waiter Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 When I bought this Dolphin, I knew the Top of the cabover was going to need some work. The thin plywood they used had delaminated, ans there was a section across the top that was rotted away. I carefully pulled the delaminated and rotted wood away. ( The two wires hanging from the top are for two reading lamps) A couple Observations; a) I was surprised that the windows were not framed, but simply cut out an opening. The original plywood was glued to the Styrofoam, This does add some structural integrity. Make sure to glue the new stuff to the Styrofoam as well. THE REPAIR I purchased a 4x4 ft piece of 1/4 inch plywood. This is thicker than the original wood. 1) replaced the top support with a new 1x2, I used a polyurethane adhesive to glue the new piece in along the top. NOTE - Test the glue in the corner of the Styrofoam to make sure its not going to dissolve/damage the Styrofoam. 2) made a template out of cardboard to cut the plywood. I took the inner window frame off. Cut and trimmed the template until it fit the framing, and the window frame fit ok. 3) Cut and fit the plywood, I glued across the framing, and also smeared glue on the Styrofoam. Then nailed it to the frame. 4) Used Painters Caulk to fill in some of the gaps and nails. Painted (the two holes are for two lights that need to be mounted. 5) The 1/4 plywood sticks out past the original. A trip to the local lumber store and I got a piece of trim to place over this step, (Its the vertical trim piece in the last photo that runs from the floor to the bottom of the cabinet.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Looks like I will be doing the identical project this Spring. Was you able to keep the outside fiberglass in place the entire time you replaced the inside wood? Thanks, Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 No problem. The foam wasn't damaged and the outside I believe is laminated to the foam. The rot was mainly the top wood frame member. The plywood plywood de-laminates just looking at it. John Mc 88Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 In case you missed this link I posted elsewhere, he's a look 'inside' a Dolphin (rotten) wall:- http://toyota-dolphin.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idaho Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I'll be doing this within a couple years. Does anyone know where to find pics of someone replacing the plywood and framing on the sides? I know i've seen them somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Idaho- I did the overhead bunk repair a couple of years ago. You can find pictures of what I did on the Toyota Campers site on Yahoo in the photos section under "85 Dolphin Rebuild." By the way, if you have rot now, don't wait a couple of years to do the job. It'll be much worse in a couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Derek's link has some of this. Mine was no where near this bad. I also have some minor damage in a couple cabinets, the plywood has delaminated, but the structure is OK. I just squirted some adhesive in these as a stop gap. Maybe I'll fix it, maybe not. While looking around on the web, I found several trailers and other MHs that people were restoring. Gives a good insight as to what you could be getting into on some real bad ones. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yortllebk2 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 another great, informative, post. Gives me a new project to work on. My wall is okay now, but could definitely use replacement before summer is over. Thanks again for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idaho Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Idaho- I did the overhead bunk repair a couple of years ago. You can find pictures of what I did on the Toyota Campers site on Yahoo in the photos section under "85 Dolphin Rebuild." By the way, if you have rot now, don't wait a couple of years to do the job. It'll be much worse in a couple of years. Thanks Dolphinite, those are the pics I was referring too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Is there any reason why I cannot skip the framing and just use one piece of 1/2 (or 3/4) inch plywood in place of the framing? This will be for the cabover window area on the drivers side. Thanks, Dennis B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rongconcrx Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Is there any tricks to removing the rotted woods and foam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 Just start removing, If your getting into good stuff, use a razor knife to cut a line so the good stuff stays. . a Razor knife cuts through this stuff like butter. Get a couple big garbage bags and keep up with the mess. A couple long screwdrivers to dig out bad wood, also, a pair of good wire cutters to cut staples and nails with. The only problem with thicker plywood is the windows. They may not be able to accommodate the thicker wall. I used 1x2 wood for the replacement frame members, and Liquid Nails to glue it into place. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 When I replaced the passenger side wall in the cab-over area, I simply used one solid piece of 3/4" AC plywood with a layer if 1/8" door skin glued over it. The thing with the walls in my '85 Dolphin is that 3/4" thick framing is used throughout the whole structure, then 1/8" panelling is glued and stapled over that which makes for a total wall thickness of 7/8". If you go with only the 3/4" ply, the wall will be 1/8" thinner than the surrounding walls. It works out okay if you don't have to butt up to an existing section of wall that runs in the same direction as your new piece. If you're butting up to a wall or panel that runs 90 degrees to the new stuff, you're okay. Make any sense? