Jayco Dove Refurbish

[Burnsy]

We scored a Dove yesterday for $2500 :2tsup: It was advertised as a 1980 and that is what it is licenced as but the canvas date and electrical compliance put it as being a 86. It is in pretty good nick but will need the canvas redone in the coming year.

Front draw bar has already been upgraded and extended and the leaf springs and axle have been replaced with an Alko IRS unit. Seat upholstry has been redone already and never used.

Straight up I will be doing the foof vent which is cactus, resealing the whole roof, replacing the benchtops with something nice and replacing all the curtains to match the new seat upholstry along with a long list of other minor works.

Here is a few pictures of the van as purchased.

[Burnsy]

Started to pull the roof vent out today to replace it. It has been resiliconed around 5 times to many:doh: Platic is spilt crazed, busted and generally stuffed. After half an hour I gave up when the hatch would only come out in 10mm pieces and the aluminium roof started tearing when I was levering off the silicone encrusted bits. One of the timber surrounds from the supporting box was rotted from constant leaking and needs replacing so it got me thinking why not just cut a bigger hole to get rid of all the crap and make a new frame to suit a new larger vent. That way no issues with removing old silicone (by the way has anyone got a good way of doing this?) and I get to also cut out the worst part of the ceiling water damage.

If anyone has any experience with roof vents or Jayco tops please chime in now if what I proposing to do is a bad idea before I end up having to replace the entire roof sheeting:oo:

I have till Saturday to mull it over before the caravan place opens up again so I can buy a new one. Also any tips on roof vent types and their benefits would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Burnsy

[Kyle]

Nice score, a bargin for a Jayco wind up. Those Alko IRS units are great, we had an offroad camper with Alko IRS and it was fantastic, better than leaves. Although they could do with shocks for off road work.

Have you tried a knife or sharp scraper to try and cut the silicon away?

Have a look at roof vents here.
Caravans Plus - DIY Parts & Accessories (http://www.caravansplus.com.au/catalog/index.php?cPath=38_99&osCsid=a5ce52d7bac04675262c579bab241086)

This place is a great cheap source of parts and very quick delivery.

and check out this caravan forum for some rebuild advise.
Classic Caravans - Home (http://ditzygypsy.proboards.com/index.cgi)

[Burnsy]

Thanks Kyle, great links. Good info about sealing the roof on the caravan forum:2tsup:

Stripped out the old today completely, aluminium around it is a mess so I think I will aim for a hatch that is 100mm larger so I can cut out the mess. The seats have also been stripped out and I am redoing the bracing before putting ply tops on with lift up access hatches. The front access sliders will be removed as soon as I can find a heap of new laminated ply to replace all the fronts with.

Also pulled off a wheel to check out what the brakes are. They are a cable operated hand brake with no towing brakes connected. Girlock brand. Can anyone tell me if they are 10 inch Girlock electrics that have had the electric actuator removed? If so are they any good and should I get some new actuators for them or just hold out and upgrade to some newer Alko ones?

Cheers,
Mike

[Kyle]

I don't know if Girlocks are 10 inch, but they are electric brakes for sure.

Strip them right down and give them a good clean. A new set of magnets (40-$50 each) and all should be well.

[Burnsy]

Thanks again Kyle, brakes can wait, 80 Series cruiser towing it at the moment so braking is not an issue given the van is only 700kg empty as it stands. Would like to fit electrics so will keep it in mind but it will depend on what I do with the chassis and wheels. I really want to cut the A frame and suspension off it and dump it onto a custom chassis with independent training arm suspension and 16 inch wheels to match my cruiser:D Chassis will exit out the back and up to mount all the spare wheels and extra jerry cans on. Add to this ally checkerplate sides that wrap around a new custom curved boot on the front that covers most of the A frame and it will be pretty individual.

Pipe dreams at this stage though, best I just get it servicable for the next holidays:2tsup:

[Yonnee]

Hey Mike. Nice pick up for the money.

The brakes you have, as Kyle noted, are definately Electric Brakes. Is that all there was when you pulled them apart? If so, what's missing is the Magnet itself, and the brakes you have had an old Round magnet.
You can still buy them, however they are dearer than the current Oval magnets that Al-Ko, Kelsey Hayes & Dexter (Melbourne Trailers) run. However... the magnet arms on these have a terrible habit of getting flogged out as the larger of the two stems at the end of the arm had to withstand all the braking forces applied by the workings of the brakes, and they were a separate piece to the arm itself, and would eventually rattle loose. You can convert your existing brakes to Oval magnet type by purchasing the arm to suit. Make sure you get the arm to suit an Al-Ko or Kelsey brake as the Dexter are slightly different. But the magnets are interchangable between all three.

Now, your Al-Ko suspension (let's call it Axle) has my attention.:? Firstly, you say that it's been retro fitted. How sure are you of this, as the age of the Axle tells me it's almost, if not as old, as the van itself? Secondly, the Axle looks like it has sagged a bit. The trailing arm of the axle should face downward by 10 or so degrees from horizontal. There are three cords of solid rubber running inside the axle's tube, separating the inner tube from the outer, and over time the rubber can become deformed, leading to sagging and poor wheel alignment. This can be repaired, but only by returning the axle to Al-Ko themselves.

If you require a bigger hatch to cover the damaged hole in the roof, look into a 'Four Seasons' hatch, as they larger than the current damaged on you've removed.

That'll do for now. Look forward to seeing more progress.

