LittleShack

This was a great help! I really appreciate ALL of the advice from all of you! Ctgriffi..I have a question for you about the side metal brackets that join the bed base to the wall. My bed assembly looks pretty much the same as yours. I have removed all of the wet, rotten and mushy wood, along with the styrofoam insulation, right down to the back of the exterior siding. The driver's side end of the wood piece that is under the metal bracket that extends from one side of the bed to the other (driver to passenger sides) is gone, but the rest of it seems pretty solid still. I haven't removed any of the metal brackets as I don't want to get the RV to a point where it can't be moved. So, my question is, if I take off the side bracket over the driver's side to get the wet and rotting piece of wood under the wall out will this make the RV undriveable? I'm not sure how dependant the wall and bed base is on this corner bracket. I may have to move the RV to my home which is in a different town this summer to complete this rebuild. I am currently staying with my mom while my youngest son attends school here, but the majority of the tools are back at home. I want to get the RV as dried out as I can and make sure I have the leak fixed, but am not sure if removing the wood piece and bracket will make it unsafe to drive. Any insider wisdom would be appreciated! Thanks!

Thanks for the link. I've read through it and it has been very helpful.

This is great! Thanks! I can see now how things look underneath it all and it gives me a much better idea of what I'll need to deal with as I go about this project. I have already begun removing the wet wood at the front. It seems to be, at this point anyways, fairly contained to the area in front of the metal joint that goes from one side to the other. I am hoping for the best, but want to be prepared for the worst. Your input and advice is much appreciated.

This literally made me feel sick! How awful!! But thanks for sharing. I can see where there is some metal framing on the edges.

Thanks to you both!

As we have discovered that paying professionals to repair the cab over bed base on our RV is out of the budget, I'm now intently researching all I will need to know to do the work myself, with my hubby's help. I haven't been able to find anything about the inner framework on a Winnebago built model. The guy at the RV repair shop mentioned that Winnies have aluminium frames, which makes them easier to repair due to the frame itself not rotting. But, I haven't found anything that mentions that online. Does anyone know or know where I can find this info? Thanks!

Got the RV in to the repair shop and have received the estimate. For the replacement of the cab-over bed base, possible wall damage, plus all the hours they believe it will take just removing old sealant to replace it with new, they have given me an estimate of $4,186.89 cdn. Then, for them to reseal the whole rig, not including the part they will have resealed from the repairs, another 2200. This includes removing old sealant. So, needless to say, we will NOT be going this route. The hourly rate is $110/hr. The parts come to less than $1000. Anyhow, my darling husband will help me through this part of the RV reno this summer. Actually looking forward to it! On the plus side, the tech at the repair shop was super impressed with the condition she is in, despite the rotten area. I am now beginning the process of gathering all the info I can on this and appreciate all of your input!

Thanks Derek!! The photos in this are my rig to a T!!

That's awesome!! Got one for a 1992 Itasca Spirit?!!

