Quick fix for water sealing rear end ..?

[nickclifford]

Hi all,
humbled by the of ingenuity and knowledge on this forum .. I'm a total novice here .. the floor of my 1972 Sovereign is remarkably solid (spent it's life in So Cal) .. just hauled this beauty to nor cal and it's rainy and damp .. need to seal the gap from bumper into rear inspection area, water is entering big time
.. see attached photos..crappy pic, but .. water running down back of shell, hitting the bumper, them seeping into rear compartment ..


any tips / ideas most appreciated i would just run a bead of caulking here .. right move ?

[rmkrum]

That's what was done by my dealer when I had it in for a wheel bearing and brake job. In fact, he insisted on sealing that area.


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[perryg114]

Remove the trim above the evil plate that goes under the back of the trailer. Clean all the old caulk out and recaulk. You will need a drill for the rivets and a #21 drill bit. Remove plastic trim, drill rivets remove trim. Caulk the top of the trim when you put it back on and make sure you caulk under it where the plate meets the shell.

Perry

[nickclifford]

thanks Perry , so remove the entire trim .. it wraps around each side ... sounds easy enough. I haven't worked with rivets before ..so I'll need a rivet gun to reattach the trim .. sorry for sill question, but are airstream rivets a uniform size ?
thanks, Nick

[cwf]

Yup. Need a good rivet gun and 1/8" Pop rivets. Do not use silicone sealant. The chemical solvent eats the ALUMINIUM!

[perryg114]

You need some Trempro-635 or similar polyurethane sealer. Yes you need a rivet gun and aluminum only 1/8" pop rivets. Most have a steel insert that will rust. You can probably get most of this at Fastenal or mcmaster.com.

Perry

[dbj216]

Hello NickClifford, Nice to meet you. You have one of those big Sovereigns, nice. We have a long Airstream too. We find the extra room nice for traveling.

Perry mentioned the "evil plate" that holds the rear of the body to your floor and frame. This dog gone thing funnels rain water right in to the wood floor. And the steel angle iron under the floor tends to rust.

I buy 1/8" diameter aluminum pop rivets at the hardware store. I purchased my rivet gun at the hardware store too. I have a Stanley. These "manual" rivet squeezers are all you need for this job. I would recommend 1/8 diameter by 1/4 grip range for this job as you have to go through the trim, the skin, and the "C-channel" putting this thing back together.

Try to squeeze the calk into the seam between the body and the plate, don't just puddle it on the intersection.

David

[perryg114]

You going to need something like 1/2" long to go through the trim and the other stuff.

Perry

[nickclifford]

thanks everyone ... , great advice .. Dave, paint job looks great on the bumper .. that needs to be added to my long list repair jobs ..

[dbj216]

Well, my friend Perry likes long rivets. I guess I don't know how thick your beltline trim piece is. The trailer skin is likely .032, and the C channel is maybe .050, so that's .082 thick. Add your beltline trim and you will have the minimum grip length.

That's POR 15 Sterling Silver paint on the bumper. It better look good for the cost of the paint. I did the whole frame in POR 15 figuring it's tough stuff and will significantly slow any rust down quite a bit. That may be something you will do at some future time.

Here is one of my favorite threads on the renovation of a 70s Sovereign. It is an interesting read. Chris and Kay build one fine trailer that will last them many, many years. I'm sure one of their posts talks about sealing the rear end.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f185...urb-50967.html

David

[perryg114]

The trim does not always fit flush depending on several factors then you have the wall skin and c-channel to go through. A long rivet will get all of them. No down side to it. If just top skin and inner skin then 1\8" is fine.

Perry

[nickclifford]

we've literally had 12" of rain this past week, while we needed it, my camper is soaked. .. it was like putting my baby in a carwash with jets on full and leaving it there.
i got some serious sealing to do .. there is a lot of water coming from above or through the front window area as floor at front drenched. luckily the floor was in good shape so hoping will dry out ok. also a drip from the sealing along a seam line. a couple of side windows dripping too.
best way to dry out ? just put a space heater in their ?

[perryg114]

A space heater and a dehumidifier would help.

Perry

[jimmbob]

Just signed up yesterday. Bought a '76 Sovereign this summer. Checking out the forums. This one will really help. You guys rock!

[dbj216]

Welcome jimmbob. I think you will enjoy your Airstream and these Air Forums. Maybe you will want to seal up the back of your trailer too. Airstream owners are always fighting a leak here and there. I'm resealing my Airstream this winter in the comfort of a heated garage.

David

[jakes_mama]

Hi! Wondering if any of you could advise on a sealant to fill a large gap between my rear tail light covers and the aluminum shell. There is old caulk I will have to remove, and since it's a wider gap than Parbond recommends, is there something better? I don't have any Trempro on hand. Is that the best product for the job?

See photo...
Thanks a million!
Jayne

[cwf]

Originally Posted by jakes_mama

Hi! Wondering if any of you could advise on a sealant to fill a large gap between my rear tail light covers and the aluminum shell. There is old caulk I will have to remove, and since it's a wider gap than Parbond recommends, is there something better? I don't have any Trempro on hand. Is that the best product for the job?

See photo...
Thanks a million!
Jayne

Clean the area well. Use a couple passes of the Parbond or Trempro.

Don't use SILICONE!

If you need to keep water out till you get the sealant, wax the area above the lights, buff well, then use wide BLUE painters tape to make a covering. It will not damage things if you replace occasionally...