Yonnee.

[Burnsy]

Thanks Yonnee, was hoping you would chime in:D. Yes that is all that was there when I pulled the hub off. I will make sure I go with the Alko magnet conversion and not the original round magnets when I do the brakes.

The Jaycos all came with leaf springs AFAIK and from what I have read. I will get the axle checked at some stage before I do any serious touring although it is definitely downward facing by the 10 degrees when not loaded - should it stay pretty much this way went standing?. Welding on the lift blocks and fish plates also tells me it is not an inshop setup:rolleyes: The front draw bar however has been converted really professionally and was probably done by someone with better skills.

[Yonnee]

Just found this while searching other stuff...
Jayco Dove Canvas - Trading Post (http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automotive/Wheels-Tyres-Parts-Accessories/Caravan-Accessories/AdNumber=W806744995989?CRDealerID=2igKoQwkDlEAAAEaJ0Eg3xbV&HotlistView=true)

I've seen some pretty shocking "factory" installs though, so I wouldn't completely rule it out that it wasn't optioned fairly close to new. However, point taken on the different welds on the suspension mount block compared to the rest of the chassis. The other clue for me is the trailing arm of the suspension itself. When I was working for them in the mid 90's, Al-Ko were (and still are) using a lazer cut, rectangular section, solid piece, rather than the hollow fabricated arm that yours looks like it has.

The 10 degrees I mentioned wasn't quite what I meant when I visualised what 10 degrees was. It should be around 10 degrees when it is loaded, being closer to 25-30 degrees when not. One check you can make though, is to understand how the Al-Ko suspension works. The Outer tube is an equalateral triangle shape with it's flat side bowed out slightly. The Inner tube is shaped like a three-leafed clover. When assembled, the three cords of solid rubber sit in the valleys of the 'clover' inner tube, and the points of the triangular outer tube. So when unladen, this is roughly how they should line up. As the suspension works, the inner tube gets twisted by the trailing arm, compressing the rubber cords, so you can understand as the rubber deteriorates, how the suspension can sag. However, the design is such that unless the rubber completely disappears, it cannot completely drop the chassis to the ground.

[Burnsy]

Thanks Yonnee, I did read up on the suspension on the Alko site but from what you are saying I should definitely get it checked before doing anything major like heading east.

I did see that canvas but have decided to get one custom made, that way they can fit it and make sure it is all correct before I pay. Also I want to get it made to current specs not the old style. This includes independent windows in the main body that do not run down into the bed end extensions. This allows for a canvas section to be sitting against the uprights on each corner so you can have velcro fastened full canvas enclosure/wraps made for the poles. This stops the canvas slapping against the poles in high wind when it has a tendency to balloon - spending every holiday in a 79 model Swan when I was a kid has left me with a few ideas about how they can be improved on:D

Cheers,
Mike

[jatt]

Recommend u dont remove the canvas yourself before getting it redone. Like most things canvas yours will have shrunk over time. Before I strip these I get whoever is going to make the replacement in the shop involved, so they know how much allowance to make on the new one.

My advice is to make the side walls separate from the bed ends ie not all sewn together like from the factory. For starters its easier to repair a section if required.

I would check the condition of the winch and cabling. Its no fun having one of these things come down on you. Thats not a Jayco specific thing. That goes for any van of its type, given its age.

[Burnsy]

Thanks Jatt, cabling looks to have been redone with no visible fraying or wear in any of the sections I have pulled the cabinetry off so far.

The canvas looks to me like something I want nothing to do with and I intend having it done as a drop off pickup type job. No way I would try and do it myself, it is the type of thing best left to the experts as far as I an concerned.

[jatt]

Have seen some done with canvas flaps on the inside if u wanna make it a bit darker.

Would also recommend flyovers for the bed ends.

Good luck with the project.

[Burnsy]

New backed curtains happening next week to deal with light and I already have one new canvas end fly but intend to buy a new set of bagged end flys and use the existing one as a kitchen fly.

Thanks for you continued input I have been looking around for a new oversize roof vent and have settled on a 500 x 500 fiamma (from the website Kyle linked to) which will allow me to cut all the damaged and silicone coated roof sections off.

[Burnsy]

Well it has been a while but I have progressed and camped in it:D Interiour fitout is not totally complete but 80% there. For anyone else doinga Jayco who wants more details you will have to go to myswag.org for the full build.

Finishing it had gone on hold until the chassis upgrade could be done to get rid of the sagging rear. Chassis arrived today so I thought it must be time for an update:p

[jatt]

Nice work.

Jaycos in reasonable condition from that era seem to hold their value quite well.

[Trippo29]

HI Burnsy

Have just got 79 dove for a song needs roof repairs as wood rot all around the side any advice would be helpfull also were did you get the new canvas and cost back then .

Cheers
Trippo

[jatt]

No sure who does em over your side of OZ.

Have heard of places quoting up to $3000 for a complete canvas job.

[jatt]

Oh yeah, neally forgot. When u take it somewhere to get done make sure u leave the bars in the van. :rolleyes: We get the odd one that forgets this small detail.

We can usually live without em on the more common models of Jayco cause we do heaps, but it sure doesnt make the job any easier.

If ur doing the roof go easy when removing the plastic bit that holds the canvas up. 3 odd years ago I had to source it directly from the factory when recanvasing as the clown who owned it went gung ho and broke a heap of it when doing work on his van.

With a little care it can normally be removed and reused successfully.