Well we have FINALLY moved to the outside!!!! Inside all done!!!. Harold can't remember. Should the banana wraps go OVER the outside skin or UNDER the skin? I lost all my pictures when my computer died in January so need some help please.
I dont know for sure. But if I were doing it I would put the skin over the bannana wrap. So the water would not run in if a seam did not seal well. Just my thought. Mike
Last edited by memgrove2000; 05-11-2009 at 05:04 PM.
Reason: spelling
Well we have FINALLY moved to the outside!!!! Inside all done!!!. Harold can't remember. Should the banana wraps go OVER the outside skin or UNDER the skin? I lost all my pictures when my computer died in January so need some help please.
Annette
Install the banana wraps "over" the exterior metal. That's how Airstream built it.
Seal it with Vulkem, and then cover it with the rub rail molding.
Then to further dress up the appearance, you can put a small bead of Par-bond on top of the rub rail molding as it touches the shell.
On my 1973 Airstreamer my wrap was on top of the skin, water got under it every day it rained since 1973, the water soaked up into the insulation just like a sponge and stayed there, then the frame rotted out, then the floor rotted out in areas of the corners, that all is now repaired, now that I am ready for the complete belly wraps job in this 98 degree florida sweltering bug infested heat, I am sealing that corner very well, even thou the wrap on my rig butts up flush to the skin, if I was to put the wrap under the skin ,which I really want to do, I would have to remove all the rivits holding the skin to the body, what a big job, what I have do, (and I probally will get some flack from Inland RV), I first glued 3/4" foil wraped insulation to the wood floor under the whole carrage, then I used AC tape (not duck tape) and taped from the lower edge of the skin/frame, and under the corner of the edge of the 3/4 foil insulation , next I put the standard pink insulation batts between the outriggers, and now my next very important step, I bought a roll of that 1/4" x 1/8" putty type , very sticky, comes 50' long, peel the paper off it then stick that right at the joint where the wrap and the skin butt together, and after I rivit the wrap back on, what ever putty tape blops out will will show a very good seal, then I will run another strip of that putty tape on that seam/joint, then rivit the molding on, the seal will work for me, and then I get to work on the inside, thats the way I have been doing it, good luck, John
On my 1973 Airstreamer my wrap was on top of the skin, water got under it every day it rained since 1973, the water soaked up into the insulation just like a sponge and stayed there, then the frame rotted out, then the floor rotted out in areas of the corners, that all is now repaired, now that I am ready for the complete belly wraps job in this 98 degree florida sweltering bug infested heat, I am sealing that corner very well, even thou the wrap on my rig butts up flush to the skin, if I was to put the wrap under the skin ,which I really want to do, I would have to remove all the rivits holding the skin to the body, what a big job, what I have do, (and I probally will get some flack from Inland RV), I first glued 3/4" foil wraped insulation to the wood floor under the whole carrage, then I used AC tape (not duck tape) and taped from the lower edge of the skin/frame, and under the corner of the edge of the 3/4 foil insulation , next I put the standard pink insulation batts between the outriggers, and now my next very important step, I bought a roll of that 1/4" x 1/8" putty type , very sticky, comes 50' long, peel the paper off it then stick that right at the joint where the wrap and the skin butt together, and after I rivit the wrap back on, what ever putty tape blops out will will show a very good seal, then I will run another strip of that putty tape on that seam/joint, then rivit the molding on, the seal will work for me, and then I get to work on the inside, thats the way I have been doing it, good luck, John
Putty tape is good for a couple of years, until the oil in it is gone. Then it no longer will do what your hoping for.
The way the banana wrap was on, is correct.
Banana wraps and underbelly wraps are sealed by placing a bead of Par-bond, on the very top of the rub rail.
Or before installing the banana wrap on top of the quarter panels, you can place a bead of Vulkem sealer between the two, and then rivet the banana wrap in place.
