Roof Fix

[Long Distance Rider]

I recently bought a 1996 Shadow Cruiser pop up truck camper. In excellent condition for the most part but with the typical damage to the rear where the lifting mechanism is trying to work it's way through the roof. I know I found something somewhere in the past that showed a pictorial of a step by step procedure that even a moderately skilled guy such as myself could perform. I suspect dryrot but I would just as soon have a good procedure/pictorial in hand before I start to tear this thing apart.

Can someone provide a link? I have searched for a couple of hours without success.

Thanks, Mike

 

[Bill_G_62439]

Welcome, LDR!

I have been doing an extensive rebuild of a Skamper pop-top roof. I posted the link to the thread below. I've been making some progress lately and hour to finish it this week. I'll update with more photos as soon as I can. I'm not sure if they are constructed differently, but this may be of some help.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/79870-Yet-Another-Skamper-Build

 

[Long Distance Rider]

Thanks for the link, I looked at the start of your link but never got to the part where you had a picture of the rear corner. The Shadow Cruiser I bought has cast aluminum corner pieces and I'm not sure how they are attached. I think the more I look it probably is just a job where I'm going to have to figure it out as I go. Looks like I should start where you did by removing the screws that hold the canvas in the back and maybe down the sides a foot or so. Then drill out the pop rivets holding the aluminum trim on the back where the clearance lights are mounted.....I'm hoping the cast aluminum corner pieces have nuts on the inside. From there I'm thinking just fabricate a replacement for the rear board. I'm also thinking that this board should be treated and waterproofed so I never have to deal with this problem again.

I may be wrong but I think pretty much most of the pop up campers have a dry rot problem, what with the suction caused by riding down the highway creating a vacum and drawing in rain and spray to the seam between the camper body and the top......am I close to the failure cause or not?

I will keep a watch out for the rest of your build....

thanks again, Mike

 

[eugene]

If water was coming in the seal between the roof and wall then you would have rot in the lower walls too. Most of them the rot is just in the roof corners, you have a joint there held together just with small screws and it flexes as the roof is raised and lowered and that weakens the seal for the covering.

 

[Long Distance Rider]

I think I've got a fix

I looked over the damage where the roof lifting mechanism is proturding thru the top. It looks to me like the wood in the rear of the roof structure is pretty sound. I'm thinking I might be able to build a couple of corner braces, predrill the holes for the lifting mechanism and be in business. I think a couple of braces (horizontal L brackets) installed inside with large fender washers to help spread the load will give me the strength to not have this problem again. Of course then I will have to do a repair on the small holes that are in the top but some thin aluminum and sealant and a few pop rivets should do the job.

Does this sould like a good repair???

thanks, Mike

 

[Bill_G_62439]

I say to go for it! If it works you could be in business for years to come. If it doesn't work, you won't be out that much and won't have really lost anything. After all the repairs to mine, I still have a few aluminum holes to cover.

 

[Long Distance Rider]

success

Well, I'm all done. It was a little harder than I had thought but after I finished I think I figured out why. I did all the work with the top fully extended and of course had to fight the torque of the lifting system to get my brackets installed. I fabricated a 1/8th inch thick aluminum plate 3 inches wide by 8 inches going forward and 12 inches across the back. I installed two extra bolts across the back on each side for a total of 4 and one extra on the side. Of course my plan to pop rivet a thin aluminum plate across the holes on top didn't work out. It turns out that the top was made of fiberglass, so I went to the Depot and bought some resin, hardner, and fiberglass fabric. My only problem is I know nothing at all about applying fiberglass so I will be doing a lot of sanding and rework.

Bottom line is I have a fix that should last for years. I can't imagine why the original manufacturer didn't figure this out......could be the reason they are not in business anymore.

As an aside, I talked to a guy in Pahrump, Nevada that had several pop ups with the same problem as mine, he had inherited them from his dad who had been a Starcraft dealer, the lifting mechanism was coming thru the top in the rear.....he said a couple of them were "brand new "90's" something units, that had failed and never been returned to the factory. At the time I didn't know what I know now or I would have gone and picked one up....oh well.

I apologize for not having pictures, but I'm digitally challanged

Mike