Carpet-mold

[Supurcar]

I have been spreadin myself thin working on this Sunrader. I had a bad exhaust leak, was told I need a new manifold and I just turned a few nuts and it was fine nice and quiet. I also replaced the strip that covers the molding where the upper and lower sections of the clamshell meet. I think they called it the screw strip, but I went with black 5/8 strip and spent about $18 and it looks great. I have also sanded the top of the thing with 2500 grit sand paper and polished it to a mirror shine, what a difference, even in the aerodynamics as well as the looks.

Now I have had a musty smell for some time and I went to investigate. I assumed it was the old carpeting in the thing. I was right, but it is worse than I thought. The upper cell above the cab is capreted, and it appears moisture is getting in somehow, I used some silicon around the plastic windows in fall. This morning I pulled the carpet back and it is black around the edge and was moist, I could not see where the water was coming from almost like condensation or dew under the thing. I am hoping resealing the outside screw strip will help, the old exterior strip was coming off in chunks and was dry and cracked. Also a ton of dirt was getting under the strip so everytime it rained a load of dirt would streak down the side and stain the fiberglass if you can picture this.

So now I am trying to remove the carpet and see what is going on, but I can see it rolls under the ceiling of the cab somehow and looks like a project to reinstall. I would hate to remove the thing and be stuck and not be able to re lay the carpet correctly. So I guess I am asking if anyone has done this and can give me some guidance or tips on this kind of project.

My camera broke so I have to get a new one before I can post new pictures.

Thanks-

[Supurcar]

I found an old photo taken when I first purchased this Sunrader, you can see in the picture the old "screw strip" or even called pinch molding because you pinch the strip to get it in the groove, the old strip has cracked and fallen out in this photo, you can see the screw heads. I have since done a lot of work to replace the strip and polish the fiberglass. The carpet on the other side of this wall is where the moisture is, actually on the other side of the truck. I have since globbed some silicon around the plastic windows, I think I need a new seal but no one in town wants to tackle that job. I am affraid once I get it apart it will not go back together.

[Shoprat]

Howdy Robert.

Be sure to check the sealant at the base of your clearance lights. I sealed my windows and was still getting water leaks. I pulled the headliner back from the ceiling inside, had my wife spray the area with a waterhose( from the outside , of course) and found the lights were leaking. I installed new lights because the old ones were corroded from 20 years of living life on the edge. When I did that, no more leaks.

[Supurcar]

Howdy Robert.

Be sure to check the sealant at the base of your clearance lights. I sealed my windows and was still getting water leaks. I pulled the headliner back from the ceiling inside, had my wife spray the area with a waterhose( from the outside , of course) and found the lights were leaking. I installed new lights because the old ones were corroded from 20 years of living life on the edge. When I did that, no more leaks.

Good point, I did replace a couple of the lights (faded, cracked, corroded) and yes there is hardly any seal there, maybe I will gob some silicon around them too. I put in a couple LED lights on the sides, there is no place for the wires to go so it is very hard to install them.

I am just going to go for it and cut the old carpet out and see what happens.

[ToyoGuy]

Hey Robert,

You're a brave lad, Bravo! Here is my 2 cents on a few things, and I'm sure there are better/smarter folks out there too.

First, here's pix of my carpet upholstery in tearout progress. Maybe this'll help someone wondering what they'll be into: Oh yeah, that's the shower stall overhead, (storage).

Also, in reference to the outside joining strip, the first thing I saw when I pulled the side wall out from the cabover, was this nasty, rusty wood screw that had obvoiusly been leaking for years from outside to in. My thought is that many small leaks were at work in my rader, all addressed at one time or another, but not in total. This time, I'm making sure.

I removed the 2 wraparounds in my rader, because..... I washed them off in prep to caulk them and used some compressed air to blow out a smidgen of dirt I saw in the wet window channel,...

Here is what I saw on the inside:

Yow ! The bottoms of the channels were full of accumulated mud from years of driving etc. I tried irrigating them "copiously", but to no avail, so....... I got brave and set up the scaffolding and took them out.

