Northstar tc800 roof rebuild ?'ss

Mste1957

New member
HI all. I'm rebuilding the roof on my 97 TC800. Had all the usual issues. It's off and upside down. I'm sanding the glue and cleaning to prep reassemble. I'm rebuilding like factory did with marine ply, 1in Styrofoam, and 1/4 ply. What is best glue for ply frame? Best glue for Styrofoam and interior 1/4 ply. Would West epoxy and mat work to patch aluminium. Holes from corner brackets and a roof rack screwed into Styrofoam. No big ones.About 1inch from the brackets. Also the roof center seam has leaked. I will support and hammer, but what is the best way to seal It? Any suggestion on how to prevent sagging?
 

RedRoostre

New member
Fellow TC800 owner here. Mine is a 2000. The roof is in ok condition. One corner has been dented and repaired poorly so I will be repairing it soon.

For wood glue the best I have found is Aerodux Resorcinol. It may be overkill for a small project. I’ve had good luck with Titebond 3 for smaller projects.

For a sealant I like to use 3M products. I’m sure I have seen recommendations from others here as I have perused.
 

turbothrush

Member
Maybe too late but for stryrofoam(extruded polystyrene ) glue you can use any of the polyurethane glues (Gorilla and others) You will need to clamp though as it has some push to it. Epoxy with a filler mixed in will also work well with less clamping pesssure.

A good plywood bond to stryro is most important. A slight curve would be perfect but harder to do. I hope this answers some ...
 

Mste1957

New member
Not too late for styro board. I'm still on the frame. I decided to use aluminium 1x3 rectangle tube. The frame was rotted all the way around. Every screw leaked. I am still planning on marine ply for the inner frame that the canvas screws to and glued Styrofoam and 1/8th ply for interior. I trying to come up with a way to prevent sag. Trusting glued Styrofoam and ply to add enough stiffness is hard to do. Any ideas?20200120_171507.jpg20200120_171519.jpg
 

turbothrush

Member
Increasing the styrofoam thickness will increase stiffness and strength of the roof. If the original was 1" foam board even 1 1/2 " would make a big difference.

If you can't increase the thickness you should put thicker plywood than the original on the bottom even if it means going a bit thinner on the top.
I assume this is going to be flat roof.
 

Mste1957

New member
Going to keep the crown if possible. Thinking one inch as factory built and using 1.5 inch exposed beams truses under as factory built. It will sit on aluminium frame.20200121_192615.jpg20200121_192547.jpg
 

turbothrush

Member
I see in the photo you have a Northern Lite. I sold a Bigfoot this spring. I miss it y on. Better than staples and glue holding it together. This will work if I can keep the water out. It's much lighter.
Oh thats cool it has a crown. Way better than just flat. Frame looks great

and yes as far as hardsides go its pretty hard to beat Bigfoot or Northern Lite.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,534
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top