Worse than I thought

Well after removing the interior furnishings and drip rails, I found out the only thing holding the overhang floor and sides were the few rusted screws(why not stainless Tioga) and fiberglass siding. I was relieved to find that there was a metal sub-frame that all things bolt to, but that had rotted out so much you could break it with a screwdriver. The rot was forming stalagmites in the cavities that should have marine grade plywood, and the window was barely held on by mastic which gets EVERYWHERE! The leak apparently started by the front roof vent when the copious amounts of silicone did not seal so well. The first problem I have with this type of fix is that silicone needs to be super clean to adhere to , and its quality application, not quantity. I forgot to mention as well that I did take the vehicle into a service shop in Hesperia, Ca. With a quote of anywhere starting from $3500 and up to possibly $7000, I decided that I will do it right and not have anyone to blame. $100 per hr rate...come-on. These aren't rockets and we aren't fabbing wings. If you can't tell my fustration with cheap manufacturing, then you will soon.

Forget the Dealer

Well by the title of this first blog, you can see that I am embarking on a repair that is probably reserved for the service center. I have no clue on how RV's are built let alone a class C Tioga Arrow. I thought I knew my 5th wheel pretty good, I had the Woodall's Rv Repair manual, I'd succesfully installed solar panels on that rig, and felt I could level it within 4 min with all hook-ups going. But I am also no dummy to vehicle repairs or fabrication. I have built, worked on, and raced numerous types of racecars from karts to formula atlantic cars. This will hopefully help when it comes to fiberglass structures and engineering problems. The patient I will be working on is a 1992 Class C Tioga Arrow 27ft motorhome. I had purchased this vehicle from a co-worker and didn't notice the rot until 3 weeks later when I noticed the flooring over the cab starting to sag. I did not see any rot or sag during inspection but that's the beauty of motorhomes.