Mike's 1973 D22 Complete tear out. From the Roof down!

[Rickf1985]

This epoxy and Fillet filler would be good for you to use in places where it is too hard to get to the rotted wood or there is just a small section that is not structural.

[RockwoodMike]

Check this photo out..This is one of the main reasons that these coaches are so rare anymore..And when you do find one, it is way too far gone for consideration to restore..
This is the siding just aft of the entry door..do you see a major problem here in regards to how it was installed?? When water would run down the wall, unless the aluminum horizontal trim piece was perfectly sealed..the water would actually run INSIDE to the walls..The brown siding should have the white siding on top of it to shed the water..In this configuration, it would draw it in..And it would be trapped to rot the wood..Come on..a little common sense is really missing here..You tube is loaded with RV repair videos..There is one guy that has a business out of Georgia that specializes in repair of the shoddy workmanship that comes straight from the factory..Especially the roofs that fail during the warranty period ..

[c farmer]

WoW what a project.  I need to replace the ceiling in my bathroom.  Not sure on how to do it but you have me scared now to tear into it. . 

[RockwoodMike]

WoW what a project.  I need to replace the ceiling in my bathroom.  Not sure on how to do it but you have me scared now to tear into it. . 

Believe me, I know what I am doing..I have watched at least a half of a dozen videos on you tube on RV repair :)rotflmao And besides to add to that I played a RV repairman on TV..!!
The only advice from me on the ceiling..Go slow and try to bring down the ceiling in a way that you can use it as a template to make the new ceiling piece..Here is a couple of pics for the front right corner..The second pic shows up into the fender where the 2x4 sill stringer use to be..Nice fresh plywood..Finally!!

[RockwoodMike]

I did get something that I won't have to repair, replace.. These 2 propane tanks feel as if they are full!! Who would have thunk it..That other pic shows that sill again..rotted..
Can't wait to get this all ripped then I can start rebuilding..

[RockwoodMike]

I have real problems now..Investigating that big dent on the drivers side, I found all of this..Everything is just rotted..I think the dash will need to come out to fix this and that involves a bunch..Including removing the front windshield frame..Didn't know it was going to be this bad..

This is going to be a big challenge..I have cut out the instrument panel..Just cut the wiring out as needed..Everything under the dash was just a big hack job of splices and rework..I will rewire this whole thing easy enough..rebuild the dash..Everything

[RockwoodMike]

Oh and by the way...I love a challenge like this!!  It really is'nt going to be hard to do..I spent about 2 hours just looking this all over and how it is put together..

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Oh and by the way...I love a challenge like this!!  It really is'nt going to be hard to do..I spent about 2 hours just looking this all over and how it is put together..

Thanks for all the detailed pictures!  This is a great project, and a lot of people are going to benefit from this as they restore their own Winnebagos.

Kev

[RockwoodMike]

Thanks Kevin..I appreciate your encouragement..I will be taking plenty of pictures..You can look forward to that..Mike

[Rickf1985]

Mike, Here is a video from a couple that is doing the same as you, or they were. They never finished the videos so I have no idea if they finished the project or not but in thid video they show the windshield removal and apparently it is not hard.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc7D6Omq1iQ&feature=youtu.be


Here is part two and three


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RghxnS6VY2Q&t=1s


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT41OLB1c5c&t=33s

[RockwoodMike]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the links!! I did watch this series when I just brought the motorhome home..Thinking that mine will never be that much to do..But video one shows the results of the face removal..You will be seeing mine soon enough..They had the same leaks at the front lower part of the side windows..All plywood in there and that is part of what holds the dash in place..Metal brackets screwed into the plywood..My plywood actually had mushrooms growing out from it!!

Mike

[RockwoodMike]

The last of the 3 videos was uploaded in Jan 2018..Nearly 2 years ago..I don't know what to think..

[Rickf1985]

Yea, it's a shame they did not follow through but from what I can gather they are in the film industry so I am thinking that maybe work got good and either they sold or scrapped it or just got to busy.

[RockwoodMike]

I put the front end up on stands..Those are the Harbor Freight heavy duty stands and I have them all the way down when it comes to the height adjustment..Much safer and it still gave me about 5-6 inches higher than when the wheel was on..I wanted to get under the left wheel well and see what caused the big dent in the side wall and floor board..Pretty sure that a tire blew..The tread caught the emergency brake cable and yanked it down ward..Bending everything..

