M109 Interior Rip Out Opinions

[fpchief]

Hi,
This M109 that is turning out to be my Nemesis needs a lot of work that i was not told about prior to purchase....my fault, bought sight unseen due to circumstances. The sheet metal on floor bottom under wood is half gone and the overhead inside panels have rust coming through them so i can only imagine how bad what i can't see is.

Here is what i want to do and please give me opinions. I am going to take wood flooring completely up (big job i know) and take out all the bad metal i can under there then treat what is left and replace with marine plywood to give some sealing effect. Then i will replace exiting wood floor with more 3/4" marine plywood. For the interior metal, i want to take it all out...all of it and fix what needs to be fixed, maybe even replace windows with a conventional window, add insulation of some sort and then use some type of paneling to finish it. On the overhead the same thing of course after i fix where the **** the water is coming in at. The outside panels do not look too bad, i think some OSPHO and bondo will do most of the job nicely.

Does that in essence sound ok? I am sure the inside metal panels will not all come out nicely, will have to grind a lot of the screw heads off i am sure.

 

[SCSG-G4]

First thing is to get something like "Black Jack Ultra-Roof 1000" elastomeric coating on the top of the roof to stop the water from coming in. Three coats should do, and yes, it's white, but it will make inside much more comfortable in the summer. Daniel and Mahala Morgan did almost exactly what you are talking about on a 109 body, spraying foam insulation on the walls and roof to replace the fiberglass insulation that was originally in the walls. Find their thread and you will have 99 percent of your questions answered.

 

[fpchief]

First thing is to get something like "Black Jack Ultra-Roof 1000" elastomeric coating on the top of the roof to stop the water from coming in. Three coats should do, and yes, it's white, but it will make inside much more comfortable in the summer. Daniel and Mahala Morgan did almost exactly what you are talking about on a 109 body, spraying foam insulation on the walls and roof to replace the fiberglass insulation that was originally in the walls. Find their thread and you will have 99 percent of your questions answered.

I will try to find their thread. And 10-4 on the sealant for the top.
Respectfully,
kip

 

[Mike929]

After you find that other thread, please put a link in your thread for lazy people like me.

 

[gimpyrobb]

The m109 boxes are 90% basket cases. Very poor build quality imho. I was sad to see mine go, but that faded quickly when I thought about all the work it needed.

 

[porkysplace]

First thing is to get something like "Black Jack Ultra-Roof 1000" elastomeric coating on the top of the roof to stop the water from coming in. Three coats should do, and yes, it's white, but it will make inside much more comfortable in the summer. Daniel and Mahala Morgan did almost exactly what you are talking about on a 109 body, spraying foam insulation on the walls and roof to replace the fiberglass insulation that was originally in the walls. Find their thread and you will have 99 percent of your questions answered.

This one ?
[h=1]M109 camper conversion[/h]

 

[fpchief]

The m109 boxes are 90% basket cases. Very poor build quality imho. I was sad to see mine go, but that faded quickly when I thought about all the work it needed.

This has turned into a quest.....thankfully i have a covered space to have this thing all ripped apart and out of weather somewhat. Sawzall blades are bought, church has been attended and lunch eaten....headed to the box and let the tear out begin.

 

[fpchief]

Well, i have alot of the interior out. No surprises except some holes in the overhead outside skin and a lot of tiny empty eggs. I am no bodyman but i think i can treat this rust, give it some good bondo and then cover it with the good roof coating that Mike mentioned. I am not concerned about it being a load bearing surface, but i do want to stop the rust. This pics are in the front 1/3rd of the top. On top of that will be going some solar cells most likely. Still request opinions and incoming rounds.

 

[gimpyrobb]

God, just looking at the pics makes me itch. I used to be an insulator, now I won't touch it no matter how much you'd pay me. Looks like your on the right track, keep the pics coming!

 

[Floridianson]

I do not like bondo for patching holes. I would use epoxy and maybe fiberglass on the inside patch and if you mix epoxy with the correct filler to make a paste you smooth out the roof dimple then white roof cote the whole roof.
Yea Chris I had to pull out all the fiber glass in one of my expandable vans and there was a lot of it. Cold shower for a hour to get the pours to spit out the glass. Did wear a mask thank goodness.

 

[fpchief]

God, just looking at the pics makes me itch. I used to be an insulator, now I won't touch it no matter how much you'd pay me. Looks like your on the right track, keep the pics coming!

I filled 7 large trash bags with that old glass insulation. Most of it was so broken down that it came out in fist size pieces. Big pain in the behind. Of course me down here in south Bama i had on flip flops and shorts so i effectively got glass over whole body. Going to transfer to the engine tomorrow and hopefully get it running with the help of a T-fitting someone sent me. BTW, your PM box is full.....

 

[fpchief]

I do not like bondo for patching holes. I would use epoxy and maybe fiberglass on the inside patch and if you mix epoxy with the correct filler to make a paste you smooth out the roof dimple then white roof cote the whole roof.
Yea Chris I had to pull out all the fiber glass in one of my expandable vans and there was a lot of it. Cold shower for a hour to get the pours to spit out the glass. Did wear a mask thank goodness.

So you are saying use a fiberglass epoxy for inside and i dont understand what for the outside...Remember, i am STOOPID when it comes to body work. I can drink a beer fairly well though. Does grinding/steel brushing then treating the rust with OSPHO sound correct prior to the epoxy?

 

[Floridianson]

I love Ospho and would spray it like crazy but I don't know how it would do with epoxy resins. I would think it would not be a problem as long as it has dried and no wet spots. Places like Home D once sold two part epoxy resins in pint size cans and slow drying. I like it better than polyester resins for fiberglass work. I had different fillers when I did the fiber glassing on my boat that I added to just the epoxy mix no fiber glass. The different fillers had different hardness when hard so some easer to sand than others. When you mix fillers it is like bondo and you spread it like bondo to fill small holes on top coat holes to make it look smooth.

 

[Mike929]

Why not rivet/seal a metal patch panel on top of each hole and than cover entire roof with the paint/sealant suggested above?

This is an out of view area, so I'm thinking more about function. This seems like a solution that would be at home on a military vehicle.

 

[fpchief]

Why not rivet/seal a metal patch panel on top of each hole and than cover entire roof with the paint/sealant suggested above?

This is an out of view area, so I'm thinking more about function. This seems like a solution that would be at home on a military vehicle.

I will be doing that to a couple of existing openings as well as some of the rust areas. I am not sure what type of caulk to use under the patch i am riveting on and also on the seams....any suggestions?

 

[Jericho]

I took a different approach on the roof of m 109 , i sanded lightly and degreased the entire top , stripped to bear metal around the ever present pin holes and seam cancer, sealed it, and them filled with kitty hair fiberglass, smoothed , them layed a layer of fiberglass cloth with resin, sanded, primed and painted , The CARC is pretty porous , be careful with it, BUT it does suck the fiberglass resin right in! good adhesion

 

[gimpyrobb]

I will be doing that to a couple of existing openings as well as some of the rust areas. I am not sure what type of caulk to use under the patch i am riveting on and also on the seams....any suggestions?

Body seam sealer.

 

[fpchief]

Would there be any problem using aluminum sheets instead of steel to do my patchwork? Any issues with dissimilar metal corrosion?

 

[gimpyrobb]

Yup

 

[fpchief]

Yup

Steel it is then!!!