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Slowly Remodeling 87 Dolphin.. Suggestions??


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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...

Anyone dealt with this repair/ have suggestions...

The former owner drug the behind of it looks like and the rear wall is separating from the floor. Most of the screws are missing on the underside and screws aren't grabbing anything when I try to ram some back in.

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Second:

What to do about the ladder and roof rack. The rack needs to go. It's flimsy and a big leak hazard. Thinking replacing it with 2 cross bars mounted on the sides instead of the roof. I want to keep the ladder but it needs some love/ custom fab work.

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Edited by DirtyPatches
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When i got my 1982 DD i sat down and though of everything i could spare and what i intended to use the rig for. weight is everything when designing your space. also going through every butyl seal and replacing it to keep all your hard work inside clean and dry. For my rig the most common place for rot is under the skirt behind the rear wheels and of course the cabover. if your screws do not hold rot is obvious. You want a water tight seal and all your flashing is going to come in handy to hold butyl or caulk down and water out. Maybe in your situation you can glue and clamp it ?? always make sure you have fresh surface when laying lap sealant. wire wheel on a drill takes off years of caulk on the roof and no need to worry about scratches up there.

post more photos and questions !

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When i got my 1982 DD i sat down and thought of everything i could spare and what i intended to use the rig for. weight is everything when designing your space. also going through every butyl seal and replacing it to keep all your hard work inside clean and dry. For my rig the most common place for rot is under the skirt behind the rear wheels and of course the cabover. if your screws do not hold rot is obvious. You want a water tight seal and all your flashing is going to come in handy to hold butyl or caulk down and water out. Maybe in your situation you can glue and clamp it ?? always make sure you have fresh surface when laying lap sealant. wire wheel on a drill takes off years of caulk on the roof and no need to worry about scratches up there.

post more photos and questions !

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.

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Making a mess and replacing teal duct tape repairs with a beer can hose clamp splint.

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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.

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

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  • 4 weeks later...

Trim work and wall repair is done! Had to replace a good amount of wood but most of it patched up nicely. Waiting on weather to start working on the roof. Replaced all bulbs with LED's, new porch light, things slowly coming together.

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  • 1 month later...

So my only leak was from the passenger side window in the cabover. I resealed it with new butyl tape and thought all was good but after some heavy rain i notice the same spot is still wet. So obviously I'm not too happy and very frustrated with this window.... What do I do!? Is it the window track that is letting water in?

The leak is under the window and toward the front about 3/4 of the way.

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Check the aluminum extrusion above the window - the one holding the bulkhead and roof together. Make sure the vinyl insert in the center is not cracked.

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Check the aluminum extrusion above the window - the one holding the bulkhead and roof together. Make sure the vinyl insert in the center is not cracked.

Above the window or the top of the window? Im wondering if it is the seal along the glass might be sun rotted... Tinkering with it today well see what happens. Thanks the the help!

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Above the window or the top of the window? Im wondering if it is the seal along the glass might be sun rotted... Tinkering with it today well see what happens. Thanks the the help!

I got a few screws to tighten up more and a little more butyl came out. Sprayed it down with the hose a while and now seems fine.... Got some marine grade silicone waiting on the wings when the screw it moment comes. In a perfect world I would get rid of the cabover windows and replace with new sheeting. Too many projects for now so fingers crossed window seals!

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Been a while since an update so here's where we are...

Bottom trim is done and whole coach got 2 coats of Bondo rubberized undercoating.

Window leak in cab is fixed (hopefully) so new construction on the cabover soon, this weekend or one after next.

Got a "Fann-tastic Fan" roof vent with temperature control on its way in the mail. It should be here by friday so will replace the rear vent with the upgrade fan, keep it cooler for us and the dog and help get kitchen heat/ smell/ steam out quicker.

Once the new vent is in coating the roof with some henry elastomeric roof coating. Help prevent any possible future leaks and its suppose to reflect 85% of the heat from the sun so figure why not!

Getting it professionally de-winterized since... 1. I just got it and if something goes wrong in the plumbing the damage will be far less than one guy working alone with no experience. Not worth the risk until I know everything's good. 2. Just don't have the time and for $85 to have it done professionally, without any concern, while I'm working... worth it!

