The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Sleeper to cab seal?

I have a sleeper on a 61 1 ton truck.
It is obviously aftermarket.
The access to it is the entire rear window opening as well as about a 2' section cut out of the cab back below the window, making the "doorway" kind of "T" shaped.

The original seal is vinyl that is snapped on the inside of both the sleeper box, and cab opening. There are snap studs screwed in about every 3" all around the edges.

The vinyl has cracked, and needs to be replaced.
But I don't think it was a very good solution even when new.

Any ideas or recommendations as to how to seal the cab to the sleeper?

Keep in mind that it needs to flex, that the back of the cab and the sleeper are not quite parallel. To complicate things, the sleeper is made of corrugated aluminum over 3/4" plywood, like an old Winnebago.

Grigg

Hey Grigg try Camping world and talk to one of there coach techs maybe they can help.

Buy the way you coming to Washington?

Grigg, I worked in a semi shop once and we had to swap sleepers a few times. The local freightliner shop had diferent types of universal seals that just cut length. It's been a few years, but if I remember right, it was pretty easy to find something there.

Screw all that (I'm drunk). Whack an inner tube to length, and use aluminum strips - I don't know what they're called, but they separate carpet floors from, say, hardwood - to secure them on each side. Worked fine on an old Transtar I had once. You know what to do, just use these vague instructions and go frick'n nuts. You WILL be happy.

Agree with wofford try a heavy truck shop. we had a leaking kw local dealer fixed it. they should have parts you can cut to fit. maybe a 36 inch bunk off a semi would work better for you any way if you can find one sitting in a yard somewhere.

Gee, I don't know Grigg. Hotshoe36 seems to be the expert here, with those precise and scientific instructions. Hey hotshoe36, did your Transtar have floor to ceiling shag carpet too?

I am leaning toward some thing like Hotshoe36 describes.
I have already removed the green shag carpet, and the carpet padding. Literally two full sized trash cans full, just from the cab floor.
I need to remove the old sleeper seal, probably this week and start looking for some rubber and some retaining strips. I may have to modify the cab by welding something around the edge to better accept the seal, not sure yet.

I'll go to the truck parts places and see what they have first.

Grigg

Don't they have this very thing to attach camper shells to the back of trucks? That's what I'd use. I think you can get it fairly thick, meaning like 1/3 inch or something and quite industrial also..not the grand auto peel and stick foam. Oh, hey...if it is to be "permanent-ish" hows about getting the really thick 1/2 "tootsy-roll" they use to install lay-in windshields? Maybe that'd work in conjunction with another material..

The gap is about 2" at the top, and nothing at the bottom.
What ever I use, it would be nice if it gave a finished look inside, to cover the edges of the plywood and window opening.

Grigg

Hey Grigg,

How come it is so different top to bottom? Any sagging going on with the mounting, cab or sleeper? Personally (I seem to do things the hard way) I'd probably be tortured enough to get the metal to line up (mounts or welding or re-angle of the crawlthru) then use some simple sealer. To try to close a variable gap seems like it will be less than perfect...my humble 2Cents.

The rear window of the truck leans forward, it is not vertical. The sleeper is vertical.

Not much to do but live with it, a piece of rubber, like an inner tube, is probably the solution.

Grigg

Hey Grigg if you want some thing like inner tube try butyl rubber pond liner in 100 mil it can be had in large flat sheets and any place that carries it will also have vulcanizing glue that will work for the seam. Where it joins the truck try Sashcos' Through the Roof it's a clear brushable silicone roof sealer. The interior will need to be upholstered to look good hit the outside with a coat of paint mite add some flex agent to the paint.

Or check with a local RV repair shop not much differnt than making a crawl through for a camper.

Ah, back to that hard way thing, I have a 42 COE which had s sleeper on it. They made a small metal "crawlthru" to take up the slack of the difference. maybe that won't work for you since you have 0 at the bottom.

Here is a picture of the "problem"

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2478264560080251109SwFikA

The cab side was snapped in, and the sleeper side was stapled in with literally hundreds of staples.

I am leaning toward some 3/16" or 1/4" thick black rubber and some sort of metal strips screwed over the rubber around the edges, both cab and sleeper side. I will also need some sort of sealant to seal the rubber to the cab and sleeper.

It is really a pretty poor design, the way the cab and sleeper were cut out leave plenty of places for water to get in unless a really good sealer is used.

Grigg