1978 Royale Update and Restoration

Well it's a big decision to go full-gut, but at least you won't have any mysteries left. You've already had your coach longer and done more than all the gut-and-run folks that everyone worries about. I've got full confidence you'll get this thing fully transformed.

It's nice to be able to see everything out in the open. It looks like your insulation isn't too bad, but there are definitely some small areas that could be fortified. I'd like to be able to fully redo insulation and PEX plumbing, but can't really take it out of commission for that long. I don't want to miss out on camping for any extended period while the kids are young, so we're in the mod-as-you-go group. It's more work in the long run, always taking things apart, making small improvements, and putting it all back again.
 
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Well it's a big decision to go full-gut, but at least you won't have any mysteries left. You've already had your coach longer and done more than all the gut-and-run folks that everyone worries about. I've got full confidence you'll get this thing fully transformed.

It's nice to be able to see everything out in the open. It looks like your insulation isn't too bad, but there are definitely some small areas that could be fortified. I'd like to be able to fully redo insulation and PEX plumbing, but can't really take it out of commission for that long. I don't want to miss out on camping for any extended period while the kids are young, so we're in the mod-as-you-go group. It's more work in the long run, always taking things apart, making small improvements, and putting it all back again.
I'm teetering on the fence about doing the floors, since everything is out. They aren't "bad" but they aren't great either. I have to replace some of them anyway...so the "while I'm in there" scope creep starts to grow. Thankfully (I guess?) we've been buying things we need all along, so my spend at this point is already a sunk cost. Which means two things...I'm pot committed to getting it back together and I don't really have any more surprises left! The ONE mechanical system I've not touched is the fuel system...and that would be nice and exposed without flooring...hmmmm....

:D:D
 
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I'm teetering on the fence about doing the floors, since everything is out. They aren't "bad" but they aren't great either. I have to replace some of them anyway...so the "while I'm in there" scope creep starts to grow. Thankfully (I guess?) we've been buying things we need all along, so my spend at this point is already a sunk cost. Which means two things...I'm pot committed to getting it back together and I don't really have any more surprises left! The ONE mechanical system I've not touched is the fuel system...and that would be nice and exposed without flooring...hmmmm....

:D:D

My floors were toast. I was worried about ripping them up but it's not that bad in later models. No routing required in the living area at least. You get access to the tanks, hoses, body pads etc. You also get a chance to replace the aluminium and polyiso underfloor. I also repaired the wheel wells while they were out.

A rebuild from the frame up is a massive energy commitment as Matt said. Occasionally I wake in the middle of the night wondering what on earth I've started. ;)
 
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We did a similiar strip. While everything was out we attended a local rally. That night it rained HARD. I took a flashlight and a magic marker and marked all of the leaks. Fixed those leaks before I began reassembly. Most of the leaks were around the original windows, up at the top of the window. JFWIW
 
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My floors were toast. I was worried about ripping them up but it's not that bad in later models. No routing required in the living area at least. You get access to the tanks, hoses, body pads etc. You also get a chance to replace the aluminium and polyiso underfloor. I also repaired the wheel wells while they were out.

A rebuild from the frame up is a massive energy commitment as Matt said. Occasionally I wake in the middle of the night wondering what on earth I've started. ;)
I'm there too. but we carry on. I've built houses, done more than my fair share of remodelling, restored vehicles, tractors, motorcycles, etc. All that to say, I kinda know what I'm in for. I know there will be times when my motivation wans...but I also know to keep moving, you need to do something every day, no matter how small. Might just be sitting on your ass researching ideas or buying stuff...but make progress.
 
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I'm there too. but we carry on. I've built houses, done more than my fair share of remodelling, restored vehicles, tractors, motorcycles, etc. All that to say, I kinda know what I'm in for. I know there will be times when my motivation wans...but I also know to keep moving, you need to do something every day, no matter how small. Might just be sitting on your ass researching ideas or buying stuff...but make progress.

Well if you've built a vehicle and you've built a house you'll be fine. Just do both at the same time. :)
 
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Strength to the sword arm, Mike. There's a lot of people rooting for you while you get on with it. And, of course, to reverse the old saying: "If Mama's happy, we're all happy."
 
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I'm leaning toward replacing the floors now. I had a local distributor quote me 5 sheets of Coosa board and its not as ridiculous as I thought it would be...Its more than plywood, but not insanely so (about $1,700 total). Gotta think a bit more about it and go look at the coach again to decide if I really want to go that deep.
 
I'm NOT going to replace my floor. Its 90% good, so I'll be cutting some sections out and replacing pieces instead. I have about 4 places that need some attention. When we got the coach, we had a pretty major leak around the driver side windows, where the front of the "cab" meets the body of the coach. I've since gotten that sealed up, and my floors are dry, but the damage is done. The floors are soft and flakey there.

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There are a couple small areas around the water heater and shower that need to be fixed as well. Finally, I removed my rear storage bin yesterday so I can rebuild it to hold 2, 20lb propane tanks. Glad I did, as the back corner is completely gone.

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I will need to do some work to the floors there too. Basically, anywhere there was water stored in this coach, the floors need some attention (the water tank lives right next to that plywood box). I'm going to try and get this done by Thanksgiving. Its closing in on time to move my project into the heated barn from the storage barn.
 
