Full disclosure weekend for the Brave

tmackx · April 25, 2011, 03:37 PM

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.

Froggy1936 · April 25, 2011, 03:12 PM

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

tmackx · April 25, 2011, 02:42 PM

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.

LJ-TJ · April 25, 2011, 07:55 AM

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

tmackx · April 24, 2011, 10:22 PM

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.

tmackx · April 23, 2011, 01:50 PM

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.

LJ-TJ · April 23, 2011, 07:37 AM

I love the truck. :)rotflmao

tmackx · April 22, 2011, 10:32 PM

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.

ibdilbert01 · April 22, 2011, 09:28 PM

Holy cow your giving me flashbacks!

As TJ said, we love pics!!!!

LJ-TJ · April 22, 2011, 05:48 PM

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.

tmackx · April 22, 2011, 12:23 PM

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.

tmackx · April 21, 2011, 11:57 PM

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.

wacko · April 20, 2011, 11:35 PM

Looking forward to this thread. Keep the pictures coming.

JDxeper · April 18, 2011, 09:20 PM

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

Froggy1936 · April 18, 2011, 01:01 PM

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

LJ-TJ · April 18, 2011, 12:22 PM

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.

tmackx · April 18, 2011, 08:20 AM

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 · April 18, 2011, 05:56 AM

"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?

LJ-TJ · April 18, 2011, 05:54 AM

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

Oz · April 17, 2011, 11:49 PM

OMG! If I ever tried that...I would just keep dismantling the whole thing because it would never run again.

tmackx · April 17, 2011, 11:06 PM

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.

Full disclosure weekend for the Brave

wacko