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Sounds simple and strong. The only 2 downsides I see are extra weight and a lower R value of plywood vs proper insulation. I'd though of using a sheet of plywood (as you did) but then but then cutting out 'pockets where possible to lose some weight and provide space for Styrofoam insulation. Then 1/8 luan to give the inside surface. Might not be any better than stick-building though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 That's an interesting idea you have there of cutting out spaces in the 3/4" plywood for less weight and a place for insulation. If I'd thought of it when I was doing the rebuild, I would have done it myself. I think the whole structure would have been much stronger than the original, cheesy 1" x 2" construction that was stapled together. It seems like the whole thing is built of little, short pieces of wood all holding hands. I thought a bit about the lack of insulation when I was installing the 3/4" plywood and figured the amount of loss was insignificant when figured alongside the rest of the coach's light weight insulation. Once I started to tear into the walls and see what National RV thinks is insulation, I just didn't worry about it anymore. Besides, I have the rear dinette layout and that's where I sleep. The cabover area is for storage of musical instruments and bedding, all light weight stuff. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I'm no carpenter/cabinet maker, so rather than trying to make tight fitting, strong joints, I thought it would be stronger to do it the way I described. Kind of wasteful on plywood, but there are always little project that could use the offcuts. As for the quality of construction, I think that if someone tried to sell me a piece of furniture that used similar construction methods, I'd politely decline and go buy at IKEA. A pretty nasty combination of light, cheap and cheerful. But can you imagine how much they'd weigh if they were built properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 OH, I see what your saying. Yes. Do a test to make sure thickness is OK. Remove any foam and just use 3/4 plywood?? Yes, Structurally much stronger. Heavy, not a big deal, might add a few lbs to a couple hundred if you did the entire MH. Thermal Insulation, Not as good, but the big problem thermally is air leaks, so this isn't a big deal. I bet the solid plywood would do a better job of sealing up the MH then the stick and foam. Use glue to bond the outer fiberglass to the plywood, also bond the interior veneer to the plywood. (use one of those trouls for the glue that they use for spreading glue on floors How about the problem of running any wire?? Maybe cut a groove in the plywood with a cheep router and staple the wires in the groove before putting on the veneer,. I like it. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Maybe my earlier description was clear enough, but I was just 'playing' with one of John's pictures and thought I'd post it. The checkered lines represent the 3/4" or 1" plywood, the 'field' would be filled with insulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Job well done John. Looks clean. I figured you guys had aluminum siding not fiberglass panels and hence the need for "sticks". Wonder if eliminating the framing altogether and sandwiching some rigid insulation between the exterior fiberglass panel and your interior panel would be adequate. This would make for a nice composite construction and would be both strong and light. You won't be able to bond the panels like a commercial product (nidacore etc), but a good adhesive would probably provide a decent bond. Holey plywood? I've seen a few boats with interiors made of cabinets that had huge holes cut into them to reduce weight. Sounds like a good idea too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 "Nothing's lighter than nothing!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 We do this all the time with model planes to keep the weight down. You need more wood in the frame, also use large radius in the corners. You can also use a hole saw and just make a series of 4" and 6" holes. WME 'Derek up North' timestamp='1327179754' post='25717'] Maybe my earlier description was clear enough, but I was just 'playing' with one of John's pictures and thought I'd post it. The checkered lines represent the 3/4" or 1" plywood, the 'field' would be filled with insulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JourneyFoot Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Hi guys, I just bought an '87 dolphin knowing it would require some work on the overcab because there were signs of water up there. I have no idea what I am doing and am just going off of these forum posts (as many as I can read), which are all so very helpful, so thank you! So far, I've removed the bottom bed platform so I'm down to fiberglass, the interior front wall (no water damage there) and part of the interior side panel on the driver side. I'll have to do the passenger side too, but I'll just stick to one thing at a time. I have not removed any framing yet, even though I will need to as the corners are wet. I can see the water is coming in from the side window on driver side. It appears to be leaking around the bottom corners of the window and then pooling downward into the front corner of the overcab. There is no wet wood directly under the window in the middle. It's just at the corners and fanning outward and upward to about halfway up the window. There is no wet wood above that. Question 1: How do I make sure water does not come in this way again? I have been removing the side wall from the interior and I have found the order of materials goes like this from inside out: decorative laminate plywood sheet styrofoam plywood sheet aluminum siding The outside layer of wood is actually glued to the aluminum siding, making it very very difficult to remove, even though it's wet. I have seen most people say the siding is glued to the styrofoam, but mine is glued to an extra sheet of plywood. Question 2: Has anyone had to deal with this? If so, how did you remove the wood from the siding? Since it's wet, won't I need to really make sure it is all gone before I start rebuilding? And should I rebuild the same way, or skip the outer layer of wood? Any insight would be great! Lastly, since the bottom base board on the driver side and the corner piece is all wet and rotted, I'm wondering if I am going to need to open up the seam on the outside of the RV to fix this. Question 3: How do I know if I need to fix the outside seam/molding? It looks like someone pasted some stuff all over the exterior edges of the overcab (looks crappy, but maybe it's not?) and also along the exterior edges of the front window. Since that window isn't leaking, maybe the "crappy paste job" worked and I should do it on the side windows. Thank you so much for your help! I'm flying by the seat of my pants here! Jayme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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