73 D18 roof replacement

[Rickf1985]

Hey, it is yours to do with as you please. There is absolutely no value to be gained in keeping these all original so get creative and you better have pictures!

[demon]

awesome! Ive wanted to do this for a long time. The Winnebago was free and probably would have ended up crushed anyway but this is gonna be so cool!

[Rickf1985]

There is already a guy on here building a bagged winnie and one who built a totally modern one WITH a slide out out of an old eyebrow. The sky is the limit.

[CapnDirk]

I can see it now, the levers next to the seat aren't going to be the leveling system but rather the suspension and the Winnie will be hopping up and down like a 64 Impala at a Santa Cruise car show.      :)rotflmao


Nice choice on the profile for the joists Demon, I had no idea those roofs were that thin.  You'll gain some strength there to.

[Rickf1985]

Just to prove nothing is too far out there.

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,11321.0.html

[demon]

yes love that bagged winni. Mine wont have bags but will have hydraulics but wont be hopping like a 64 Impala! Hydros are so much better than air on so many levels . it will all be a 12 volt system and will ride super smooth. I want to leave the outside pretty much as is. love the colors that it is already. but i have a few things I want to do there. The inside will be totally gutted but im rebuilding a rv interior with shower, bathroom ,generator,etc but want to do some steam punk themes with exposed plumbing and lots of metal ....who knows ! I just need to start ! If everything works out I really want a cummins in it and a 5 speed manual. would make an awesome tow vehicle for my shop! well see.

[CapnDirk]

Might want to consider what to do for a shower.  A lot easier to load in a shower stall with the roof open.  In fact I think a lot of the manufacturers load in the big stuff like that.

[Rickf1985]

yes love that bagged winni. Mine wont have bags but will have hydraulics but wont be hopping like a 64 Impala! Hydros are so much better than air on so many levels . it will all be a 12 volt system and will ride super smooth. I want to leave the outside pretty much as is. love the colors that it is already. but i have a few things I want to do there. The inside will be totally gutted but im rebuilding a rv interior with shower, bathroom ,generator,etc but want to do some steam punk themes with exposed plumbing and lots of metal ....who knows ! I just need to start ! If everything works out I really want a cummins in it and a 5 speed manual. would make an awesome tow vehicle for my shop! well see.

I like it already. The steam punk, eh, but the rest of it, yea.

[demon]

got the first rafter cut with the curve , glued together , and then used it to router the other boards the same. i only did half of them and then glued them to the ones i didnt trim yet . tomorrow i will just router them down the same and there done. What a pain!!!!!!should have just made it out of metal! So far Ive learned I hate wood! Anyway its looking good! I just picked up an onan generator for 100 bucks tonight. It just popped up for sale. not that im ready for it but thought that was to good of a deal to pass.

[stanDman111]

lookin good/I hate workin with wood too! 

[Rickf1985]

Disassembled your tubing bender for weights I see. I am also a metal man but I like to work with wood, don't get burned as often. I wish I had learned more from my brother in law before his untimely death at 54 from lung cancer. He was a master carpenter and cabinet maker. And he was a perfectionist, it had to be perfect or it got done over. I love the look of natural, unpainted wood. Think 40's-50's Chris Craft boats.

[demon]

yea man ! im a perfectionist to. i think thats why working with all this bowed wood and little imperfections bothers me. it wont be seen but... I have tubing dies from 3/4" all the way to 2" and everything in between so just grabbed them and anything else i could find small and heavy!!

[demon]

all done with these! already! . got the wood for the ceiling and some of that poplar that was real strait to screw in for stringers between the rafters. also got more glue and some of that locktite construction adhesive . got the winnebago all cleaned up so i can start putting it in. Also got the generator I bought last night for $100 started up. just hooked a battery up to it and stuck the fuel line into a gas can. Fired right up! Sweet deal!

