Rebuilding a '98 Safari after delamination

[georgesafari]

The router-
Im using a DeWalt 20v router, its hand held and has an electric brake which makes it much safer to use in this application. The bit is a spiral flush trim bit from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spiral-Flush-...985294253&th=1

The end of the bit has two bearings on it that run along the frame or jig and cut every thing flush to that level- its important to keep the router flush with the wall so the bit is perpendicular. The jig is basically a giant square with a 6" hole in the middle, so I can line up the square with the window framing and the bit will run in the 6" circle. Obviously i dont cut out the whole circle just the quadrant, then route along the framing to connect the corners.

cockpit-
Yes, i want to close it off. we did the same thing on our old toyota dolphin, and that was much smaller. I put plywood over the opening to try it out and theres no issue getting in and out or the general cockpit feel. Also, this allows us to use a traditional mattress.

I'm glad that you brought up the point concentrations. The XPS foam does a great job spreading the load, but perhaps going with a 1/2" top layer might be a better choice over the luan. I have plenty of vertical clearance.

Ideally i would use a fiberglass panel to keep the weight down, but thats just another thing to do and I cant find ready made sheets.
Thank you for your helpful response

[nbluesky]

Wow what a great thread! As a fellow rebuilder of RV's with water damage I can admire the hard work you have put into this! You seem one who will hit the finish line and it will be amazing! Keep up the good work and post more pics! Thanks for sharing, new sub for sure

[georgesafari]

heres a better picture showing the window opening routing with the jig.

[georgesafari]

So things were going smoothly, then i noticed two issues:
1. The aluminum frame in the rear had oxidized, and some holes and formed. I saw this in one other place and sistered new stud next to it. My conclusion on this RV is that there was some moisture that got in and caused the lauan to outgas which is apparently very acidic. This RV originally had aluminum sheeting, which was removed and replaced back in 2002 because of the electrolysis that was occurring.
With the crack in the rear cap, water was getting and being soaked in by the exposed edge of the floor plywood, furthering the issue.
I cleaned off all the rotted wood, and wire brushed the metal, cleaned everything with acetone (amazed how fast I go through a gallon of the stuff), then inected glue into what was left of the plywood and, and attached it with an angle line.
Where the corrosion was the most severe, I cleaned it all up, injected Jb weld into the hole, then lathered it all around and used 1/8" thick angle aluminum to reinforce it. Once dry, it will all be coated with truck bed liner to prevent any future moisture from getting in; and obciously the rear cap is fixed.
Side note- the floor and the wall above this area were reinforced when I rebuilt it.

2. The shower has an oversized 24" x 24" sky light that has been really challenging to track down. The RO is actually 24", where as most skylights are smaller but listed as 24" which includes the flange. I finally tracked down the exact same one that was on there- turns out its from mobile homes, so it has a very large flange meant to be used with shingle roofs.
Since the vent runs along the back of the shower, I couldnt relocate it. I installed the skylight as far over as possible knowing I would have to modify it later to accommodate the vent. here we go...
Since the vent is that close to the roof radius, I cant use the Camco supplied escutcheon / boot /flange because it hangs over the side. I'm planning on buying a 2"x 1 1/2" pvc reducer fitting and using that as a boot. The pipe is 1.5" pvc but part of the coupler is exposed so the 2" part of the reducer should cover that nicely. Its hard weld a boot onto the roof because of the radius and the skylight so I'll be relying a lot on caulk and maybe, just maybe, Eternabond... The screw heads and perimeter will all be covered in SB-140 as a lap sealant.


I still had a little time so i did some sanding on the rear cap. It was pretty smashed up so after cleaning off all the old epoxy I did three coats of fiberglass on the back, then used TotalBoat-382660 - Thixo on the front to fill any of the holes and voids. Thixo is super easy to apply, dries almost clear but is very hard. Fairing compound would be a lot easier to sand and work with, but this stuff is much stronger, and this repair needs all the strength it can get (see the picture below showing the light coming through the repair).
In the interest of time, im planning on getting the rear cap sanded and 'finished' so I can install it, Then in the Spring use the TotalBoat Gelcoat to make it look pretty, ultimately have the bottom bumper either painted or vinyl wrapped to match the rest of the rv.

[Ollie Rogers]

Thank you for all the new details of your rebuild.

Given that wood rots, steel rusts, and aluminum corrodes (not just white powder corrosion, but true, sanctified, hol-e corrosion); and, given what you have learned and encountered with your rebuild experience... how would you specify a new RV to be framed and sheathed from scratch?

