wood rot

[winston]

hello

I am in the process of getting a 1985 Toyota Dolphin for $500.00 I have to wait for some legal stuff to go through once its done it is mine. needs some miner engine workand new battries. it has a side bathroom and rear kitchen. The bathroom has wood rot on the lower left corner and rear lower wall. and the kitchen has rot around window as window is broken out. it appers to me that the wood panels are 1x8 door skins. and 1x2 framming. It appears that I need 6 of the skins. 4x8 wood skins coast about $9.50 a sheet. Ihave also seen fiberglass skins in difrrent colors and some with a wood grain look or tile look they coast about $32.00 for 1x8 by 4x8 sheet. as for what is in the bathroom now is wood with like a vinyl wall paper. has any body replaced the wood wit pvc or fiberglass and is it worth the extra cost as it would not rot.

thanks

Winston

[Dolphinite no longer here]

hello

I am in the process of getting a 1985 Toyota Dolphin for $500.00 I have to wait for some legal stuff to go through once its done it is mine. needs some miner engine workand new battries. it has a side bathroom and rear kitchen. The bathroom has wood rot on the lower left corner and rear lower wall. and the kitchen has rot around window as window is broken out. it appers to me that the wood panels are 1x8 door skins. and 1x2 framming. It appears that I need 6 of the skins. 4x8 wood skins coast about $9.50 a sheet. Ihave also seen fiberglass skins in difrrent colors and some with a wood grain look or tile look they coast about $32.00 for 1x8 by 4x8 sheet. as for what is in the bathroom now is wood with like a vinyl wall paper. has any body replaced the wood wit pvc or fiberglass and is it worth the extra cost as it would not rot.

thanks

Winston

Winston,

I'm not sure what you mean by 1x8 door skins. Most of the door skins I've used come in 1/8" thick and are 3' wide by 7' long. I've used a lot of these panels in rebuilding my 85 Dolphin. They are available in mahogany and birch. They work well for repairing the interior walls, but they are NOT made with waterproof glue. If you use them in the shower area, you'll have to give them a coat of epoxy or polyester resin. Be sure and coat the edges after you cut the panels. (Epoxy is best, but is expensive.) Using the fiberglass skins is probably a better idea for the shower, but be sure and coat the framing wood behind the skins with (again) epoxy or polyester resin. Even a coat of good paint will help keep the 1x2 framing from absorbing moisture and rotting. Aluminum corner and bottom molding is available to seat these sheets in and its a good idea to squirt a tiny bead of your favorite caulk into the aluminum slot before pushing the sheet into the molding. Don't use too much caulk in the slots because it will make it more difficult to push the sheet in. Good luck.

John

[winston]

Thanks John For the fast replay yes you are right door skins come in 1/8th 3x7. I thought that was the only size until I went to the lumber store and found out the had them in 1/8th 4x8 sheets @ about $1.00 more and when I saw the fiberglass I thought they would not rot just the wood frame. do you Know if the wood frame is 1x2

Thanks Winston

Edited January 17, 2010 by winston

[bob loblaw]

Thanks John For the fast replay yes you are right door skins come in 1/8th 3x7. I thought that was the only size until I went to the lumber store and found out the had them in 1/8th 4x8 sheets @ about $1.00 more and when I saw the fiberglass I thought they would not rot just the wood frame. do you Know if the wood frame is 1x2

Thanks Winston

my 1980 dolphin does use the 1X2 strip you are asking about, as the framing. I am also replacing my ceiling panels with plastic panels instead of wood. I am also going to use a little of the same plastic paneling behind the stovetop area, as a splash guard,where there is currently wallpaper.

[gearhead]

my 1980 dolphin does use the 1X2 strip you are asking about, as the framing. I am also replacing my ceiling panels with plastic panels instead of wood. I am also going to use a little of the same plastic paneling behind the stovetop area, as a splash guard,where there is currently wallpaper.

Hi.

Saw this post and I am also replaceing the rot in my 1986 Sunrader,headliner/wall. Would like to know more about the plastic panels

Was going to use the 1/8 door skins!Hope I didn"t interupt.Don C

[Dolphinite no longer here]

Thanks John For the fast replay yes you are right door skins come in 1/8th 3x7. I thought that was the only size until I went to the lumber store and found out the had them in 1/8th 4x8 sheets @ about $1.00 more and when I saw the fiberglass I thought they would not rot just the wood frame. do you Know if the wood frame is 1x2

Thanks Winston

Winston,

My '85 Dolphin is almost all framed with 1" x 2" common lumber. I'm pretty sure yours is, too.

John

[WillieD]

Have any of you taken (and posted) any pictures of what it looks like once you open up the walls? Is there a certain procedure/order of operation, i.e. take apart the inside, then the outside; or vice versa? Seems on the inside it would be neccessary take out the cabinets to change out ceiling. My Dolphin is begining to have issues with keeping the water out, but knowing myself, I tend to go overboard without a clear plan... right now the plan in my head would have me raising the roof a couple of inches! Too bad it's not a Rader (cus of the fiberglass), the other gentleman's (Baja's, I believe) looked like I might just be able to follow suite, not to mention his mods look quite fun.

