We've had our Barth since July and had hoped to be out on the road in October. It's the mirror problem. Maybe some of you guys are familiar with that phenomenon. You wake up in the morning, ready to head out into the world to slay dragons, repair Barths, etc.--only to look at yourself in the mirror and realize that you just ain't what you used to be...

We have all new parts under the front end, resprung the rear end bringing the ride height to the correct level, and set alignment to Bill H's numbers. All new tires and wheel bearings checked out.

Engine, belts, hoses, etc. all checked out, so I thought the fun was about to commence. Wrong.

My supervisor took one look at the interior and opined, "This will have go go!" And thus the new schedule.

Earlier, I had solicited opinions about headliner replacement on this forum and got lots of helpful info.

But, unless someone here KNOWS why this won't work, we're doing something nobody suggested. Accoustic cloth wallpaper ceiling. My insulation is in good shape, so we're just going to glue the cloth on up there.

I plan to do a photographic record of this project (if it's successful) and will make it available. Wish me luck.

John

Hi I-head,

We went and looked at new Winnebago's a few years ago, (just curious about the Workhorse chassis) and it sure looked like their cloth ceiling was the kind of wall paper you describe. Why don't you do vinyl? It is much easier to clean and there is a huge selection also.

I am sure what ever you do will look great. We will be looking forward to the photographic record. There are a lot of Barth folks out there with the same problem.

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[b[QUOTE[/b] "It's the mirror problem. Maybe some of you guys are familiar with that phenomenon. You wake up in the morning, ready to head out into the world to slay dragons, repair Barths, etc.--only to look at yourself in the mirror and realize that you just ain't what you used to be..."

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Heck, John, I am now at the point that I realize that not only am I not the man I used to be, I never was the man I thought I was.

I don't know anything about acoustic cloth wallpaper, but be sure to use adhesive meant for headliners. other adhesives can succumb to heat and gravity. 3M has a good one.

Have you considered automotive headliner material? I recently used some that had a layer of foam bonded to it on a Saturn. A good auto upholstery supplier might be a good source of advice.

Due to cooking, I am with Dave on the vinyl.

Oops. I think you guys are on to something about the vinyl. Never having lived in a submarine, I just didn't think about what a tight system one of these things could be.

The supervisor (she-who-must-be-obeyed) just yanked the sagging cloth headliner out and discovered the deteriorated foam underneath. On that basis, she say no foam. Somebody (that universal expert that they're not married to) TOLD her that foam always craters in the Texas heat. Therefore no foam.

My preference would have been to use the vinyl headliner material with foam backing. Can anyone on here authoritatively say this would do the job long term in the heat?

John

Your wife is right about the foam. In automobiles, the foam deteriorates and the vinyl sags. Seems to take 10 years or so. Shorter if a sunroof leaks. With the superior roof insulation in a motor home, (and the preponderance of white roofs) I would expect the foam to last quite a bit longer.

BTW, if you have a sunroof on your car, keep the drain channels clear. Especially Saturns. Don't ask.

Ooh, this is good! Based on the 10 years plus the lifetime extension due to better insulation & white roof, maybe we can "sell" the vinyl plus foam.

I'm thinking the cleanup would be much easier and the foam would disguise the slight imperfections in my hard insulation. Maybe cut down on the headbump factor too?

Thanks,

JOhn