Debbit Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 I've searched, and looked at lots of pictures of repair of rotten wood over the cab. Its hard for me to understand exactly what the structure is from pictures. I've found some rotten wood on the left corner of the area over the cab, and before i delve too deep, would like to understand what holds what together. What I'd like to find is a diagram showing just how the 84 dolphin is put together. Is the bottom support the plywood on top of the cab? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 its 1/8th ply board then some foam installation.. yes walls & ceiling are supported this way to some degree you can take the wall off.. If you take left and right wall off then you would need to support roof... remember water travels just because you see water in one spot a very good chance your going to find more rot damage. once you start getting into wall you will probable find more rot... you also want to find where water is coming in from if outside corner seams are leaking your going to have very carefully take them off clean off all gunk and caulk & reseal. if window take window off clean gunk and reseal each job can become a big job...But it can be done.. Im not positive but your Dolphin might have metal support framing running across walls. If this is the case it will be a little easer to fix wall if it does not your going to have to make your own frame to reinstall walls.. Its also a very good idea to make template of everything your taking off. your going to need "good temples" to make your new wall..take lots of pics to help you out... good luck with repair keep doing research and add pics so we can help you out more... 2 eyes are better then one have a friend help.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Debbit, I have an '85 Dolphin and I've completely rebuilt the cabover area and I'm still not sure why the whole thing doesn't just fall down onto the hood of the cab! For the sake of lightness, the whole structure was originally built of a lot of small pieces of wood stapled and glued together and covered by a thin layer of cheap plywood. Some of the weight is taken by the bed which rests on the fiberglass outer shell that sticks out over the cab roof and the rest of the weight is taken by the walls that are attached to the main side walls of the camper. The interior framing, combined with the thin interior plywood glued to the interior walls seems to take the load as long as the walls remain intact. A lot of the load of the cabover area is actually transferred back to the main walls of the camper. Repairing this area can be done in one big repair or by exposing suspected rotted areas and fixing them piecemeal. Mine had so much soft, wet wood that I just went for the complete rebuild. One note about finding rot - you'll usually only see about half of the damage until you open up the suspected area and get a good look. I used two-part epoxy for the glue when joining new wood to old and screws wherever I could. The wood in the walls is just common 1 x 2 and 1 x 4 stuff from Home Depot or Lowe's although I noticed that some of the original framing in my cabover was oak, but not very much of it. Oak rots easily if its wet, covered up and above fifty degrees temperature so I didn't use any when I did the rebuild, just common lumber. One thing to do for sure is to remove all the windows, clean off the old caulking and reinstall them using black butyl tape, not the grey window putty kind. Also, carefully remove the metal molding on the outside that covers the roof-to-side wall joint, clean off the old gunk and reinstall it using the black butyl tape. The butyl tape is available at most RV places. If you have leaks at this joint, the screws will show some rust when you remove them. Throw all of the rusty ones away and get new ones from Lowe's or H. Depot. They are 1 inch by number 8 sheet metal screws with a hex head. Be sure and check the marker lights above the big front window and rebed them with the same black tape as they can be the source of rot-producing leaks as well. Good Luck... John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbit Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 Thank you. I will add some pictures soon. It really looks ok from outside, we did seal the first weekend we first got it. It didn't look too bad till I begin to remove the upper bedding to see what carpet to rip out. I can dig out rotting wood in the front left corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbit Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 Looking a bit better in the light of day. This camper has been in New Mexico it's whole life. Usually it is dry here. I really don't see many more spots like this. If so, it may be more than I want to deal with.... Not sure why the pictures are upside down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 looks better then mine..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbit Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 Uh, yeah. Have you fixed yours? I thought "it just needs a new piece of panel" whoops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 yes "Dagobah" is fixed I opened her up like a tin can...here some pics....my galley has a lot more.... http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=5852 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 your pics show some good rot on the wall frame... you want to get all the rot out & replace... no screws will hold in the rotted wood.. does not look to bad but you want to replace for 1.better support theirs a lot of weight up their and little support. 