Termites ate everything. Including the floor. I refuse a shell off!

[twolanehwy]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

Use wedges at the edges of the wood and replace one sheet at a time by splitting the sheet down the center.

I didn't have time for a shell off either, we went on our first trip 120 days after purchase with this in the middle.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps1a2f2fc2.jpg


Brevi tempore!

what is that next to TV?? heater? ac unit?
did you leave off belly pan an just do banna wraps down to frame?

[twolanehwy]

Originally Posted by cwbiii

So you are doing a "Shell up"... where you pry up some of it at a time and slip the plywood underneath. You still need to cut the elevator bolts to about 2' away from where you are prying up to accomplish this... and you need a supply of new bolts to put in as you go along. Tighten them up when you are finished and bend over the end like they were before... this keeps the nuts from being able to vibrate loose.

Chuck

what about using bolts with nylon nuts?
They won't come loose, newer technology.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by twolanehwy

what is that next to TV?? heater? ac unit?

did you leave off belly pan an just do banna wraps down to frame?

That is my wall furnace, it does a great job heating my trailer, it has been tested to the single digits...


Brevi tempore!

[CraigFulton]

Well I've got the 3/16" rivets and elevator bolts on the way from VTS. I have the sheet metal on its way from Air. Now I just need to buy some good sheet metal cutting tools, 3/4" marine ply, and foam board insulation. I hope to have this done in a weekend. New floor and belly pan. I'll paint the frame over the next couple of weeks after work. When the belly pan is off I'll paint the bottom of the frame. We'll see what happens! Wiring will be next. I already have the materials and panel ready.

[cwf]

Kill the termites before they find your home!

[CraigFulton]

Termites in the home are a way of life here. You just get it tented every 10 years. When the tent comes off a new colony just flies in.

[Devananda-E9]

Craig, Listen up, all is not necessarily lost. I had to replace the floor in my 87 32' because the factory failed to seal under an exterior access door which funneled water to the belly pan. A properly applied top quality caulk has that now sealed. There was also some seepage at the rub-rail leval which was taken care of in the same way. The former owner stepped through the floor and gave up. I went in and removed the old particle board floor with saws, drills and chisels until the channel was clear of all wood. I did not remove any bolts or other fasteners that were present but rather cut away the pieces of new plywood to fit in the channel. It was one devil of a job but when done it was sound. One trick I used to discover how the water was getting in was spraying hose water from every imaginable angle. Since completed it has stood the test of many major rain storms. I do not know how to post some pictures for you; so if you send me your e-mail address I will send them. use: rday@zipcon.net Ciao, Roger Day

[MarkR]

it sure is a slippery slope . . .

You're probably going to want 5/8" plywood (not 3/4).

And CDX, in my opinion, (everybody's got one right?) is sufficient . . . coat/seal the perimeter/edge, regardless of the plywood type.

There's nothing like wrestling giant sheets of aluminum while lying on your back under the trailer - one of my favorite tasks - hopefully you have an assistant (it would have made it so much easier if I'd had one).

['55 Airlight]

Have a termite exterminator bag the trailer, gas the bugs. It's cheap, and it'll kill all the bugs.

[CraigFulton]

Well to make it worse I never thought in my wildest dreams today that it would be 96" from seam to seam on the belly pan. Which means I can't run the two 21'x4' sheets side by side :-( I would need at least 98" width so the pan can attach to the walls. I already ordered the aluminum and it's on the way: $420. I'm praying there's enough there to make 5 sheets go horizontal for the belly pan. The camper is almost 20' long. So I will take that as I need 5 sheets at 100' wide. And doing the math I'm going to be cutting it close...literally.

Or would it be better to cut 4 long sections and where they don't come together in the center I cut a piece of the old pan to seem them together?

[Monza]

Good luck, that's a big weekend project.

[CraigFulton]

Originally Posted by Monza

Good luck, that's a big weekend project.

Thanks! I don't think it will be that bad. I'll be able to do a lot of prep during the week days leading up and then just cut and install new on the weekend. It can't be so bad I'm just concerned with the amount of material I ordered.

[MarkR]

I put an extra piece down the entire middle so i could run lengthwise. I had a 48" wide the full length of the trailer then a 6 or 8" wide center section then the other 48" wide piece. It was kind of a pain, as I riveted it all together and then tried getting it into position. I ended up splitting it at the axle because it was not going to be possible otherwise. And even when I had it in halves (front and back) it was still pretty unwieldy - I said a lot of "bad words" that day . . . wait till you get to the corners . . . more bad words.

Anyway, in the end it probably would have been just fine to go perpendicular to the trailer and create sort of a shingle effect by starting at the back of the trailer . . .

