cracked Door frame

[Didgiman]

Well I don't know exactly how it happened but the side door of my 68 Globetrotter did not get locked when we left the campsite. I thought I locked it and wife did as well, perhaps one unlocked the other. At any rate the door flew open during the ride home. It did not seem to be an issue until upon a closer glance I noticed that the door had lost a great deal of its curvature. I investigated and found a broken weld on the frame a few inches above the lock. It appears as if it was repaired once before. I am now going to take off the internal skin and try to find a welder. I am concerned that I will not be able to return the proper curvature to the door and, as a result, have a bad weather seal. Any advice?

sincerely,
Didgiman

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Didgiman

Well I don't know exactly how it happened but the side door of my 68 Globetrotter did not get locked when we left the campsite. I thought I locked it and wife did as well, perhaps one unlocked the other. At any rate the door flew open during the ride home. It did not seem to be an issue until upon a closer glance I noticed that the door had lost a great deal of its curvature. I investigated and found a broken weld on the frame a few inches above the lock. It appears as if it was repaired once before. I am now going to take off the internal skin and try to find a welder. I am concerned that I will not be able to return the proper curvature to the door and, as a result, have a bad weather seal. Any advice?

sincerely,
Didgiman

Take the inside and outside metal off.

Have the door frame in position within the door jamb.

Shield the inside of the trailer from sparks.

Have someone, "CAREFULLY" weld the door frame back together.

Heliarc welding is the best.

You may have to open up the crack with a "V" groove for a maximum strength weld.

If you do not remove the outside metal, it more than likely will be burned from the welding.

Then reinstall the outside metal.

Lastly, reinstall the inside metal, using "all new holes." When the inside metal is held in place using the new holes, then and only then can you fill the old holes with rivets.

The original rivet holes in the interior metal have stretched, therefore using only them, will allow the door frame to easily break, again.

Andy

[Didgiman]

I am clear on how to drill-out and replace the interior door pop-rivets, but the exterior door rivets perplex me. How do I remove and replace them? Where do I get them, are special tools required?

Didgiman

[7xp]

Didgiman
Sorry to jump in on your thread (but it does relate to your door opening up on you, while traveling). Awhile back there was a thread about how people secured their doors for travel. Lots of neat ideas! Does any body know what thread this was? I tried doing a search on it, but came up empty handed. Thanks....."Mac"

[Aerowood]

Originally Posted by Didgiman

I am clear on how to drill-out and replace the interior door pop-rivets, but the exterior door rivets perplex me. How do I remove and replace them? Where do I get them, are special tools required?

Didgiman

To remove them you need to drill down the center of the rivet with a #30 drill bit until the buck tail is drilled out. Use a high RPM drill (at least 2500 rpm) It does not take very long to get good at it. Replacement depends on what type you plan to use, Either solid shank rivets or blind rivets. Once you figure out what type you plan to use I can work you through it. I might suggest that you read some of the other threads on skin replacement before you start. Don't be afraid to ask questions

[safari57]

You should consider acquiring a piece of aluminum to practice your riveting and then drilling them out until you feel comfortable enough to tackle the door. A few attempts on a practice piece with a few flubs is far better than learning at your Airstreams expense.

We have one person responsible for making sure the doors are all locked, and that is whoever is doing the driving duties. We also learned the hard way so you are not alone, although we were more fortunate with minimal damage.

Good luck with your repair and keep us posted.

Barry

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, check with my friend "anholman" Neil makes a really neat wooden door safety devise to prevent this from happening. His devise might work on your trailer, after you fix your door.

[rslaymaker]

I received a call from my friend this evening, he had the same mishap during his trip. He had left his door unlocked on his 1965 Globe Trotter and it flew open while traveling. It sounds like his door's interior is cracked, the door will not shut or lock, and he has been relying on duct tape to keep it closed. He is traveling north to Pennsylvania (Scranton area) and then on to Ohio (Cleveland area). Does anyone have any suggestions for him? He needs to get this repaired during his trip and he does not have access to the necessary tools. You wisdom and suggestions regarding this issue will be greatly appreciated.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by rslaymaker

I received a call from my friend this evening, he had the same mishap during his trip. He had left his door unlocked on his 1965 Globe Trotter and it flew open while traveling. It sounds like his door's interior is cracked, the door will not shut or lock, and he has been relying on duct tape to keep it closed. He is traveling north to Pennsylvania (Scranton area) and then on to Ohio (Cleveland area). Does anyone have any suggestions for him? He needs to get this repaired during his trip and he does not have access to the necessary tools. You wisdom and suggestions regarding this issue will be greatly appreciated.

Have your friend contact the Airstream factory to set up a repair date.

Andy

[Fyrzowt]

Originally Posted by 7xp

Didgiman
Sorry to jump in on your thread (but it does relate to your door opening up on you, while traveling). Awhile back there was a thread about how people secured their doors for travel. Lots of neat ideas! Does any body know what thread this was? I tried doing a search on it, but came up empty handed. Thanks....."Mac"

I sent you a PM.
Dave

[7xp]

That's it! Thank you Dave. I'm including the link to it, in case anybody wants ideas on how to secure there door for traveling. (http://www.airforums.com/forums/f453...tch-27473.html). Thanks again "Mac"