decodancer said:
Thanks guys! I never thought of building up the height where I attach the vent. Adding the piece inside will definitely give it more strength to bolt in. Is there any reason why I could not bolt in from the inside just because I like the look of a flat top instead of a nut showing. I may try building up the area around but worried about the weight and cost of that much Bondo. That may be the only way to keep it from running off the front though. Now if we could just get a sunny day with temps above freezing... Where did you find the sliding windows, I'd love to add those as well.
Greetings!
You could put the bolts through in reverse fashion, but it makes it harder to seal, and if they ever need a little tightening, it would have to be done from the outside and probably in the rain.
Bondo doesn't really work well with fiberglass, you would basically have to do a re-fiberglass job, like repairing a boat, then re-gelcoat everything, and you're talking a major and very expensive job.
You want to be careful about trying to force the whole roof back into it's original position too. It might be brittle enough to crack and/or break, and then you've opened up a whole new can of worms.
I didn't go into it, but what I do is make an interior molding of coroplast (plastic cardboard), it's light weight, durable, and water proof. It will be made just like one of the plywood pieces, just slightly larger, so that the outer most edge will fit flush up against your ceiling, totally hiding the plywood and bolts. You make it out of multiple layers of coroplast. The first layer(s) the center whole will actually fit around the outside of the interior plywood, flush against the ceiling, This outer diameter will be the same size the new layers you will be adding will be.
Your next layers, will be basically the same design as the plywood, with the bolt holes. This will cover up the interior nuts and bolts. Your final layer will not have the bolt holes, so they will now be hidden.
Once this is all put together, you can either upholster it, or what I do is get some woodgrain self stick vinyl shelf paper, and cover it with that. I try to pick something that will look nice and lend itself to the existing interior.
Once completed, you can attach it to the plywood with finishing screws and finishing upholstery washers, and you will have a totally professional and gorgeous installation that nobody will ever know was a repair job.
I have done this on half a million dollar motorhomes, and nobody ever knew it was a repair job from either inside or outside.
Holler if my directions aren't clear enough.
My side windows came that way, I didn't install them.
Water pooling on the roofs happens a lot and is basically just something that we have to live with, because repairing it CORRECTLY would basically require redesigning and replacing the whole roof which would probably cost more than what most rigs are worth. So simply repairing the leaks is the most cost effective way to go.
To solve the problem of water coming into the cab, get you a pair of those plastic rain visors that attach to your doors. They will give you the added benefit of being able to leave your front windows cracked, even in the rain.
And always remember: If you're not a Happy Camper, it CAN be fixed!
Cheers!
The CamperVan_Man
My high top ford used to be an ice cream truck. My guess is it also had a roof air installed at some point. There is an indent of about 3/4 inch where the ac used to be and where the roof vent is now. Every time it rains, water collects in the area and leaks in through the vent. I've tried everything to seal it but it still drips. When I move the van a wall of water runs down the windshield. If I forget that it rained and roll my drivers side window down I get soaked. I tried building an interior wall to see if I could push the indent up but it didn't work. I thought I might take the vent out and fiberglass over the 14x14 hole or could install a larger escape hatch. I thought maybe a larger vent might help but it might make it worse. Do any of you have any ideas? I left my clean laundry in the van the other day and snow melt from the roof soaked everything. I added pictures, the vent is broken from a mechanic who was sure the van would fit but it leaked before it was broken .
