Ventura Rebuild - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-23-2016, 07:36 PM   #1
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Name: Matt
Trailer: Ventura
British Columbia
Posts: 4
Ventura Rebuild

Hi there,

New to the site. I just bought a '73 Ventura and am in the middle of an extensive interior renovation. I've got it stripped down to the framing inside and have some pieces of the framing to replace due to water damage. Does anyone have tips on removing the glassed-in framing?

I also plan on beefing up the roof and am wondering if anyone has ever tried adding a sheet of plywood to the roof strapping to stiffen things up. I'm hoping to add some support in various places to add rigidity to the whole structure. Not too concerned about weight as the axle is shot and the plan is to replace with a higher capacity than the 1500lb axle currently on it.
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Old 07-23-2016, 09:43 PM   #2
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Name: Kim
Trailer: Ventura
Manitoba
Posts: 107
With my fiberglassed wood parts I used a putty knife or Small thin pry bar and a hammer be very very careful or you'll be fixing a hole...don't ask how I know lol then I sanded cleaned and fiberglassed a new board on
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Old 07-23-2016, 09:56 PM   #3
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Name: Patricia
Trailer: 1975 Ventura
Ontario
Posts: 353
Ventura thread

In case you have not seen it yet, if you look under Manufacturers on the homepage and choose Ventura, you will see all the posts the have a Ventura tag. Lots of good ideas.
Dudley is the go-to person for Ventura advice. He has lots of experience. He used 3/4 in square aluminum (I think) tubing that he sistered to the roof "beams" of a Ventura. He curved it to match the curve that is supposed to be in the roof.
I have also seen another person who put cross members between the existing framing to give more support.
Make sure you support the roof with a jack or T support made for 2x4 while you are renovating because the tall cupboard and the upper kitchen cupboards help to hold up the roof.
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Old 07-23-2016, 10:00 PM   #4
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Name: Kim
Trailer: Ventura
Manitoba
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Yes why she said lol..duddly is like the Ventura Wiki lol) I ow him for all the help he gave
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Old 07-24-2016, 12:26 PM   #5
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Name: Patricia
Trailer: 1975 Ventura
Ontario
Posts: 353
Roof issues

I started on my ceiling this morning and first tried the metal on the existing strapping but it did not work for me. Perhaps the metal that I bought was too light.
After trying several things, I settled on screwing 2x3s crosswise over the strapping and running from the front to the back. I wedged the ends into the gaps on the wall framing at the ceiling at the front and the back of the trailer. I had to notch the ends of the second piece in from the side as the gaps narrow and I had to notch under several of the existing "beams" at the front end.
I have done only 2 pieces so far and the roof already feels stronger. I also wedged pieces of 2x in the gaps between the new wood and the roof, using shims where necessary to correct the concave areas. That is very successful.
In total I think I will be putting in 6 of this cross pieces.
I am then putting 1/4 inch plywood over those.
I have no experience to back it up but I just think that using thick plywood would just add more weight to the ceiling and would not help with re- establishing the curve or correcting areas where it has become concave.
I have had to sacrifice 3/4 inch of head room but my roof was really in bad shape, like someone had been crawling around on it. I live in an area that gets a lot of snow and I really needed to curve the roof as much as possible and to firm it up.
I will take pictures when I am done.
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Old 07-25-2016, 01:59 PM   #6
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Name: Matt
Trailer: Ventura
British Columbia
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Thanks for all the great advice so far. I'm in BC (although originally from Manitoba). Things look less daunting today and I'm in the process of removing rotten framing and replacing it. It's amazing how much stuff gets added to the list when everything's stripped it. I guess now is the time.
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Old 07-25-2016, 02:01 PM   #7
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Name: Kim
Trailer: Ventura
Manitoba
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Oh ya
I'm in process figuring what to do with my door inside is rotton had a rv place hang up on me so I'm about to kill mold and fill with foam lol
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Old 07-25-2016, 03:12 PM   #8
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Name: David
Trailer: 1998 Casita 17 SD
Alberta
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Boy with all these Ventura redos maybe I should load up my tools and rent myself out I wish I had taken more pictures of my rebuild showing all the little stuff. I am looking at possibly getting one for my brother and his new bride and I could have a chance of more detail pics.

Dave
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Old 07-25-2016, 04:08 PM   #9
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Name: Kelly
Trailer: Trails West
Oregon
Posts: 3,047
Read chapter 3 of this publication on how to increase strength in areas such as the roof. It will teach you the proper way to construct a lightweight stiffener using fiberglass. Section 3.5 deals with how to stiffen panels such as those flexible areas of the roof that are bothering you. For instance it can be done in a lightweight manner that also adds insulation by adding a layer of ridged foam and then adding cloth over that.
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/...aintenance.pdf

This is a terrific free publication from West Systems Epoxy for fiberglass repairs. But it is not just about patching holes and cracks, it goes beyond that into structural strengthening. The link to it really should be in the forum's reference sections.
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Old 07-25-2016, 04:44 PM   #10
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Name: Kim
Trailer: Ventura
Manitoba
Posts: 107
Lol dudly I'd love it I can loan you my ventura to crash in after you fix my door buahahah!!
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