97 Dodge CTD w/ 98 Sun-Lite -- Slow Build - Picture Heavy

[schmugboy]

Now some questions. I have noticed some issues and trying to figure out the best course of action.

I've read a bunch of posts on the need to recaulk or check for bad areas to stops leaks. The 1st picture show these curved connections pieces on the roof, do I caulk over them or remove and redo. This is the worst one, but the others are similar. Plus the caulking around other areas, like windows and hot water heater. I've seen where people peel of the old caulk and start over. That's a lot of work.


There is this line down the middle where the two metal halves of the roof join, looks like someone may have caulked it, but I'm not sure. Then what do people do about those running lights, are they really necessary.


I found one former leak, I assume it is from this spot.




The canvas overall looks good, no stains, very pliable, but I did notice a few spots that look as if its a wear spot or pinched. They are not all the way through, yet. Is this worth taping or some other fix.



This one looks like the wallpaper? seam is coming undone, I assume just some tape would work fine for this.


I found some 12v wire, not sure if I want to replace the vent with a fan, yet. I'll see how the summer camping trips go.

 

[schmugboy]

Now that more areas are opening, I have a trip planned in a few weeks, then I hope to go every other weekend, barring any other problems showing up. I'll hopefully have more to post after that.

 

[GWolfe]

Thanks for the pics! My Sun-Lite has a Fantastic Fan in the roof and I love it, it's great for dropping the top. I close all of the windows and door and set the fan to where it is blowing out of the camper, as I lower the roof it sucks the canvas in so I don't have to go around and tuck it all in. Oh, it's great for ventilation too.

 

[BDTSR]

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here! I just registered. I am going to go look at one these (very similar to yours) in northern Florida on Monday 08/03. Obviously you've been through yours quite a bit. First, how's your build coming? Second, how do you like your camper so far? Your picture above showing the trim insert, the insert material is available online. I have several rolls to continue replacing it on our trailers (26' Toyhauler and 39' Toyhauler). I have been looking for something like this for a while and plan to use it on both trucks (2006 Silverado ECLB 4X4 and 1990 Cummins powered D250 RCLB).

 

[Regcabguy]

Gonna join in..... Just bought a sun lite Eagle SE sold as a 02 but figured out later was an 07....score....lol. Running it on my 08 Ram 2500.

Here's mine.

 

[BDTSR]

Nice rig. Awesome scenery.

 

[schmugboy]

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here! I just registered. I am going to go look at one these (very similar to yours) in northern Florida on Monday 08/03. Obviously you've been through yours quite a bit. First, how's your build coming? Second, how do you like your camper so far? Your picture above showing the trim insert, the insert material is available online. I have several rolls to continue replacing it on our trailers (26' Toyhauler and 39' Toyhauler). I have been looking for something like this for a while and plan to use it on both trucks (2006 Silverado ECLB 4X4 and 1990 Cummins powered D250 RCLB).

I don't mind you jumping in at all. I do apologize for not checking sooner and answering your questions and thanking you for the trim suggestion. I've slept in it about a dozen times, it needs a new mattress, it can get noisy (it's a pop up after all), and the refrigerator is anemic. The positives, so far very sturdy especially on some off-road trails I shouldn't have gone down, I like the layout - we are a height challenged family so dinette can fit us comfortably whomever decides to sleep there, wife wanted a toilet - it's nice but can be smelly if you are in the camper at the same time, more storage than I expected especially with the layout underneath the mattress. I've not found anything in the construction or inherent design that has bothered me, and so far it's been great especially considering it was relativity cheap entry into truck camping. One thing I've thought about is detaching once I find a good spot, so I can take some more 4x4 oriented roads or to get to fishing/hunting spots without lugging 1500+ pounds of camper.

