Full disclosure weekend for the Brave

Started by tmackx, April 17, 2011, 11:06 PM

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tmackx

Started the tear down this weekend.  Finding some dry rot and wet rotten wood.  I expected that on a 40 year old coach but I know it could have been a lot worse.  I'm also planning on a roof structure replacement like what handier man did. 

The before pics





I started by removing the fridge, dining area and couch.  Then the fridge cabnet and cabnet over the dining area. 



Then I removed the cabnets over the drivers area.



Then I started stripping the old luan off the foam.  Once I found the right technique, it wasn't too bad.





Then I pulled the dash out.  There was rot on sidewall right at the edge of the dash.  I knew something was up because the dash was not solid on the driver's side when driving down the road.  I wanted to clean up the electrical system anyways and the best way to do that is a complete disassembly and reassembly.  There was 40 years of splices where additions had been added then removed but the wiring had stayed behind.  Little things like electronic ignition had been added but there were wires spliced together by twisting, folding back and using electrical tape.  Not for me, I want to enjoy my trips, not falling victom to the stereo type of the old broken down motorhome on the side of the road. 









Oz

OMG!  If I ever tried that...I would just keep dismantling the whole thing because it would never run again.
1969 D22, 2 x 1974 D24 Indians, 1977 27' Itasca

LJ-TJ

HOLY COW!....KEEP THE PICTURES COMING  Hm?

LJ-TJ

"Then I started stripping the old luan off the foam.  Once I found the right technique, it wasn't too bad."

What Technique did you use?  Hm?

tmackx

I used a stiff paint scraper.  Once the fresh luan was started it would come in sheets.  It was the half rotten wood that was a little more trouble to come off.  I can get some close up pics of how I used the paint scraper later this week. 

LJ-TJ

 :)ThmbUp  Yep! that would be a big help as a lot of folks will probably doing a similar project so any information you want to give will be a big help. As well folks that wouldn't take on a project like that May after seeing how you do it. Thanks.

Froggy1936

You are going about the repairs correctly. When you are done you will have a rig you can jump in and go anywhere anytime without troubles. (Though that will never happen) If its made by man it will break down. Sooner or later. But you will now have the odds on your side that it will not be a major problem.  way to go. Frank
"The Journey is the REWARD !"
Member of 15 years. We will always remember you, Frank.

JDxeper

I think you are doing what we all would like to do, but lack the intestinal fortitude to tackle it, let alone the skills.
JD
Tumble Bug "Rollin in MO" (JD)

wacko

Looking forward to this thread. Keep the pictures coming.

tmackx

Worked on the Brave some more.  Got one of the corners stripped down.  It's amazing how far gone the plywood was on the side of the dash.  The mirrors also fasten into this area so they were only attacted to the outer aluminum skin. 










Looks like this may have all started with the CB cable coming through the wall.  The wood right above the cable is fine. 




I also found the pin holes in the aluminum that I've heard about. 




Although there are places that need repair, other places still look new under the luan.




This is the edge of the paint scraper I'm using.  I run the angled edge along the foam and that helps the blade float over the foam and not dig in.  It will still dig in if forced but it tries to float more then digging in.   



tmackx

More this morning.  I wasn't planning on rebuilding the nose but I couldn't ignore it. 








I pulled this section out as a whole so I could cut a new piece by the foam to go back as a whole. 






This my seem like a lot of work but it's just wood and sheetmetal with the occasional supporting metal brackets.  I can't wait to feel how solid this rig will feel on the road. 

LJ-TJ

It's starting to look like one of those "seemed like a good idea at the time" projects.  Hm? Keep the pictures coming you've almost got me convinced to start on mine.

ibdilbert01

Holy cow your giving me flashbacks!    :P

As TJ said, we love pics!!!!
Constipated People Don't Give a crap!

tmackx

I am doing a lot more work then I planned but it will  be worth it to have a solid rig.  I might have found the root cause for the way my dash was moving while on the road.  The 2x4's that attach the sidewall to the chassis frame was rotten right by the driver's seat.  This was probably letting the coach body float a little and with the steering column bolted to the dash and chassis frame I could see the movement in the dash. 






