PurpleAmy

Thanks jdfrost64. Sent a PM.

Hello all! I've recently acquired a 91 Seabreeze with the 5vz-fe swapped in. For those wondering, I calculated 15.67mpg @55mph using GPS speed & distances and pump measurement of refill gallons. (The odo/speedo reads about 6/5ths of actual, but that's a problem for another day!) My plan was to slowly renovate it while occupying it. After taking care of a handful of minor issues, I've come to realize much bigger things that I didn't when I purchased it: 1) The exterior is corrugated fiberglass, not metal. Seems obvious now... :/ 2) The construction appears to be laminate, with no obvious framing, consisting solely of corrugated fiberglass bonded to 1 1/4" styrofoam to 3/16 luan. 3) There is water damage on both sides below the windows, worse on the driver's side. 4) The wall, especially on the driver's side, has seemingly not delaminated, but rather buckled about an inch, such that a point between the two side windows and near the vertical center protrudes by about an inch, inside and out. It is a gradual distortion, running 4' to the front and back of that center (same as the width of luan panels). It feels like all the layers are still connected, and the inner and outer shapes match. Additionally, there does seem to be water damage in the driver's side floor in the kitchen area. I'm not clear on whether the floor being lower on the outside is due to that, or pressure related to the sidewall. It looks like there are just minimal metal brackets periodically to support the floor outside the main frame. The upper areas seem to be in good shape, no obvious damage at the vents or ac anyway. The roof is slightly convex, and the metal around the roof more so. There might be issues there too. This all feels rather overwhelming, and I'm trying to figure out what to do next. I'm considering everything from selling it for what I can get now, to just ignoring it for a while and selling it in 6mo-1yr, to stabilizing it even if in a rather ghetto way - it can be an art project :), to rebuilding the damaged areas. My questions are: 1) How big is the risk of sudden major failure of the structure at this point? It's dry now and has been in the desert for some time. Assuming I reseal everything well, how risky would it be to take it into the damper bay area climate as we head into the rainy season? Could the humidity alone soften it dangerously? 2) Before I realized the construction type, I started to remove a section of Luan on the passenger side which is rotten and moldy. I cut through it across it's 4' width, which probably has weakened the structure further, though almost entirely under a window which for all I know isn't load bearing. I was considering using an oscillating tool to seperate the luan from the styrofoam and replacing it. Thoughts on how much to pull at a time, whether there's a better technique, or even if slathering the mess in epoxy and hoping for the best is all that's worth doing? 3) Are these walls really load bearing on just luan / foam / fiberglass? It sounds like the usual construction has some light framing and luan between the foam and fiberglass too. On one hand, if that's right, it's less strong, but on the other, maybe there's no fiberglass delamination horror to contend with, which might make things easier if I can salvage the foam. 4) Would I be better off selling this for what I can get and starting over? I really want the size and mpg of these Toyota's, and the 3.4L engine is nice too. Given the age of them, avoiding some rot seems very unlikely. The mechanicals all seem to be in good shape, and if I wanted to rebuild from scratch even, it seems like a great platform and collection of expensive working parts like generator, refrigerator, etc. That said, doing so presents a lot of logistical challenges. I'd need to get a shell reframed and water tight in a matter of weeks if I did that. The rest I could do slowly, but I need shelter and it's heading into the rainy season. Also, could I plausibly build it light enough? 4) Is there a reasonable incremental or even ghetto approach to repair or stabilization? Everything seems somewhat warped in the problem areas, floor, ceiling and walls. It seems like forcing a true shape on it, especially suddenly could make things much worse. I can take the A/C off, minimize upper cabinet weight, etc. to reduce load at least. I don't mind the irregular angles, but I do mind it being structurally unsound. 5) Does anyone have a sense of how much the truck, frame and axle, etc., weigh? Curious how much of a weight budget the occupied structure has. Thanks for reading all that, and for any insight or advice! I know nobody can magic away the problems; I'm just looking to find a positive direction to start moving towards. I know I'll feel better once I can think about the opportunities, especially where I can get creative.