Advice please!

[GLG]

Hello Folks,

I?m happy to find this website and to see how some of you have done wonders with these Toyota motor homes.

Hurricane Katrina caused me to become an RV owner (my wife and I lost our home as did several other family members). Because I am a complete novice it would be great if I could get some advice from the group.

My son-in-law found a 1987 Blue Marlin with a bit over 51,000 miles on the four cylinder 22R engine and the six lug wheels. He lives several hundred miles away so I had to depend on his observations and a telephone conversation with the owner to take the plunge. So here it is: the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good:

It looks nice and everything seems to work: ac, Onan generator, hot water heater, water pump, holding tank indicators, stove, sinks and shower. It made the trip to the Gulf Coast without incident although it took everything that engine could put out to get close to the Interstate speed limit. Mpg was a tad under 14.

The Bad:

The refrigerator has been replaced with a 120 volt only model although I did find a 600 watt inverter in the storage compartment. Visually there was no evidence of leaks and the cabinets were clean and strong. However, during the cleanup we found dry rot in the front corners of the cab over bed and adjoining wall. The new carpet raised a red flag so there is probably a surprise underneath and some ceiling lights don?t work.

The Ugly:

With the first rain came the discovery that the roof is concave causing water to pool around the air conditioner. The roof itself seems well sealed but the pool gets so deep that it can get into the ac tray.

In the short term we have the vehicle at a slight incline which allows the rain water to run off the roof. Another temporary solution to this problem would be to park it under a covered area (if I had one!).

My question for the group is what is involved in repairing the roof, where can I get some information about doing the work, and where can I buy the materials? Finally, is this a practical project for a handyman or should I plan to get rid of it? We are really enjoying our Toy so I hope your responses are positive!

Thanks for any help and comments,

GLG

[Shoprat]

Howdy Glg ! Welcome, Sir.

I would check out the thread called, " Put the sawzall down " a few lines down. This will probably give you some idea of what is involved. I would rap all over the roof with the butt end of a screwdriver and listen to the sound. A good solid rap is what you want to hear. A soggy sounding thud is NOT what you want to hear. As I said , check out the thread below and this will give you some idea

[GLG]

Howdy Glg ! Welcome, Sir.

I would check out the thread called, " Put the sawzall down " a few lines down. This will probably give you some idea of what is involved. I would rap all over the roof with the butt end of a screwdriver and listen to the sound. A good solid rap is what you want to hear. A soggy sounding thud is NOT what you want to hear. As I said , check out the thread below and this will give you some idea

I checked it out and you are so right it is a great thread. I will also tap the roof to see what I'm up against (whether or not I may be able to jack it up as Bill did). The Bajadulce project w/photos is an inspiration but way beyond my experience level and besides it is a fiberglass rig, my Blue Marlin is metal on wood.

Thanks!

GLG

[WME]

Use some 2x2 inside, make a cross piece aboput 2 ft or so. Place the cross piece side ways inside on the cealing, use a jack and a shorter peice of 2x2 to jack up the roof about 1-1.5 in. Cut another 2x2 the right length to suport the roof with out the jack. May need to do this to each end of the A/C.

See if you can place the supports in somewhere they arn't in the way.

I do this to mine (about .5") each winter to support the snow load under the tarp.

This is only a temp thing for you.

Or maybe a syphion hose taped to the roof low spot and drain it as it it rains.

[GLG]

Use some 2x2 inside, make a cross piece aboput 2 ft or so. Place the cross piece side ways inside on the cealing, use a jack and a shorter peice of 2x2 to jack up the roof about 1-1.5 in. Cut another 2x2 the right length to suport the roof with out the jack. May need to do this to each end of the A/C.

See if you can place the supports in somewhere they arn't in the way.

I do this to mine (about .5") each winter to support the snow load under the tarp.

This is only a temp thing for you.

Or maybe a syphion hose taped to the roof low spot and drain it as it it rains.

Hi WME!

I will give the roof jacking a try (after Hurricane Season!). For the time being the front wheels are up about two inches and so far the rain water drains just fine. This slight incline doesn't bother us inside.

Thanks for the comments!