Cracks forming on shell --- Repair Help !!!

[SlammaJamma]

I just brought home my “new” 86 Sovereign and the previous owner had made some “quick fix” repairs to some popped rivets in the upper bracket that supports the lower rock guard. He had put sheet metal screws into the old rivet holes and even drilled some new holes. The fix was obviously loose and the wind force in this area while towing has led to the formation of cracks in the shell. Please respond with repair suggestions.



The quality of the posted pics is not as good as I had hoped for, but please take a look.

[driftwood]

Do you still have the aluminum 'hat section' extrusion that was used for the upper mount? If so how long is it?

Is the lower mount still secure and in good condition? Is it the type that is a rubber resilient mount with a single bolt protruding from it, attached with a screw at each end, screwed through the lower blue trim band?

You can email me. We could discuss it.

[87MH]

Welcome to the Forum, SlammaJamma.

If it were mine.....bear in mind here that I am in no stretch of the imagination a "Purist"....I would install a .032 overlay patch - probably about 6" X 6".

Drill all of the holes and preinstall with Clecos to insure a fit, then put a goodly smathering of Vulkem or similar on both sides to be mated. (Moderators take note - I did not say "Vulkem the cr@p out of it.)


Then install with Olympic rivets - you could buck the rivets, but several interior panels would have to be removed to get a backing bar to the repair site. I would suggest a rivet about every inch around the perimeter.

Below is a before and after of a larger Overlay Patch I installed on the 78 Sovereign to hide an "uh-oh" perpetrated by the PO.

Edit - Be SURE to stop drill the ends of the cracks.

[74Argosy24MH]

There is nothing behind the skin so a patch is about all you can do short of replacing the section. Seal it well and be glad he didn't do worse. Also a good lesson why rivets are better, they clinch the pieces together instead of threads in a soft metal.

John