Hi everybody, I just signed up with NHAA and this is my first post. I've been searching through the threads and I've found quite a few regarding terrifying leaks and rust situations that make my skin crawl, but nobody has addressed the possibility of repairing a mildly damaged vinyl roof. My apologies if it's been covered somewhere else.
Let me start by saying that I recently picked up a 1988 Fleetwood S&S off of Craig's list. I'd been searching for a hearse with the proper price to rust ratio for almost 20 years and this one fell backwards into my lap when I had the money and was shopping for a car.
My biggest problem is that I can't garage it right away do to an abundance of stuff in my garage (including a 7 person hot tub). You may or may NOT be aware that Ohio has been experiencing some ridiculously hot and sunny weather this year. In my desperation to keep the sun off my slightly cracked roof I've been religiously treating the vinyl with Turtlewax UV protector and I bought what I thought was a decent cover for an incredible price from CARCOVERMAN on eBay...DO NOT MAKE THAT MISTAKE YOURSELF. They sent me a piece of crap that dissolved within a month and told me to call Ghostbusters about the warranty after 2 days of trying to get somebody from customer service. I'll make a separate post about that adventure another time.
Anyway, I'm ordering a cover from Covercraft tomorrow, but my question is this. My roof currently only has minor cracking issues. Maybe 12 to 18 total ranging from 1/8 inch to 2 inches, but more seem to appear whenever I'm not looking. The vinyl in general is soft and pliable to the touch and the edges around the cracks do not seem to be overly crusty or brittle.
Is there a way I can do quality repairs on this myself? A local custom shop has a guy that can repair the cracks that are in it for about $250. Is it worth getting the repairs done after I get my cover or should I just resign myself to the inevitable and just keep up with the treatments until I can get the top pulled off and Rhino coated?
Sorry for the length of the post (I actually edited some stuff out) but any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Glenn
Let me start by saying that I recently picked up a 1988 Fleetwood S&S off of Craig's list. I'd been searching for a hearse with the proper price to rust ratio for almost 20 years and this one fell backwards into my lap when I had the money and was shopping for a car.
My biggest problem is that I can't garage it right away do to an abundance of stuff in my garage (including a 7 person hot tub). You may or may NOT be aware that Ohio has been experiencing some ridiculously hot and sunny weather this year. In my desperation to keep the sun off my slightly cracked roof I've been religiously treating the vinyl with Turtlewax UV protector and I bought what I thought was a decent cover for an incredible price from CARCOVERMAN on eBay...DO NOT MAKE THAT MISTAKE YOURSELF. They sent me a piece of crap that dissolved within a month and told me to call Ghostbusters about the warranty after 2 days of trying to get somebody from customer service. I'll make a separate post about that adventure another time.
Anyway, I'm ordering a cover from Covercraft tomorrow, but my question is this. My roof currently only has minor cracking issues. Maybe 12 to 18 total ranging from 1/8 inch to 2 inches, but more seem to appear whenever I'm not looking. The vinyl in general is soft and pliable to the touch and the edges around the cracks do not seem to be overly crusty or brittle.
Is there a way I can do quality repairs on this myself? A local custom shop has a guy that can repair the cracks that are in it for about $250. Is it worth getting the repairs done after I get my cover or should I just resign myself to the inevitable and just keep up with the treatments until I can get the top pulled off and Rhino coated?
Sorry for the length of the post (I actually edited some stuff out) but any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Glenn
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