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Liselotte · 02-06-2017, 11:09 AM

My husband and I bought a Class C 1999 Itasca Spirit by Winnebago two months ago. The guy we bought it from was the original owner and took excellent care of it with the exception of roof maintenance. We live in southern California and after the recent rains discovered a pretty serious leak that caused significant wood rot in the floor of the cabover as well as the passenger side cabover panel. The source of the leak was the seam below the cabover curve on the passenger side. You could literally push the underside fiberglass panel up with your finger where the seam is and see water dripping out. The entire floor panel is not toast... only the front piece of wood that's about 2"wide but runs length wise across. We removed it and dried everything out. We also peeled the upper outer side fiberglass panel back just enough to chip away the wet wood.
Now the question is, what to do next? I've read all the horror stories posted resulting in many sleepless nights. I don't want to do a "bandaid" job. We have it secured indoors now and are hoping we can fix it ourselves.

Waiter21 · 02-06-2017, 12:32 PM

Two examples of some fixes that looked a lot, lot worst than they were. Maybe this will give you some ideas on repairs.

1) I had the upper side wall on my Ole Toyhouse rotted. Not to serious and actually fairly easy to repair. The inside wall was toast, but only minor structural damage.

Cabover Rot Repair - Improvement and Do-It-Yourself Projects you have done to Share! - Toyota Motorhome Discussion Board

2) Here is a repair I did on our Mirada. This looked very, very bad and was probably the reason the seller couldn't get rid of it. It looked a lot worst than it was.

Repair interior wall de-lamination damage | 2001 Coachmen Mirada 300QB

\..

ga traveler · 02-06-2017, 12:48 PM

We repaired several class C coaches with the overhead bunk damage. The overhang sits out and stresses over every bump. After a while the sealant and trims work loose a leak starts. WE NEVER removed the outside paneling. Always removed all the wood from inside. We saved all the rotten wood and used it as a pattern. Even if it is soggy soft, If you carefully remove it, you can use it as a pattern. That is the secret. use the same pattern as they did and go back just as it came out. It is not near the daunting task you first think it is. My first one, I was scared to death. By the last one, I was laughing all the way to the bank.

Liselotte · 02-06-2017, 05:54 PM

Thank you "Waiter 21" for sharing your repair job. I can see that what one considers 'fairly easy' can be another persons worse nightmare. You clearly are skilled at the craft. I really appreciate how you dialogued each step and included photos along the way. I am a nurse and the bodies I work with don't have wheels. That said I have a lot to learn. I took some photos of the damage today which I hope to unload this evening. We have a fiberglass shell opposed to aluminum. Not sure if the steps and or material would be the same?

Liselotte · 02-06-2017, 06:02 PM

Not sure we'll be laughing any time soon Ga Traveler, wish I could say differently. Unfortunately, we already peeled the fiberglass side panel back a bit. Will upload photos tonight. I couldn't think of any other way to remove the wet-rotted wood sitting just beneath that area. The inner (interior panel) is solid with no signs of damage.
My other question is in regards to the Styrofoam... How do I know whether or not it's damaged? The area of styrofoam I'm referring to is below the front cabover window. It looks old (well it is a 1999) but is that all I base it on?

Lifemember · 02-06-2017, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liselotte

Not sure we'll be laughing any time soon Ga Traveler, wish I could say differently. Unfortunately, we already peeled the fiberglass side panel back a bit. Will upload photos tonight. I couldn't think of any other way to remove the wet-rotted wood sitting just beneath that area. The inner (interior panel) is solid with no signs of damage.
My other question is in regards to the Styrofoam... How do I know whether or not it's damaged? The area of styrofoam I'm referring to is below the front cabover window. It looks old (well it is a 1999) but is that all I base it on?

