1979 minnie winny

[vesteroid]

I am trying this post here as I didnt get any responses in the W/I forums. Maybe this place has a few more DYI's.

Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1


I just inherited a 79 minnie winny from the inlaws, as they dont want to drive her any more.

I have found a variety of issues so far. minor water damage under the windows to the paneling, and some minor water damage to one ceiling panel. I found the leaks in the roof, I dont think the inlaws had the roof sealed in years.

The odd thing is whomever sealed the roof spread some sort of white compound in about 8" wide swaths and its hard as a rock, and splitting and peeling.

I went to a rv store today and they told me I need to chip all that off and use some sort of dicor self leveling sealant. That seems like a huge job to chip off all that sealant (even if I can).

i was looking for some opinions on this prior to breaking out the jack hammer.

Also on the windows, they sold me a roll of thick putty tape. they told me I needed to take out all teh windows and put in new tape. This may be the case, but I have given them a pretty thorough inspection and I dont see much in the way of gaps or leaky spots in the tape seals. What I do see lots of is deterioration of that sort of fuzzy product in the inside of the aluminum channels where the glass slides. I was sort of wondering if that stuff is so old its letting water get in under the glass so to speak and then somehow running down into the wall.

I only see the paneling below the windows starting to delaminate.

So I guess I have to seal the windows somehow, and then find a way to remove those wall panels and replace them with something. Thinking of just going back with a luan or something similar and painting it. Same for teh ceiling...rip off all that wall paper like stuff and just paint it.

Any ideas or advice would be apprecaited.
I just inherited a 79 minnie winny from the inlaws, as they dont want to drive her any more.

I have found a variety of issues so far. minor water damage under the windows to the paneling, and some minor water damage to one ceiling panel. I found the leaks in the roof, I dont think the inlaws had the roof sealed in years.

The odd thing is whomever sealed the roof spread some sort of white compound in about 8" wide swaths and its hard as a rock, and splitting and peeling.

I went to a rv store today and they told me I need to chip all that off and use some sort of dicor self leveling sealant. That seems like a huge job to chip off all that sealant (even if I can).

i was looking for some opinions on this prior to breaking out the jack hammer.

Also on the windows, they sold me a roll of thick putty tape. they told me I needed to take out all teh windows and put in new tape. This may be the case, but I have given them a pretty thorough inspection and I dont see much in the way of gaps or leaky spots in the tape seals. What I do see lots of is deterioration of that sort of fuzzy product in the inside of the aluminum channels where the glass slides. I was sort of wondering if that stuff is so old its letting water get in under the glass so to speak and then somehow running down into the wall.

I only see the paneling below the windows starting to delaminate.

So I guess I have to seal the windows somehow, and then find a way to remove those wall panels and replace them with something. Thinking of just going back with a luan or something similar and painting it. Same for teh ceiling...rip off all that wall paper like stuff and just paint it.

Any ideas or advice would be apprecaited.

[GOLDWINGER2]

A wide carpenter's chisel and light to medium hammer will chip away the old sealant on the roof. Go slow and be careful at first, as you get the hang of it you can go faster.
J

[AmberGotLost]

Hi Vesteroid,

I am in the process of repairing and remodeling a 1973 Minnie Winnie. I don't know about the hard white stuff but I definitely suggest NOT taking a jackhammer to it. Do it by hand, with a chisel, or a small automatic tool.

As for the windows, I have the same issue with the 'fuzzy stuff' rotting. However, regardless of that the windows are going to need to be resealed. It's a very easy job. You unscrew the plate from the inside, pop it off. Cut the seal off around the outside and with a screwdriver pop the window out. Scrape the old stuff off. Clean it, then put the new butyl tape on. My husband likes to double it up around corners.

Go back inside and screw the metal plate back on. That sucks the window against the butyl. Then go outside, scrape off the excess (cut a line along the window with the razor, peel it off) and caulk all around it. That should work.

The bumping of the panels under the window IS water damage from a bad seal. So be sure to do it.

I blog all of my repairs here (with pictures) - 1,001 Zombies

Hopefully some of it helps. I also just purchased a service manual for it, but it's a 73, not 79. Let me know if there's something you may need out of it.

[73Indian]

Well I really inderstand what you are going through. Seems like just yesterday when I had my '73 Indian towed home with some of the same type of problems, and more.
As far as the window fuzzy seals, they are still avalable from RV Mobility.
And the roof might be sealed without removing anything. My roof was so bad I just ripped the whole thing off and started over. So if your roof is still solid, there are products like snow roof that work on about everything. Check out Home Depot for stuff to use.
Another site to look at for help would be Classic Winnebagos & Vintage RV's .
Best of luck and post some pictures. We are there for you. Les

[TXiceman]

Welcome to iRV2 and also the joys of owning an older RV. Once you get it fixed up you will have a true gem. First order of business is to get the leaks fixed.

Post some photos of the redo.

Ken

[RedneckExpress]

Putty knife and a heat gun are your friends , just don't get it too hot.

[TheDubs]

I had the same problem with my roof. I scraped as much of the white cracking sealant off, then cleaned it really well, and put dicor self sealing tape on all the seams. Then rolled on two thick layers of snow roof. I haven't had any leaks yet. (knock on wood)