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'87 Sunrader Front Cab Build


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You all gave me incentive to tackle this. Instead of tacking onto everyone else's build I'll show my progress here. This build initially will just focus on the front cab over bed, from complete tear down, thru to insulate and new panel installation.

Phase 1 Replace/seal all running lights with LED lights. Done. Also seal existing front and side windows where the window rubber meets the fibreglass. For this I used a black silicone sealer (GE silicone window door attic basement 3hr rain ready, good stuff) I left the side windows to seal at a later date. I used a razor blade and screw driver to get all the old silicone off and cleaned with acetone.

Phase 2 tear down. I completed this today, after pulling my final wall panel to my surprise my drivers side window popped out and fell to the ground! (lucky it hit grass and glass did not break). It was only held in by 4 drops of adhesive at each corner! Next priority get the window back in. Got the window in tonight. Check out the pics I used a bungee cord inside to hold the window in place, and clamps at the open window. For the window adhesive I used liquid nails Tub Surround, it's meant to bond glass and metal just fine.

Next post I'll tackle removing the pesky glued on foam insulation against the fiberglass, it will make a mess for sure. Also yup ceiling is caving/bowing in just like everyone else's ceiling, so I'll add laminating and glass work to this project too. I'm pretty handy at fiberglass work having run a kayak business for years.

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I'm researching some FRP panels, a company called marlite.com. A local company called GTS can order it for me, and gave me free samples. Attached is a pic of some of the samples that might work. The long strip of wood is my current panelling, and the squares are the FRP samples. Will it cost an arm and a leg? Probably but it's not costing me a dime to find out. My backup is do same as chinooking. And put up $29 dollar maple ply.

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Your drivers side window should have been screwed in place from the interior frame not glued. Is the interior frame missing?

Linda S

Been thinking about it. You need to check your other windows. Hate to have one fall out on the road. Screws are clearly visible from the inside.

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I removed the interior metal window frame with screws to demo the wall panels. The windows should also be glued onto the fiberglass, no screws on mine into the fiberglass. One window was very well glued in, the other- which fell out only had 2 blobs of glue on entire window! Cutting corners at the factory to get done quicker I'm guessing. It's got new glue on it tonight, running the furnace overnight to help it cure.

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I removed the interior metal window frame with screws to demo the wall panels. The windows should also be glued onto the fiberglass, no screws on mine into the fiberglass. One window was very well glued in, the other- which fell out only had 2 blobs of glue on entire window! Cutting corners at the factory to get done quicker I'm guessing. It's got new glue on it tonight, running the furnace overnight to help it cure.

No the window is supposed to be held in by the frame and sealed with butyl or putty tape between the window and the outside wall of the camper. Not glued to the fiberglass. Ancient butyl or putty tape that has been drying for years might feel like glue but isn't. I have resealed windows on 2 Sunraders and a Tiger Provan and haven't found glue yet. No screws into fiberglass either. Just the frame to the window

Linda S

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I'm always a little jealous when I see Sunraders...

I like the actual useable cabover. In the Chinook, it could work for kids to sleep in, but it's pretty much only good for storage. Very needed storage space though!

Looking good. You're doing your windows the right way, which is good. I just added caulk around all my windows, rather than take them out and really reseal them. Maybe someday...

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There is a local chinook mid 80's in my area, completely rebuilt, 4" lift and 4x4 that looks great, good to see its a family and they use the heck out of it. Got me looking for one, but I found my Sunrader first. I like the Sunraders with side couch and all rear kitchen area, much roomier. Not what I have but someday maybe ill do a full remodel.

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You all gave me incentive to tackle this. Instead of tacking onto everyone else's build I'll show my progress here. This build initially will just focus on the front cab over bed, from complete tear down, thru to insulate and new panel installation.

Phase 1 Replace/seal all running lights with LED lights. Done. Also seal existing front and side windows where the window rubber meets the fibreglass. For this I used a black silicone sealer (GE silicone window door attic basement 3hr rain ready, good stuff) I left the side windows to seal at a later date. I used a razor blade and screw driver to get all the old silicone off and cleaned with acetone.