The Styrofoam will be full of mold and I would replace. I would remove the fiberglass from the sides to gain better access.

ga traveler · 02-07-2017, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liselotte

Not sure we'll be laughing any time soon Ga Traveler, wish I could say differently. Unfortunately, we already peeled the fiberglass side panel back a bit. Will upload photos tonight. I couldn't think of any other way to remove the wet-rotted wood sitting just beneath that area. The inner (interior panel) is solid with no signs of damage.
My other question is in regards to the Styrofoam... How do I know whether or not it's damaged? The area of styrofoam I'm referring to is below the front cabover window. It looks old (well it is a 1999) but is that all I base it on?

You are lucky if the inside is still in good shape. I would go from the outside. Just bend the fiberglass back carefully, So it doesn't crack. Styrofoam does not absorb water, I doubt it is moldy. I have found mold in the wood but not in the styrofoam. Since styrofoam does not absorb water, I would check it good and if I found surface mold, I would spray the styrofoam with a mixture of 80%water and 20% clorox or a regular mildew killer.

Liselotte · 02-07-2017, 09:34 AM

I've attached a few images that may be helpful understanding our water damage a little more clearly. You can see how we peeled back the outer skin above the passenger side. It's a bit daunting each time I look at it as I'm nervous that we may not be able to seal it properly and water will again leak through the seams. My other concern is structural. The last two images are taken after we removed the rotted wood inside the cab. We are using a light to help dry it all out.

Oops.. I see the pictures downloaded upside down. sorry, not sure how to flip them. Please note the that you are look at the floor board in picture 3 and 4, not above the curvature area.

Lifemember · 02-07-2017, 10:53 AM

This will help you understand how the walls are made

https://youtu.be/E9XpPDHaG5I

Liselotte · 02-07-2017, 04:33 PM

so I'm curious to know how important it is to have the interior fiberglass super clean, free of all adhesive prior to reassembling. We scraped what rotted wood we could off but not sure how to remove the adhesive or if it's really necessary anyways?

Also, the 2x3 piece of wood that we removed seemed to have been attached to a wider support board made of luan with a styrofoam center and then perhaps another piece of wood. As I said earlier, the only rotted piece in the cabover floor was the that 2x4 that ran length wise. So, my question is... do we just reattach a regular piece of 2x4 to the luan-styrofoam piece and glue it to the interior fiberglass. I should also mention that the only material that sits infront of the 2x4 that we are replacing is styrofoam (about 3/4"). I've read that styrofoam does not degrade or rot, but now I hear different. So I'm confused.. does it need to be replaced or not? Seems pretty difficult to pull away from the fiberglass.

Lifemember · 02-07-2017, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liselotte

so I'm curious to know how important it is to have the interior fiberglass super clean, free of all adhesive prior to reassembling. We scraped what rotted wood we could off but not sure how to remove the adhesive or if it's really necessary anyways?

Also, the 2x3 piece of wood that we removed seemed to have been attached to a wider support board made of luan with a styrofoam center and then perhaps another piece of wood. As I said earlier, the only rotted piece in the cabover floor was the that 2x4 that ran length wise. So, my question is... do we just reattach a regular piece of 2x4 to the luan-styrofoam piece and glue it to the interior fiberglass. I should also mention that the only material that sits infront of the 2x4 that we are replacing is styrofoam (about 3/4"). I've read that styrofoam does not degrade or rot, but now I hear different. So I'm confused.. does it need to be replaced or not? Seems pretty difficult to pull away from the fiberglass.

The quality of the exterior wall material has changed greatly over the years. A problem that plagued the RV industry early on was delamination. With this damage, there is water regression in between the wall interior panel, sometimes known as Luan, and the exterior filon sheeting. The moisture will compromise the adhesive and you will see bubbling or warping along the wall surfaces. This type of damage may not be worth repairing in some cases, as replicating the manufacturing process is unattainable.

One method of fixing this is to use epoxy https://youtu.be/-M9CB0KRaTM
Be carful that the product does not eat up the foam You will need to replace all 2x2 or 2x4 damaged wood. You can buy Luan at lowes or home depot if needed.

I have used construction adhesive with good success when doing delamination repairs https://www.lowes.com/pd/LOCTITE-PL-...play/999910199 I spread out and then used pressure on the repair area using ratchet straps and 2x4

You will find many youtube videos on this subject.