I replaced the windshield in my VW when I was a lad, so I figured I could do it, if I was careful.

I think it is not for the faint of heart, however, and that I would want some help from an ex body-guy or someone knowledgeable to do it for the first time if I were someone else.

That said, for the reckless and young at heart,...... Be VERY, VERY careful with the windows, I don't know where you would get these, if you broke one ! Get a dirty t-shirt on, this stuff gets really dirty and black and bribe a very good friend, who is as dexterious and nuts as you. I couldn't have done this on just 2 separate ladders, I needed the scaffold, I'll leave it at that. Set up what you'll need to suit your self. As you look at the gasket, there is a round rope-like rubber beading that goes in the middle of the outside of the window gaskets of the wraparounds. This is to to lock, or tension the upper and lower lips of the gasket. These can be removed by looking for the end (mine were under the sides around the corner, R & L). CAREFULLY, using an awl, one can "peel out" the end of the rope, to start to remove it. As you keep pulling, it'll go all the way around. You have to have a person inside to catch the plastic window as it comes/falls through. Once all of the "locking bead" is pulled out, set it aside to clean later. The gasket becomes very flexible (careful not to lean on it) and the window can be pushed inside. The Lexan windows can then be removed, cleaned and polished. (Can't remember the appropriate Mc Guires polish#, ask at a plastics place) and the gaskets can be cleaned using a toothbrush and dishsoap and water to clean out the grooves. I put my windows back in using an assortment of plastic body-working spatulas, and even these will scratch the Lexan if not careful. I used painter's masking tape to hold the clean gasket up in the top of the coach opening, and removed it as I worked the window into the groove, bottom, to sides, to top. You will have to lubricate the gasket with dishwashing detergent so the window, and tools will slide and move as you work them around. I had some luck using an old windshield trick on the second window,where with the gasket all installed on/in the vehicle, you put a small (snug fit) nylon rope into the "window" channel/groove starting in the middle of the bottom, around inside the sides, and finally cross the 2 ends in the middle at the top. With someone helping, holding the window against the gasket, you pull the rope out and "THEORETICALLY", it pulls the front portion of the rubber gasket out for a moment allowing the window to slip in. OK,... it takes some practice.

At first, before there's much of the window in the groove, it's tough to hold it all together, but, as you get closer to the end, it's easier. You can dry your hands and sort of push and pull the window to get slack to work the gasket to get slack. Be very careful of cutting the gasket, even with the plastic spatulas, but you can actually carefully slide the soapy blade along the groove to "imbed"the window edge.

The rubber retainer beading can now be lubricated with soap, and, with someone behind the window holding it, the locking strip, or rope can be pressed in with your non-scratching weapon of choice.

The result is a much tighter seal, and excellent surface to apply a small amount of sealant to.

Well, that's a bit too much, but it's more than I knew before I did mine. And.......through all kinds of weather since, I have no leaks !

BR

ToyoGuy

[1978chinook]

HEY YALL THIS IS 1978CHINOOK I CAN`T SEEM TO GET ON THE DICSUCCION BOARD--PLEASE HELP ---I1M TRYING TO MAKE IT IN THE 20 CENTURY--BILL

[Shoprat]

Howdy Bill.

I don't understand. You seem to be on the disscussion board.

[Supurcar]

Well I got brave and yanked out the carpet and it was soaked and it has not rained here in weeks. I dried out the area and proceeded to inspect. I notice a wire hangin out of the seal around the window, your last message explained it must be the locking bead. I had already yanked it out before I realized what it was, I thought maybe it was an abandon speaker project or something because it has metal wire in it, must be to hold it fast.

I had my wife go and spray the hose on the seal and..........no leaks. I thought for a moment and realized on the highway that thing is bouncing around and vibrating and wind etc. so I then had her spray and I pushed on the window to immitiate road conditions and.............. MAJOR LEAK. SO now I need to reseal the thing somehow. I was thinking of buying a tube of silicon and pulling the seal back and laying a large amount of it in the track. Help Mr. Wizard! I am also attaching cell pictures of the inside and also the new screw strip I installed last week.

