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Originally Posted by jsflint
Hi All,
Does anyone have a fix for the issue of rain seeping in where the bumper meets the rear at the belt line. I was in the rear compartment feeling around and found flakey rust chips all along the width of that area. I vaccumed it up and have raised the toungue so gravity will pull the other direction. I seems to keep mostly dry now. Should I just seal the area? I think this is a result of tail sag from the bouncing from old axles. Should I put blocks under bumper and raise front to close gap and re-weld with some angle iron to frame and then seal? That was another thought. Any ideas are appreciated.
James
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James,
OK I'll Bite on this because I know a bit about it, since I just finished fixing my sag issue. First, If there is not a humungous gap between the shell and frame at the rear caulk it up and do it quickly unless you have the time to fix it now. My 31'r has the elephant ear patch that "repairs" the separation issue but by no means is it or was it a fix for sag. As well I also have the stiffening plates that in my opinion would probably work fine on a 27'r like yours, but on the 31's it simply moved the pivot point. I would also be careful of blocking the rear and raising the front as this will cause the door to not function. You can do it, but you need to be careful and check door function as you go or you end up with a leak at the door instead of in the rear. As for the fix, I jacked the rear of my unit to just above level, which was determined by utilizing a ten foot bar of square aluminum and a level that was placed on the interior floor. You will be able to see the gap under the bar if the floor is not level, you can also use the level on the bar to indicate where you are. I then took 3" x 2" x 3/16" thick angle and plug welded it to the frame from the stiffening or axle plate all the way to within about 4" in front of the rear bumper. Do this to both sides and then remove from jacks. As for the hard part, you have to remove the belly and then replace when you are done. The 3 x 2 x 3/16 is very strong and once welded to the frame as a sub-frame the system is much stronger than originally built and should take care of the sag issue for the next 30 years anyway. I also used 3 1/2" x 2" x 1/4" and plug welded it from the stiffening plates forward 36". I did that for rigidity on both sides of the axles so that I did not end up forcing a frame break or stress fracture in front of the axles.
It really isnt as bad as it seems...it's just an airstream. Good luck and if needed I have some pictures I can send to you, PM me if you would like to see them.
Dave.
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