[DonaC]

I'm highly impressed, I can see that you'll have a great RV once the work is finished.

[georgesafari]

Originally Posted by Ollie Rogers

Thank you for all the new details of your rebuild.

Given that wood rots, steel rusts, and aluminum corrodes (not just white powder corrosion, but true, sanctified, hol-e corrosion); and, given what you have learned and encountered with your rebuild experience... how would you specify a new RV to be framed and sheathed from scratch?

Good question Ollie. When I first started this rebuild I paid a lot of attention the the way things were put together and assumed everything had a purpose or reason for its method. Ive come to the conclusion that the method for building these units is purely profit driven.
There are and were better materials available, but the would cost more, even marginally. The second part of the equation is the labor or tooling required for the assembly. Saving pennies forms nickels, which creates dimes that roll into quarters to produce dollars...

I knew the Safari's were better built than a lot of other options and the layout worked for us so we pursued it. A lot of people complain about specific manufacturers, especially these 'smaller' ones, but the truth is even Winnebago has issues, especially with their roofs.

In an ideal world, the the RV would be framed out with a real plastic basement covering, not just the "garden style weed blocker" foil. Something about 1/8" that would prevent the subfloor from absorb moisture. Next would be marine grade plywood. or at least plywood, not the 1/2" OSB they use. The next layer is foam, preferable XPS. Then 1/2" plywood, each layer properly glued and vacuum set together.
As for the framing itself, The safari has 1.5" aluminium, but its 1/16" thick, it really should have 1/8" wall thickness and 4' on center. The "headers" and "footers" they have running along the top and bottom of the RV (Front and back) are 1/8" but the profile is very basic and allows a lot of flex, especially when theres an over cab bunk that cantilevers, transferring the load onto those top headers. Winnebago has much more complex "headers" to handle these loads.
I would also like to see more adhesives and caulks rather than just a few globs and a bunch of mechanical fasteners. I had a hard time removing the screws due to the electrolysis /oxidation and RV screws are generally poor quality. Ive been using 304 SS screws for all of the exterior so it doesnt react to the aluminium. The shop also now looks like I sell caulk, I have over a dozen different caulks- adhesives, sealants, caulks...etc. since the various materials all require different products - a lot of the standard RV stuff wont work on TPO roofs, or cant be used on lexan skylights, or it works on fiberglass but cant touch butyl...then theres the self leveling vs vertical surface stuff... lots of research to find the right ones....and lots of money to buy them - its not all just DICOR

The walls should use Azdel with fiberglass, there should be NO LAUAN anywhere in these RVs. Azdel is only $12 a sheet, and if the manufacturer specs the lauan because its marginally stronger, then they need to add more framing.

Lastly, do you believe the manufacturer wants the product to last or do they want to have a happy customer come back in 5-7 years for a new one....

[georgesafari]

Shifting gears to the over cab bunk area. I cleaned it all up and put down 3/4" XPS foam (doesnt retain moisture). I cut the foam a little larger so it would take some force to get in place, allowing the contact cement to make firm contact.
I placed 1/8 x 1.5 x 8' aluminium L across the top, filled the cab opening with 3/4 ply, the under side that will be exposed has a left over piece of filon on it. from there it was 1/2" plywood, 1.5 XPS, 1/4" ply. as the space is 5'x8' I staggered the joints. Each layer was glued with Stabond 183 (foam safe).
After all this gluing I found the best way to apply Stabond.
The company suggested using a paint roller, I purcahsed adhesive specialty roller covers that are about 1/8 nap, but after the first sheet, the roller has a little bit of the adhesive dried on it, so then it tacks with the surface.. and from there it just snow balls pulling any adhesive thats applied back off.
after doing the roof like this, I decided to use a cheap (disposable) sprayer for the sides, and it worked very well. The manufacturer advised against using a sprayer as the adhesive atomizes and can effect the bond. I've seen enough people use a sprayer to apply it without issue and for such a thin final surface as the Filon you would see any clumps the roller might form.
Well I needed to quickly apply it to both sides of all the surfaces and after brushing the first one I reached for an old 6" putty knife. I poured some of the adhesive on the surface and spread it out into a very uniform thin coat. worked wonderfully.
One other tip... I did this in an unheated workshop, it was in the 50s inside and out, the spec sheet says it needs to be above 70.... so I warmed it up a little on the electric hot plate. Worked wonders. Obviously be careful as the product is extremely flammable.

[georgesafari]

Heres a cross section of the wall