1978 Viscount Grand Tourer poptop - 81649

[Deleted]

hi all i am new to caravaning & new to computers! while on hollidays at easter, the tribe & i were walking past a caravan park, and they say the rest is history. a sudden rush of blood & pritty please dad & 2k later we own our first caravan. with some healp from posts from this site,it is a 1978 viscount grand tourer poptop what started out as a chep spare room for the kids, is now a full reno . by order of the war dept!!! as we speak the old, gt is completly striped inside & poptop off , as what seemed to be a few leaks , well you get the picture. all i have worked out so far is that stop leak&flash tack must have been on special, it will take weeks to remove! the one thing i do know is it`s a waste of time building a house if the roof leaks. i will try to send potos along the way & asking lots of questions , like after sealing the roof what is the best roof paint to use??? p.s i will have interior bits to get rid of as boss wants all new!!!!

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[Deleted]

Hi Gav,
Welcome to the forum, mate just about everyone on this forum has either fully restored or are in the process
You will find lot's of advice here and many a person willing to offer.
Never argue with the War Office, as by the sounds of it you may also wish to add the title Minister For Economic Spending ha ha
Good Luck and keep the pictures coming
Regards
Steve

[Deleted]

thanks for that teflon. the war office has now asked for her pergola back,so the pressure is on. i have finished the inside of the pop top roof. the roof will be sealed & new viscount j molds put on in the next few days.(bugger to roll) but do you have an idea of what paint i should use on the roof as final coat/seal, one bloke has said solorgaurd ??. thanks gav

[Deleted]

hi all. just fully finished the interior side of the poptop & fliped it over. came up great !! boss happy. Went to have a go on the main roof & found thatit seem to have been sealed/repaired with, what looks like 25mm wide putty strips & sealed over with stop leak. Any ideas how to get it off,its like concrete

[Deleted]

here is some photos of what i mean

[Deleted]

Hi Gav,

Having just been through what you're about to experience - (Hell by the way) - I found a blunt chisel useful for the initial 'aged crust' removal.

Then... well, a paint scraper then a rotary wire brush on a drill once you get so pissed off with it you want to hurt something, then turps and a rag - the fumes will calm you down - - then a slab of beer! ;D ;D ;D

It takes time - but it's worth it in the end

Regards
Bobbie

[Deleted]

thanks bobbie. your spot on, i think i will start with the slab first , get nice and carm, then have a crack. is there anything out there that would make this stuff soft? thank for that gav

[Deleted]

i think the interior side of the poptop came out ok.!! got my hands on the 1977 vfl/afl cup. the won the pies should have won. a mate of mine has to clean it .

[Deleted]

hi all. has any body tried a heat gun on this putty stuff. just thinking out loud??? thanks gav

[Caprinut]

Gav, Many ways to skin a cat, but I found a flap disk on an angle grinder works wonders. If the putty is hard this is better as soft stuff just gunks up sanders and wire wheels. One day of concentrated work with earmuffs on and its done. Tada!
Also skins a cat nicely.
I was advised to prime with Penetrol as it flows easily into recesses and then I am using two coats of Therma shield .

[Deleted]

thanks for that caprinut. i will give that a go. how good is this therma shield ? & were do you get it??? thanks gav

[Deleted]

one thing i do like about roof of the viscount, is that under the j mold the roof sheets have been left long & knocked down over the side cladding by 5mm. they got that wright!! thanks Gav

[Deleted]

hi all . has any body used solargaurd on a caravan roof?? it seem to work on everything .!! pros/cons??

[Deleted]

Ahh, so you haven't done the roof yet Gav? I think Solarguard in a spray gun or brushed works pretty well from what I have read. Thats what I'm going to use. You do have to thin it a bit with water to spray, but on the roof I think brushing would be just fine, (whos going to see it?)

