Rookie vs. 1990 Casita (Project Thread)

[WaltP]

Agreed, but I continue to be impressed with your thoroughness and rate of progress.
I think you'll be very proud when you finish it.
We aren't that far so I expect I'll get to see it.

Walt

[Patxx]

Originally Posted by WaltP

Wow, you really did get yourself a project. The pace at which you dismantled everything is impressive. I hope the re-assembly goes as well.
I think the recommended floor replacement is marine grade plywood, maybe with some added layers of marine grade epoxy, but maybe some others have more or better experience there.

And to Jon: Nope, no fiberglass on top of the wood floor, just the carpet.

Walt

True, but they do spray a clear coat of fiberglass resin on top of the floor to seal it.

[WaltP]

Is that what that is? I thought it was probably marine urethane.

Walt

[Patxx]

Originally Posted by WaltP

Is that what that is? I thought it was probably marine urethane.

Walt

The resin is probably used because that is what they have handy. They do say they seal the edges now, don't think they did that way back. That is also why the carpet is the default floor covering. When using vinyl, they have to level and smooth the floor as the resin leaves it a bit uneven.

[k corbin]

One day at a time and a couple of some fists full(s) of $100.00 bills will get you there.

[shaggydoink]

Thanks for the continued encouragement! I must admit that after I located and marked about 100 fasteners and/or holes in the floor alone that I'd need to address I had a wave of "what on Earth were you thinking?!", but I'm determined to stick with it as the project itself is at least half the reason I got into this to begin with.

I was travelling for work yesterday so no physical progress, although I spent my flight time researching materials, tools, techniques, etc... I've done home restorations and truck restorations but this is my first camper, so a world of new things to learn which is exciting!

Jonathan

[WaltP]

Sounds like you started out already with a good skill set that will stand you in good stead. Looking forward to the next progress report.

Walt

[shaggydoink]

Today I sidetracked a bit. I decided before I got started on the shell repair that I wanted to wash out the interior to help get rid of any sketchy mold and smells, but to do this I'd need to roll it out of the garage... but to do this I'd need to come up with a better way of rolling it out of the garage as the current furniture dollies are quite impossible to deal with.

My first choice would have been to simply throw on 6-8" wheels and be done with it, but if I went this route I'd have to lose the drum brakes which I'd like to keep. After literally a couple hours of pondering and puzzling I arrived at a solution that I think might do the trick, quickly installed heavy-load pneumatic casters that attach the rear bumper:



I only had time to fabricate one so I have yet to see if it will actually be low enough to allow the camper to clear the door, I should find out tomorrow when I get the other one completed and installed. Fingers crossed!!

Jonathan

[shaggydoink]

I got an early start this morning and fabricated the second caster, got it mounted and was absolutely thrilled at how easily the camper rolled.



I got it most of the way out then *thunk*... ugh, so close!



The roof vent itself was in need of repair, and the mounting was pretty hack so I decided to pull it off:








This gave me the clearance I needed, so now it can roll easily in and out of the garage.



My hope is that I'll be able to find a very low-profile vent or skylight to replace the original vent, if not I may need to sacrifice this and just fill it in... to be seen.

While I had it in the driveway I took the opportunity to tear out the remaining plumbing and gas lines:



It's going back into the garage so I can scrape off the remaining foam from the ceiling, since I seem to be unravelling basically everything I may pull all of the windows out so I can clean them up and make sure they're sealed properly. After that will be scouring the interior, then onto floor repair.

Jonathan

[WaltP]

More good progress.
On the vent: I don't think you want to be without one, but you may wind up needing to fabricate a low profile cover out of lexan or some such.

Walt

[alan H]

On my perris pacer... I modified my power vent to be easily removed w/ only 4 bolts and nice looking knobs on inside
Unfortunately i gave sold
it or i would include pics
This mod allowed me to get it into a standard garage
This may be an option for you to consider


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[shaggydoink]

Thanks for the ideas on the vent, since it's supposed to be almost 100 degrees tomorrow I suspect I'll be spending most of my day inside doing research!

Today was a long day, but I made a good bit of progress. I got the last of the foam scraped off the roof:



Then pulled all of the interior window frame pieces along with various other pieces like the spare tire holder bolts, dinette table mounts and such so I could scape these areas down... the camper is now about 99.5% carpet and foam free!!

As I was thinking about all of the fasteners on the floor, I realized that to get everything in order that the shell would basically end up being completely separated from the frame... I then realized that my initial thought of just laying sub-floor so I could lift the shell later wouldn't work as I'd like to get the structural pieces back in, and to do so I'd need to do the top flooring... long story short, I've decided that I'll take the opportunity to separate the shell from the frame so I can refurbish it.

Since this will take some time and give things the opportunity to dry, I decided to bust out the power washer and spent about half and hour gunning the interior floor. Here's a picture that shows the result, the outer band is after one pass with the power washer... no wonder the camper smelled so bad!



I then slathered on a soggy coat of mold and mildew cleaner which I'll leave overnight then wash off tomorrow:



More updates to come!

Jonathan

[WaltP]

Whew. Well, when you are done, no one will know their Casita better than you.
Really enjoying your blow by blow.

Walt

[k corbin]

How about using a pressure washer. Is there anything left in there that it would hurt? Don't you have a bunch of drain hole options from fasteners you wanted to remove?