79 bigfoot - interior wood paneling structural? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-09-2017, 03:03 PM   #1
dlb
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Name: d
Trailer: bigfoot
British Columbia
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79 bigfoot - interior wood paneling structural?

hi, i have gutted our 79 bigfoot and am now about to start with the repairs and modifications. i did not want to replace the water-damaged 1/8" wood paneling since it swells and rots as soon as it is exposed to water, and it's a PITA to remove and replace, but it looks to me like it is the only thing the screws for the cabinets and interior walls actually hold on to. besides the panels, the screws only go into the foam insulation, which obviously strip out at the slightest load.

my question is, am i missing something here? is that flimsy 1/8" of wood and some foam insulation all that holds the interior in place?

and if that's the case, does anyone have any suggestions for other ways to securely fasten the cabinets and interior walls? i want something simpler and more durable. i don't care about appearances. one idea i have is gluing strips of thicker, treated non-plywood onto the foam insulation where the cabinets and whatnot are fastened, so the screws will bite into those.
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Old 07-09-2017, 03:57 PM   #2
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See here (posts #2 and 4): http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...val-69040.html. Sounds like there is tabbing: pieces of plywood glued directly to the shell.
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Old 07-09-2017, 07:53 PM   #3
dlb
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thanks for that, jon. looks like bigfoot must have changed their design between 79 and 81 though, because i pulled some of the styrofoam panels off to check for wood strips glued directly to the shell but found nothing.

the only places where i have found decent sized wood for the purpose of greater screw purchase is the shelf on the back wall that the upper bunk bed folds down onto. there was a strip of wood behind the insulation there for the shelf screws to go into, but that's it.
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Old 07-10-2017, 01:54 AM   #4
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Hi D, as you're going to do some mods just a thought for you. If you have your mods planned out, it might be a good time to FG in some tabbing for better holding.
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Old 07-12-2017, 04:04 AM   #5
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Trailer: 1989 Casita 16 footer
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I took out all my fiberglass structures,used 1 inch square chrome rails. They come in different lengths.They are always straight and square,just bolt them together.Got mine at habitat.Eddie
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Old 07-12-2017, 10:11 PM   #6
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You say you've gutted your trailer. Does that mean you removed the wall (the one with the cut-out pass-through window) separating the gaucho bed from the front of the trailer? What about the closet in the back of the trailer? It's my understanding that those components are important to the structural integrity of the roof. In our 1987 Bigfoot there were strips of wood under the kitchen counter screwed into the sidewall. The counter itself rested on those strips. I'm not sure what those strips were actually screwed into though.
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Old 07-12-2017, 10:43 PM   #7
dlb
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i left the interior wall that separates the bed from the front portion of the trailer but removed everything else, including the rear interior wall and the wall between the closet and stove. the fiberglass shell holds up fine without them while stationary but i will definitely reinstall them when i put everything back together. i'm actually also considering adding a wall at the front end of the kitchen counter to help support the fiberglass because it sags a bit even with those walls.

when i removed some of the ceiling, i noticed that there is also a strip of wood glued to the fiberglass for the cabinets above the sink to screw into...

...unfortunately, it is off by just a little bit so the screws for the cabinet actually missed it entirely. i found the same thing with the screws for the skylight and its wooden frame too. i have to admit that the deeper i have dug into this thing, the less impressed i am with the craftsmanship that went into building it.
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Old 07-13-2017, 04:08 AM   #8
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Some of the chrome rails I used were in 8 foot lengths,will go from floor to ceiling,just cut off what length you need.one end had 3/8 nut welded inside for mounting.
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Old 07-19-2017, 11:26 PM   #9
dlb
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Name: d
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just wanted to post some pics of the stuff i was talking about, where i have found wood strips for the more load-bearing screws to fasten to but they have unfortunately missed the mark.

the first is for the rail on the rear that the top bunk folds out on to. the rail has 17 (!!) screws but none of them managed to hit their target. the two screw holes you can see in the wood are from the curtain rod.

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next is the frame for the skylight. the screws you can see here missed the wood on that side and just touched the outside of it. that piece of wood fell off when i was removing the door skin and insulation from the ceiling.

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and lastly is the support wood for the upper kitchen cabinets. you can see the exposed end of the wood strip here, and the row of screw holes running just left of it.

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pretty incredible stuff. i wonder how much this thing cost brand new.
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