[RockwoodMike]

That electrical cable for the headlight is not original..Another hack wire repair..And the emergency cable looks yanked..Tire just blew and flung it self all in there

[RockwoodMike]

Here is a shot of it looking forward..Oh YEA!..Then you just take all the parts and put them in the back..Compare these pictures with what I showed at the first of all this!!

[RockwoodMike]

Working on removing the face..The grills are mounted with their own screws..The perimeter trim around the grill does nothing to hold the grill on..The screws around the grills and headlights were pretty much just rusted snap off..They were originally about 1.25 inches long and go all the way to the metal shell..Holding on to the skin of the face..This poor motorhome must have just sat out in the rain without ever having any kind of cover on it

[RockwoodMike]

The skin has a blue foam backer but the foam is not glued to the metal shell..Peels right off..You just slide a 4 inch drywall trowel in between and it lifts right off..
Need to get the windshield frame out now before the face skin comes off..The screws holding the windshield were rusted out along the top edge..Bottom edge screws came right out but the ones along the vertical sides are frozen ..They go into a structural steel piece..I will show that tomorrow.. Maybe get the windshield out tomorrow too..

[Rickf1985]

Are you using one of those smaller impact drivers on the screws? I have found they work wonders on the rusted stuff. As long as the bit has something to grip.

[RockwoodMike]

Hi Rick,
There wasn't anything I could do to work out these screws holding the windshield frame in..The Aluminum frame is screwed to a steel frame of the coach..This created the worst electrolysis welding together that I have ever seen..Using that 4 inch stainless putty trowel, I was able to hammer it in between the 2 metals. Moving it down the frame about 1/2 inch at a time..Finally was able to create a separation between the steel and aluminum..But I had to take a Dremel grinder with one of those flex extensions on it ..And a grinding stone to grind off the head of the screw...

[RockwoodMike]

Using this stone grinder..Shaved off the head of the screw..Then with a chisel, just slightly bend the aluminum frame above the shaft of the screw to clear it..I will straighten the frame later...I just created a 1/8th inch lift to clear the screw..There was 3 screws on each side..Had to do this on all six screws!!

[RockwoodMike]

I was ready to punch it out..The suspense must be killing you!!     placed this rope across the top to catch it if it fell out..I didn't have to worry about that at all!!This frame was so glued in...WOW!!..I just worked around the perimeter as best as I could with a trim knife to cut the seal..Then with a plastic hammer..I worked the bottom of the frame..Just a bunch of real light blows all along the bottom and it started to move!!

[RockwoodMike]

So here I am running in and out of the motorhome..Pounding the frame with the plastic hammer then jumping outside to see how it was going..Finally had enough gap to get my fingers into the bottom edge and I untied the rope..Those center strips at the middle top and bottom of the windshield frame are NOT welded to the frame..But I took the screws out holding them just to wiggle them some to help break the seal of the frame.. Finally popped totally loose and I lifted it down to the ground..It weighs about 75-80 pounds..IT IS OUT!! I did this totally by my self..So if anybody else is doing a project like this and has help..it can be done..

[Rickf1985]

The ones in that video are out in the Arizona desert and I will bet that the unit never left the desert so I will also bet all of the seals and caulk on theirs was dried out plus no water to cause the electrolysis. That is probably why theirs just came right out.

[RockwoodMike]

In those videos, it was shown the same damage to the front corners from water getting in..Saying that the windshield frame just popped out..I am not buying that..After going through what I have done so far..it is a TON of work..All of those screws that had to be ground off..etc..It is not as easy she was making it sound even in the best of conditions..
If anyone is thinking of doing this same project..You are in for some work..But do it slowly and walk away for awhile if you get flustered..DO NOT reach for a bigger hammer if something is not coming apart like you hoped it would..This motorhome was put together very quickly in a factory new setting..For this one, it has been 46 years since..All that time to rot and rust..Just be patient with it..It is actually faster to go slow with it ..If you are trying to rip it apart fast, you will screw things up which will take longer to repair..Okay..let me hop down off my soapbox..
The water nozzles and the pivot points for the windshield wipers need to come off ..Here is the laid out parts