[ToyoGuy]

"I was thinking of buying a tube of silicon and pulling the seal back and laying a large amount of it in the track. "

Hey Supurcar, This is exactly what I was thinking when I saw the leaks coming thru my front window seals. Thats when I thought I'd do exactly what you're talking about above. Problem was, when I tried to wash out the dirt I saw when I pulled back the seal, there was a ton of crud. One thing led to another, figures huh ?, and that's when I tried blowing out the accumulated grit and dirt with some compressed air. My wife called out "ugh !!!" from the inside, as she saw the mud bubbling up out the inside of the window seal. (See 4th photo from 4 posts ago). I hope you are luckier than I was and don't find a ton of crud in your channel. If you had a lot of junk in there and didn't want to remove the gasket/seal, you could just lay towels around the inside, or use a wetvac and a high-power nozzle on a hose and squirt the heck out of it.

For what it's worth, I keep reading that a little bit of caulking goes a long way and I have had best luck using a product I read about in many "re-sealing RV window" posts. It's called "Lexel" and I got it at True Value hardware. ($5.00 a tube) Like lot's of RV types I don't like the silicon-based stuff. I now use this stuff but, as little as possible, to get a good seal. Mostly, it seems about making things fit right and getting them clean before sealing for me.

Also, my apologies for the unclear explanation in previous post on the so-called "locking bead", it is located on the outside like this, I pulled it out a bit to show how it works.

When it's installed, it can be hard to find the end sometimes. Also, you can see how little sealant it takes when the gasket is clean and tight. The jury is still out on how long the stuff lasts....

The wire you found is probably your clearance lights 12v wiring ? Here's what mine is like:

Again, apologies for the confusion, guess my tech-writing ain't what it used to be...

BTW, the screw strips look great, now I gotta put another thing on my to do list.

BR, ToyoGuy

[Supurcar]

So the wire on the inside of the seal is a speaker wire project gone bad after all, it is a thick wire with a metal core and it was hanging out in the open. Actually may have been an antenea as there is a patched hole in the top of the cab over sleeper. Oh well I guess I have some work to do either way, the seal is expanded badly- the profile of the window is far outside the line of the fiberglass body. It is like a horrific overbite LOL. I appreciate the help I am sure many people will benefit from your replies.

Last question, did you replace the window seals or clean them, and re-use it?

[ToyoGuy]

did you replace the window seals or clean them, and re-use it?

Hey Supurcar,

I reused them, but mine cleaned up pretty good. For the record, the profile on both windows versus that of the shell is not an exact fit at all on mine. As a matter of fact, I had to do some gap filling at the top of the windows where there was about a 3/16" gap between the mating edge of the window and the seal. One of the windows is a bit big and when pushed into the seal, it "puckers' a bit.

Also, I am convinced that the angles of the bend in the windows is close, but not exactly the same as the coach. I was going to trim the window ( I work with the stuff all day long), but before I did that, I looked at pictures on the web and saw a lot of other raders with the same issue. (Plus, I was really tired after setting up, pulling, buffing and re-installing them in one day !)

When everything is clean and lubed up with soap, with someone's help you can tug a bit here and push a bit there and sort of average out the fit of the windows and spread out the inconsistancies. Plus, it seems when the'yre clean, and you nudge them in as best as you can where you want 'em, rinse 'em, let 'em dry, then caulk them, WOW, they stay put !

I believe one fella was saying he pulled his about every 5 yrs. to clean and re-seal.

I am just a stickler for details and MANY times find others who got away with doing less on stuff.

BUT, ...................I don't like sleeping wet, and someone once told me "Do the job right, and you'll only cuss once"

ToyoGuy

[Supurcar]

"Do the job right, and you'll only cuss once"

ToyoGuy

Agreed no one likes a half a$$ job for sure.