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I had a section in my old coach that was kinda flakey like that, but seemed like mostly just in the top layer or two. It was a small isolated portion of a large panel, so I opted not to replace it. Instead, I soaked it repeatedly with wood hardener and filled it in with some high-performance wood putty to smooth things out. It felt really solid afterwards, and I was pretty pleased with the results.
 
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Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and my floors still aren't fixed. Thanksgiving holiday was kind of a bust. We went to my in-laws (500 miles away) to celebrate my father-in-laws 90th birthday. Then EVERYONE (except me) caught Covid. So, I cooked thanksgiving dinner for all the invalids ( :) ) and tried to nurse them back to health as well as I could, while still protecting myself. Everyone is healthy again, my wife and I are back home, and I've been plucking away at this project after work at night.

I had to add some height to the old storage box where a GMC floorplan would have a propane tank. My old box was 19.5 inches and I went to 21. Rebuilt the sides and back, which were rotted anyway. Then, since the box was uninsulated before, I found some 3/4" thick XPS Foam to put in the "cavity" created by the blocking used to hold the box together. Finally, I found some plastic sheet in the FRP aisle at Menards that I used to line the box, vs the galvanized sheet metal. This is an experiment. The stuff was cheap (like 20 bucks for a 4 x 8 sheet) and its pretty easy to work with. You glue it down with FRP glue. Its bright white and really lightens up the area that was very dark with the sheetmetal there. I'm thinking on using it in all the little cubbies and storage areas in my rebuilt. Need to check how well it does with thermal variances though.

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The box, insulated with Foam

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Planning on tackling the floors this weekend. I have one screw to that needs to be drilled out on the drivers side "door panel" so I can get to the edge of the floor there. That project should be relatively quick, but we all know how that goes. I'm planning on using my router to create a rabbet for the edges of the replacement wood to set on, so I can have a nice solid floor in the repair areas.
 
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Got most of my rotten flooring cut out today. Step one was just getting the garbage out. I have a couple of 4" squares, a 16 x 12 piece, I took 2" all the way around the shower area, and about a 72" x 12" piece that was under the kitchen to replace. That is just in the main living area I still need to get the wood out under the driver's seat. I used my multi tool for this and was pretty happy with how it worked. I was bummed that I had to pull my water heater to get the wood underneath it though. When I put the new tank in (after a bone headed mistake my first winter), I attached it like it should have been permanent. I got it off, but holy cow. I guess I know how I'm going to re-mount it again. I used a layer of butyl rubber, 1/4" aluminum rivets, then caulked the seams. That thing was sealed up tighter than Aunt Edna's pocketbook.

Step two is going to be routing a half lap joint into the plywood to create a flange for the replacement floor to be glued and screwed into the old floor. That, and using some construction adhesive on the aluminum structure underneath should give me a nice, solid floor again.

Once this is all done, I have a couple other areas to use some wood hardener on and then will put Kilz on the whole shooting match to try and keep any of the old stinky smells trapped in the wood...and hopefully prevent any more rot in the future.

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Mike,
I got some 1" marine plywood from Menards (one of our local big box stores out of Minnesota) to do my floors. And you should look at some of the penetrating epoxies that are out there. I use products from the Rot Doctor up in the pacific northwest. He started out fixing old boats which have a lot of rot issues as well as under water situations. Kilz is a fine product but it's shellac based and doesn't do that well in wet areas. There are lots of penetrating epoxies out there which will serve you better.
 
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Mike,
I got some 1" marine plywood from Menards (one of our local big box stores out of Minnesota) to do my floors. And you should look at some of the penetrating epoxies that are out there. I use products from the Rot Doctor up in the pacific northwest. He started out fixing old boats which have a lot of rot issues as well as under water situations. Kilz is a fine product but it's shellac based and doesn't do that well in wet areas. There are lots of penetrating epoxies out there which will serve you better.
Thanks for the heads up on Menards. I saw they offered 1” thick sheathing. How bad were the voids in that? I would prefer ACB, or ACX at a minimum.

I’m planning on penetrating epoxy already. I just recently discovered there was such a thing, so thanks for that tip too!
 
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I bought a single 4x8 sheet of 5-quarter marine plywood from Menards. Spendy but not ridiculous. No problem with voids that I could find when I routed out the lands for the metal.
 
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Doug,
If you did find voids in the core, you should have returned the sheet. Plywood is largely graded on the surfaces, but both marine and aircraft are not allowed to have voids in the core. There actually a stack of rules about this that as a boat builder I had to understand. It come is three parts, surfaces, core (including layer count) and bonding. I can't find the file right now, but an internet search should.
Matt_C
 
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Since I'm using penetrating epoxy, I'm going to just laminate two sheets of half inch together. A series of drywall screws every 6 or 8 inches makes for good clamping. The epoxy will fill the holes back in once I remove the screws and prevent me from ruining good carbide endmills in my router.

Speaking of routers, every good project requires a new tool purchase (or three) right? On that note, I bought myself a plunge router. Its something I've wanted for a while and it will make this project go much smoother.

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Also picked up a deluxe router guide for it. Doing circles has always been a challenge so the guide should help with that.

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