83 Starcraft Rotten Wood In Rear

[owntime]

I need to replace the rear wood support for canvas in an 83 StarCraft.

The whole board is rotted out and the canvas needs a new attachment support.

Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks for the help.
Clark

[brainpause]

Check for wood rot in other places too. This vintage is beginning to be known for wood rot, and I personally believe it is because the bottom of the trailer is covered with an aluminum sheet, not allowing wet wood to breathe.

I don't think it will provide many tips, if any, but maybe some of the pics of my Starcraft Restoration will help.

Larry

[owntime]

Hi Larry,

I veiwed all of the restoration pics an you have done an awesome job.

Your pup looks exactly like mine inside and out (same colors too).

The only major thing I need to do at this time is to replace the inner support board for the rear canvas to attach to the pup.

The last trip we took (Luckily, it crapped out when we were packing up).
the whole back canvas pulled out and fell on the bed.

I have heard that I need a 1X4 to replace the bad wood and re-do.

What do you think?

Thank You for all of the input.

Clark

[austinado16]

Welcome Clark,
You must be talking about the end verticle facing wood in the roof right?

The problem with these (just did my own roof) is that the seal between the aluminum roof trim along the bottom of the roof, and the aluminum roof siding on the roof goes bad.  Water runs off the rear or front of the roof, hits that edge, runs in under the trim and then says hello to the particle board plywood that makes up the inside of the roof structure.

The particle board wicks up the water, becoming a sponge, begins to rot, turn into muck, wicking more water as it does, and pretty soon you have a roof that is basically hollow on the ends, and sometimes even on the front or rear sides.....as was the case in mine.

The solution is to pop off the dark brown plastic trim strips, then under that you'll find clutch head (square opening in the screw head) screws.  Remove these  and carefully flex the roof side edging back a little.  On the underside of the roof, remove the black rubber gasket in the area you'll be working.  It just pulls down carefully.  Now you'll find more clutch head screws so take them out along that whole rear verticle panel, and down the sides of the roof too so you can let that bottom trim piece fall out of your way.

Next, you'll be doing the same thing to the roof's center metal trim......pop off the plastic brown insert, remove screws, carefully bend trim up.

The verticle end wood is air stapled to the verticle side wood and to a 1x1 crossmember that is in the top corner of the roof laying horizontally.  You're going to peel up the outer aluminum roof skin on that verticle piece to expose the rot.  It's probably bad enough that you can use a metal scraper and scrape the rotted particle board out.  Remove staples as you progress. Remove your extruded aluminum rail that the canvas mounted to inside the roof.  As you scrap, try not to crease, cut or damage that white inside ceiling metal!!

1/2" exterior grade plywood or OSB is what you'll use to replace that board.  Apply the best exterior grade construction adheasive you can find to the top and side edges, and either air staple them or galvanize sheetrock screw them to the camper's existing wood.  Once you have the replacement board mounted, you need to glue the roof skin to it.  Again, use the construction adheasive and clamp with clamps and long boards so the roof skin is smoothly glued down.  It will need to set like this for 24hrs.

Once the glue has had a chance to dry, undo your clamps and it's time to put back all the trim pieces.  Replace the rotted out clutch head screws with stainless philips for the center roof trim, and upper side trim.  Replace the brittle brown plastic (vinyl) trim insert with a roll of new stuff.  Replace the clutch head screws that held the bottom roof trim with some galvanized sheetrock screws.  Put the black gasket back in place

Now go around with matching colored silicone and lay a bead down on all your roof seams.

.......and your done.

Clear as mud?

[brainpause]

Glad austinado jumped in here, because I did no roof work on mine.

Larry

[owntime]

Thanks to all for the help, I will attempt the repair this weekend and report back.

Take care,

Clark

[austinado16]

Thanks to all for the help, I will attempt the repair this weekend and report back.

Take care,

Clark

You can read about my starcraft roof repair and you'll get a bit more info and some photos.  Mine was very screwed up.  The entire front board had turned to muck, as had about 18" of both side boards from where they met the front board.  

To make matters worse, the previous (original) owner had taken some 1x6 redwood planks and simply bolted them to the inside front and top of the roof using 5/16" bolts that he ran right through the outside skin of the roof.

Of course the leaking continued eating about 2' of the center 1x1 wood stringer that runs down the middle of the roof from the front board to the vent.  The ceiling panels which are 1/8" thick "Luan" plywood with a vinyl wallpaper like material were also rotted buckled and the vinyl was all blistering.