Doing a little investigation on my 1/8" tape yesterday on a seam I had to do, The project worked well, the rivits does not pull the two sheets together totally flat becouse of the 1/8" tape, so looking into Andys Inland RV advice, I will take a drive to Sanders Airstream RV here in Alachua County, and purchase the Par bond and the Vulkem sealer, I,ll still use the 1/8" thick tape in some areas, the poducts that Andy mentions most likely will give the best seal being it will cause the belly wrap to lay even flatter when the rivits are installed, but who am I to know, I am supposed to be an artist of Florida Oil paintings, not an Rv tect that bust butt in the heat all day.
Depending on sealer to prevent leaks rather than proper shingling seems stupid to me. You wouldn't shingle a house roof by starting at the top and sealing between shingles. Putting the body skin over the banana wrap, while probably more difficult, would make the sealer the SECOND line of defense, with gravity the first.
Depending on sealer to prevent leaks rather than proper shingling seems stupid to me. You wouldn't shingle a house roof by starting at the top and sealing between shingles. Putting the body skin over the banana wrap, while probably more difficult, would make the sealer the SECOND line of defense, with gravity the first.
Granted that Airstream doesn't build them that way, and your shop probably doesn't repair them that way, but is there any disadvantage to putting the banana wraps and belly skin under the body panels?
The only disadvantage that I can see is if I ever needed to remove them in the future, it would require me to remove a greater number of rivets. It was really an easy decision for me because the advantages out weighed the disadvantages. For me personally, removing the extra rivets isn't that big of a deal.
The only disadvantage that I can see is if I ever needed to remove them in the future, it would require me to remove a greater number of rivets. It was really an easy decision for me because the advantages out weighed the disadvantages. For me personally, removing the extra rivets isn't that big of a deal.
Kip
Well, I have not taken the belly off yet, so please bear with me. I'll probably learn the answer to this question when I get to that point.
With a normal installation, is the under layer (either the body shell or the banana wraps/belly skin depending on which order you go in) riveted on, and then the outer layer is riveted on, followed by the rub rail? In other words, is each layer riveted on separately, with more rivets added as you add the next two layers?
Or is there just one set of rivets holding both the body shell and belly/banana wraps?
Well, I have not taken the belly off yet, so please bear with me. I'll probably learn the answer to this question when I get to that point.
With a normal installation, is the under layer (either the body shell or the banana wraps/belly skin depending on which order you go in) riveted on, and then the outer layer is riveted on, followed by the rub rail? In other words, is each layer riveted on separately, with more rivets added as you add the next two layers?
Or is there just one set of rivets holding both the body shell and belly/banana wraps?
Chris
When I reinstalled mine the same set of rivets go through all the layers at once. The tack rivets to hold the rub rail will be seperate and go through all the layers but I have not done this yet. I saw no piont in hiding rivets underneath one layer. I believe Airstream does this for ease of production.
Being that the belly wrap butts up directly to the skin I will not be removing all the rivets of the skin to slide the belly wrap under, what works best for my situation is as follows;
First I smoothed off all cut rivets and cleaned the area to lay down a 1/4" wide by 1/8" thick bubble gum tape and then removed the paper, then, using a hand jack and a 1x6 piece of wood, I adjust my belly wrap in place, next I pushed tight the new belly wrap into the gum, flush butt to the skin, I use a rubber mallet where needed to make a very tight seal, I used the 3/16 medium rivets, next I rivet on the rub rail, I finish by running a clean bead of Aluminum/ metal roof 100% silicone along the top edge of the rub rail. I am in no way a pro at all this, but for me its cost effective and serves my purpose, In my pictures you will note the supply's, gum tape, silicone, hand jack, and a can of Ensure plus to keep your energy up,
John123
Quick Links
. Harold can't remember. Should the banana wraps go OVER the outside skin or UNDER the skin? I lost all my pictures when my computer died in January so need some help please.
Hybrid Mode
