DirtyPatches

So siked on the new porch light cover!

Such amazing timing I found this topic! Mine shattered it was so sun rotted when I took it off. Just got one on ebay for $12 with shipping, worth it for brand new! Thanks for sharing

Very saggy, the whole thing sits pretty low wouldn't mind getting the front up some too. Yea it has air bags in the rear, not sure if they work just got it in February. Might try them out see if that helps but don't want to rely on them wit it sitting so low when empty. Here's some pics of what I got..

Newbie chiming in. Anyone have recommendations to get my dolphin sitting higher? I was thinking of adding springs on both sides, any input? Finishing repairs from the previous owner dragging the end of it and don't want to do that again.

Put new MT permanent plates on the beast!

Really nice set up and what a deal! How difficult was it to install? Really want to put one in my Dolphin.

It would be a custom fab job. Kind of just a pipe dream, need to see how much structure I can find before any big decisions. Leaning more toward saving the stock one and see what I need from there. No awning on mine but that's a good point if I wanted to get one. Best of luck to you!

Haha so true, and he didn't even know about the quick grips yet!

One day at a time. Got rid of the rest of styrofoam insulation, figure blue board will add some better insulation and might as well while I’m in there. Noticed quite a few screws from the underside of the cabover missed the stud, some good quality control at the factory she came from… Replaced all the rusted out screws and sunk them into the studs!! Who would ah thought! brought the metal up and a noticeable difference. The weather strip tucked right back in and used metal roofing screws that have rubber washers so no more leaking worries there. Chipping away at the mess all along the rear bottom trim of the coach. I need about 12 of these quick clamps so since I only have 2 I’m doing about a foot at a time. Noticed the sides were coming apart but luckily in much better shape then the rear. A big handful of those trusty roofing screws and its good as new. Will silicone the seam for good measure.

That's awesome! Do you have a picture?

Thinking might try to salvage mine and use it for solar set up. Anyone put solar on their roof rack?

Thanks for the advice! Yea my dolphin has the common cabover leak, already through the demo phase on that. I got very lucky and water damage was minimal, just waiting on tax money to get new insulation and wood. That’s what it seems like on the back. The flashing ripped loose and water soaked up from the bottom creating this lovely problem. I think I might run a 2x4 along the base inside and shoot some long screws from below hopefully bring it back up and tuck the flashing back in. Then just gob the hell out of it. Gonna get some liquid nails in the mix and try and get a nice bond going. Love the wire wheel idea, putting it on the list! Getting done what I can until the good old tax refund comes then the fun begins. You did an amazing job on that dolphin by the way, wow! You have done all and more of what I'm working toward so glad to have ya around buddy. Here's what I have so far, more questions and pics to come... Better pics and narratives of my tumblr. Making a mess and replacing teal duct tape repairs with a beer can hose clamp splint.

So I got my dolphin a month ago and slowly working on repairs needed to get it in liveable shape. I would love any help/ input on things many of you might have dealt with already. First up...

My roof rack is in pretty bad shape. Several old layers of sealant just gobbed on every mount and feels pretty flimsy. I think it has been a bit over used and feeling like better safe than sorry at this point... Its probably coming off when I do the roof. Thinking some custom cross bars that mount on the side for the rocketbox and save just the ladder. I need to do that ladder mod you did badly! How do you do that? Attach the diamond plate to studs then tag the ladder onto that with some heavy screws? Can it be done without any welding equipment? It seems like (with my dolphin and others I'm seeing) that the ladder is just tagged into the sheet metal and that's why its falling off for me. I tried just ramming some longer/ stronger screws into the old mounting point and doesn't grab anything.

Noted and delted random question. Sorry to derail thread.

I have heard to avoid older RVs with roof racks because of how prone to leaking they are. I am lucky my Dolphin's roof rack doesnt leak because it was never used, but the material is so weak my original thought to put a Yakima Rocketbox up there seems like it would rip it off. The former owner was of a much larger build and the ladder is hanging by a thread. I thought of trying to salvage the ladder but after hearing this I would rather have peace of mind than a roof rack that doesnt even work. Does anyone know of the Toy mo-ho roof rack being of good use? Would a rocket box be too much? Otherwise mine is gone once its time to re-seal the roof.

Thanks for the help JD and John! My thought was using cardboard but wanted to be sure there wasn't a better way before I dive in. JD thats really smart to do the sides first so the front will mask inperfections! Thats the kind of thing I would realize AFTER and kick myself every time I look at the cabover. Would a 16 gauge finish nailer hold that stuff up ok or do you recommend screws? Did you remove the windows and just trace from the outside? Yours came out awesome jd, perfect example of what I'm trying to do! Planning to sand and paint though. You guys rock, thanks again, lots more questions to come...

That came out really well! I'm in the process of the exact same project in my Dolphins cabover. A few questions: What is the best way to go about making the curved cuts for the sides of the cabover? How is it holding up?