I've been using my project I worked on over the winter to make runs to Home Depot.  At 27 mpg it's a lot better then running back and forth with the truck. 


LJ-TJ


tmackx

Once the tear down is complete the project gets a little more enjoyable when the new material starts going back. 




It was amazing how much wood was gone and the body was still holding it's shape.  You can see the old vs the new.  I don't know if this was all one piece new but it will be today. 




tmackx

Progress for today. 







Originally there was wood installed directly behind the siding where the mirrors attached.  My Brave came with truck mirrors that attach above and below the window so I added wood above the window to attach my upper arm too.  There is no deflection in the mirror arm now.  So nice. 







LJ-TJ

Great stuff. What plywood did you us and what glue. Fantastic Stuff. Thanks.  :)clap

tmackx

I used Loctite PL300 foamboard adhesive.  I just used standard plywood and for 1" I glued two 1/2" pieces together.  So far that has only been in the nose.  I think the only other place it is used is in the main floor. 

Froggy1936

What did you use for pinholes in the aluminum ?  On my roof repair when i had the roof peeled back to replace the rotted wood and crumbled styerfoam I used very sticky aluminum tape on the underside. Then when all reassembled a double coat of Cool Seal finished the roof on the side panels i just dabbed them with silicone. Not real pretty but the correct repair with fiberglass,putty & refinishing would require a lot of time.  Frank
"The Journey is the REWARD !"
Member of 15 years. We will always remember you, Frank.

tmackx

I put silicone on the inside of the aluminum at the pin holes so when everything was installed it would surround the holes and squish out to the outside. 

tmackx

More work today.  I'm moving some of the modules that were hanging off the back of the engine to the inside under the dash.  I got some good shots of what the corners look like before I tear into them.  I figured I was this far so I pulled the doghouse to clean and re-seal it.  The sealant was hard as a rock and brittle. 











LJ-TJ

Boy  :)clap if any of our newbees ever wanted to know how to rebuild their rig your shore giving us the low down. Well done. Keep the pic's coming. A picture is worth a thousand words. Well done.

DaveVA78Chieftain

Do not forget that the cases for both the voltage regulator and ignition module have to be grounded to the engine/frame in order to operate properly.  Make sure those items are accessable once the dash is back in.  Ballast Resistor is known to have a short life span.
Make sure the distributor pickup cable that goes to the ignition module is not routed near any plug wires or noisey signal cables.  It is a very low level signal that will make the engine run real bad if it picks up interferring noise.

Be sure to maintain the central charging system distribution method.  Helps prevent low level voltage throught the system.

Pre 1974 electrical system routed the charging voltage through the amp gauge.  The amp meter can fail leaving you rig dead.  New style dash uses a the more modern shunt resistor approach,  You should change over to a shunt ampmeter design and add a voltmeter gauge.  A much more effective and safer approach.

Dave
[move][/move]


tmackx

Grounding, yes.  That's why the marine fuse panel is mounted close to the modules.  I wanted to find a good grounding buss bar but found this fuse panel with a ground buss bar plus I can have a clean source for extra power.  I will probably keep the charging system stock.  I have been inspecting and re-soldering the high amp wires for the charging.  I have also found some bad splices, like where the turn signal switch was replaced.  If I ever did have a failure I will have a generator and battery charger to limp home on.  I will probably create a twisted pair with a shield for the distributor pick up since I am lengthing it more then four times.  The ballast resistor was still working but a little worse for wear.  The one mounted is a new one. 


The pictures of the turn signal splices










Now looking at the alternator wires.  This solder junction is what ties the fuse panel, alternator and battery (through the amp gauge) together.  This solder splice didn't look to good in that the solder didn't penatrate all the way through.  I also didn't like that there was a small gauge wire tied in also. 










The dash is now stripped and ready to be recovered.  You can see it has the original vinyl that was painted.