Phase 2 tear down. I completed this today, after pulling my final wall panel to my surprise my drivers side window popped out and fell to the ground! (lucky it hit grass and glass did not break). It was only held in by 4 drops of adhesive at each corner! Next priority get the window back in. Got the window in tonight. Check out the pics I used a bungee cord inside to hold the window in place, and clamps at the open window. For the window adhesive I used liquid nails Tub Surround, it's meant to bond glass and metal just fine.

Next post I'll tackle removing the pesky glued on foam insulation against the fiberglass, it will make a mess for sure. Also yup ceiling is caving/bowing in just like everyone else's ceiling, so I'll add laminating and glass work to this project too. I'm pretty handy at fiberglass work having run a kayak business for years.

Quick suggestion for you. While you have those walls open run a band of fiberglass tape and resin under the overcab window area. On my rig some of the screws that hold the trim channel with the vinyl insert on the outside of the rig were protruding through the skin of the fiberglass all the way to the inside. That was causing actual small leaks with water coming into the overcab area. Very easy to add extra layer of thickness and reinforcement to prevent a possible problem at this stage before you insulate and put in interior wall finishes. I found almost a dozen instances of the screws coming through all along that metal banding throughout the interior of my 1980 Sunrader. The screws they used were hand trimmed to length and I guess the installer "screwed up" when he trimmed the screws, made them a little too long so they broke through the skin. Looking at the photo of the interior of your overcab I can see that you also have the same situation. Even if those screws have not broken through they are creating lumps in the fiberglass where they are applying stress on the interior surface. They will be prone to breaking on through and punching out a disc of fiberglass or making a small crack that goes all the way through. I had started out thinking my windows were leaking but they were not, it was where those screws had penetrated that was sole cause of my overcab leaks.
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Great idea. I was wondering about those screws! I have several that were driven in extra long and appear to help secure the inside wood framing. I'm going to do what you suggest, cut the screws, and cloth and glass over. I'll epoxy the new wood framing in. Thanks for pointing this out.

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Great idea. I was wondering about those screws! I have several that were driven in extra long and appear to help secure the inside wood framing. I'm going to do what you suggest, cut the screws, and cloth and glass over. I'll epoxy the new wood framing in. Thanks for pointing this out.

It is a tough rig to do an interior on as there a few places where the strips will come out the right depth when glued to the walls. The original designer attached most of the support structure to the wall paneling to avoid having to custom thickness plane everything. The wall panels essentially floated, clamped in place by the window frames and screwed to strips down by the floor. Since the shell is free standing on its own there really was no need to epoxy the strips to the walls.

However as I want to build a more substantial seating structure in the rear and also build in longer counter space I am adding in epoxied strips along those thickened joint seam lines of the shell havles and wider strips under the windows too. Also I added an epoxied strip at the top of the wall just below the curve of the first roof line section to help support the lower edge of the upper cabinets and the wall paneling.

One other area I stiffened was the section below my rear dinette window. I epoxied some Okume marine plywood plates in that area so if I ever want to through bolt in any type of rear box or rear carrier structure I can do it and feel good knowing it will be well supported and secured into something besides a thin layer of fiberglass.

I live in Seattle in the industrial waterway area of town that is full of boat yards, shipwrights and boat building supplies :)

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I noticed before I ripped out the panels they were as you said almost floating! Only secured under the windows at 2 spots, and the ends had a million staples in them. Main issue right now is to make a ceiling laminated beam to prevent the bowing and water pooling on the roof. Will make a cardboard cutout, then make a jig and epoxy glue some ply together. Then maybe layup a final piece of carbon fibre ( I have some left over from another project) over the top of it for looks. Or forget about the jig and try and epoxy it up all at once with supports from underneath.

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The GTS SUPPLIER called me back, the wood grain FRP panels are $120 to $170 a sheet! way to spendy for my pocket book. Anyone know if you can paint the standard FRP, maybe with a good epoxy paint!?

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I noticed before I ripped out the panels they were as you said almost floating! Only secured under the windows at 2 spots, and the ends had a million staples in them. Main issue right now is to make a ceiling laminated beam to prevent the bowing and water pooling on the roof. Will make a cardboard cutout, then make a jig and epoxy glue some ply together. Then maybe layup a final piece of carbon fibre ( I have some left over from another project) over the top of it for looks. Or forget about the jig and try and epoxy it up all at once with supports from underneath.

