Brilliant thanks for doing this. I will link this from the Classic Hymers Technical FB group, of which I am admin. A couple of comments if I may - you don't need a leaking roof to get a rotten dash. The front edge of the dash often rots just as a result of condensation running down the inside of the big windscreen, and then getting trapped under the carpet where it can't evaporate easily so rots over many years. Also I would suggest that 18mm thick ply is a on the thick side. The vast majority of owners who have done this job have used 12mm - not everybody has a router to reduce the front edge. 12mm has proven to be fine. Lastly, Hymer secured the original dash with screws. Over the years these work loose with vibration, so many owners have used fixings better than just friction screws - ie nuts and bolts, or captive fasteners like rivnuts. Bolting the front edge down improves rigidity and makes the job last longer. The dash panel is structural, nort cosmetic - it holds the front end together. There is a whole section of articles on dash replacement and roof repairs on the CHT group, and your excellent video will be a very welcome addition.
Glad it's of help Ron. Absolutely agree with your points. Some parts of the video are quite high level, such as me not showing the new bolts I used to secure the dash to the engine lip. I was lucky to have a friend with a router and had read on the CHT forum about 18mm etc so thought I'd 'upgrade'. Finally I too had the rubber failure on the bottom join of the windscreen which also contributed to the rotten dash - but forgot to mention that factor too. But overall I hope it visually guides others through the process and they can read up on finer details on CHT. Thanks as always for your helpful comments sir!
Brilliant thanks for doing this. I will link this from the Classic Hymers Technical FB group, of which I am admin.
A couple of comments if I may - you don't need a leaking roof to get a rotten dash. The front edge of the dash often rots just as a result of condensation running down the inside of the big windscreen, and then getting trapped under the carpet where it can't evaporate easily so rots over many years. Also I would suggest that 18mm thick ply is a on the thick side. The vast majority of owners who have done this job have used 12mm - not everybody has a router to reduce the front edge. 12mm has proven to be fine. Lastly, Hymer secured the original dash with screws. Over the years these work loose with vibration, so many owners have used fixings better than just friction screws - ie nuts and bolts, or captive fasteners like rivnuts. Bolting the front edge down improves rigidity and makes the job last longer. The dash panel is structural, nort cosmetic - it holds the front end together. There is a whole section of articles on dash replacement and roof repairs on the CHT group, and your excellent video will be a very welcome addition.
Glad it's of help Ron. Absolutely agree with your points. Some parts of the video are quite high level, such as me not showing the new bolts I used to secure the dash to the engine lip.
I was lucky to have a friend with a router and had read on the CHT forum about 18mm etc so thought I'd 'upgrade'.
Finally I too had the rubber failure on the bottom join of the windscreen which also contributed to the rotten dash - but forgot to mention that factor too.
But overall I hope it visually guides others through the process and they can read up on finer details on CHT. Thanks as always for your helpful comments sir!