We got the roof skin loose; how to lift it off?

[avannoy]

We removed all the J channel and awning channel, then removed all the tiny nails in the skin seams. The front & rear skin panels came off very easily. Next step is to take the roof skin off, but it's huge and the camper is nearly 8 feet tall. So how do people gets these off? I'm thinking if I had 8 people, 4 on each side, who happened to be 8 feet tall, we could lift it right off and set it aside. But it's just me and dear husband working on it so that's not an option.

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Angel

[vikx]

Angel, you might be able to "float" the roof and move it side to side for repairs. It depends on if your rafters/ceiling panels need replacing...then the float won't work.

To float a roof, slide 1 x 4s under the metal at 2 foot intervals. Also, straighten the edge bend before moving the roof to prevent splits. You can repair the edge boards easily this way.

For two of you, removing the roof is very difficult. I suggest asking for help. We tried building a frame and the roof still didn't fare very well...also very awkward. It takes more than two; we learned that the hard way.

If you are in a building, the roof can be hung via ropes and pulleys. Build a light weight frame to support the curves front and back and use the aforementioned 1 x 4s in the middle. Hope this helps and Good Luck!

[idqrocks]

What is the best way to get those little nails out that are under the drip edge?

I don't want to damage the skin, and they are REALLY not wanting to come out.

Thanks!

[schweetcruisers]

I used a Fein Multi-tool to cut the heads off, took about 30 min to do the whole roof.

[idqrocks]

Is there a trick to cutting the head off without damaging the aluminum?

[schweetcruisers]

What I did is slide the blade in between the roof and the skin, turned it on and just slid it along cutting the nails. I never pushed it all the way to the crease and I let the tool do the work, never forcing it. Once you cut a few you'll know whats a nail and whats not!

[schweetcruisers]

Oh yeah, on my blog there is actually a picture of me doing this, it's under the chapter "roof removal"

[vikx]

Update on removing the roof:

Learned something on my little Cardinal last summer. After straightening all the roof edges, we rolled the roof! It lifted right off with no worries. Straightening the edge prevented splits in the metal.

I will be using this method whenever the roof needs to come completely off...

[Deleted]

I am working alone, and I finally got the roof off from mine. After days of turning out screws with barely any heads left on them from the drip rails, and pulling staples and nails, I straightened out the edges as best I could. I used linesman's pliers, so it was 20 feet of aluminum 3/8 of an inch at a time, twice. Once I got the roof vents and all the black tar sealer that had been put on over the years off, the skin lifted off the vent frames quite easily.

I tried rolling the skin up as suggested, and it seemed like it should go fairly easily, but when I would get to the half-way mark, it just uncoiled and attempted to cut me in half. Funny how that aluminum just has no conscience about things like that. I ended up propping four 2X4's against the front wall so that it would not come down on the hitch, jack, tank rack, or anything that would puncture the skin. It just fluffed up off the roof vents, and slid like a quilt off the bed down the front and onto the driveway. I then rolled and tied it and have it stored completely out of the way. I'm pretty sure putting it back won't be quite so easy without reversing gravity, but the rolled-up skin should go back up and unroll fairly easily.

[cowcharge]

Maybe lower it down a long shallow ramp of planks from one end?