DEMOLITION
Day 1: I started tearing the interior of the RV out first. There was a ton of mold and rotten wood that will have to be replaced. I started with the furniture and fixtures. Then I took out the interior walls and insulation. The back wall was so rotten that it disintegrated and literally fell off. I will continue with the floor, the interior roof, exterior roof and siding. The wall framing will most likely have to be replaced. Both wheel wells are rotted through so they will have to be rebuilt.
The previous owner cut the supports out of the overhang above the cab and I’m not sure why. That whole overhang will have to be replaced (I wrote that before I realized I was going to tear the entire camper down LOL).
Day 2: This week I filled up 15 trash bags and 12 garbage cans with material from the RV. I’ve also started piling up all the scrap including the siding, heater, water heater, oven and sink. The only thing that will be re-used is the tub/shower/sink.
When I started to tear down the ceiling it was still wet from all the leaks (even though it has been garaged for 10 months).
Day 3: The RV has become a flatbed truck. I tore everything down since there was so much rotten wood and mold. I used a bobcat to get the A/C off the roof. Since everything was so rusted it was easier to cut the walls down in 3-4 foot sections. I will tear up the floor next and then do some mechanical work on the truck. I probably won’t start rebuilding the box until January. First I want to do the brakes, suspension and rebuild the engine. I will probably also repaint the cab before I build the box so that I can paint the roof of the cab before it is blocked.
Day 4: This is the end of the major tear down. I took out all the rotten flooring. I also had to remove the components that were attached under the body including the propane tank, waste tank and gray water tank. I was really nervous about the propane tank being 40 years old and 3/4 full. I didn’t blow up though, don’t worry. All the metal was rusted through and most of the wood was rotten around the edges. I could see all the mouse tunnels in the insulation and I even found some corn and walnuts. Once the flooring was gone I could see where they added on to the end of the van. The van floor ended right before where the bathroom was. That means the bathroom had no extra sub floor, only the paper thin sheet of galvanized steel. The welds where they added on the extra frame are cracked and the whole thing is sagging toward the rear.
When the engine is removed I am going to see about sandblasting and repainting the frame. I also want to get the outside of the cab repainted before I build the new camper.
