renovating truck campers

[bagpiperjosh]

to those that have renovated truck campers before....

I am gutting my "new to me" camper because the previous owner did a very bad renovation to it, plus there is water leaking in from the roof in a few areas which has caused some wood to rot.

i noticed upon gutting it, that it has 1x3's that its made of, all of these walls are VERY flimsy and have no strength to them at all, im suprised the camper has lasted this long..

has anyone else had a camper with such thin wood like that?

i would like to replace it all with 2x2's. you think that would be a good idea?

i dont know how far i should place the studs apart if i do..

any input from people who have done this sort of thing would be appriciated

thanks!

 

[762X39]

Welcome to the world of truck campers and travel trailers. Changing to 2X2's isn't going to buy you much. Fixing the leaks and getting rid of the particle board will. I have been upgrading my 40 year old travel trailer for the past 10 years.I have been slowly rebuilding the cabinets with laminated pine and 13mm baltic birch plywood. I now have twice as much useful storage as well as a slightly lighter camper then when I started (I also dumped the overhead bunk and reduced the size of the dinette to two persons, the original design allowed for 6 people to sleep in it but really only 2 people can "LIVE" in it).My next project will be a used truck camper and it will be rebuilt the same way.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

Welcome to the world of truck campers and travel trailers. Changing to 2X2's isn't going to buy you much. Fixing the leaks and getting rid of the particle board will. I have been upgrading my 40 year old travel trailer for the past 10 years.I have been slowly rebuilding the cabinets with laminated pine and 13mm baltic birch plywood. I now have twice as much useful storage as well as a slightly lighter camper then when I started (I also dumped the overhead bunk and reduced the size of the dinette to two persons, the original design allowed for 6 people to sleep in it but really only 2 people can "LIVE" in it).My next project will be a used truck camper and it will be rebuilt the same way.

there is alot of rotted wood on this thing, most of the wood in the cab over area in particular, i dont know how i'm going to do it yet, (because the worst wood is the structural stuff)
did you have to repair any leaks in your roof? if so, what did you use to fix it?

 

[southpier]

when you apply the interior paneling, use construction adhesive And mechanical fasteners. makes a world of difference.

 

[762X39]

there is alot of rotted wood on this thing, most of the wood in the cab over area in particular, i dont know how i'm going to do it yet, (because the worst wood is the structural stuff)
did you have to repair any leaks in your roof? if so, what did you use to fix it?

I had 2 leaks because of broken stinkpipe covers which allowed moisture to get in. I cut away the ceiling board (1/8" luan plywood) and replaced it with more of the same. Any rotten 1 by 3 pine was replaced as needed. The crappy fiberglass insulation is getting replaced with closed cell foam board with a foil on both sides. I love construction adhesive.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

when you apply the interior paneling, use construction adhesive And mechanical fasteners. makes a world of difference.

I dont mean to sound stupid, but what is a mechanical fastener?

 

[givemethewillys]

I dont mean to sound stupid, but what is a mechanical fastener?

screws/nails/staples

 

[southpier]

screws/nails/staples

they'll hold the paneling in full contact until the adhesive cures, and then provide some degree of sheer/ torsional resistance.

the camper is basically a living entity, breathing & groaning over every bump you travel.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

oh,lol... yea i'll definitly be using screws and angle brackets and etc galore. they attached all this wood with staples, and i won't be doing that again.

 

[southpier]

but will you be using construction adhesive as well . . . . . . ?

 

[bagpiperjosh]

but will you be using construction ahesive as well . . . . . . ?

I'm assuming you mean liquid nails... i was going to use it when i installed the paneling. are you suggesting i also use it to stick the wood to the aluminum?

 

[southpier]

i think you need to be selective adhering the skin to the frame if that's the question. in the sun, the covering is going to expand, and in the cold it will tighten. if it's all glued, you may have buckling. then comes leaks and soon you're back to where you are now.

sometimes a dab on one edge, and let the other be free to wiggle about works. sometimes none, and others smooshed all 'round. take it on a joint by joint basis, and really think about what's going on where you want the materials to hold tight, and where you want some "wiggle room".

not sure if you were using the term generically, but i have not found Liquid Nails brand name adhesive to be a particularly effective product. it's been around a long, long, time, so probably it's me. i've had much better luck with the PL line of adhesives. there's a bunch of different types, so read the product literature. and know the foam board requires adhesive which will not disolve it.

another benefit to using mastic is that you are effectively making a gasket for the two pieces being joined. this can cut down on creaks and squeaks down the road (pun intended) but some things bother folks more than others. works exponentially better when joining dissimilar materials.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

i think you need to be selective adhering the skin to the frame if that's the question. in the sun, the covering is going to expand, and in the cold it will tighten. if it's all glued, you may have buckling. then comes leaks and soon you're back to where you are now.

sometimes a dab on one edge, and let the other be free to wiggle about works. sometimes none, and others smooshed all 'round. take it on a joint by joint basis, and really think about what's going on where you want the materials to hold tight, and where you want some "wiggle room".

not sure if you were using the term generically, but i have not found Liquid Nails brand name adhesive to be a particularly effective product. it's been around a long, long, time, so probably it's me. i've had much better luck with the PL line of adhesives. there's a bunch of different types, so read the product literature. and know the foam board requires adhesive which will not disolve it.

another benefit to using mastic is that you are effectively making a gasket for the two pieces being joined. this can cut down on creaks and squeaks down the road (pun intended) but some things bother folks more than others. works exponentially better when joining dissimilar materials.

i will keep all of that in mind, that is some good info... this is my first camper renovation. i have done many home renovations, but this seems to be an entirely different beast, so there are many techniques that i have never heard of before

 

[Eric06Rubi]

If you've done home renovations, then you got this... just on a smaller scale.

like has been said, glue & screws on everything. so far I've rebuilt 3 of the 4 corners(jack attachments)
and this spring, I am going to delete the front window(leaks) just take your time and it'll be good stuff when
your done. roof repairs I painted roof coat on mine last year and have not been very impressed. I think i need to
strip the roof down to the skin and start from scratch(also on the agenda when the weather warms up)

Oh... and dont plan any camping trips while your renovating... kinda like renovating your house while living in it(sucks)

Good Luck
I love old campers, just better built IMHO

 

[tortoise]

I have a 1970's Tortoise camper (hence the screen handle), I had some water leaking in the front window, fixed that. Just caulk and some time. Then I started noticing there was a water leak on the inside. I thought it was the window, started cutting away at the interior wood, exposing all the framing. Replace/braced/what I needed to, went to the RV place, got some monkey poop to put between roof pieces and behind marker lights. Rip out the old, put a fan in, let it dry, go in there when it's raining to spot leaks. Fix the leak, let it dry and re-skin. Look on YouTube for camper repair. Guy replaced the whole back end, you'll learn a lot. Oh and get a multi tool - best money spent.


I agree, take your time, if you do home renovations, this is cake.