2.want to make sure their no rot/mold left (fix it right the first time will save you a lot of headaches,, Just turned laptop upside down to look at pics..... look at your front cab-over frame 1x2 that runs across bed & front wall in pic it looks rotted... right corner yes is rotted... very important to have that framed or weight will drop cabover(this is what happened to my rv.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbit Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 I'm very impressed with that work to dagobah! Think ours is fixed now, although not beautifully. Unscrewed all the metal from below, Cut a 1x4 and fit it under window, glued to plywood base and metal side. cut out rotted wood and added pieces of wood, then used elmers structural wood filler all around all joints, then screwed outside back together. That structural wood filler is amazing! So here is a picture of what is done so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 looks good to me! good job! I wish mine was that easy.... post more pics as you go.... steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbit Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 It's late but I'm done for now. Made a template of brown wrapping paper and cut the thin fiber wall board to replace the bad paneling. Put it up using liquid nails and real nails (little ones). I bought some thick embossed wallpaper at lowes. It is really good stuff! Using my template, I cut the wall paper and applied it to the repaired wall and the one opposite, that had no damage. Then used trim strips to finish. Now it's obvious that the ceiling needs to be painted! Also got some pretty inexpensive valances at lowes, they are the perfect size for the cab over windows. So hung them up and made up the bed. Looks good if I say so myself. Had enough wall paper to do the kitchen in the back, so did that too. I'm relieved, and hope my repair holds. The bottom outside of the repaire side of the cabover looks kind of scabby with silicone. I am not very good at applying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JourneyFoot Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Just bought my 87 dolphin yesterday knowing I'd have to do these overcab repairs due to water damage. Have no idea what I am getting myself into, but with all of the expertise on this site, I feel like I can conquer this (let's hope). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81Dolphin Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Has anyone done a framing resto with cedar or should i just use runofthemill pine? Im thinking of using yellow alaskan cedar to redo the roof, back, and cab over framing and wanted everyones opinion before i pull the trigger. Im completely replacing the metal roof on my 1981 Dolphin as well as replacing the cab over floor and framing, interior veneer boards on the celings and cab over walls and id like to only do it once.. Also, do you think using cedar would be too fragrant of a wood and overwhelm the cabin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinMan-Scarecrow-Dolphin Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 On 5/9/2021 at 4:03 PM, 81Dolphin said: Has anyone done a framing resto with cedar or should i just use runofthemill pine? Im thinking of using yellow alaskan cedar to redo the roof, back, and cab over framing and wanted everyones opinion before i pull the trigger. Im completely replacing the metal roof on my 1981 Dolphin as well as replacing the cab over floor and framing, interior veneer boards on the celings and cab over walls and id like to only do it once.. Also, do you think using cedar would be too fragrant of a wood and overwhelm the cabin? I have been consulting with a master woodworker I met 20+ years ago, and he has suggested using yellow pine and white oak (an important distinction as red oak is very susceptible to wood destroying organisms). The white oak is the heavier of the two. With weight being a consideration that precludes the use of many species that would otherwise make a coach capable of enduring years of exposure to moisture, particularly certain tropical hardwoods. I have thus far sourced enough wood to begin a modest production line, and the yellow pine truly is impressive. I salvaged this variety from a house a block away that was demolishing a room which had 6" × ¾" yellow pine t&g walls from the 1950's. Needless to say, any shrinkage or twisting that might have taken place did so decades ago. I have been ripping the boards down to match the final dimensions found in my 85 dolphin; ¾"², ¾×1¼, and ¾"×5½"(one 8'piece below the side window of my 300 "den" floor plan. I am going to use white oak along the top perimeter, where the roof joists rest, as well as the framing that's below the floor level and more likely to be exposed at some point. (Though I am still considering an alternative material for the inner facing portion. The ⅛" ply is not a good solution in the long term.). Also, the load bearing pieces for the cabover will be white oak. As for the joists that create a bow on the roof, I am currently sifting through the wood that I have been collecting from a mill down the street from me that makes moldings. Poplar is DEFINITELY NOT an option, but I have scored a good bit of cedar, which offers amazing flexibility. I've yet to discuss this with my buddy on this matter so am still not certain which way I'll be going in that regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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