Rebuilding front end

[mark_5111393]

Hello campers,

I have found areas of moisture in the front end of my caravan. Areas are as follows;

Front shelf above window - along entire shelf, can poke finger through shelf....

Front lower shelf below window - near side corner only feels spongy.

I would like to start these repairs soon, so would appreciate any help.

What I am after is to speak to someone who has undertaken these sort of repairs before. I understand people are not keen to spend hours typing out a guide for me perhaps we could take on msn or email if that would be easier.

Contact details:

Madocks@ntlworld.com (email or msn messenger)

 

[John_5126532]

Hi Mark

I bought my Ace Jubilee Rallyman earlier this year which suffered the same problem as yours. I've finished rebuilding the front end as most of the structural timbers had rotted due to rail seals failing.

After initially spending some time trying to get at things from the inside, I soon came to the conclusion that the van had been built from the "inside-out", so the best solution was to completely remove the front plastic moulding. This took a couple of hours but exposed all the hidden problem areas. When you strip down your van, take lots of photos and make sketches for future reference, and don't throw any timbers away then you'll have a pattern for remaking new ones.

You'll probably find that most of the framework is joined using staples (hundreds of the rusty blighters!!) but to make a proper job I've drilled and dowelled the new timbers; time consuming and requiring some degree of accuracy but well worth the extra effort!

To keep costs down the new sections of wallboard I had to replace (3mm ply) were bought from a timber merchant, the finish doesn't exactly match the original but I've wallpapered the inside of the 'van and it now looks like new!. The top and bottom front shelves weren't damaged like yours, just had to replace the top shelf's underside panel as this had to be removed to replace some of the structure. I covered this with fablon to match existing woodgrain finish.

Before decorating the inside I also replaced the front and side window seal rubbers, I bought these directly from the manufacturer, Baines... much cheaper than the suppliers..

The whole process has taken about 4-5 months and has cost just over

 

[chris_5068897]

Mark I have replied by email as suggested, to avoid a long post