RV Repair: Attic Repair, vinyl fabric, tack strips

Question
Hello,

I just bought my first RV (1992 Damon Hornet 21'?), and I’m learning the hard way about them. I bought it off EBay assured that there was "no leaks" and everything "works perfect".  There was damage stated in the auction but he assured me that it did not leak and was mainly cosmetic.  So I bought it and it sat at my home for about 3 weeks (until I could get an inspection done at a local dealer).  I got up to take it in and started to drive away and notice water "pouring" from the seam underneath the overhang (attic?) from the rain a few days before. Upon closer inspection I noticed the seam was separating.  I took it to the shop and asked them to give me a quote to repair the overhang. When I picked it up he found nothing major wrong with it, everything works, he couldn’t check the generator because I didn't have a house battery. The only other leak he found was a spot on the roof around the AC (which is now what I realized is the cause of the minor buckeling of the vinyl covering). He also noted that he could not give me an estimate only a price range ($5000 to $10,000) to repair it but he wouldn’t know the exact cost until it is done because he "doesn’t know what he'll find" underneath.

I tried to do the whole return to EBay thing under their buyer protection but that apparently is only good for 72 hours.  SO now I have this RV, which I love and is perfect in every way (except the leak), trying to figure out if I should cut my losses and sell it and start over or try to repair it.

I did a lot of research and I understand that this repair is not that complicated, just time consuming.  I have NO problems redoing the interior (wood, vinyl, fabric, etc) as that is all cosmetic and rather easy in my opinion. I am really cautious to mess with the aluminum exterior.  It needs, probably, the whole skin to be either pounded out or replaced. The window needs a new seal (which is what I just read may be the source of the leak), it needs 2 new horizontal tack strips (if that’s what you call the part that covers the metal seams), and it needs the whole tack strip around one of the outside curved edges where the aluminum meets the fiberglass.  My whole thing is I don't know how it’s held together, if I have wood or metal supports underneath. My plan this afternoon/weekend is to gut the overhang interior down to  the frame and aluminum and then go to an RV dealer and ask them to quote me on just replacing the aluminum (I figured it should be rather cheap/easy for them?). That will at least give me an idea what’s going on inside. The damage, in my opinion, is relatively minor.  It appears the previous owner clipped the top on something at a real low speed and caught himself quickly because there’s no MAJOR damage. The aluminum is buckled and looks to be unattached? in some spots. There’s 2 cracks in the fiberglass about 4" long. The previous owner went back with some sort of sealant and filled in the gaps. The overhang does not sit unleveled/warped in any way (so I believe there should be no structural damage).

Anyhow, now that I rambled forever (I just like to ensure that I provide enough details). I have a few questions regarding 3 aspects.

The first is that overhang.  Should I attempt to replace the aluminum skin or leave it to a pro? If I were to attempt it, where do I find the aluminum and the metal tacking strips? (I called the only local Damon dealer and they were unfamiliar with this model and said to bring it in). Additionally, on a guess-timate, what would simply replacing the metal skin run? (I figured maybe 1000-2000 because I assumed the bulk of the work is on the interior).

The second area is the minor leak around the AC. Now, it NEVER pours from that area. It looks to be some minor seepage. The vinyl is a little bit buckled, a light black haze and nothing more. When I was on the roof pressure washing it, I notice a soft spot (it feels like when you sit on the old metal car hood where they pop in then pop back out). I don't know if that soft spot is normal.  But I presume that the repair should be: Removing the AC unit, pulling off the vinyl wallpaper stuff, then probably rip down the wood and screw? up new wood (maybe put insulation in if needed). Then reassemble and caulk? It sounds pretty simple. Should I go to that extreme or just get up there and try and caulk around the AC and leave it be? And where would I find the vinyl wall paper/covering?

Resealing the roof. What I presumed to do was to get up there and caulk everything, then go to home depot and use this stuff called Cool Kote and/or Cook Patch and just roll it on the roof... good idea?

I know this was long, but thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully responding. I'm just hoping to get this done, and done right, and looking forward to taking my first RV trip.

Thanks,
Vincent

Additional Info:
I posted some photos of the damage on my webspace, hoping this will help with some visuals.

http://home.cfl.rr.com/vcand/rv/


Answer
Hi Vincent:
Well, you have the distingtion of having desribed your troubles in a most complete manner, wow. Trouble is there is not much I can help you with because you have researched things so well. All the work you propose to do is not complicated just tedious and time consuming. The aluminum replacement is a real pain and unless you have done some in the past you would probably be glad if you let somebody else do it. You could probably do it yourself but you'll do it two or three times to get it right. You surely could patch the AC unit, go at it slow and meticulously. The internet is the best source for materials. There is rubberized roof paint that works well after you caulk all the potential leaks. Good luck.
Bill