Removal of back of Wildcat

[Mike Crouch]

Hi! My 2006 FR Wildcat has just been diagnosed with a leak in the back section, causing the interior wall to deteriorate. $6K was the estimate to fix, but I have had two technicians tell me that it is not all that difficult to removal the rear wall and replace the wood frame, reseal, put it back together, etc. Versus $6K, it seems like a good try to me, but I am wondering if anyone out there has 1) done such a type of major repair and can give me any hints, and 2) are there any DIY type manuals that describe how to do this,

Any help or hints are appreciated,
Mike

[Geaux]

What is the value of your TT, you may want to take that $6000,and use it to up grade.Every time i try something like this it costs more than the original estimate, hidden damage,that said go for it.

[dnaraG_1M]

Originally Posted by Mike Crouch

Hi! My 2006 FR Wildcat has just been diagnosed with a leak in the back section, causing the interior wall to deteriorate. $6K was the estimate to fix, but I have had two technicians tell me that it is not all that difficult to removal the rear wall and replace the wood frame, reseal, put it back together, etc. Versus $6K, it seems like a good try to me, but I am wondering if anyone out there has 1) done such a type of major repair and can give me any hints, and 2) are there any DIY type manuals that describe how to do this,

Any help or hints are appreciated,
Mike

Don't know if I can help or not, but am in the middle of
that job right now. Bought a 2001 Cherokee and wasn't
smart enough to check the right places. Left rear corner
and front are all rotted.

Found that the floor is 5/32" plywood and the structural
members are 1.5"x3" and 1"x1.5". A bit different than my
past experience, so had to mill down some 2x4s. Do you
have a way to get the proper size structural members?

As you can see, it IS possible to make the structural
repairs, but be ready for a fair amount of work! Also,
be prepared for surprises. With the corner support
rotted out, the left rear corner wall sagged about
1/2" and needed a jack stud to move it to the correct
position before the repair.

[Hope to be done by spring so I can use it for the FIRST
time........]

Good luck whichever way you choose to go. I am not
aware of any specific howto manual, but the web is full
of videos - think "youtube" - where folks are restoring RVs.
[example:

]Restoring The Deville Part 30 - YouTube

cheers,
johnd

[Mike Crouch]

Thanks Geaux and johnd! I will take a look for videos on removing the back. I think I will try to do it myself, I definitely agree that it is not worth $6K to fix. So my son and I are going to tear it down. I will take pics and post them for what it's worth!
Mike C

[dnaraG_1M]

Originally Posted by Mike Crouch

Thanks Geaux and johnd! I will take a look for videos on removing the back. I think I will try to do it myself, I definitely agree that it is not worth $6K to fix. So my son and I are going to tear it down. I will take pics and post them for what it's worth!
Mike C

Hey,have at it!.....
It will cost you some, but can't imagine 6K$.
That cost must be mostly labor.

Be sure to get plenty of new square drive screws.
If you have serious rot, the old ones will probably
be rusted beyond reuse. I am also going to replace
the insulation with rigid foam and consider a vapor
barrier. Might be possible to improve things......

The only thing I haven't found is a source for the
luan panels that will match my existing ones. You
might want to check on that. If any of the panels
have delaminated, they will need to be replaced.

good luck,
johnd

[Mike Crouch]

Johnd; thx for the reply - I wish I were in Austin instead of Pittsburgh, my only problem is finding a place to work on it over the winter...but I will take some time and do some research.

[dnaraG_1M]

Originally Posted by Mike Crouch

Johnd; thx for the reply - I wish I were in Austin instead of Pittsburgh, my only problem is finding a place to work on it over the winter...but I will take some time and do some research.

HA! Understand that. Having lived thru Iowa winters
when I was younger, I recognize that having to take
the tarp off and on every time is a beach but nowhere
near as tough as having to fire up the snow blower
just to get to the TT!!!

Just finished the structural repair on the 1st rotted
area. [I'm sloooow] A couple of weeks to recover
from surgery and I'll try to find some appropriate
wall panels.....and then move on to the next rotten
section. The more I look, the more I find.
Such fun......*NOT*.

cheers
john