Coleman ABS Roof
- Thread starter benfrench
- Start date
The rubber gasket is affixed to the underside of the A/C top unit but it's not uncommon for parts of the gasket material to eventually stick to the roof when you remove the A/C. You'd want to replace it anyway as any gasket that's been in place for several years will have compressed and is probably not sealing properly anyway.
Good info. Actually my question pertains to the ABS Roof Seal, the 40 foot seal that goes around the bottom of the roof structure. The original ABS roofing is tucked into this seal and my concern is that when i remove all the old roofing that this seal will not hold. And i guess my question is should I be attempting to cut the ABS above this seal and leave it in place and Grizzly Grip over that edge or just rip all the ABS out that I can and hope the seal isn't loosened up and fall off one day. Maybe Gorilla Glue ?
Remove it and re glue it with this. https://www.amazon.com/3M-08008-Bla...3m+8008&qid=1590527053&sprefix=3m+8008&sr=8-3
Unless its going bad then replace it.
Unless its going bad then replace it.
Sorry for the late reply to questions about "what's under the ABS?". It appears to be fiberglass mat on/in the foam. Some places the foam completely covers the fiberglass but most of the flat top is exposed fiberglass. I received my premixed kit (7 quarts plus an extra for piece of mind) from Midwest Chemical last week. Today I started prepping the top with Bondo to fill some holes and smooth some rough places. After the initial round of bondo, I sanded smooth with a random orbital sander with 80 grit. There were a number of smooth areas that I roughed up to remove old glue. The dust from the sanding def contains fiberglass as I'm feeling the itch of glass. I'm working under a 10x12 easy-up. Hoping I can finish up with GG before rain in a couple of days. I'll post photos with an update.
Indianrock
Active Member
- Feb 25, 2012
- 161
I have a 2001 Coleman Fleetwood, which I believe is an ABS roof. I never noticed until I looked very closely and saw several hairline cracks around the outer edge of the roof --- all 2-3 inches in length.
I ordered these two items thinking the Dicor would be for the roof and the Eterna Bond tape would work for some cracks in the front and rear panels ( spare tire area and area above battery/propane tank). Sound right?
Dicor Non Leveling Non Sag Lap Sealant 551LSW
EternaBond 2" X 50 RV Rubber Roof Seal Repair White
EternaBond
Not yet ordered:
Geocel 28101V Pro Flex White RV Flexible Sealant - 10 oz.
https://amz.run/3IMQ
I ordered these two items thinking the Dicor would be for the roof and the Eterna Bond tape would work for some cracks in the front and rear panels ( spare tire area and area above battery/propane tank). Sound right?
Dicor Non Leveling Non Sag Lap Sealant 551LSW
EternaBond 2" X 50 RV Rubber Roof Seal Repair White
EternaBond
Not yet ordered:
Geocel 28101V Pro Flex White RV Flexible Sealant - 10 oz.
https://amz.run/3IMQ
Gbrown4
New Member
I have a 2001 Coleman Niagra. Roof has had no issues. Front and rear panels (On the box) small cracks in plastic. I have always kept it indoors and kept clean.
LarryGoesCamping
Member
- Jun 16, 2020
- 41
This is an awesome thread. Thank you all! I guess I know the answer is to remove my AC, remove the awning strip (not sure its savable) and then remove all the abs before applying the grizzly paint. This project is getting scarier and scarier lol!!
Change you name to larry goes camping soon
![[:D]](/smileys/smile_big.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
LarryGoesCamping
Member
- Jun 16, 2020
- 41
Also to the original poster- I am from Woodbridge VA myself. I now live in Alexandria.
Bultacobill
Member
- Jan 14, 2020
- 14
I ran into a camper recently in Bedford Pa with a 1999 Coleman pop up. Seems he worked at the Coleman factory for many years till Coleman quit. He actually helped build his camper. His camper has always been stored inside a garage and he has no roof issues. He recommended if possible storing it inside especially during the winter to prevent the “chip board “ floor from swelling or starting to rot. He said that is what he has seen mostly and is very difficult to repair. He was very interesting to talk to. Lots of info on the construction and how many where produced each day. I was impressed to see one that didn’t need roof repairs.
