Opinions on resealing trailer top

[Justin]

Hello all,

I just purchased a 73 Travelcader this week, and I think I’ve decided to start on the exterior while the weather is nice and move to the interior when it gets colder. I need some opinions on the top of the trailer. The seams have been taped over a 4” tape and then the whole top rolled over with some sort of thick sealant, and it slopped over everything up there. It looks as though it has seen better days, but I don’t have much experience with this and I don’t think it has been leaking. In your experiences, is this something I should mess with? Would the existing sealant need to be removed before a new one was applied, and if so how? I’m attaching a picture to the bottom of this post as well, no matter what I do it wants to the site wants to load it upside down.

[KYAvion]

Try giving it a good wash and see how it looks. If there are no bad cracks or peeling, you may be fine leaving it alone. Many of us tape the seams with Eternabond and follow up with a coating.

[Razorback]

Justin, we can probably agree that what's up there on the roof might be functional, but it's not very aesthetically pleasing, right? It CAN be made to look very nice AND be functional.

If I was dealing with your roof, I would pressure wash it first and get it as clean as possible. Then would check to see if any silicone was used anywhere and get rid of it because nothing you want to cover it with wants to stick to silicone. If you can get it good and clean and decide that the old coating doesn't need to be removed, you're ready to start covering it all with something different. I chose to use reRubber's Rubberized Primer and then finished with their Cool Top Coat. (We are currently in Baton Rouge...... enjoying the reflective quality of the roof!).
If you think the old coating needs to be removed, you are looking at a LOT of time and effort with a heat gun and a scraper. THEN you will have a blank slate to work with.

I still have access to a large amount of both of the reRubber products and can offer them at a good price. I did some rough figuring to get you a couple of gallons of each product shipped to you...... would be in the neighborhood of $275..... that is $55 per gallon ($220), and shipping ($54). I am just throwing that out there, but wanted to give you an idea of what it would cost for materials to fix that mess (not including your time and effort).
For the refrigerator vent cover, I was able to use this one from Vintage Trailer Supply:
https://vintagetrailersupply.com/airstr ... r-vts-402/

It required some "forming" of the sheet metal at the top of the vent, but it worked nicely!

As mentioned earlier, if you need to seal around any vents or other things sticking through the roof, I would highly recommend the Eternabond Alumibond sealant tape to use first, then cover it all with the other coatings. Once you are finished, you can forget about your roof. https://www.bestmaterials.com/detail.aspx?ID=14791

[Justin]

Awesome. Thanks @Razorback . You’re right, it’s a bit of an eyesore up there. When the time comes to start up there, I’ll give it a good pressure washing and see where we stand. It’ll probably be next on the list after trying to get the windows redone. The previous owners covered every opening with duct tape or metal flashing (I’m assuming to keep critters out), so all the vents look ratty. It’s going to be fun to try and get off petrified duct tape. I took it off the fridge cover and provided I can get it cleaned up, it wasn’t in terrible shape. There was a large dent that I’m reasonably sure I can get out. What should I look for in terms of whether or not the previous coating needs to come up?

Before putting this thing into service I’ll be looking into adding an AC as well, which on this trailer will probably mean cutting a hole. Anything I should take into consideration there in terms of order?

[Razorback]

Justin, I think a good pressure washing (with the "delicate" tip) would be plenty indication of whether the current coating is stuck good to the roof. If most or all of it is sticking good, there's no need to remove all of it (I cannot imagine the current coating being silicone.... I would expect that around vents and other protrusions, though.... seems to be people's go-to sealer.)

Do you know the previous owner or can you find out what the current coating is?

If I were you, just to know that the job has been done right, I would re-do the sealing around every vent and vent pipe. Between that and the roof sealing, once that job is done, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing it is sealed well and if it rains and you're in the trailer, you can just sit or lay there and enjoy the sound of rain on the roof, rather than worrying about IF it's leaking somewhere.

[RISK]

Justin,

In order to add an AC you will certainly have to cut a hole as it looks like you lack one.
I am almost certain that the trailer was built for the installation of an AC in that there should be a pair of ribs about 14" apart just forward of the middle of the coach. You could tell by interior rivet lines running from the curbside to the street side. From there you'd find the center (L to R) and start small. Once you get to the ribs, that should be a bit more than 14" fore to aft, then square the hole left to right in the same dimensions.
Be cautious as there may (hopefully) be a 110 v wire ran to that location. If not, you'll have to run it down the wall to the inverter.
This sounds like wishful thinking, but I can't imagine they'd have built your trailer without the provision of an Air Conditioner being added.

Although, tis could be a great time to consider a mini-split... When I get to my Airstream, I will absolutely add a mini-split instead of a rooftop mount. If my Avion lacked an AC and I was in full restore mode, I'd add one to it. I am going to install one on my Silver Streak when the funds and time coincide.


Perhaps try to get Chuck Cayo on the phone and ask him his thoughts on the trailer being built with AC in mind, again, I can't imagine it wasn't. But do buy something from him if you can, maybe some mid-belt line moulding insert? He is a fount of knowledge and very generous with his time when you can get him on the phone.

Best of luck and keep the questions coming...

Ian