I am in need of a replacement storage compartment door for my 2000 Rockwood Freedon 1910. It appears to be made of ABS plastic and has some cracks. We're taking on water! The base section that goes in the rough opening is kind of flimsy. If I can't find a replacement for a reasonable price, I plan on beefing it up with fiberglass resin and cloth. Have any of you DIY repair folks (most people that read these) ever tackled this? Will the fiberglass resin adhere to the ABS plastic if I clean it with acetone and rough it? It looks like the PO did some repairs with some hinges that he found at the dump and went crazy with pop rivets. Any help would be appreciated. My poor PUP has a gaping hole in the front end and is sitting under a tarp. :'(
Thanks a bunch
I couldn't find a picture of a 2000 Rockwood Freedom 1910, but found some slightly newer ones (2002-2004). Based on the pics I found and your description, it seems like you may be referring to the top hatch/lid rather than the side doors.
If it's the top lid and it's entirely ABS, I have no experience with that, sorry.
If you are, however, talking about the side doors and it's like the ones I'm seeing in the 2002-2004 photos, it looks like it might be somewhat easy to rebuild one with the existing trim and a fiberglass->luan->foam->luan->fiberglass sandwich. That's how all my storage hatches seem to have been constructed.
You could also have one custom made. These people apparently can/will make them any size you need:
http://www.pellandent.com/RV_P.....egoryID=97
Their "SCFM" item looks like the side cargo area door I see on the '02-'04 1910's I found pictures of. They seem to be pretty expensive, and it looks like you're trying to avoid that.
Thanks for the reply Twstdpear. It is the top hatch cover. 18 1/2" deep and 51 1/2" wide. I found a company here in Atlanta that is sending me a quote, but I'm guessing in the neighborhood of $1K. I am also getting a quote from Peco Campers, who is getting a quote from Rockwood. I picked up the materials tonight at Home Depot and i think I am going to have a go at it. The hatch cover actually covers the flange portion entirelely and has a rubber gasket that seals it. I have about $50 in materials and it was leaking pretty bad so I figure anything that I do will be an improvement. I will post pics of the finished product unless it is really ugly. Happy Camping!
Diamond plate sounds good. I bet that looks great too. I had a piece of "nicely prepared" wood in mind----Until I read the previous post. Although the wood "could" look very good also if finished right. Fiberglass----I think that could look good also if finished right, but with the lenght of the lid, and no real bracing underneath, fiberglass might not hold up.
I do like the idea of diamond plate.
I dont have a nice storage area up front like your Rockwood, but if I ever get one, I think I will replace the lid with diamond plate right away.
Iver seen the Diamon Plate ones and they're impressive. Unfortunately, I need to get this one done pretty quick with as little expense as possible. I am on the 3rd appliction of fiberglass and cloth. The hatch itself is ABS plastic and reinforded pretty good. It's just the edges that are starting to crack. It is actually looking pretty good at this point. Once I get both pieces thickened up, sanded and painted, I will start matching them up with hinges and a seal. I'm definitely not ready to restore a Corvette, but this stuff is surprisingly easy to work with. Pics to follow. (probably)
Hey Jarhead, I just wanted to add, I had to do some fiberglass repair on my old boat I once had. I carried my boat by a automotive paint supply store and they was able to match my paint color even though it had faded some. They mixed the color and put it in a aerosol paint can where I could apply it in several thin coats to match the boat. I had to use rubbing compound on the edges to get the new and old to half way match. Just a FYI if you need to paint the lid after repairs. Good luck to you! FCJ
I finished the door repair and it turned out very good. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures and I sold it a little over a week ago. I had it on Craigslist and the first person to look at it bought it. Young former Marine with 2 tours in the sand and a young family, so I gave him a break on the price. I knew it was going to a good home, and it felt like the right thing to do.
We picked up our new Flagstaff 625D on Friday. We had talked about it for a while and finally decided that we needed the extra room with the pullout and of course the pottie is a big plus for the DW and DGD's. I'm lookin forward to taking it to our Spring Rally.
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