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Old 08-13-2008, 06:53 PM   #1
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Silver Streak step repair/replacement?

My 1983 Silver Streak Supreme Luxury Liner has step problems. I can't post a picture right now, but I'll try to get one ASAP. It appears that the right side (when facing the steps as if to enter the TT) metal sheet that holds (?) the step's moving parts was welded at the bottom as a temporary repair, and that weld has failed.

From my researches on the relevant threads in the Airstream portion of this place, it looks like my steps are similar if not identical to the ones A/S uses. But I don't want to count on that when buying replacement parts. Can anyone confirm this for me, please?

If I'm wrong, any advice is welcome, as long as it doesn't involve tearing out my floor to do a complete replacement (that may come some other day in the future, and I'll face it then). Thanks.
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Old 08-13-2008, 07:55 PM   #2
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Sunni,

Finding OEM steps for your 'Streak will be next to impossible. Look at the Kwikee product line. They make a nice step....or steps as it may be, in both manual and electric models. They are mostly bolt-on applications, so they might be just what you are looking for........
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Old 08-14-2008, 10:00 AM   #3
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Finding OEM steps for your 'Streak will be next to impossible. Look at the Kwikee product line. They make a nice step....or steps as it may be, in both manual and electric models. They are mostly bolt-on applications, so they might be just what you are looking for........
Thanks, lewster. I'm not expecting to find OEM steps, and I would like to avoid replacing the entire two-step assembly if I can. Here is a picture of my situation ... not very clear, but it's the best I have:



The green arrow points to the now-broken weld. Verifying by direct observation, the weld was holding the front bar, that the steps rest upon when out, to the right side panel.

Am I mistaken in thinking I can replace just that part, without replacing the entire package? Or would it be not very cost effective to do that? (I'm not so worried about the rusty condition of the steps; I have experience with Por-15!)
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Old 08-14-2008, 11:22 AM   #4
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I would have the existing piece repaired if possible. A good welding shop can repair or frabricate the broken piece. This would be much easier and most likely cheaper then trying to locate a replacement part.
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Old 08-14-2008, 10:51 PM   #5
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Sunni,

I guess I am your stalker, chasing you around from forum to forum.
My two cents on this is that some of the problems that we have with our SS trailers are beyond replacement because the parts just no longer exist. Not to insult your intelligence because I know you have a great amount of it, but if I were you, I would tackle every problem you encounter with your SS in the following order. 1. Can it be lived with? If not, 2. Can it be patched or repaired to usuable or like new condition? If not, 3. Can a replacement be found on any of the sites we belong or on eBay, Craigslist, TomPatterson, etc.? If not, 4. Is there a vintage or modern equivalent that can be made to work? If not, 5. Is it financially feasible to have it fabricated from scratch?

I appears to me that if it was welded once before and the weld has failed that it was probably not a good welding job. If done correctly, welds are typically (but not always) stronger that metal around it. I would have a local welder or even an artisan that uses welding as a medium repair your steps again. The repair should last as long as you will need the trailer.

If you are the do-it-yourselfer type JB Weld is a machine grade epoxy that is hard as steel, sandable, fileable, grindable, tapable, and paintable. It is extremely ez to use and can be found in any hardware or autoparts store. It will repair those stairs easily.

Your buddy NXN

PS. How bout those hinges? Awesome!!
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Old 08-14-2008, 11:27 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Nixon66 View Post
Sunni,
..........................'SNIP'.................. ...

If you are the do-it-yourselfer type JB Weld is a machine grade epoxy that is hard as steel, sandable, fileable, grindable, tapable, and paintable. It is extremely ez to use and can be found in any hardware or autoparts store. It will repair those stairs easily.

Your buddy NXN

PS. How bout those hinges? Awesome!!
You're kidding.....right? JB Weld to repair a broken metal weld? I don't believe that it would hold longer than the first time you put weight on the 'repair'. Why don't you just add a big fat blob of silicone and call it a day???

Bite the bullet, and have it fixed properly (as in professional fabrication or welding shop).

As they say around these parts.....'do it right the first time or don't do it at all !!'
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Old 08-15-2008, 12:41 PM   #7
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Maybe lewster has limited emperience with JB Weld but I was not kidding or I would have said so as to not lead Sunni in the wrong direction.

I have repaired centrifical pump casings, radiators, duct work and quite a number of other things with this stuff and it is amazing. I am talking about JB Weld specifically and not just any brand of two part epoxy. For correct information regarding the product go to www.jbweld.com .

