gary350
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We should have gone camping today it is going to snow 6" tonight.
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1964 FAN
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Post by gary350 on Dec 7, 2016 15:32:31 GMT -8
Screw heads are so rusty slots are just a round hole no way for any tool to grip the head. Removing screws from the center of the roof is a nightmare. Wood is too rotten can not climb on the roof without falling through. Can not reach screws more than 2 feet away standing on a step ladder. Dremel with abrasive wheel almost works but it grinds into the aluminum when I get close because aluminum is not flat still can not reach screws more that 30" away and still see what I am doing. Standing inside the camper trailer I have been cutting slots in the 2x4 boards wood 1/2" apart then breaking the wood pieces out with a screw driver. It took about 3 hours and lots of experiments to get 7 screws out and I have 15 more screws to remove in this 1 board. Next I will try my 800 degree industrial soldering iron hold it on a screw for 10 minutes maybe the screw will get hot enough to burn the wood away near the screw so it will pull out. I am about ready to cut the aluminum roof into sections between each board with tin snips just to get the roof apart. I can patch all the pieces back together with aluminum splices once the boards have been removed from the aluminum. Aluminum has to come off the edges have rotten wood that needs to be replaced other wise I could splice the ends of all the ceiling boards on the ends where they have rotted off.
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Post by danrhodes on Dec 7, 2016 16:44:45 GMT -8
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Post by vikx on Dec 7, 2016 23:26:14 GMT -8
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Dad Rambles
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62 Shasta Airflyte
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Post by Dad Rambles on Dec 8, 2016 3:22:30 GMT -8
I'm in 100% agreement about the vampire tools pliers posted above. I bought those on my current renovation and have used them dozens of times, and I have yet to find a screw or a nail I could not get out.
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windborn
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1957 Sportcraft 15
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Post by windborn on Dec 8, 2016 6:39:18 GMT -8
Third on the vampliers! They've been handy through the entire rebuild
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mrmarty51
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1972 HOMEMADE
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Post by mrmarty51 on Dec 8, 2016 6:56:19 GMT -8
Those Vampliers looks mighty handy. I think I`ll get one a coming.
Is what I did to get the lumber released from the screws was to use my multitool with a wood blade, I sliced the lumber on one side of the screw, used My little nail puller bar like a wood chisel and split the lumber away from the screws, a couple of times of this and the screws shank was available, then I use the small set of vice grips and got a hold of the screws right next to the lumber that they were fastened into and turned the screw slightly counter clockwise the clockwise several time until they became loose enough to make about a 1/4 turn, kept advance until a full turn was accomplished they then came right out from there.
These screws was so rusticated that the ones the heads was still attached to, the heads just popped right off. I did not want to destroy the studs that they were screwed into so this was My only other option.
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gary350
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We should have gone camping today it is going to snow 6" tonight.
Posts: 573
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1964 FAN
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Post by gary350 on Dec 8, 2016 14:16:41 GMT -8
The screw heads rusted very bad. Can't use the correct tool to remove the screws and can not get a hold of the heads they are all round. I finally came up with a plan that worked. I used the saw-all to cut slots in the 2x4 board 1/2" apart then knock off the cut pieces with a hammer or pop then out with a screw driver. Once I have 3/4" of the screw end exposed I can hit it with a hammer to break it loose from the wood. Screws were 4" apart full length of the 7' long board. It took 2 hours to cut 150 slots in the board and break the wood pieces off. I finally got that 4 foot section of the roof metal off.
I made drawings of the rotten wood that needs to be replaced now I am ready to pull all the old rotten wood off and replace it with new wood.
I pulled out all the old 120 volt electrical wire, 12 volt DC wire, marker light wire, signal and break light wire, it will all be replaced with new wire.
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Vintagehotdog
Active Member
Hi, we are Paul and Irvina, Currently rebuilding a 12' 1958 Easy Traveler
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1962 Oasis 18'
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Post by Vintagehotdog on Dec 9, 2016 16:30:10 GMT -8
Screw heads are so rusty slots are just a round hole no way for any tool to grip the head. Removing screws from the center of the roof is a nightmare. Wood is too rotten can not climb on the roof without falling through. Can not reach screws more than 2 feet away standing on a step ladder. Dremel with abrasive wheel almost works but it grinds into the aluminum when I get close because aluminum is not flat still can not reach screws more that 30" away and still see what I am doing. Standing inside the camper trailer I have been cutting slots in the 2x4 boards wood 1/2" apart then breaking the wood pieces out with a screw driver. It took about 3 hours and lots of experiments to get 7 screws out and I have 15 more screws to remove in this 1 board. Next I will try my 800 degree industrial soldering iron hold it on a screw for 10 minutes maybe the screw will get hot enough to burn the wood away near the screw so it will pull out. I am about ready to cut the aluminum roof into sections between each board with tin snips just to get the roof apart. I can patch all the pieces back together with aluminum splices once the boards have been removed from the aluminum. Aluminum has to come off the edges have rotten wood that needs to be replaced other wise I could splice the ends of all the ceiling boards on the ends where they have rotted off. This is what works: vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/post/75548 |
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Post by vikx on Dec 9, 2016 23:18:36 GMT -8
I've tried the reverse drill bits, but the screw heads disintegrate for me. I think it depends on what works for each of us. So try all of the above.
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msgoehring
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Just call me Margaret the shellac, buff, sand an shine queen.
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1957 Westerner Deluxe
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Post by msgoehring on Dec 10, 2016 8:10:38 GMT -8
Gary, Sam said that he had to stretch a 2x6 across the width of the trailer and climb out on that to reach the screws in the roof and around the vent. He then had to tap the screwdriver with a hammer, or grind a new slot in the screws to get them out. Depending on your size you might need to double up on the 2x to hold you up, but that way the weight is transferred to the walls and not the rotted roof. The top of our walls were really rotten also and this worked for him. Might help you reach the ones you're having trouble getting.
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Dad Rambles
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62 Shasta Airflyte
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Post by Dad Rambles on Dec 11, 2016 19:45:14 GMT -8
Gary, Sam said that he had to stretch a 2x6 across the width of the trailer and climb out on that to reach the screws in the roof and around the vent. He then had to tap the screwdriver with a hammer, or grind a new slot in the screws to get them out. Depending on your size you might need to double up on the 2x to hold you up, but that way the weight is transferred to the walls and not the rotted roof. The top of our walls were really rotten also and this worked for him. Might help you reach the ones you're having trouble getting. I agree. All I had was 2x4's, so I turned them up on the sides (I beam style) and laid 2 across the top of my trailer, and then put a short 2x6 under them running lengthwise to spread the weight out along the sidewall. I put a piece of 2x6 on top and said on it. I'm 250 and it worked quite well for me. I didn't 'like' doing it.. but it did work. I had my wife hold the other side down while I was climbing on and off so that it didn't teeter up and throw me. |
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Ten
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70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
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Post by Ten on Dec 11, 2016 21:31:29 GMT -8
I have used a couple 8-ft 2X4's across the top to span the wall edges, then laid 2-ft wide cuts of plywood over the 2X4's to support myself. A pair of those setups works really well to surround the vent, so that you can move across and work both sides without a lot of shifting the setup around. So far as removing those tough screws, this is my favorite tool:  |
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