1972 Amerigo FG 16 - Question about gutting it - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-21-2016, 07:55 PM   #1
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Name: Christian
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1972 Amerigo FG 16 - Question about gutting it

I just bought a 1972 Amerigo FG 16 which we have named Carl. I have many questions for anyone with experience with this model but this one has to do with the strength of the shell if I gut parts of it. My plan is to remove the fridge and most of the wooden structure around it as well as the front closet/porta potty room and wall. Will this weaken the camper? all of that structure comes right up to the ceiling and i've read that the roof of this model can 'sag', so i'm worried about doing anything that would lead to that.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks alot
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Old 09-21-2016, 08:11 PM   #2
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Greatest name ever!
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Old 10-02-2016, 05:33 PM   #3
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Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
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Hi, carlthecamper, we have a 1973 amerigo, now named Peanut (one shell with two nuts in it).


NOT much different from the 72.


We gutted it, and worked on cleaning it out over several months without inside supports. No fridge closet, no putin (porta-potty) niche/closet, no galley. As we began planning to put the uprights back in (and we always planned to), Paul used two pieces of ply and a 2x4 to gently urge the now-slightly sagged ceiling/roof back into place near each new upright. And we used 1/2" plywood for the new walls instead of the less than 1/4" with 1x or 1.5x studs. The ceiling went up some distance--over an inch, less than five. Hard to tell exactly. But yes, it was slowly sagging.


No, it didn't collapse. I was told by other amerigo owners on FGRV that it wouldn't collapse. Maybe with a huge snow load, but we didn't get snow to speak of. Only a dusting or two. But it did sag.


If we'd have had a new ply floor in it sooner, we'd have braced the ceiling/roof sooner. As it is, I think no damage was done, but that could just be luck.


Were you planning to leave it without uprights? I'd rethink that. We had considered going without them, making it really spacious inside, but seeing how much it had already sagged, we decided against it.


BEST
Kai in Seattle
(Kathleen and Paul near Renton, near Seattle, WA)


Love them amerigos! Carl, eh?


From Peanut to Carl. Hope your adoption goes great for you!
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Old 10-02-2016, 05:36 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Carl V View Post
Greatest name ever!


Carl is a great name, and interestingly enough, I have a hard time thinking of our "Peanut" '73 Amerigo as a "she." Somehow it seems like it must be a boy. Maybe it's the sharper, stronger edges instead of the softer, rounded ones of the more conventional eggs.
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Old 10-06-2016, 05:40 PM   #5
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THanks alot Kai, great info. I will be replacing some of the supports with beefier lumber so hopefully we don't have an issue. So far the roof doesn't sag but I'm not taking any chances, we get plenty of snow here.
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Old 10-06-2016, 05:44 PM   #6
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Carl 'before' picture. I'll post interior before and afters soon
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Old 10-10-2016, 01:51 PM   #7
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Nice looking amerigo! Carl has some awesome "eyebrows" over the windows! We could sure use some and have been sourcing--found several places to order them but we're still considering.


Kai
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Old 10-19-2016, 09:52 PM   #8
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Thanks I almost have it gutted and and ready to remove the three layers of flooring that are in bad shape. I did find a leak around the door which I think is the result of the door hanging on bent hinge pins. Did you replace yours? And did you keep the original door knob and latch?
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Old 10-19-2016, 09:53 PM   #9
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Any good sources for parts? I would like to replace the windows but new onesite are about 400 bucks before shipping.
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Old 10-20-2016, 10:44 AM   #10
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Hey, there!


Sounds like you've been working hard. Luckily, of all the things we had to replace, our door hinges, knob, and latch weren't among them. BUT our door was entirely surrounded by rotted wood, so as long as you're going deep, make sure to give it a thorough check.


Our door gasketing was bad, hanging loose and with daylight showing in places. We had "only" that left to do and Paul decided to merely reglue it. that helped a lot. We think we could get new gasketing that would fit at some auto repair places/auto parts stores, but were worn out after 9 months of every day work and let it go for now.


Windows. No idea. We'll need new plexiglass eventually, but haven't sourced them yet. Try windows on the search engine for FGRV (at the bottom of the search dropdown, not the top). From what I've read, they are pricey. Possibly a lot more than $400.


Glad to hear from you, glad you're still excited about brining Carl back to life!


Kai
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Old 05-29-2017, 11:17 PM   #11
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Any new pictures?
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Old 09-18-2017, 09:56 AM   #12
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Any new pictures?
Love to see some updates?...
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