NorthernLights
Member
Very very helpful info on the construction. I have a 1997 Niagara that started to crack and the brittleness suggested the Luran S coating has broken down and I was seeing deterioration due to the UV.
I used bedliner with UV inhibitors BUT not as a replacement for the outer shell, but only as a protective coat on the outer shell (to retain the shell). What I was also noticing was delamination of the outer shell from the foam, but structurally the shell is entirely intact as a shell. If it continues to separate, would it be better for applying adhesive to the whole surface rather injecting? Is there risk if I force the separation in some spots?
I can see the separation in multiple locations but I don’t want to force the shell off for fear of having the foam break up.
I think the sag from the A/C contributes to the de-lamination.
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Has anyone coated their Coleman ABS roof with Henry's 887 Tropi-Cool 100% Silicone Roof Coating (shorturl.at/dhzGH)? It has a lifetime warranty and I asked them and they claim it's designed to adhere to ABS. I'm wondering if this would be an option to halt deterioration on a roof that's still in reasonable condition
This thread, and many others, help the new folks a lot.
Thank you!
I just stripped the ABS roof off a 2000 Santa Fe. I expected the fiberglass under, but was surprised at some of the foam/FB/ABS gaps. I found a couple of those gaps/holes at the front edge and corners that suggest the foam and fiberglass are set and matched to a pre-shaped ABS roof. As I understand it, the Grizzly Grip I bought will only cover, not fill, the shape of the roof. I read about people filling with Bondo, but I happen to have some left over epoxy from a different project. My intention is to use the epoxy, with filler, to fix those gaps. Has anyone else tried this?
I am simply looking for some advice on the epoxy over the existing fiberglass/foam before I melt anything.
Thanks
Thank you!
I just stripped the ABS roof off a 2000 Santa Fe. I expected the fiberglass under, but was surprised at some of the foam/FB/ABS gaps. I found a couple of those gaps/holes at the front edge and corners that suggest the foam and fiberglass are set and matched to a pre-shaped ABS roof. As I understand it, the Grizzly Grip I bought will only cover, not fill, the shape of the roof. I read about people filling with Bondo, but I happen to have some left over epoxy from a different project. My intention is to use the epoxy, with filler, to fix those gaps. Has anyone else tried this?
I am simply looking for some advice on the epoxy over the existing fiberglass/foam before I melt anything.
Thanks
Have a 1999 Coleman Sun Valley that we purchased new. Had the roof warranty replaced in 1999 (I believe). Finally in 2016 started having delamination enough to do something about it. Stripped the ABS off, coated with 1 coat of Chassis saver primer and 2 coats of Magnet Paints Monstaliner. The primer is really good. The Monstaliner, not so much. It looked really good until 2019 or so, but the Monstaliner started pealing off the primer. Not sure why and couldn't get a response from Magnet Paints.
In 2020 scraped all the Monstaliner off (the primer stayed very nicely) and put on Henry's 887 Tropicool. It looks nice but it is silicon so it feels a little tacky. Have to wait to see if it holds up.
Big problem I dealing with at the moment is the interior ceiling is also de-laminated almost completely. My current thought is to cut the ABS down the middle and apply gorilla glue and prop it up to dry. The ABS is also pretty brittle where the lights are on one side. We will see how it goes.
In 2020 scraped all the Monstaliner off (the primer stayed very nicely) and put on Henry's 887 Tropicool. It looks nice but it is silicon so it feels a little tacky. Have to wait to see if it holds up.
Big problem I dealing with at the moment is the interior ceiling is also de-laminated almost completely. My current thought is to cut the ABS down the middle and apply gorilla glue and prop it up to dry. The ABS is also pretty brittle where the lights are on one side. We will see how it goes.
