DigitalFusion Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Hey all, The wife and I picked up a 1980 Mini with 103K on the clock for $900 on Saturday. The roof was showing signs of water damage, so despite a heat index of 115+ here, I wasted no time in starting to gut her out. There appears to be a lot of rot along both outer roof seams, with the worst being on the passenger side rear. I think I am going to have to completely gut her down to the aluminum. My loose game plan is to rig up some boards to temporarily support the roof structure while I am doing this. Here is the part that I am kinda lost on. How does one 'adhere' the new boards to the aluminum? Is construction adhesive really a good long-term solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Urethane adhesive (3x liquid nails). make sure the aluminum surface is clean or it won't stick. Looks like a good looking rig. :-) John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatspin Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 As a Sunrader guy, I can't comment on the adhesive question, but I will say that you've got yourself what looks like a very cool little project. Have fun! Hey all, The wife and I picked up a 1980 Mini with 103K on the clock for $900 on Saturday. The roof was showing signs of water damage, so despite a heat index of 115+ here, I wasted no time in starting to gut her out. There appears to be a lot of rot along both outer roof seams, with the worst being on the passenger side rear. I think I am going to have to completely gut her down to the aluminum. My loose game plan is to rig up some boards to temporarily support the roof structure while I am doing this. Here is the part that I am kinda lost on. How does one 'adhere' the new boards to the aluminum? Is construction adhesive really a good long-term solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Urethane adhesive (3x liquid nails). make sure the aluminum surface is clean or it won't stick. Thanks for the tip. I started googling that and ended up going cross-eyed at all the options out there. When I have some more time (read: when I am not supposed to be working) I will see if I cant narrow down the options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I'm not sure how your Toyhome roof is built but mine and some others I've seen didn't have any glue or goo between the aluminum and the wood framing. No fasteners, either. What I've seen is wood beams spanning the width of the roof with the aluminum simply laid over the top of the beams and just tacked down around the edges where the roof metal meets the side metal. Is the metal on your roof glued to the roof framing? If you do use glue of some sort, Liquid nails would work just fine after cleaning the aluminum where the glue is going to go. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 Its not the roof I am worried about, its the walls. This picture makes it look worse than it is once I got all the rotten wood out, but here is what I am talking about: The vertical wall along the side has its support boards rotted away. The rear wall screws to the board, but the side wall needs to be glued to the replacement. I have most of the rot out now, and as soon as the weather cools off a bit I will be stripping her down to the aluminum skins and replacing all the wood and paneling in the entire camper area. Something tells me she will also be getting a full paint job on the out side also. Go big or go home, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 ASKfor a second opinon but if you really want to clean the metal you might use mek a very power full solvent you would need a res perator but mek will take all glue and gunk off does not evaporate as fast as acetone wear gloves also known as methel ethel ketone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 So I called http://www.jrsrvrepair.com/ and asked them what product they recommend using for this situation. They said in these cases they use Liquid Nails Heavy Duty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) Walls are overrated Edited July 24, 2011 by DigitalFusion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Makes getting in and out a lot easier, but Mosquitoes are a bear! JOhn Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 I think i will start a new thread in the projects sub-forum. We are completely restoring/rebuilding the entire camper area. The passenger side wall that is missing in teh picture is stripped down to the skin and being rebuilt. The other walls, cab-over area, and roof are on the docket with all the materials needed stacked in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Yes, This is a big project and there is always interest in how this is done. Lot of photos. what you run into, any recommendations for people who might be doing the same thing. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I've done some work on my '85 Dolphin that's similiar to what you're doing but not at the scope that you're at. I posted pictures in the toyota-campers@yahoo.com site under "85 Dolphin Rebuild" in the photos section. They may help with what you're doing. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I think i will start a new thread in the projects sub-forum. We are completely restoring/rebuilding the entire camper area. The passenger side wall that is missing in teh picture is stripped down to the skin and being rebuilt. The other walls, cab-over area, and roof are on the docket with all the materials needed stacked in the garage. You've already gone over the limit. The mini cruisers of your vintage were made of engineered panels, not stick built. The enginnered (sandwitch board) construction consisted of an aluminum skin glued to a 1/8" luan plywood panel with 1x1 framing and styro between the framwork. This was followed by another 1/8" luan panel and finished off with a 1/8" plywood vinyl wood grain vineered sheet. The sandwich was pre-built using glue and presses to make a complete panel system which was used to assemble the RV body. Panels were pre-manufactured with wood bracing where necessary (around windows and at connection points). These pre-made panes were assembled as complete modules with cut outs for doors, windows, and vents already done. Trying to create a "stick built RV" like a dolphin or Winnie out of a rotten mini cruiser will not be a successful project without a LOT of time and effort involved. What I would suggest is to take a close look at the chassis. Inspect the frame for rot. Check the engine for compression, fluid leaks, etc. Check the transmission for function and leaks. Check the suspension for worn busihings. IF all of the running gear passes the "it's fine test" I would suggest that you look for another toyota RV that has been hit, blown up, or other wise suffered mechanical failure but still has a usable coach (read sunrader here)... Take the old mini cruiser coach body off and replace the entire body with a sunrader body. You will have far less time and a usable RV once you are finished. Why do I suggest this? I did a ground up restoration on a 17 foot 1981 mini cruiser with the same damage yours shows. The only reason I under took this project was because it was built on a 1981 factory diesel truck (one of 5 made). Had it been a common gas engine coach I would have either replaced the coach body or stripped it for parts. I've got the splinters, bruises, and photos to prove it can be done if you have the time to do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) I can appreciate your comments, but I'd have to say.. Its not that hard? I already have the passenger side wall completely rebuilt and leaning again the a wall in my garage. I havent cut the window openings yet, but I am leaving those until the wall is mounted to ensure added strength while handling it. I think all told, I might have had 3 full days into it, which were actually spread out over 4 or 5 since I work on it in the evenings and weekends when all the other distractions of daily life are taken care of. The rear wall and roof have been completely removed from the rig, with the drivers side wall still in place, but only held there by some bracing. The rear wall is stripped and sanded, with the drivers side wall next on the docket. I do have a question for ya. What did u do about replacing the sheet metal along the bottoms of the side walls that extend down past the camper floor? I dont have access to a sheet metal break, and to be honest there seems like there should be a better solution to protect the walls than that. Edited July 31, 2011 by DigitalFusion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I do have a question for ya. What did u do about replacing the sheet metal along the bottoms of the side walls that extend down past the camper floor? I dont have access to a sheet metal break, and to be honest there seems like there should be a better solution to protect the walls than that. You can use filon siding instead of aluminum. You should be able to find this at some larger RV dealers and shops. Mini cruiser went to filon in later years as the aluminum corroded and dented easily. Since you are going all the way you may want to replace your existing aluminum with filon on the entire coach exterior. http://www.rvsurplus.net/catalog/display.php?product_id=1879 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 the aluminum skins/siding were in pretty good shape overall. I reused it on the pass side, and plan to reuse it for everything else. I was talking about the bottom 6-12" of the inside walls that extend down past the floor. Mine had some blue aluminum that was bent into shape and wrapped around the edges. I could use filon, but then I would have to have exposed seams that would need to be sealed since u cant bend the filon? I cant help but think there has to be a better way to protect and isolate the wood that is exposed below the floor line. (also, how the heck does the furnace vent trim come off? I took the two screws out, but it wont budge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeebum Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 the aluminum skins/siding were in pretty good shape overall. I reused it on the pass side, and plan to reuse it for everything else. I was talking about the bottom 6-12" of the inside walls that extend down past the floor. Mine had some blue aluminum that was bent into shape and wrapped around the edges. I could use filon, but then I would have to have exposed seams that would need to be sealed since u cant bend the filon? I cant help but think there has to be a better way to protect and isolate the wood that is exposed below the floor line. (also, how the heck does the furnace vent trim come off? I took the two screws out, but it wont budge! How is your project coming? Do you have more photos for us? I am also mid-construction on an 84 mini cruiser, and I wanted to see your progress for ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 the restoration is on hold. We had a house fire which destroyed the house and just about everything in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yacoltgal Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Digital Fusion - Sorry to hear of your loss - I hope you and yours are hanging in there - Take care - Hug! Yacoltgal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 two years later, we are finally wrapping up the house fire issues. I only have closet doors and trim to finish in the house. Having said that, The poor toy house has been sitting this whole time. . After spending years rebuilding the house, I'm not sure if I have the motivation to finish the RV now, but I doubt it has any value as it sits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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