Water also got on the canvas rotting and staining it, and the aluminum inside ceiling skin on that front board was actually electrolocized and eaten away.

Oh, and water got in left front corner of the camper box, rotting out the corner and causing the front right area of the box to fall away about 1/2".

Needless to say; it was a disaster and a lot of work to fix.  I found that 1-1/2" long and 3" long galvanized sheetrock screws and PL400 construction adheasive were my 2 best friends.  A jigsaw and variable speed drill that I could drill and install screws with, were the 2 main power tools.  I wound up screwing the roof and front corner back together rather than using the staple technique that the factory had used.  As a result, the roof and box are actually stronger then they were before the repair.

Just take your time and try to think in terms of "long-term-sound-very-structural-repair" because you'll probably only get one shot at it.  Once you get stuff glued and screwed there's no going back!

I saved the black rubber roof gasket, so if you wind up needing that, let me know.  I also saved all the lift system pulleys, water tank, converter, front door step, license plate light assembly, rear bunk canvas, and the 2 pieces of extruded channel on the trailer body where the stove and table clip on.

[ScouterMom]

Clark -

I also had to do the same type of repair - twice - years ago I replaced a roof sidewall of my tiny 1976 Starlette camper, which I sold in 2005.  This spring I bought a much larger 1973 Starmaster 6 - which needed much more extensive repairs - it's an ongoing project - but the first projects were just to get it into minumum camping condition - replace the rear roof wall and the corners of the floor where it had rotted right out from under the roof lifter posts!

I tried to take alot of photos - so if any of them help you - feel free to browse. (just click on the photo to go to my albums)



Austinado gave you some good directions.  It's not hard, just time consuming - and you have to be careful to notice how you take everything apart, so you can put it back together again.  that's why it's helpful to take digital photos as you go along - if you can't remember, you can always look back at the photos to figure out how to re-assemble things.


laura

[brainpause]

...and you have to be careful to notice how you take eerything apart, so you can put it back together again.  that's why it's helpful to take digital photos as you go along - if you can't remember, you can always look back at the photos to figure out how to re-assemble things.


laura

Speaking of which, do you have photos of the stove? The metal parts that sit on top of the burners were held in place with small metal spring wires, but I can't for the life of me figure out how they go back in there!!

Larry

[austinado16]

Speaking of which, do you have photos of the stove? The metal parts that sit on top of the burners were held in place with small metal spring wires, but I can't for the life of me figure out how they go back in there!!

Larry

That "L" shaped end of the wire goes up over the "ring" of the burner grate and into the hole in the stove surface.  The "V" portion of the wire goes under the "Fin" of the burner grate.  The "curly" portion of the wire then goes back over the "ring" part of the burner.  Very tough to install.

[brainpause]

That "L" shaped end of the wire goes up over the "ring" of the burner grate and into the hole in the stove surface.  The "V" portion of the wire goes under the "Fin" of the burner grate.  The "curly" portion of the wire then goes back over the "ring" part of the burner.  Very tough to install.

You the man!

And to think that I carried this PU to storage yesterday....Guess I'll worry about it this time next year.

Larry

[ScouterMom]

my camper is up in Camp driveway right now - in fact I SHOULD be out there working on it right now.....

If I remember, I'll take some photos of the stove burners  so you can see how they work. (If they are the same as yours - they haven't changed stoves all that much over the years)

Have you really put your camper away for the year already?  :confused:  there's months of good camping weather left yet!
 :S
Laura

[brainpause]

my camper is up in Camp driveway right now - in fact I SHOULD be out there working on it right now.....

If I remember, I'll take some photos of the stove burners  so you can see how they work. (If they are the same as yours - they haven't changed stoves all that much over the years)

Have you really put your camper away for the year already?  :confused:  there's months of good camping weather left yet!
 :S
Laura

No, we camp in a 2007 Starcraft hybrid. The 84 Starcraft is a loaner for friends, and is in storage about 20 miles away, and not easy to get to.

Larry

[owntime]

Well, here it is almost 7 months and I have not done a dang thing to the pop up.

I have been working 6-7 days a week since my last post and need to fix the dang thing so I can go camping and get a day off.

I just wanted to say thanks for all of the input and hopefully I can get the thing ready to go here soon.

Thanks, take care and god bless.

Clark