I would approach the bracing the way we did when putting a beam in the house where there used to be a load bearing wall. Install temporary bracing under the ceiling adjacent to where you will be puttin in your beam. That will hold up the roof in the proper position and curvature while you put the permanent structure in. Then just take apart the temporary bracing after your beam is done. You might have a few screw holes in the plywood roof panel to putty in but that is a minor issue to deal with.

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The GTS SUPPLIER called me back, the wood grain FRP panels are $120 to $170 a sheet! way to spendy for my pocket book. Anyone know if you can paint the standard FRP, maybe with a good epoxy paint!?

Just use a nice plywood. You fixed the leaks right? So if you like wood grain then get the real thing. Put a couple of thin coats of epoxy on the back side and a sealer coat on the front side topped with few coats of marine varnish or paint and it will be plenty water resistant. Also seal the edges where water might get at them such as around window openings or down by the base of the overcab. Wood is so much easier to work with and it is a renewable resource too.
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Made some progress today. Sealed all my inner front windows with black silacone, and added nashua tape (one sided butyl tape) around the side windows. Also put up the temporary ceiling framing.

Also fibreglassed a layer under the windows where all the screws (some protruding all the way through- cut these back with a grinder) are. See the pics, this is a known leak issue, thanks to a forum member for pointing this out. My cab should be fully water tight now. Fibreglass tip: cut all your strips, and lay them out and wet it up before you attach to the wall.Then dab with a brush, and use a heater with thermostat to control the curing temperature.

Next step is I need to transfer both beam curves to cardboard, and make a jig and laminate 2 beams. Think I might use tracing paper, then transfer that to cardboard, any ideas?

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Made some progress today. Sealed all my inner front windows with black silacone, and added nashua tape (one sided butyl tape) around the side windows. Also put up the temporary ceiling framing.

Also fibreglassed a layer under the windows where all the screws (some protruding all the way through- cut these back with a grinder) are. See the pics, this is a known leak issue, thanks to a forum member for pointing this out. My cab should be fully water tight now. Fibreglass tip: cut all your strips, and lay them out and wet it up before you attach to the wall.Then dab with a brush, and use a heater with thermostat to control the curing temperature.

Next step is I need to transfer both beam curves to cardboard, and make a jig and laminate 2 beams. Think I might use tracing paper, then transfer that to cardboard, any ideas?

You can generate the curve pattern using another method referred to as "lofting". Stretch a taunt string across the distance side to side inside the rig at what will be the the lower, outside edge of the beam. Measure the distance along that string from end to end. That will be the finished width of the beam. (You can't take the string down and measure it as it will be stretched while under tension so you have to measure while the string is in place.) Make some sharpie marks on the string at halfway, quarter, halfway between the quarter marks etc. You need to measure the distance between the marks on the string as well. At those marks measure the distance from the string up to the ceiling being sure to stay at 90 degrees from the string. Do a quick sketch of all these measurements as you make them. Now on a piece of plywood on the floor lay out the sketched dimensions full size using a square along the lower edge to measure up to the points on what will become the upper edge. To get the upper curve you put in some tall strong nails at those measured points on what will be the upper edge. Using a long, thin,flexible piece of wood or metal ( in boat building and in drafting that flexible strip is referred to as a "spline"). Clamp it to the nails and trace along the curve it makes. Or put in a second nail just below the first to create a little channel for the spline to drop into. Your form will be built along the line traced from the spline curve. Can you tell I have been hanging around boat builders and doing drafting and wood working layouts for way too many years?

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Thanks Corbin k I'll use that lofting method. I'm still trying to decide on using the reflectix bubble insulation or the rigid polystriene with reflective face? or some of both. Picked up a cheap 1/4" plywood sheet and a stronger more expensive sheet of 1/4" maple. I'll rip them down to 2 inches and use as interlaced laminated beam pieces. Need to buy some microfibres to mix into the epoxy and also build my jig. But first, a buddy is coming over to help install some new airbags I purchased for the campers rear suspension! I got new front shocks awhile ago and it literally felt like driving a new rig!

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What I like about the double sided foil I got is that it keeps radiant heat out, but also keeps my own interior radiant heat in, in cooler temps. Assuming it's installed correctly and functioning correctly. But in all honesty, I think just jamming whatever insulation you can manage into the walls will be a huge improvement to how any of them came stock.