[Deleted]

hi raywise. a good primer & solargaurd it is! you are right i am not 8 foot. cheers gav

[murray]

Gav
Am following your resto with much interest as mine is exactly the same - double front bunks and lime green. Always looking for ideas to improve
Cheers
Murray

[Deleted]

g'day murray. things have been put on hold a bit,as the new work truck/van finally came .have been fitting it out!! took two days off to do it . same day ducted heater went to god >:(boss yelling fix it !!1/2 day later ,boss happy van not done !! today i had a bit of van time. (caravan that is) with the help of the young bloke, we bent up the j molds ,replaced all rivets & screws.5 tubes of sicka/pro later,with some help from Mr turps. poptop roof fully sealed. :)ready to paint! if the sicka will dry in this cold. could take weeks cheers gav

[Deleted]

hi guys. big win today the boss has agreed to the new lay out of the van . after reading heap &heaps of posts,with great info from this site (thanks everyone). it is time to get cracking , as i have been told ! it will be ready for xmas!!!! yes dear. this van has to have two functions . as it is to be stored at eppalock most of the time, as a spare room & 4or 5 times a year camped on the Murray. with this in mind in will go 2 ,1900mm couches/ beds & the main bed turned east/west ( boss gets wall side ).the kitchen will stay . with the new layout this will give me a chance to build in roof support for the poptop & take out the sag with little fuss. as with most early poptops the constant pulling down of the roof caused the main roof to sag. at the moment i have 4 sticks of timber propping the roof & a lot of tape, showing the boss the layout.i am cheers gav p.s any input welcome

[Deleted]

hi all. back into the van (main roof) as bobbie said wire wheel on an angle grinder works a treat. what a mess but!!! one side complete, ready to repair roof leaks. p.s anybody looking for windows,as boss wants new ones$$$$$. cheers gav

[millard1399]

G'day gav,

Looks like you've been a busy, busy boy!

When you guys are using these wire wheels in the grinder to remove the sealant, are you also removing the paintwork under the sealant? I'm trying to picture how the job is done without affecting the original paint.

New windows won't come cheap. Any chance of refurbishing the old ones somehow? Even if you changed the glass for tinted perspex, it'd come out a lot cheaper than new windows.

I can't see you having any problems with the layout you're thinking about, as long as you work out how to support the roof opening adequately. The only fixture in my poptop that was actually supporting the poptop roof opening was the wardrobe on one side, which meant the framework at the front and rear ends was critical to take the load. There's not a lot of room between the opening and the poptop roof when it's closed, so it's a heck of a job to work out how to make sure any framework is sufficient and strong enough.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

g'day AL. attacking the roof ,gave me the biggest headache.as it has been patched so many times before, it will have to be painted now that i used the angle grinder ,wire brush.in places this putty/silicone/stop leak is 20mm thick. (why fix the problem,when you can brush over it!!!!!!!) as for the windows,you are right.but the boss/ war office.i rest my case!! i have a quote for 1500 all 5 windows with screens & 1 with stone guard. i think i can do better, through a mate in the industry.(caravan that is) as for supporting the poptop roof, i to had the wardrobe as the only roof support. the plan now is to incorporate 20mm light ply end panels, as part of the cabinets from floor to roof. 1 at the end of the kitchen , the new wardrobe will have 2, next to the door will have 1 & 1 25mm pole between the couches ,picking up that roof corner. i think this should work,AL. cheers Gav

[Deleted]

G'day Gav,

You're certainly putting the hours into this one sport.

The worst bit - getting all the goo off the roof - feel for you!

It rained all day Saturday in the Highlands - no leaks in mine - what a great feeling after all that work!

Regards

Bobbie

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2012 21:52:17 GMT 10 millard1399 said:

G'day gav,

When you guys are using these wire wheels in the grinder to remove the sealant, are you also removing the paintwork under the sealant? I'm trying to picture how the job is done without affecting the original paint.

Hi Al & Gav,

I used a blunt chisel to get most of the mastic off. The residual was harder to get off - I finished off with a drill with bronze wire brush attached then a turps soaked rag - bugger of a job - never want to do it again!
And yes - went back to bare Aluminium past the green undercoat.

Regards

Bobbie