall.Are there any special ways to join these two pieces together?
I would appreciate to hear from any body that went through a similar repair and who could tell me what to watch out for. At this time I have not yet removed enough screws to get a good look at the damaged areas.I am mainly asking to find out if I will be able to do these repairs my self or if I should take it to a repair facility. I have most of the tools and consider my self handy enough to do this unless there is special equipment and or tools required.
Thanks for any help and advise.
Gerry

[admin]

Hi Gerry,

Sorry to hear of your problems. You sound like you have a good start on the project and are heading in the right direction.

Yes, you can simply slide the lower aluminum piece out of the lock. Be careful to handle it gently, it will kink very easily and create a dent. Best to have a person at each end of the sheet, then lower it to the floor and lay it flat. You will most likely have to remove several of the sheets above the lower one to repair the dry rot damage. Mark the bottom of the next sheet on every wall stud before removing the staples. This will allow you to position it back into place exactly as it was. Repeat as necessary on further sheets.

There is likely no plywood behind the aluminum sheeting ... just insulation and then the inner paneling. The corner studs will show the most damage. I usually just cut this stud above the affected area and replace the damaged section of the stud. Then use a two foot section of stud to reinforce the splice and glue/screw it to the remaining upper section and the new lower section. Make sense?

No special tools required for any of this. Take pictures as you go, then refer to them on reassembly to see where everything goes. Post them here if you can.

[Haffie]

Heya Gerry,

There is a special epoxy that "Penetrates" rotted wood fibers and when it hardens, the wood is almost as solid as it was before the damage. Wooden boat builders have been using it for years and a friend of mine did the entire hull of his boat 30 years ago. Do a Google search for "penetrating epoxy" and find one that suits your needs.

The best course of action it to cut out and replace the rotted wood and to "plate" the cut off corner studs as stated above. But I'd spread some "Gorilla Glue" on the pieces of 2x4 before you screw them to the corner posts. Then I'd apply that penetrating epoxy to all exposed wood before putting it all back together.

Finally, I'd inspect the roof and bottom of the unit to see the water got in there in the first place.

Have a good one,

Haffie

[jaaybird]

Haffie!
You dont know how much you help me!
Our son is in the process of rebuilding a cabin cruiser he got for free on Craigs List.
This product will help him immensly!
jb

[Haffie]

Heya jb,

Glad you found it helpful! Be sure to check out the different brands and read the specs carefully! Like I said, my friend did his about 30 years ago, so I'm sure there have been a LOT of improvements made over the years.

Have a good one,

Haffie