Lastly I've started removing the 1980's sun rotted decals and already looks 100 times better! The Dolphin slowly becomes "The White Whale".

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Before and afters.

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Almost all of them look like......oh no wait for it... a bread box or a wheelie bin :lips-sealed:

Wheelie Bin is the nickname for mine, it somehow fits it in a humorous way. That is what the writer who created The Flying Tortoise blog calls them and where I got the name. A very full blog to read created by a full time house truck dweller in New Zealand. He is obviously a fan of the old Bedford House Trucks and not a fan of the looks of modern motorhomes. I agree with him about them being more interesting to look at. He leads an envious lifestyle roaming from one incredible beach to another day after day.

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Lastly I've started removing the 1980's sun rotted decals and already looks 100 times better! The Dolphin slowly becomes "The White Whale".

I've thought about trying to remove the cab pin stripes and have seen those wheels on Amazon but wondered how well and how much of a pain the job would be. I'd like to repaint the cab but the hood stripes especially are weather worn. Your thoughts and impressions on how well those wheels work would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

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I've thought about trying to remove the cab pin stripes and have seen those wheels on Amazon but wondered how well and how much of a pain the job would be. I'd like to repaint the cab but the hood stripes especially are weather worn. Your thoughts and impressions on how well those wheels work would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

They rule!

I was worried about possible damage at first but they are very gentle especially on the truck portion. If you spin it too long on the fiberglass it can yellow a little but have to look pretty close. I plan to paint it anyway so not a huge deal, even as is I'm very happy! It's kind of a pain working on the corrugated stuff and trying to get in little nooks and crannies but again very worth it.

I will say this about the wheels:

1. Have a corded drill ready or not going too far with a cordless. I got a HFT one for $12 so I won't mind destroying it, almost intend to.

2. Works best at 3-4k rpm so let the drill catch its breath every once and a while.

3. Wear a mask! I got covered in yellow dust and very thankful I don't have lungs full of rubber dust!

4. Buy more than you need. I got 2 and thought that was too much... probably buying another. One did the stripes on the truck part and the front portion of the cab over. If your decals are rotted it takes a little longer and more wheel.

5. There are some small, residual baked on adhesive spots, that need to get touched up with the wheel and adhesive remover to be "perfect" looking... but again a few steps back it looks cherry!

6. Don't bother with plastic razor blades (as amazon will probably suggest), they are useless with baked on 80's decals!

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Thanks for the info. Had these on my Amazon wish list for awhile but have been busy with other parts of the project. When I repainted the front berth, I taped the pin stripes. Found some tape just the right size. Just blocked off the Itasca as the paint matched perfectly so didn't mind the minor tape line. The cab pin stripes are in worse shape than the rest and I think it would look cleaner without them in front anyway.

Got an air grinder that will handle these and will be easier on me than my corded drill which is still geared too low anyway for this kind of work.

The rest of the summer is planned to be much more leisurely paced than this spring up until now. Though I still have some landscaping work left to do but even then.

Again thanks,

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The pin stripe remover wheels do a good job. The brand I got kept going out of round after a while then they went thump, thump thump which was annoying. I had to chuck them into the metal cutting lathe and true them back up now and again. It did take two wheels to get the job done..

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  • 5 weeks later...

Settled that windows hash with some marine window sealant. Now its finally 100% water tight! Lots of improvements, interior is almost fully primed, new walls installed, fantastic fan installed, cabover floor re done, new custom bumper fabricated and herculined too!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looking good so far !

Thanks a lot! It had been a long process. I will upload some more recent update pics. We got a lot done without updating this!

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New insulation and paneling in the cabover. I cut out the piece perfetly but it wouldn't physically fit into the RV in a way to actually get into place.... D'OH!! So had to cut it and slap trip in.

Just about done with the wall needing replacing, no pic of current progress. Cutting out that shape and getting the window right was interesting to say the least. Luckily got great advice from here and came out pretty good!

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Repainting rails and handles with Rusto Hammered Silver (no pic yet of handles but coming out great)

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Roof coated with Henrys Extreme Roof Coating

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Painting the interior and actually close to done! I will get more recent pics.

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Also working on custom finish work at this point. It is a crazy feeling, come a long way!