I thought I'd start a thread on dealing with the bit of rot I discovered in the process of painting the interior of the RV. I had begun the painting process in the kitchen area and was working my way forward. I was due to head to my daughter's with the RV to stay and help her out for a few days after the birth of her 3rd and would be sleeping in the RV while parked in their yard. We have been having an extra wet winter here on Vancouver Island (and that's saying ALOT!). I had been investigating drip from the over cab vent and had been catching the drips with a basin. It was a slow drip and hard to pinpoint, but it didn't seem to be from the frame of the vent. Finally realized it was actually coming through where the rivets attach the plastic dome to the wind up mechanism. It dripped worse when the weather was windy as well as rainy. I checked under the mattress to see if it had gotten wet and found it to be quite damp. So, was removing it to take inside and dry out. After getting that awkward beast off the bunk, I noticed on the driver side of the bed platform that the wallboard wood look a bit warpy. On further investigation, it was downright rotten!! It is a fairly contained area, which I'm hoping is a good thing. The pictures below show the area with the damage/rot. The screws in the metal support right there are not holding anything. I have since taken it to a local RV repair place that was recommended to me by a friend. They were really helpful in showing me what had probably happened. The sealant was obviously pulled away from the trim and over time, it has gotten wet and rotted. They plan to peel back the fibreglass siding to get at it and replace the rotted area. The repair guy said as it was a Winnebago, it would have aluminium structure supports, making it easier to repair. They pointed out a few other areas where they could see that water would/could be getting in and said they could reseal the whole thing for me. They showed me around their shop where there were at least 6 other RVs being worked on. One was a 30 foot Class C Frontier with all the siding and windows stripped off. The owner was having the wiring redone, insulated and any areas of rot replaced. A huge job! It was a 1985! It made me feel slightly better about having to pay to have mine repaired. If it was cost efficient for the owner of this oldie to have all that work done, they couldn't be too outrageously expensive. I have mine booked in for Feb. 23rd. They will give me quotes on all the work prior to doing anything. They will call me as they work on it, getting my ok to proceed with what needs to e done. In the meantime, I have sealed some of the seams myself as we continue to have wet, wet weather. I have successfully stopped a leak that was coming in on the passenger side of the over cab with Pro Flex RV and was the reason the underside of the mattress was wet. I have had an electric heater drying out the rotted area and the new leak. I now have it at the back in the bathroom in the shower drying any wet that may be there where I found the seam needed to be sealed. I will update here as to the work that is done on it, costs and any further dilemmas. I did have to take it in to the Toyota dealer to have the hood latch fixed last week. My son in law was all set to do some work on the engine for me and wasn't able to get it open! It cost me $110cdn. for them to get it open and then clean up the latch mechanism and reattach the release cable. Yikes!

Sooo... I called and asked and it is NOT something they do as part of the HG replacement.

I will call and ask about this as it should probably be done on mine now too. I'll let you know.

My 92 is in the shop for the head gasket now. It's been there for a few days now. It was mentioned by a fellow Toy RV owner to have them do the Knock Sensor while they are in the engine. Is this something I should consider?

My 1992 headed into the Toyota service department today ready to be worked on tomorrow. I will see what I can find out when I pick it up.

When it stops raining sideways here, I'll go take a photo of the rack. The spare is right above it and it is attached with an EazeLift.

I got the required papers from my Toyota dealer friend, and am good to go. Now, I just have to wait til the snow that fell here in the last couple days melts and I can get my RV to the dealership! If it's not one thing, it's another.

My Itasca Spirit has a rack on the back and I would like to use it to carry folding chairs, toolbox, sun canopy...What do others use to keep things safe and dry on the racks some have on the back of the RVs? Something lockable and bolt-on-able would be ideal, but also watertight. Thanks! Sue

AWESOME!!!!!

Darrel, that is quite brilliant! Thanks for that! And thank you Ctgriffi, for the above as well. I love your rig's layout! I'll have to order one of these mounts. I also didn't know you could hook your phone up to your tv. I have an iphone...will it work with that too? Must do some investigating!

Another question...I plan to take the MH to my mechanic after Toyota does their thing. Just curious...would an oil change be part of a head gasket replacement? Or is that only if the head gasket actually blows? Thanks!

So, my Toyota dealer friend had his service guy dig up the nitty gritty. My 1992 rig still has the head gasket service coming to it and it will be done. He is doing all the paper work for me, which is so nice. It is just a formality, because it qualifies, but has to be approved. Then he will send it to my local Toyota dealer and away we go! Timing belt, water pump, get the valves checked and adjusted if needed, idler pulleys, anything else?? I have a local guy who I will take it to after for spark plug wires, filters, rear diff and an oil change. He is really good and works on our other vehicles. Is the idler pulley easier to change out with the engine apart? Or can 'my guy' do that too? Thanks! Sue

Had to rush off to babysit grandkids, but will go try it again tomorrow. Thanks so much for your help!

So, today, I went out and took the cover off the AC. Started looking around in there for anything my totally unknowing mind might see as an issue. Started tapping here and there with the handle of my screwdriver, with the idea that maybe something was loose. Then, looked up the black hole and saw the fan. Gave it a nudge, turned on the power and away she went! Woohoo!!! I'm doing the happy dance!! Thanks for all the help! Should I spray some WD40 up there to lubricate it a bit? It must have just sat unused and sorta stuck.

Love it!! Yeah, they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. That saying had to come from somewhere!

I like to eat fresh baked cookies while I watch TV