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NicheVintage · 04-19-2011, 09:28 PM

Our 65 Overlander has what we believe to be a broken or bent rib near the very old a/c unit.

We think this damage must have been caused by the old axles. Well we now have new axles and a repair needed. We plan on replacing the ac unit. We have a tear in the interior skin and possibly the exterior skin. How do we repair this issue? Do we remove the interior skin or exterior? Do we replace the exterior panel? Do we patch over it? How do we repair the broken rib? Where would I buy said repair piece? Is this a job we can do ourselves? We are pretty handy people. If it's not a job we should take on does anyone have suggestions for someone near Phoenix?

Again sorry for the post loaded with questions.

Thanks.

Inland RV Center, In · 04-19-2011, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NicheVintage

Our 65 Overlander has what we believe to be a broken or bent rib near the very old a/c unit.

We think this damage must have been caused by the old axles. Well we now have new axles and a repair needed. We plan on replacing the ac unit. We have a tear in the interior skin and possibly the exterior skin. How do we repair this issue? Do we remove the interior skin or exterior? Do we replace the exterior panel? Do we patch over it? How do we repair the broken rib? Where would I buy said repair piece? Is this a job we can do ourselves? We are pretty handy people. If it's not a job we should take on does anyone have suggestions for someone near Phoenix?

Again sorry for the post loaded with questions.

Thanks.

Photos, please.

Andy

NicheVintage · 04-19-2011, 10:22 PM

Hi Andy. I will take some photos in the am and can post them tomorrow. I will try to take an exterior photo of the aluminum tear as well as the inside. We won't have the old ac off until this weekend.

Thanks again.

NicheVintage · 04-25-2011, 04:44 PM

As promised here are some photos. After further inspection we think it is a rib running front to back. Is that possible? Also we have verified there is a small tear in the outer skin under the ac shroud.

Colin H · 04-25-2011, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NicheVintage

As promised here are some photos. After further inspection we think it is a rib running front to back. Is that possible? Also we have verified there is a small tear in the outer skin under the ac shroud.

Nichevintage,
Although the damage was likely caused by rough roads, sagged out axles, along with a heavy AC on the roof, I doubt it broke a rib. The ribs run from the floor up & over the top of the shell & down to the floor. They are usually continuous, however depending on the door position relative to the 2' spacing, they are sometime split. There are stringers that run fore & aft, however they are not continuous & are rivetted to each rib...........often poorly. I suspect that your bulkhead does not line up with a rib, therefore the forces from below & above are not supported by a rib. The ceiling cracked due to fatigue. I would get rid of the AC, & if you want to put another one on, make sure you fab an aluminum "C" channel frame around the opening & rivet it between the exterior skin & the interior skin. This will help support & transfer the load to two ribs. Hopefully the new AC will be somewhat lighter than the original one too.
I see this all too often,
Have fun,
Colin

Inland RV Center, In · 04-26-2011, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NicheVintage

As promised here are some photos. After further inspection we think it is a rib running front to back. Is that possible? Also we have verified there is a small tear in the outer skin under the ac shroud.

The fix is not difficult.

Correcting the cause will cost some dollars.

Horizontal stringers run fore and aft, and back then typically were NOT fastened to the main bows.

Andy

TradeWinded · 07-16-2011, 10:11 PM

I have a similar problem in the same area on my '73 Tradewind. Once I removed all my interior panels as part of my restoration process I noticed that none of these stringers were attached to the ribs and just clipped into some sort of rail that served the purpose of a backing plate for where outer sheet of aluminum were riveted to one another. The stringers seem to serve no more purpose than to give the rivets of the interor panels something to fasten to. I say this because not only are mine not fastened to the ribs to privide strength to the roof, they are cut into many pieces to allow gaps for your wiring to run through within the roof. The ceiling is apparently the main artery for all the electrical in our trailers. Can this stringer be purchased in lengths anywhere because I'd really like to beef mine up. There is really no need to make 6 inch gaps 2 or 3 times in the stringer between ribs to run electrical.

douglasbury · 07-22-2011, 09:34 PM

OK, here is the question that this Thread begs in my mind, Should the stringers be attached to the ribs or is there a reason they are not? I have a 1961 22' Spaceliner and hopefully I will have the body off the frame tomorrow afternoon. Today I removed about half of the lower panels and noticed as I removed the rivets for the stringers they fell off inside the trailer. I am not a structural engineer but it seems to me that if the stringers were attached to the ribs the overall structure would be stronger. I plan on doing this restoration right and probably will have a lot of questions.....

Inland RV Center, In · 07-25-2011, 05:12 AM

Your correct, in that attaching the horizontal stringers to the main bows, indeed does make the shell stronger.

Airstream didn't do it, to save on labor.

Andy

AmityAS · 07-10-2012, 01:55 PM

As asked above, where is a good place to get the z stringers at length? Do I have to fab my own or use some other prefab?

Getaways · 07-10-2012, 02:33 PM

Imagine my chagrin when I read the title of this thread in the "Recent Discussions" section and you are talking about trailer integrity. Kinda hoping for a good discussion on my favorite thing to serve at football tailgates!

Sorry for threadjacking!

195Pilot · 07-10-2012, 03:04 PM

As far as information on HOW to repair cracks and or stringer/bows you can obtain a copy of the FAA AC 43-13 B ,in the structural repair section it will describe in detail how to repair. Got to the FAA website; faa.gov and search 43-13 I think its all online. This is the Bible of aluminum repair.
Good Luck
Jack