I mentioned in the reply to Harvey that I did go ahead and
drop the tanks. I also pulled the banana wraps off. They were
badly dented anyway. I had fun pounding them back into
shape with my ball-peen hammer. The pic I posted was one
of the "in progress" shots I've been taking all along the way for
use when I'm trying to put everything back together.
I've got a bunch of photos already that want to put up on a
web page some day. Hopefully I'll get to that pretty soon.
>Not that you asked for suggestions, but I found that much of the floor rot
>across the aft was caused by water seepage from the bumper plate that the
>hatch door rests against. I note that later models changed the orientation
>of the hatch door so it rests on the bumper. The problem is still the same.
>Water runs under the trim strip and wicks into the floor every time it
>rains. Eventually, the constant seepage oxidizes the aluminum, rusts the
>iron plate that attaches the body to the frame, and rots the floor. The
>trim strip must be removed to adequately caulk the seam. The trim strip
>must also be caulked to shed water out of the joint.
I noticed this same problem with my coach. I'm considering
removing the lowest row of rivets holding the outer skin across
the back (above the bumper). Then, slipping a long, thin strip of
aluminum flashing up under the skin. The flashing would have
an 'L' shape with the lower leg going out across the top of the
piece that bumper lid attaches to. Kinda hard to describe, but
does that make sense? I'd love to hear any other suggestions
here as well.
>BTW, the frame members are not level! I think A/S used adhesive to bridge
>the gaps. When you reinstall the floor, you'll have to accommodate the
>non-level frame members.
Mine looked level, but I'll double-check.
>Also, my floor was true 3/4 inch plywood. The
>best I could do for replacement was 23/32, so you might want to study the
>original thickness vs.. the replacement.
The floor in mine is true 1/2 inch marine plywood. I'm no
expert, but it sure looked and smelled like redwood. At least
the parts that weren't completely rotted out did. The rest
smelled like crap - literally!
The replacement I found locally is marine grade fir. This stuff,
tagged as 1/2 inch, also measures a true 1/2 inch. I intend to
go ahead and coat it with West Marine Epoxy once I get it cut
into the pieces I need.
>Wow, for not requesting any information, I sure monopolized the soap box.
>Hopefully you can use some of my experiences.
Thanks for sharing, Joy. I appreciate it.
Jimbo / '76 Sovereign