Lewster might be correct but I have never heard that JB Weld could not be used for things that are load bearing. We are after all talking about a light weight metal step not a grand staircase. For those on a budget or who want to try to fix it themselves, it might be worth a try first. The worst that can happen is that it didn't work.

But while we're discussing suggestions...I don't believe it should take a professional fabrication shop or professional welder to fix this. They might charge you too much just because they can. Take it to your local High School and have the shop class take care of it.
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Old 08-15-2008, 06:48 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Nixon66 View Post
Maybe lewster has limited emperience with JB Weld but I was not kidding or I would have said so as to not lead Sunni in the wrong direction.

I have repaired centrifical pump casings, radiators, duct work and quite a number of other things with this stuff and it is amazing. I am talking about JB Weld specifically and not just any brand of two part epoxy. For correct information regarding the product go to www.jbweld.com .

Lewster might be correct but I have never heard that JB Weld could not be used for things that are load bearing. We are after all talking about a light weight metal step not a grand staircase. For those on a budget or who want to try to fix it themselves, it might be worth a try first. The worst that can happen is that it didn't work.

But while we're discussing suggestions...I don't believe it should take a professional fabrication shop or professional welder to fix this. They might charge you too much just because they can. Take it to your local High School and have the shop class take care of it.
I've heard the web site's claims that it repairs almost anything, but in my experience (which is in no way limited ), I have had successive failures when attempting to use JB Weld as prescribed. That is on top of several years of working with composites and industrial epoxies. As a professional, I would and will NEVER repair ANYTHING with a product like JB Weld when there is a proper repair available.

Like the old saying........'ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice!'

My customers expect professional results when they hire me, and JB Weld is NOT one of them. Sorry, but amatuer repairs by a novice in a high school welding class won't cut it either.

You, of course, are free to choose what you do with your equipment and can utilize the cheapest method out there. From my experience, a 'cheap' repair will come back to bite you when you are counting on that component the most. Thanks.....but NO THANKS!!
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Old 08-15-2008, 09:49 PM   #9
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I gotta go with Lew on this one. I have used JB Weld extensively, and you won't find much of a bigger fan, in its place.

I used it to repair cracked cast iron oil pans on older Minneapolis-Moline irrigation engines. They had water jackets in the pan and would crack if not drained in the winter. Before I explored the JB Weld repair, the accepted technique was to braze them. Limited success.

I would hot-tank the pans and pressure wash the clean. When dry, I would heat the cast iron with a rosebud torch till warm to the touch. The JB Weld would wick into the crack like water and make a permanent repair.

Notice, no load bearing.

After that, I used JB Weld to attach brass rods to brass tubes for hand-made kaleidoscopes that had natural materials in glass disks (wildflowers, slices of exotic stones, etc...) that you could spin on the rod. Worked like a charm. Had them in the Smithsonian and Nature Company catalogues.

Very light loads.

Meticulus prep was critical in both cases.

I have serioud doubts that you could prep the steps well enough. More than that, I just don't think it is the right choice.

By the way, it's great to hear from you again, Sunni!
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Old 08-16-2008, 02:52 PM   #10
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Have a look around the trailer and where it is parked to see what else a mobile welder could do for you once he arrives. I have had my trailer bumper re-welded after it got bent (worse than the original damage at purchase), and found another guy in the park who needed something. The welder spent a fair amount of time, and none of us were charged much (relatively). Old BBQ's, lawn furniture, fireplace clean-out, boiler, etc.

I've been using Hammerite paint on those steps, and some new anti-slip tape-applied. Punched holes through it to match original, slippery surface. Lubed mechanism with aerosol white lithium grease.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...ct.do?pid=1525

Skid GuardTM - Camping World

http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com...08.html?ref=42
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Old 08-16-2008, 04:06 PM   #11
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Forgot to add that I'll be going out to the storage company before Monday where I can finally move to a covered unit WITH electricity soon (battery charging and de-humidifier, maybe an electronic dust filter as well); I'll look at the steps again, (been a year since the above work), and see what I can about condition.

Any other questions about our units that I should look at or ?
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Old 08-17-2008, 11:23 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Nixon66 View Post
I guess I am your stalker, chasing you around from forum to forum.
I prefer to think of you as a helpful friend!