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What did you use for Styrofoam adhesive? And what type of wood did you use for the overcab? We are currently doing the same thing to our 87 dolphin but we raised the border about an inch along with thicker Styrofoam

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It looks like you have the same model I do as well! I have a post on the general topic forum about missing pieces for my electrical and water pump you think you would be able to help me out with some pictures of where they are located? I am missing something where the cabinet is right next to the shower if you walk in on the left and the water hoses to connect to the fresh water tank I think I don't have at all

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What did you use for Styrofoam adhesive? And what type of wood did you use for the overcab? We are currently doing the same thing to our 87 dolphin but we raised the border about an inch along with thicker Styrofoam

PL Premium, and for securing the wood especially on the wall. There isn't a whole lot of structure in the wall of the cab. It makes liquid nails look like a glue stick, just make sure you want what ever you're gluing to be permanent:) That's a good idea making room for thicker insulation. Im 5'11 so every inch of head room counts in the little dolphin home.

I used 1/4" plywood underlayment, even hauled it with the RV! Just had to bend and convince it in some. There is thinner stuff at Lowes I believe but that's a good hour drive from my house in the RV and always nice supporting local business in a small town.

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It looks like you have the same model I do as well! I have a post on the general topic forum about missing pieces for my electrical and water pump you think you would be able to help me out with some pictures of where they are located? I am missing something where the cabinet is right next to the shower if you walk in on the left and the water hoses to connect to the fresh water tank I think I don't have at all

Thats awesome! I hunted close to a year to find mine, hard to find one in good shape, 21 ft, and that has the 22RE not 3.0 V6. Same model all around including floor plan? I could send you a pic if it would help happy to do it!

So its in the compartment thats under the pannel in the closet next to bathroom correct? Need a pic of water tank connections?

Should follow on tumblr, much better at updates and pics on that!

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Yeah that would be perfect! Much appreciated, also I have no idea what the initial 120 volt plug in for when you park at camping grounds is supposed to look like either

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Yeah that would be perfect! Much appreciated, also I have no idea what the initial 120 volt plug in for when you park at camping grounds is supposed to look like either

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See what I can do hunting down some pics for you tomorrow. Yea looks like somethings missing there seeing all those clipped wires. It should be a 30 amp plug looking like this. k2-_0ee6d18e-cf32-4ba4-a3a3-04b784cf65cb

Mine (and probably yours) is a 30 amp system (pretty sure, can confirm tomorrow), good to get adapter plugs for 12v, 50 to 30 or vice versa

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I agree on supporting the local business over any conglomerate any day! Unfortunately can't always make that happen I will definitely give that tumbler and adhesive a try I'll work on getting that set up so you can see what me and my lady are going through! The overcab is mainly going to be for my gf art room work space

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  • 3 weeks later...

Anyone have insight or suggestions with my Dometic fridge? It runs great on electric but could not seem to get it to run on propane no matter how level..

Couldn't see anything in the sight indicator either... Follow up to that is it possible to light the pilot without the ignition button (possibly the problem? and how would I fix?). Also is it possible to have the propane fridge running while driving in these? I was told my OPD valve was expired but doubt that would be the issue.

Need a reliable fridge for long travel and don't trust it much.

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  • 2 months later...

Per my Dometic manual, "NOTE: After a replacement of the gas container or a long shut off period the gas line is likely to be filled with air. In such a case the lighting procedure has to be repeated until the air is pushed out of the line and the gas has reached the burner."

This may be why you are unable to get it to light off. I had the same issue with the '87 I just bought. I still haven't gotten the furnace to light, but did finally get the water heater to light. The stove had the same issue, but only took about 30 seconds to light.

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Per my Dometic manual, "NOTE: After a replacement of the gas container or a long shut off period the gas line is likely to be filled with air. In such a case the lighting procedure has to be repeated until the air is pushed out of the line and the gas has reached the burner."

This may be why you are unable to get it to light off. I had the same issue with the '87 I just bought. I still haven't gotten the furnace to light, but did finally get the water heater to light. The stove had the same issue, but only took about 30 seconds to light.

Makes sense, thanks. I got it to work after messing with it a few more times perfectly level. Must have worked that air out of the line. Been running on propane through 9 states now!

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