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worldinchaos · 03-27-2012, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jslowery

I feel like I have rolled the trojan horse behind enemy lines without getting in it.

I think that's a very apt yet unfortunate analogy. Just remember that the trojan horse may have been a lot of time but really only consisted of wood. No "lives" have been lost.

Now go win that war.

jslowery · 04-23-2012, 05:57 PM

The shell is back on again. Wheel well are in and I am working on leaks. This includes reworking the skylights, new bath fan, reworking AC install, antennae removal and replacing bad rivets. I have enclosed a photo of how the ribs that have seperated. It seems that there will be little ripple when I re attache.

Also I am looking for advice on what to do about the corrosion spots. I have a photo of the corrosion around the heater vents. I am thinking about treating and painting this area since it will not be seen once assembled. I am also considering this below the AC. I am reinforcing the frame which may help but the back of the AC was rubbing in a few spots. The weather stripping was not enough to hold the back up.

Is there any reason to save my old axles? If not I would like to get the scrap value for them.

On the dissapointing side I just found out the Burgundy letters I ordered from out of doors mart are no longer available. They have one left. I was planning my whole theme around these so if anyone knows where I can get one please let me know.

Eric H · 04-23-2012, 06:02 PM

Will you be covering the vents with a patch? If so I say just scrape off the corrosion and patch it up.

Lance M · 04-24-2012, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jslowery

The shell is back on again. Wheel well are in and I am working on leaks. This includes reworking the skylights, new bath fan, reworking AC install, antennae removal and replacing bad rivets. I have enclosed a photo of how the ribs that have seperated. It seems that there will be little ripple when I re attache.

Also I am looking for advice on what to do about the corrosion spots. I have a photo of the corrosion around the heater vents. I am thinking about treating and painting this area since it will not be seen once assembled. I am also considering this below the AC. I am reinforcing the frame which may help but the back of the AC was rubbing in a few spots. The weather stripping was not enough to hold the back up.

Is there any reason to save my old axles? If not I would like to get the scrap value for them.

On the dissapointing side I just found out the Burgundy letters I ordered from out of doors mart are no longer available. They have one left. I was planning my whole theme around these so if anyone knows where I can get one please let me know.

jslowery,
I have had good results with these discs from 3M to remove light corrosion. You can get them from Fastenal. I attach them to a die grinder and carefully grind away the corrosion. You may want to mask the surrounding area with a heavy duty painter's tape. Painting is also a good idea for the areas that will be covered by trim or a cover.
I recently took seven axles to the scrap metal recycler. Tin and long iron was .11 cents a pound. It was worth the trip for seven axles, but not sure it would have been worth it for one or two. (my ol' Chevy has a gas guzzling problem)
Are you talking about vinyl letters?

jslowery · 07-18-2012, 08:44 PM

I have been off of this project for some time now and I am growing impatient. I am repairing a few leaks and then I need to put the inside skin back in. Should I paint it first or paint it all after it is installed? I am considering leaving out the j trim. As well. I would have to replace it and it seems necessary when the edges had exposed aluminum where the vinyl coating does not exist. If I paint it these edges will be covered. Any thoughts?

jslowery · 02-06-2013, 03:59 PM

I am very discouraged today. I have been working very hard to get this thing back together and thought I was ready to install the interior skin until it rained. I have straitened the frame, Replaced outriggers, POR15 frame, new axles, replaced many rivets that appeared loose,replaced entire floor, put shell back on, insulated floor, put banana trim back on. repaired wheel wells, Skylights, the list goes on and I know many others have done more.

I thought the leaks were fixed when it rained last week and i started putting insulation back in the interior. Today it rained much longer and it seems like every factory rivet that I left in is leaking.

Is there anything i can do short of replacing all of these rivets? I do not think i will be successful at this point.

I know the seams have caulking on the inside and those spots do not appear to leak. I only had one leak that made it to the floor but in trying to determine where it started i slipped strips of paper between the rivets and the skin. I pulled out a wet strip of paper at most spots.

TG Twinkie · 02-06-2013, 07:49 PM

Are you sure that it is leaking?. It could be condensation.

Becky B. · 02-06-2013, 07:59 PM

I had some leaky rivets on a previous trailer. Rather than removing them, you can put Tempro on the inside (if you still have access to it) as well as the outside. On the outside, take the tempro or Parbond (whichever you have) and smear it round the rivet. Work it in with your finger. Then take a paper towel & remove the excess. Clean it up with Mineral Spirits & you should be set. I know it's discouraging to have leaks after you've tried to get after all the leaks. It has happened to most of us!

jslowery · 02-08-2013, 08:26 AM

Thanks for the ideas and encouragement. I may replace the worst offenders and try to caulk the rest.

It will be hard to cover them from the inside because there is a gap between the rib and the skin. Has anyone ever tried anything real thin like a lacquer that will wick into the leak?

I thought about getting a blower from a bouncy house and inflating the camper. Soap it up and check for leaks? Maybe blow sealant from inside to out?

timzog · 02-08-2013, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jslowery

I am very discouraged today. I have been working very hard to get this thing back together and thought I was ready to install the interior skin until it rained. I have straitened the frame, Replaced outriggers, POR15 frame, new axles, replaced many rivets that appeared loose,replaced entire floor, put shell back on, insulated floor, put banana trim back on. repaired wheel wells, Skylights, the list goes on and I know many others have done more.

I thought the leaks were fixed when it rained last week and i started putting insulation back in the interior. Today it rained much longer and it seems like every factory rivet that I left in is leaking.

Is there anything i can do short of replacing all of these rivets? I do not think i will be successful at this point.

I know the seams have caulking on the inside and those spots do not appear to leak. I only had one leak that made it to the floor but in trying to determine where it started i slipped strips of paper between the rivets and the skin. I pulled out a wet strip of paper at most spots.

When I was leak hunting on my Caravelle I found that the leaks were all in places where the outer skin was close to horizontal and the rivet spacing was 5 to 7". There were no leaks at the places where there was a skin seam at a rib and at those spots, the rivets were spaced much closer at 2-3". So my goal was to add more rivets and to get a thin bead of Vulkem between the rib and the skin on the leaky areas. My solution was to squeeze Vulkem into the slight gaps between existing rivets and then install a new rivet between the existing ones. Then I drilled out the original rivets, squeezed more Vulkem between the rib and skin at that location, and installed a new 5/32" buck rivet in the existing hole. This was a lot of work but it seems like a long term fix to me. On my trailer I see no signs of rivet fatigue anywhere that the spacing is less than 3" and lots of problems where the spacing was more than 4". I think if you can share the load across more rivets, it will last a lot longer. I'm sure real rivet masters can give you better data than this, but that is my experience. We've had tons of snow, ice dams, etc and thaws this winter and I see no signs of leaks for what its worth. Good luck with your project!
Tim