1987 Fleetwood Jamboree roof repair/replacement

[sstlaure]

Hello everybody, just joined as I have recently purchased a 1987 Fleetwood Jamboree.

During initial inspection she looked really clean, but now that I've had it a bit she definitely has her issues.

While the RV place I purchased it from was honest that there was some water damage (which I did see), they did a less than stellar job repairing the leaks (still leaks) and basically just put lipstick on a pig and tried to hide the cosmetic damage while leaving the cancer which caused the damage in the first place. More than a bit disappointing to say the least.

On top of that, during the 400 mi drive home from picking it up, the smog pump decided to seize, snapping the belt, which they proceeded to take out all the rest of the belts leaving me stranded 30 miles from home (SO glad it got most of the way there.)

That being said - the motorhome is mine, the exterior is clean, and I dig the retro look of this thing so my wife and I are tearing into it to get it up to snuff.

Getting up on the roof revealed that the RV place appears to have just smeared some kind of sealer over bubbling luan and steel (to the point where there is a HUGE bubble in the roof) We've decided to replace the roof to the best of our abilities.

We've torn out the "repairs" that the RV place did on the interior (basically new headliner over old moldy crap) - removed the moldy crap to reveal wood that is separating into layers and SOAKED.

I'm thinking the whole roof is coming off, but that was when I thought the roof was just wood with some kind of rubber layer on top. I'm away on business at the moment, and my wife continued working (from the inside) to find out it actually has a steel roof.

Looking for insight as to how to get the steel roof up in order to replace what is underneath.

I fabricate, weld, etc. so this stuff doesn't worry me too much, just want some good information/references on order of operations to make this thing right.

[plasma800]

Find the RV Mutant thread...

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f64/r-u-a...ml#post3052789

First off, you're a mutant.
Second, cool unit!
Third, there is a guy handled(named) "Dwanye and Shara" who is a wiz at the type of stuff you're talking about. Complete roof replacement, wall replacements so forth. He's afraid of nothing. I'm sure he would have some pointers for you.

[sstlaure]

Thanks for the info plasma800

[sstlaure]

Turns out my wife and I most likely ARE mutants. We've spent the past couple months working on this roof and are making great progress.

After diddling around with gutting the interior and stripping out EVERYTHING that was water damaged - we had to replace a 6 ft section of the passenger side wall and the entire roof.

Took about a week to scrape and expose all of the fasteners to remove all of the corner trim, but then we could dispose of the current roof.

[sstlaure]

We then proceeded to replace/repair the roof structure. Standard structure in the roof was only light steel c-channel, with some spans over 4 ft, so I added in 2x2 or 2x4 structure where necessary to better support the new roof (5/16" plyboard with Dicor EPDM membrane)

Installed fresh 1.5" foamboard inside the structure, made trenches for the wiring and then we topped that with some reflective bubble wrap which is supposed to help with reflecting some sunload heat.

On top of that went the 5/16" plyboard all routed around the edges.

[sstlaure]

After installing the plyboard and cutting all of the vent openings, etc came the installation of the eternabond tape along all edges needing to be sealed.

We used 6" wide where necessary to shingle from the horizontal roof surface, down through the interior angle of the corner and down over the siding completing a nice seal over the whole edge.

Anywhere we had to apply the tape we made sure to do a thorough cleaning with surface prep - the fiberglass looks like NEW!

[sstlaure]

Which brings us to this week where we are installing the EPDM and termination strips.

For the front we were able to bend the termination strip to fit the fiberglass cap, we'll do the same for the rear.

Still to come are the corner caps, additional Eternabond to seal all screw heads (I want this sucker SEALED) and roof "furniture" which is getting ALL replaced.

More to come.......

[jaydar]

Excellent repair job, I have the same unit. I purchase my RV in California, sitting in a storage lot for quite some time, drove it back to Arizona, believe it or not had no problems. Monsoon started heavy rain, oops found out my rood also leaking down the seem, Had my roof recoated at DJ's RV here in Arizona, now she is good to go.

[sstlaure]

Thanks jaydar. Too funny that you have the same unit. Have you found anyone that reproduces the stripes that run down the sides? My lower (2) are really cracked but the rest look fine.

I took the RV over to my friend's shop to tear into the mechanicals (brakes, steering, etc.) and was able to get a good shot of the whole roof. Still have to clean up the fiberglass cap at the front, but the rear cleaned up to like-new, so I expect the front will do the same.

[nosticks]

You da man!

[sstlaure]

Well....After all of this work this summer, my wife and I decided that this unit REALLY isn't up to the tasks that we have ahead (planning a 2 month long cross-country trip towing a jeep) We've now purchased a Class A unit and will be selling this like NEW Class C.

In addition to the all new roof (including vents, covers, etc.) The entire interior was updated and repainted with the dinette and couch getting re-upholstered and all new carpet throughout.

I'll be posting up a for sale thread soon. You're not going to find a cleaner 1987 Fleetwood Jamboree.