Damp repair advice please

[Cubs]

Hi this is my first post. I would really appreciate any advice you can offer.
We have had a leak in our 2009 Hobby Classic and need to replace some of the ceiling boards. We have decided to give it a go ourselves but we are complete novices. It is going to be a big job. We are taking our time and we know that we are going to come up against issues as we go but we are hoping to get through them with advice and support of friends and knowledgeable people like yourselves.

We found the source of the leak. It was getting through the join between the cab and the body of the motorhome. We have removed the sealant and rail and it is now drying out as we start to remove the furniture inside.

So far so good with a lot of patience we have removed the cupboards above the window.

We now need to remove the vertical post in the photo. However it is bolted through the metal behind the seatbelt. We have removed the trim but cannot access the nuts or even see them. We removed one bolt and the nut has just fallen down into the gap.
Is it possible to remove the metal panel behind the seatbelt?
If so how to we go about it?

Thanks for your help

 

[HugoBNB]

Check the cab on a van version of your vehicle. The bolts could well be setting into pre located nuts fixed to the cab to fix what would be the segregation panel if it were a van. I am not 100% on this though.
Good luck

 

[TheBig1]

unless you really have to remove it, leave well alone as it is a major structural member and will cause further leaks if you don't know exactly what you are doing. It is the structural join to the cab from the conversion bodywork

 

[Cubs]

Thank you, that makes sense, we will check it out. I hope to have all the bolts removed by tomorrow, I just have a little glued on piece of wood I'm trying to remove gently without damaging it or the board behind it before I can get everything else off. Thank goodness I am patient

 

[Cubs]

Thank you TheBig1 I hoped I wouldn't need to touch it but I can't get the other units out because of it. I will go back again and see if there is anyway I can get round it.

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[TheBig1]

You need to know how these vans are actually built to know how to safely take them apart to repair. Floor on chassis, furniture in, then walls, then roof. Some of the screws for top lockers are then not accessible, so you use a thin hacksaw blade in a handle to slide between and cut the screws. It does look impossible sometimes and you have to learn to be creative. I have quite a few such repairs in my history, having bought vans to repair and sell on at a profit

How bad was the leak, is it now fixed and how bad does the damage appear?

 

[Cubs]

The leak was bad and covered a large area through a roof seal at the join between the fibreglass front and metal roof. We have removed the sealant and rail but we are letting the wood underneath dry before resealing. Thankfully there is not too much damage but the areas of wood that do need replaced are in the most awkward places of the roof under cupboards and in the corner. The walls thankfully are all fine. One of the reasons we would like to get that piece of wood out is that water has run down the back of it and because it is butted up against the wall it is not drying and I'd like to check the area. The board surrounding it and the flooring has dried and is not rotted and I can put my finger in a gap for a cable and can feel the floor underneath and behind is dry and solid but just can't see the area directly behind the wood which is about 2 inches wide.

 

[TheBig1]

if the area beside it is still dry and solid, I would leave the upright in place. The nature of the construction and ply used, it would be very obvious if the next 2 inches were damaged. Imagine a piece of paper with one edge dipped in water. The water would quickly wick across the paperand the same with the wallboard

If the damage to the ceiling is limited to staining and the board is still solid, I would look at sealing the stain and board over with new 3mm lightweight coated ply. This would retain the structural strength of the roof

 

[Cubs]

Thank you for your advice we have managed to work around it and disturb as little as possible. All the rotten wood is now removed and it's drying out nicely.

 

[Swifter]

Thank you for your advice we have managed to work around it and disturb as little as possible. All the rotten wood is now removed and it's drying out nicely.

Well done . You are doing the right thing

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