Quote:
My two cents on this is that some of the problems that we have with our SS trailers are beyond replacement because the parts just no longer exist. Not to insult your intelligence because I know you have a great amount of it, but if I were you, I would tackle every problem you encounter with your SS in the following order. 1. Can it be lived with? If not, 2. Can it be patched or repaired to usuable or like new condition? If not, 3. Can a replacement be found on any of the sites we belong or on eBay, Craigslist, TomPatterson, etc.? If not, 4. Is there a vintage or modern equivalent that can be made to work? If not, 5. Is it financially feasible to have it fabricated from scratch?
An excellent checklist. I think in this case #2 is where I should stop, as the steps really aren't safe as they are (at least that's how it feels to me), and they can be repaired. Since this isn't a "mission critical" repair for my son's camping adventure, I'll think on the possibilities some and tackle it later.

Quote:
PS. How bout those hinges? Awesome!!
They are indeed. I sure feel lucky that I stumbled into the SS group when I did!
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Old 08-17-2008, 11:36 AM   #13
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First, thanks to everyone who's offered information and ideas; I appreciate the help very much. Vaughn, sorry I've not been here much ... I've been trying to see to too many things here at home , and being a n00b at trailering I don't want to bombard this place with lots of silly questions.

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I've been using Hammerite paint on those steps ...
How does that hold up? I have experience with Por-15, as I mentioned before, but it is pricy. If Hammerite compares favorably but isn't so expensive and picky about application conditions, I might try it.

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Any other questions about our units that I should look at or ?
Not from me, at the moment; I'm mostly stuck in basic learning mode at this point.
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Old 08-20-2008, 07:11 AM   #14
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Hammerite paint has worn off at edges. I chose it because it is sturdy (I use it to paint utilities around house, lasts several years in incredible Texas heat/humidity, etc) and is easy to re-apply. I'll put a few thin coats on sometime this year to "repair" the step edges.

A few 4" x 4" wood blocks under the steps is a "time tested method". I do this when parked for a long time at one spot. I get the trailer jacks as level/firm on their plastic ground plates as possible after parking tires on long boards and add the wood under steps, not quite wedging them tightly (trailer suspension, after all, still moves some).

The idea is to limit the movement, reasonably, like a limiter strap.
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Old 08-20-2008, 10:47 AM   #15
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Hammerite paint has worn off at edges. I chose it because it is sturdy (I use it to paint utilities around house, lasts several years in incredible Texas heat/humidity, etc) and is easy to re-apply. I'll put a few thin coats on sometime this year to "repair" the step edges.
Sounds like a good alternative for Por15, in certain circumstances. Thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by REDNAX View Post
A few 4" x 4" wood blocks under the steps is a "time tested method". I do this when parked for a long time at one spot. I get the trailer jacks as level/firm on their plastic ground plates as possible after parking tires on long boards and add the wood under steps, not quite wedging them tightly (trailer suspension, after all, still moves some).

The idea is to limit the movement, reasonably, like a limiter strap.
Here is where being a trailering/RVing n00b gets me. I did remember to lower the trailer jacks when it was parked (on asphalt) behind our house, but I didn't know about "ground plates" under them, etc.

Can anyone recommend a decent book that will help me get up to speed on all this stuff? As a matter of principle (whether misguided or not), I will not buy any book that has For Dummies or Idiot's Guide in its title. I've seen several other books on Amazon, but reviews by people I don't know aren't particularly helpful. (I also tried to search here for such recommendations, but the results weren't helpful. Need to learn how to do better searches here.)
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Old 08-23-2008, 08:40 PM   #16
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TRAILER LIFE Publications, old and new. Look at used bookstores, as any RV "book" from the 1970's and 80's will work well for you (even if other info -- drivetrain -- is a non-starter).

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...pair&x=11&y=16

These are mainly about appliance repair, plumbing, etc, repair; not something like metal steps. For that, keep asking where you have been, as well as rv.net and irv2.
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Old 08-27-2008, 01:18 PM   #17
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TRAILER LIFE Publications, old and new. Look at used bookstores, as any RV "book" from the 1970's and 80's will work well for you (even if other info -- drivetrain -- is a non-starter).
Thanks very much! Another great excuse to browse the bookstores—I love it!

Quote:
These are mainly about appliance repair, plumbing, etc, repair; not something like metal steps.
That's why I was asking; sorry about the shift of focus. I didn't want to start another thread for that question ...
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Old 08-27-2008, 02:42 PM   #18
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We don need no stinking Denteest!

Here in the Ozarks we have a guy that's tooth was rotting...he filled it with JBWeld! We don need no stinking Denteest!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lewster View Post
You're kidding.....right? JB Weld to repair a broken metal weld? I don't believe that it would hold longer than the first time you put weight on the 'repair'. Why don't you just add a big fat blob of silicone and call it a day???

Bite the bullet, and have it fixed properly (as in professional fabrication or welding shop).

As they say around these parts.....'do it right the first time or don't do it at all !!'
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