Dolphinite gave me that advice when I first got started and though I didn't do it everywhere, I did do it some places, and I think its great advice. Just jam as much insulation as will fit into the walls and call it good. We aren't working with much space, so air gaps and all that aren't really practical.

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Finished my ceiling beam jig, I used the lofting technique that Corbin k suggested to transfer the ceiling curve to my jig. I also ripped my 1.5" beams from maple and a cheaper ply. Here are a few pics. I'll need to borrow some more clamps, then I'm ready to laminate!

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A good buddy of mine is a hobby carpenter, and owns hundreds of clamps, planers, hand saws, all old tools but excellent to work with (they were just made so dam well). We have an agreement I borrow his tools and he gets beer!

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  • 2 weeks later...

It stopped raining here in the pacific northwest! I installed both ceiling beams, used a wood micro fiber filler mixed into the resin and hardner to give it a stronger bond, and also glassed in the corners. Next I'll cover the beams with either carbon fiber or automotive trim, and insulate!! I found 2 more very small drips below my front window, and added another layer of cloth and resin, so now the front cab is fully waterproof!!

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It stopped raining here in the pacific northwest! I installed both ceiling beams, used a wood micro fiber filler mixed into the resin and hardner to give it a stronger bond, and also glassed in the corners. Next I'll cover the beams with either carbon fiber or automotive trim, and insulate!! I found 2 more very small drips below my front window, and added another layer of cloth and resin, so now the front cab is fully waterproof!!

It has for sure been a wet February in this region.

The project is looking great.

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I made my beams 1.25" thick! I'm 5'6" and yes they protrude way further than the original. Any ideas on where to source some grey automotive ceiling fabric to cover over the beams? Or I may just carbon fibre over them. Also not sure how to finish the front window wall - use vinyl same as original, or some paneling. for the sides and ceiling I plan to use maple. I got side tracked this weekend, and decided once and for all to fix my battery/electrical issues. I ripped out both batteries and all cables and threw away the solenoid - it did not allow me to charge both batteries. I found several shorts, and cleaned and re-ground everything. I purchased a Blue Sea 12v battery combiner ML-ACR model 7622 on ebay on sale, and it comes with a dash remote switch you can set either on auto, on=combine both batteries, and off=isolate both batteries. Here are a few pics and also the link

http://www.bluesea.com/products/category/Automatic_Charging_Relays/ML-ACRs

It uses magnets, to switch over and does not suck any power, or very little power when not being used. I think it will come in real handy, and when I have a sluggish starting battery I can combine and get the Rader to fire up without a need for a jump start! I can also charge both batteries at home by plugging in via my 110 converter. This took a few days to install, including running wiring to the switch. I also had to re-fibreglass the bottom of my battery box - it was literally falling apart, and one battery was hanging out the bottom, being held together only by the battery connections! Also in the pics I started to insulate the front cab, feel like I'm getting there slowly. I gotta have the front cab at least insulated by a few weeks as my wife and son have requested a ski/snowboard and kayak trip to Bellingham WA, for 4 days.

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http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Heads-Up-Optionz-dark-grey-suede-headliner-replacement-kit/_/N-26nu?itemIdentifier=236145_0_0_

here is one site

I just googled headliner kit

I made my beams 1.5" thick! I'm 5'6" and yes they protrude way further than the original. Any ideas on where to source some grey automotive ceiling fabric to cover over the beams?

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I ordered some via ebay, got a good deal $39 bucks including shipping and enough to cover entire ceiling if I want to go that route. I chatted with a local RV/Boat upholstery shop and they wanted a small fortune? I'd like to support my local small business but 3 times the online price is just too much of a difference.

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thanks for the links, I ordered some. I may just put headliner up over entire ceiling, will wait and see if I like it. Plan B is just wrap the ceiling beams in it (a lot softer if you bump your head on the beam!) and use maple panels between the beams.

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Great work on the beams. I hope you saved that jig, I'd like to borrow it when I get around to making my beams. I wonder if it's the same curvature as the rear part of the camper? That's where I really need to add some support, but the cab-over needs it, too.

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I still got the jig. Ceiling seems to have leveled out a bit, lost some of its curve, after driving it around, if I did it again I'd use metal U channel, and give it a bend before installing.

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