tone Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 hello everyone am new here. am thinking about purchasing a 1986 toyota dolphin that owner gutted and has redone it. well most of it. am not scare to take on the rest of the work and worst scenario. i could sell truck in parts if it doesn't work out. My question is... he made half of the roof out of plexiglass. would that be a NO NO. . or is that ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I don't think the plexi would be a super big no, no if he used thick enough stuff but you can see that the wood stringers are already drooping. They would have to go and be replaced with stronger wood or metal . Maybe aluminum box tubing? Also a little more light than I would want. Wondering how he sealed the edges too. Making sure everything is sealed up tight is number one when redoing a motorhome Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunkaman Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 there are different types of plexi. some are made with a uv protectant. if it is not the uv type it will, over time degrade developing cracks. becomes extremely brittle and probably leak . also how thick is the plexi ? as linda said, reinforcement for load bearing is critical. my vote for this roof remodel is - "no way" joe from dover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 A rolling greenhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 thanks everyone for your input. i really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neubie Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Is that it? as in a single layer of plexi? If so, its probably a no,no. No matter what. If this is the top layer of a regular sandwich with foam insulation and plywood then as everyone above notes it depends upon the quality of the load bearing members. The cabover roof never has any meaningful strength in it, certainly not enough to hold a person. From the look of it the major impact of the change is in the cabover area and forward of the ac vent. With insulation and ply layers it may not be much worse than original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 How much is the owner asking for that rolling terrarium? I (personally) would jump at it, if it were cheap enough, like 500 bucks cheap. It might be fun if you are handy, but at some point, you are just buying someone else's problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 (edited) / Edited August 23, 2018 by tone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 On 8/20/2018 at 10:43 PM, Squirrel said: How much is the owner asking for that rolling terrarium? I (personally) would jump at it, if it were cheap enough, like 500 bucks cheap. It might be fun if you are handy, but at some point, you are just buying someone else's problem. he wants 1,100 and claims he has invested 3500. its a 1986 with 79K miles in running condition. i think he will be insulted if i offer him 500 can i buy part of a roof and just redo it? there is a guy close to me parting out a similar year and model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 i had a 1987 toyota pickup 5speed .. not RV and it was really fun. but it got stolen two different times. do these RV get stolen as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 (edited) i have alot of metal corrugated metal sheets (8-12ft long). . would these come in handy for a roof. i've used them for shed before and the work ok it would most of the time be parked in a backyard and taken out camping a few times a year. Edited August 23, 2018 by tone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 this is the engine bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neubie Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 It depends on the location but 1000 is not a lot to ask for a 87 toyota in running condition with a floating axle. The rest depends on your interest,imagination, time and expected value. There are months of effort still left in that project. The roof as originally constructed is a sandwitch of metal, foam, ply in a stick (and/or metal) frame. The corrugated sheets arent likely to be useful but lookup the filon roof reconstruction thread for building the rest of the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Doesn't sound like a horrible deal. If it were mine, I could go a couple of ways with it. Either pull off the coach and slap that plexiglass on the back of the cab along with a treated wood bed. Or, if you feel like there is enough home in that motorhome, time to really get building. If I were you, (and not all of my ideas are winners) I would add some more bracing to that plexiglass and paint the top with a coat of Kool Seal or something. You would lose your skylight, but also cut your risk of the sun breaking it down. As far as theft, I have had a couple of interested offers on my Dolphin, but people are way more likely to make fun of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 1 hour ago, neubie said: It depends on the location but 1000 is not a lot to ask for a 87 toyota in running condition with a floating axle. The rest depends on your interest,imagination, time and expected value. There are months of effort still left in that project. The roof as originally constructed is a sandwitch of metal, foam, ply in a stick (and/or metal) frame. The corrugated sheets arent likely to be useful but lookup the filon roof reconstruction thread for building the rest of the roof. thank you for your input Neubie. i saw your thread and you have done alot of work on your and its looking awesome. am new here is this the thread you are refering to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neubie Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 yes, thats the right thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 thank you and thank for this community of people. you guys are very helpful and i think i will be buying it . so i should be back with more questions. thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 24, 2018 Author Share Posted August 24, 2018 On 8/15/2018 at 7:09 PM, linda s said: I don't think the plexi would be a super big no, no if he used thick enough stuff but you can see that the wood stringers are already drooping. They would have to go and be replaced with stronger wood or metal . Maybe aluminum box tubing? Also a little more light than I would want. Wondering how he sealed the edges too. Making sure everything is sealed up tight is number one when redoing a motorhome Linda S Hi Linda. i asked him about the seals around the edges and he told me "Screws and silicone but the hole rv needs to have the corners sealed the original corner seals were no good I can show you how I was going to fix that" are those thing hard to remove? there is one guy close to me that is parting same model RV and i was thinking i could get those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 As long as you have corner molding, you just pull out the rubber strip, take the screws out, and pop it off. But then you have to scrape off all the old sealant before putting new stuff on. This is the annoying part as sometimes it is sometimes like concrete. Also, the metal is generally held in place with the smallest possible staples. I like to replace the staples and then go over the corners with Dicor Corner tape, or something similar. But that is all pretty standard, your plexiglass area will be unique though. You can't bend plexiglass around the corners, so you are going to have to find another way to seal it. I would love to know why he did that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 24, 2018 Author Share Posted August 24, 2018 3 minutes ago, Squirrel said: I would love to know why he did that...lol i asked that question. but he never answered.. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 24, 2018 Author Share Posted August 24, 2018 5 minutes ago, Squirrel said: can i use something else for the corner moldings? cause i think he doesn't have them as he mention they were in bad shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 There isn't a lot to those corner moldings. Some of the old ones, like mine, had a little metal guttering in places, but molding would be better. You can buy new molding. But as long as they are not cracked, badly dented, or broken, they are probably alright. Have you been inside it during a rain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tone Posted August 24, 2018 Author Share Posted August 24, 2018 6 minutes ago, Squirrel said: There isn't a lot to those corner moldings. Some of the old ones, like mine, had a little metal guttering in places, but molding would be better. You can buy new molding. But as long as they are not cracked, badly dented, or broken, they are probably alright. Have you been inside it during a rain? No i havent' been in it during rain. am in the process of buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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