 

[schmugboy]

So I know people like to see pictures as much as I like to see pictures of setups and campsites. So here are a few of a recent trip to the Gila National Forest to scout for some Elk, and catch some Gila trout. My son and I were successful on both, though the trout were smallish 5"-7" and my pictures of the Elk were brown fuzzy dots.
Enjoy

 

[schmugboy]

As for the build. I've done a few things buy only took a picture of one. I found a torklift stair on craigslist, I was worried that it might be to short once put on the truck. So I had to buy some stair extenders and now it works fine, though a little wobbly. I will need to add a brace, and probably once those big RV handles so my wife can haul herself up into the camper.
I bought a charge controller (cheap model) and it was working fine until some bumpy roads seem to have TKO'd it and now it just tells me the battery voltage. Another to do item is to buy a 100ah battery and 100W panel and hook it up properly.
The original fridge has been very temperamental, I added some fans, and noticed the previous owner had a fan and temperature controller installed that doesn't seem to be working. I didn't feel like removing the fridge or sealed vent to get access so it will be a winter project. The fans and some frozen bottles of water keep the fridge 40-50deg below ambient, so it works fine once I'm in the mountains.
Other issues I've noticed being my first truck camper is my truck seems to porpoise a bit, and sway side to side (especially on rough roads). But I'm only just engaging my overloads, however my total weight was 9060lbs, about 200 over. Not sure if that's the issue, I bought this camper because other than an FWC it was the lightest I could find. The rough roads toss everything in the camper around, but maybe that's to be expected.
Things I hope to do, but not sure if I should try given my limited handy-man skills. Remove the fridge and replace with a DC (I've seen people do AC with inverter, not sure about that) or my 50qt ARB. Put up a roof rack for extra cargo or canoe, but I'm very concerned about stress to the roof and causing any leaks. Replace the mattress with something made in this century. Do my solar project. And possibly cut the corners off the camper like a someone did to one I've seen on this site (Freeskier125), but that would require some major cajones and work.

 

[Regcabguy]

Gonna join in..... Just bought a sun lite Eagle SE sold as a 02 but figured out later was an 07....score....lol. Running it on my 08 Ram 2500.

bravo,another regcabguy. White one no less.

 

[kerry]

Cover all the seams including the corner brackets, main seams, the vent seams and the joint between the sides and the bottom aluminum channel on the roof with Eternabond tape. Not cheap but the best way to seal all those seams which will almost certainly leak without doing it. I used 6 or 8 inch on the main cross seams and 2" for the bottom seams and corner brackets. Not as pretty as caulk but a much tighter and permanent seal. Almost all pop up roofs like that will leak and rot without a permanent sealing solution. I did it on our Northstar TS1000 with a very similar roof.

 

[schmugboy]

Cover all the seams including the corner brackets, main seams, the vent seams and the joint between the sides and the bottom aluminum channel on the roof with Eternabond tape. Not cheap but the best way to seal all those seams which will almost certainly leak without doing it. I used 6 or 8 inch on the main cross seams and 2" for the bottom seams and corner brackets. Not as pretty as caulk but a much tighter and permanent seal. Almost all pop up roofs like that will leak and rot without a permanent sealing solution. I did it on our Northstar TS1000 with a very similar roof.

Thanks, I will certainly consider this. As the previous owner looks like they did a very good job of maintaining seals, not sure if I will be as diligent or thorough. Being some what of a newby I looked up the eternabond tape on amazon, and I'm somewhat confused on how this would work on some of the areas that have curves, and what you mean by the "bottom aluminum channel on the roof" If you don't mind sharing a picture or two, or a link if you already have a post that covers this with pictures that would be extremely helpful.

Thanks.

 

[kerry]

I'll see if I have any pictures. It's not very pretty in the curved sections. The bottom of the edges have aluminum, the aluminum roof goes behind this aluminum extrusion and water follows that path. Then the water sits in the bottom of that extrusion where it migrates upward into the plywood sides of the roof causing rot.

 

[kerry]

There are some pictures in this thread although none of the roof completely eternabonded. You can see the tape over the joint between the roof aluminum and the extrusion at the bottom of roof sides in some of the pictures. I'm virtually certain the rot in the front side of the roof was caused by water getting between the roof metal and the extrusion and then sitting in the extrusion and being wicked up into the plywood. That particular side is most vulnerable since rain hammers into it when driving. I had eternabonded that location a couple of years prior but obviously it was way too late. Some people completely eternabond seams and joints on brand new RV's. I should have done that when I got this camper 11 years ago, but I was ignorant. I'll look more and see if I have any good pictures of everything eternabonded. https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/roof-repair-northstar-ts1000.172207/

 

[kerry]

Maybe you can see it here. (The tape on the main roof seams is not eternabond. It's a roofing repair tape I used years ago before I learned of Eternabond