I wanted to ask another question as I prep for this work. I could see in one of your pictures where the wrap around window is out you had the wood siding like I do. I cannot figure out how to remove the wood paneling on the sides without damaging it. It almost feel like it is glued in, my only other guess is to remove the window frame on the sides, if that holds it in. If I can get the side panels out I can really see what is going on with the wrap arounds.

[ToyoGuy]

" I cannot figure out how to remove the wood paneling on the sides without damaging it. It almost feel like it is glued in, my only other guess is to remove the window frame on the sides, if that holds it in. If I can get the side panels out I can really see what is going on with the wrap arounds."

I understand...............

In my coach (18'), the panels are held in by, 1# A big wood screw that comes thru the outside moulding (See photo below, mine was leaking, rusted and the wood it went into was rotten, so it had no pupose but to let water in), #2. The window frames, which might need to be removed anyway if the putty is cracked around the outside sealing edge, and #3. on the left side, facing front in the coach, the cabover paneling extends back behind the shower and holds all of it by being connected, so I had to CAREFULLY cut mine with a utility knife at the adjoining shower wall corner. The stuff is thin and mine was "punky".

I didn't care because I am doing a total re-do on the coach, but, with care, I feel someone could CAREFULLY pull out the 1/4 round moulding in the shower/left-wall corner, and using several passes with a sharp knife (knowing there is wiring behind it, above the window-probably-) and using some fixit moxy, glue it back in. The window flange is the main holding force IMHO anyway.

Here's some photos from the deconstruction that may be helpful.

Note: I was/am continually amazed how they expected these to stay together for very long !

Below:

Here's why I pulled mine:

Below:

left side panel, no window, I figured I'd rather have some room, so I went for the gusto and removed it right after this !

Below:

seal / gasket surface looking down (with panel still intact, inside)

Below:

right side, panel halfway removed, showing 'big wood retaining screw":

Below:

Left side window, panel backside, front portion removed, back edge cut with utility knife:

Hope this helps,

Keep the faith,

ToyoGuy

[Supurcar]

I see your cab over is lined with wood, mine is all fiber glassed in, and is raised a bit. I think the previous owner tried some home improvement on this thing. well I installed the new carpet, indoor/outdoor so if it leaks a little no big deal. Plus we have the pad over it and it will not be visible most of the time anyway.

I started to rip up the carpet in the main area also. It was not moldy, but was worn out. I noticed the wood underneath seemed to be warped. It is not rotten or anything, but there is a definite warp to it. It almost looks like someone cut out a piece and put in a new center aisle or something. If you look under the couch you can see a gap toward the rear under the paneling, toward the front there is no gap.

[ToyoGuy]

Hey Robert,

A little hard to "read" the picture, but it sure does sound like your previous guy did some upgrade attempts. I really wouldn't mind sealing my cabover if I had the time, but I need to attend to the main floor first.

I am getting the idea after talking with yostfmx and looking at LOTS of rader pictures, that even on the best kept specimens, there is at least a bit of warp to the floor. Seems like the more moisture exposure, the more warping can happen. I notice that in most of the interior Sunrader pictures I see, in the front back shot looking at the rear window, the stove almost always tilts back towards the entry-door wall. (It straddled the wheel-well on mine)Also, in the stripped-out coach pictures, the wheel well humps always seem to be slumping down some at the outside edge.

Oh well, busy, busy, busy.......

I will say that nothing I did to clean up my coach did more than getting rid of the old rug, it's probably at a hazardous waste site by now.

Keep up the good work !

Cheers,

ToyoGuy

[Supurcar]

Here is a few pics from my cell of the new rug. I had a load of fun doing this, my first time laying carpet. I went underneath and tightened all the bolts holding down the particle board flooring. I then used glue and staples to hold down the new indoor/ outdoor carpeting. I finished it off by installing some aluminum edge molding on the steps, nice touch. I painted the metal hold for the table bottom.