Thanks

-Doug

[bob loblaw]

my 1980 dolphin does use the 1X2 strip you are asking about, as the framing. I am also replacing my ceiling panels with plastic panels instead of wood. I am also going to use a little of the same plastic paneling behind the stovetop area, as a splash guard,where there is currently wallpaper.

Hi.

Saw this post and I am also replaceing the rot in my 1986 Sunrader,headliner/wall. Would like to know more about the plastic panels

Was going to use the 1/8 door skins!Hope I didn"t interupt.Don C

I really don't know as much as I should about the plastic panels. They cost around $33 at lowe's, they are textured on one side.

I thought they looked like perfect ceiling panels, and I am screwing them in place right over what's left of my Old ceiling panels.

I need another panel, so next time I am at lowe's, I will try and get more details.

[winston]

Hi.

Saw this post and I am also replaceing the rot in my 1986 Sunrader,headliner/wall. Would like to know more about the plastic panels

Was going to use the 1/8 door skins!Hope I didn"t interupt.Don C

I really don't know as much as I should about the plastic panels. They cost around $33 at lowe's, they are textured on one side.

I thought they looked like perfect ceiling panels, and I am screwing them in place right over what's left of my Old ceiling panels.

I need another panel, so next time I am at lowe's, I will try and get more details.

Hello everybody

I did ask A couple of employees at my local hardware stores as far as the fiberglass panels are concerned, I was told that it would probably take power stapler to shoot the staples through it and that the fiberglass weighs about the same as the 1/8 wood skins. I also just purchased a repair your RV book from amazon.com. I should have it this Sat. I will let everybody know if the book is any good. Also it is my understanding that with the dolphin the outside sheet metal slides off in sections you will have to remove all screws doors windows and compartment doors in areas you are working in. and the panels slide out in sections. That's all I have been able to find out at this time

Winston

[Dolphinite no longer here]

I really don't know as much as I should about the plastic panels. They cost around $33 at lowe's, they are textured on one side.

I thought they looked like perfect ceiling panels, and I am screwing them in place right over what's left of my Old ceiling panels.

I need another panel, so next time I am at lowe's, I will try and get more details.

Hello everybody

I did ask A couple of employees at my local hardware stores as far as the fiberglass panels are concerned, I was told that it would probably take power stapler to shoot the staples through it and that the fiberglass weighs about the same as the 1/8 wood skins. I also just purchased a repair your RV book from amazon.com. I should have it this Sat. I will let everybody know if the book is any good. Also it is my understanding that with the dolphin the outside sheet metal slides off in sections you will have to remove all screws doors windows and compartment doors in areas you are working in. and the panels slide out in sections. That's all I have been able to find out at this time

Winston

Winston,

You're right about having to take all the window frames, access door frames and any marker lights that are mounted on the sides of your motorhome. You also have to remove or the corner moldings at each end of the rig since they overlap the panels a bit. The side was paneled starting from the top and working down with the staples in the bottom of that panel. The next lower panel was then pushed up into a small groove on the upper panel, covering the staples, and so on... Sound confusing? As soon as you start removing trim and access door frames, it will become apparent how to proceed. You will have to start removing panels at the bottom and work your way up.

The panels on my '85 Dolphin are stapled in place with narrow crown staples. You'll need some kind of small pry bar or thin blade screwdriver to get under the heads of the staples and pry them up from the surface. Once they're standing a little clear of the surface, use a pair of pliers to grab them and pull them out. It seems like there's thousands of them, but stay with it and eventually you'll get them all out. Once a panel is staple and screw free, be careful how you handle it. They are floppy and will kink or fold over easily! I used a long piece of 1x6 under each panel to support it while I carried it into my shop.

A good way to fasten those overhead fiberglass panels is by using short stainless steel screws and finish washers. (Some people call them cup washers) They aren't hidden and are meant to be in plain sight, but give a finished, professional look. I suppose you could cover the rows of fastenings by using a strip of molding held up with, possibly, velcro, but in my opinion, the screws and washers don't look bad at all. One advantage of using the screws and finish washers is that you can easily drop a panel down by simply removing the screws. This gives you easy access to the interior of the ceiling in case you want to add some wiring, insulation-whatever. The screws have to be screwed into framing that's underneath, of course, and the panel pieces have to be cut so that they meet on the ceiling framing. Kinda' like sheetrocking your house walls, the edges need something to land on for fastening down.

I have some photos of my Dolphin on the Toyota Motorhomes Yahoo site under '85 Dolphin Rebuild. Maybe some of the pics will help although Winter has slowed things down considerably since I'm working outside and uncovered.

John