More pictures of work on the Deville

68 Deville exterior

Hole in bathroom floor

Bathroom pics

replacing front floor

Here are some recent pictures showing new work.

1968 Catolac Deville, Replacing rotten wood.(Part 1)

After a rainy night I noticed that the front part of this camper was leaking. At first I thought water was coming through a couple of hole in the tin, but after a more careful inspection I knew it was coming in around the main widow. Water had been coming in around the widow for a number of years which resulted in rotten wood on both side of the widow. In order to correct the problem I decided to to remove the widow and the tin from the front to replace the rotten wood and make the front stronger.First , I had to remove the J channel trim from both sides. Once removed I started to remove the tin from each of the corners. I found that the tin had small brad nails holding it down which had to be removed before the tin could be lifted off. I removed all the tin from front and began to remove the rotten wood. I noticed that the wood in the middle of the camper was fine, but was rotten on both ends. I was careful to follow the design and pattern of the wooden frame. I also replaced the frame around the widow with 3/4 inch plywood. This was much stronger than the original wood. This project took about 7 hours to complete, including trips to pick up wood and supplies. It is always a good idea to have a helper in doing such a repair because an extra set of hands makes a big difference. I will continue with this repair in the next post, check back for the completion of this repair. thanks

1968 Catolac Deville work continues..

This past week I began work on the vintage deville and started repairs on the floor. The bathroom floor and the area around the stove needed repair because of water damage from a leaking pipe. This trailer was built well back in 1968, but when leaks are allow to continue over time it will cause wood rot.  I have been suprised how easy this camper is to work on. There is penty of room, and the floor sections were easy to remove. The bathroom floor rotted out because the toilet was leaking and it continued over a number of years. Once we removed the bad wood, the supporting boards were in good shape. Whenever I repair a floor section I always use foam in a can to fill in cracks and weak areas, it fills well and drys super strong. Here are a few pictures of the work on this vintage camper. Thanks for visiting my site. I will post more pictures as the repairs continue. thanks

1968 Catolac Deville camper restoration



     I just purchased a 1968 Catolac Deville, and like you perhaps I thought the cadillac Deville was a car. But there is company that built travel trailers from the 1950's until the 1970's. Builder of DeVille Trailers 9573 East Garvey Blvd. El Monte, CA 91733 “Dealers in Western States Only” These campers were built very well, meaning they were built to last. There slogan for the company was, “It's Not How Many You Make, But How Well You Make Them” - That's The Catolac Way



outside view, like the widows



inside needs work, missing panels

     I was not aware of the many companies that built campers in the 50's for a nation that was becoming more mobile and taking more vacations on the road. I found out that the catolac corp. built a number of Deville models and many of these campers have features that are found on high end campers today. I still don't know how they could have a name so close to Cadillac and not have problems from GM. Anyway, I am looking forward to starting this project, and I know it will be a lot of fun. I hope you will follow along in my blog as I  work on restoring this vintage travel camper. Sign up for the RSS feeds and you will get updates as I post them. I am always looking for new ideas, so please share them with me. thanks.I hope to have pictures for each step along the way toward rebuilding this classic camper.

How to repair a leak in motorhome roof.

Had 4 leaks and rotten wood

     One of the most damaging events to happen to any motor home is to have a leak develop and not repair it for months or years. This will cause more damage to the framing and structure of a motor home than any other problem. The motor home in the picture had water damage because of four leaks that was never repaired. I had to repair the ceiling and replace rotten wood.Most motor homes have a frame that is built to support the cab and living area, and to save on weight these frames are often built with a light weight wood. When this wood is allowed to get wet it will set up rot which can often become serious in few years.

     I have owned motor homes which had to be completely rebuild because of water damage. With regular maintenance water damage can be prevented.
The first step in preventing water damage is to do a yearly inspection of the roof making sure to check seams and areas around vents and roof vents. These are the most important areas to check because these are the place where you motor home has cut holes and water will find a way to get in. I have seen motor home owners  who thought their vehicles roof was water tight, only to discover on a rainy night it wasn't. Once you have completed inspecting your roof, it is time to prevent leaks with a simple task. Instead of buying a high dollar roof coverage coating from your RV dealer, I always chose the least expensive route. I go to Wal-mart and purchase a good paint brush and roller painter to apply a product called "Cool-top" a white roof coating. It works great on metal roofs and will also work on rubber roofs as well.  It goes on like paint but it will work to stop any leaks you may have. Make sure you apply a thick coating with the paint brush around vents and window openings. Extend your coverage at least a foot beyond the vents or window vents. This will ensure that water will not get into any cracks or openings. If you have a metal roof and it has seams make sure you coat the seams a foot beyond. Once you have coated the roof, seams, and vents and let it dry, always apply another coat just to make sure. This coating will last a year or longer depending on your weather.
      If you think you have water damage in your motor home check for soft spots in your ceiling and any water stains. Also be careful while on the roof, it may not support your weight if their is rotten wood. Make sure each year to inspect your roof and apply roof coating as needed.  Keep going and get out there to see our great country.