[Supurcar]

Here is what I have done to the cab, I got tired of the shag carpet behind the driver's seat. I tried to change it so more of the wood would be visible, instead of dirty carpet. I used the burgundy indoor/outdoor carpet for this. Next I will try finish the floor of the cab and I will be finish laying carpet for a while.

[ToyoGuy]

Wow, what a difference ! So much cleaner looking. Robert, you missed your calling. Any tips for those of us aspiring to do re-carpeting/upholstering in the future ? Are you going to use the existing carpets for patterns to do the cab floor ?

BR,

TG

[Supurcar]

Wow, what a difference ! So much cleaner looking. Robert, you missed your calling. Any tips for those of us aspiring to do re-carpeting/upholstering in the future ? Are you going to use the existing carpets for patterns to do the cab floor ?

BR,

TG

So far so good on the carpet work. What I did was study it very long, almost start ripping up the carpet, then study some more. Finally got brave enough to do it, being careful to remember how to put it back together. Actually was not as hard as it seemed, but it is not knowing is what is scary (my first time trying this). One tip I would give is to be careful with using the old carpet as a templet, because you could reuse someone else's mistake or bad design. I was sure to leave about a 1/2 inch or more extra on the template for error or redesign. Once I got it on the floor and rolled it up the wall paneling I cut it how I wanted it, using a (metal) straight edge ruler. In some spots I simply loosened the screws on the seat (box) brackets in the rear and put the carpet under the wall so I would not have to do any scary measurements, helped quiet some sqeeks as well (and I noticed the factory did the same thing from the wheel wells out). We also added some new curtains in back, I may add some photos later when I get a new camera.

I will tackle the cab this week, same thing.... no plan just reverse engineer it, adding any improvements I think of. I did remove the shag carpet from the cab door panels, what a shoddy job they did on that, cover a wood plank and wood screw it into the panel. I will buy some vinyl and recover the whole door panel too. Stay tuned, LOL.

P.S> I forgot to mention the cost, I was quoted $1200 to redo the interior, so far I have spent less than $100 by far. $35 carpeting, $5.95 glue, $1.62 12mm staples (hope I used the right length), Aluminum step edge $16.95, elbo grease-free.

[turtle]

You should replace the rubber gasket around the plexi windows if you want to stop water intrusion. It is available at most automotive glass shops and sold by the foot. While you have the windows out is a good time to use some plexi cleaner and polish to get the scratches off before re-installing them.

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi1.jpg

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi2.jpg

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi3.jpg

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi4.jpg

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi5.jpg

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi6.jpg

Replacing the old Bargman 99 lights with LED ones and applying a generous gasket of butyl putty tape under them will stop any leaks from the lights above the windows.

[Supurcar]

Thanks for the tips Mr. Pucky,

Looks like you did a great job on yours. I am studying the windows, and will continue to plan. Once I have the tools, parts, and most of all something to stand on to be able to reach the windows without denting the hood, I will dive into that project. With the tips I have received from you guys it should go a lot smoother for sure.

[turtle]

Once I have the tools, parts, and most of all something to stand on to be able to reach the windows without denting the hood, I will dive into that project.

I purchased that rolling scaffolding just to work over the hood of both of my Toyota motor homes. Got it on sale for something like $100 or so.

[Supurcar]

I will look for one, here is what I did tonight, I will try to lay the new carpet tomorrow. A lot of curves in the cab, this is a little trickier than the flat floor in the rear.

[Supurcar]

Well here it is, kinda hard to get good picture with the seats in the way. It is not very snug, but as it settles and loosens I will go back in and stretch in and make it fit better. Where the factory just folded the carpet back on itself on edges, I used the aluminum strip and some wood 1/4 round modling that you can barely see in this photo. I still need to finish the door panels, I will glue some cspret over the vinyl and be done with it. We also finished tinting the windows in the cab over and above the stove to reduce the summer heat. Okay now time to go somewhere in it.

[TexasToy]

Looks great!!