[Rickf1985]

Get all the information off of the label on that generator before you wipe it off for some reason and realize the info disappeared! Take a picture of it so you always have it. You will need those numbers anytime you need parts.

[demon]

going up! My Dad came over and helped me get a lot done today. I still need to put the ceiling in so none of this is attached o the winni but we added some strips of the same wood we are using for the ceiling under the edges all the way around to keep it set exactly where it will be when i staple and glue it to the sides. this way we can add boards underneath . trying to do the ceiling first would have been a pain! Well even more of a pain! still have some more pieces to put in between the rafters on both sides so we can attach cabinets up there. Also I've been thinking of making some inside trusses out of metal with holes in them for decoration but would make the roof very strong and it will go with the inside the way I want it. I have to do something with the brace over the drivers area anyway so i can make maybe 2 more so it will have some crazy beams all the same with as the one over the driver but shaped a bit differently and with holes in them and probably weld tubes in between the channel.. Hard to describe whats in my head sometimes. Here are some pics from today 

[demon]

more pics

[demon]

Added some more boards front to back. trimmed each one to fit perfect than glued and stapled them in. Looks great now. we'll see how strong it is after the glue dries. Then insulation and the ceiling. We are lifting the whole roof to put the ceiling on top of the walls like it was  then the roof can get glued and stapled to the walls. the curve on the roof is exactly what I wanted and i didnt need to tapper it to the front and the rear. The front just pushes right down with the small arch and the rear will have the slight curve from the rear but im cool with that

[Rickf1985]

Man, you took the best of all the ideas given and ran them all together into a fantastic job. Well done! I wish everybody would follow advice that well. I don't think I would have put the ceiling under the roof like that though, I want the roof attached directly to the walls but since it is screwed and glued I don't think it will matter.

[TerryH]

Very impressive work!
Please keep the photos coming.
Your project will likely become a must view for others who have to tackle the same thing in the future.

[Gearhead88]

Looks good !! 

[demon]

Man, you took the best of all the ideas given and ran them all together into a fantastic job. Well done! I wish everybody would follow advice that well. I don't think I would have put the ceiling under the roof like that though, I want the roof attached directly to the walls but since it is screwed and glued I don't think it will matter.

Yea man! I really appreciate everyone's help!Dont know what kind of mess it would be without it! Im a metal fabricator and can build anything out of metal. I build some really cool stuff for cars at my shop but I dont do much with wood. My dad was a carpenter but he hasn't ever messed with a motor home but he had some pretty good ideas too. There are 2 reasons im putting the headliner under the roof and on top of the walls. the first is , it was done like that to begin with and the second is I wanted the rafters and the wood attached between them on the sides to have something besides just the foam to sit on. I figure it will help spread the load across the foam. It will still get glued and stapled to the walls just like it was original . But like you said , it probably doesn't make much difference

[demon]

Thanks everyone! So what do you guys think for making this water proof ? I really wanted to do one solid piece of aluminum. Im good with metal! the problem is i cant seem to find a piece ...well at least around me. I think my next best option is fiberglass. I rebuilt a 17" center console boat and had to rebuild everything from the inside of the hull up so ive messed with it a bunch on it. But that doesnt make me an expert! I really dont like the idea of a rubber roof. It seems that isnt a permanent deal and I dont want to be messing with it ever!  Definalty open to suggestions

[Rickf1985]

Nothing is permanent up there in the sun with stuff poking through it. The rubber is going to last as long as anything if reasonably taken care of and it is also easy to repair if it gets damaged. And starting with a virgin roof it is the best time to put a rubber roof on. Look up some videos on it. There are differing qualities of rubber roofing also, if you go cheap it will only last ten to fifteen years. If you buy quality material it can last 25 plus years. How long do you this the mechanical parts are going to last?

[Froggy1936]

A good outlet for large pieces of aluminum are trailer repair facilitys Or contact Alcoa ! Frank

[demon]

Insulation up!!