You're doing in a couple of weeks what took me a couple of years . . .

[cwbiii]

On my 68 the belly pan is 2 single sheets that meet in the middle... each is about 4' wide by about 12'-14' long... Using the old ones as a template to at least rough cut would save you a bunch of time. Hand tin snips are going to be a work out and a half and will make for some very dangerous serrated edges.
If you have air tools I would suggest investing in a air powered sheet metal shear from harbor freight or northern tool. Relatively inexpensive and works a whole lot cleaner and faster. Its basically a glorified pair of scissors that cuts out a 1/4" strip and curls it off to one side. Leaves clean edge (you still should still wear good gloves as edges can still be sharp) and can easily follow a straight line or moderate curves. I can cut in a couple of minutes what will take 15 with a pair of hand shears. I only use shears for small cuts and adjustments. I wish there was an easy and cheap way to advise you in this but unfortunately there is not. There are several places that sell the replacement skins in the full length. They come rolled up. Drilling new holes is a pain. Aircraft Clecos make the job go easier but you probably won't be able to find and get them in time. If you have a couple of strong magnets these would be very helpful to hold the aluminum against the frame tightly while you drill and put in rivets. If you put your old belly pan on top of the new one you can use an indelible sharpie to mark cut lines and even holes.
This could save a lot of drilling since drilling through the steel frame is the most difficult and tiring part. With accurate placement you could re-use the old holes. I put my old ones back up quickly with clecos to get it aligned and then took out middle clecos and replaced with rivets while moving the clecos just ahead of where I was riveting... fast and a lot less work than holding while you drill and rivet. Strong magnets will serve the same purpose, but they have to be pretty strong and be careful not to get them too close to each other. 30-40 lb that have a handle release would be the best.
Strong magnets can break fingers if they get caught in between!!!

I wish you the best of luck and I know you are going to need it to make your deadline...

Chuck

[twolanehwy]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

That is my wall furnace, it does a great job heating my trailer, it has been tested to the single digits...


Brevi tempore!

Do you know the model / make? I am looking into all new units. I also want to put an AC window type system in a cabinet as opposed to on top.
thanks

[CraigFulton]

Originally Posted by MarkR

I put an extra piece down the entire middle so i could run lengthwise. I had a 48" wide the full length of the trailer then a 6 or 8" wide center section then the other 48" wide piece. It was kind of a pain, as I riveted it all together and then tried getting it into position. I ended up splitting it at the axle because it was not going to be possible otherwise. And even when I had it in halves (front and back) it was still pretty unwieldy - I said a lot of "bad words" that day . . . wait till you get to the corners . . . more bad words.

Anyway, in the end it probably would have been just fine to go perpendicular to the trailer and create sort of a shingle effect by starting at the back of the trailer . . .

You're doing in a couple of weeks what took me a couple of years . . .

I'm the king of the F bomb! Bhaha. I'm going to go the route of 5 horizontally placed sheets: side to side. I'll use the old as a template. No sweat! I'll have this knocked out in two weeks and I'll post pics of he end result.

I guess you guys don't know me from the next dude, but this stuff isnt too hard for me. I have a lot of patience. I've restored cars, houses, scooters...a lot of stuff.

[J. Morgan]

It is a Williams brand furnace;

http://wfc-fc.com/product/high-effic...nt-furnaces-2/

On reflection, I bought the 17,700 BTU model.

I liked this model because it vents intake air and exhaust air through a single 2" diameter hole directly behind the heater.


Brevi tempore!

[twolanehwy]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

It is a Williams brand furnace;

Williams | HIGH EFFICIENCY DIRECT-VENT FURNACES

On reflection, I bought the 17,700 BTU model.

I liked this model because it vents intake air and exhaust air through a single 2" diameter hole directly behind the heater.


Brevi tempore!

Thanks that looks perfect. Hopefully its not too expensive. I'd rather put money into those kind of things and do sweat labor to help make up for it.
cheers

UPDATE;
saw home Depot has the LP gas model for $1270.00 of course thats why I liked it..not cheap but a nice system..very simple clean design.
Gonna start selling stuff for new stuff.

[J. Morgan]

I got mine for about $1,000 if memory serves me. I did a lot of shopping around as the pricing for this unit varied widely...


Brevi tempore!

[J. Morgan]

The more I think about it, I think it did cost me about $1,250....

I wanted to go with something cheaper, and even ordered one and sent it back before spending the big bucks...

The furnace is one of the most expensive things in my build, second to my flooring only.

It was expensive, but after more than two years in I am very satisfied with it. My only regret is not putting it on the drivers side of the trailer.

Brevi tempore!