Who needs Rivets???

[05ModPod]

Who needs rivets when a bungie will do....

With only two incidents and a couple of casualties inside during our 1500 mile trek home the "Moon Unit" fared much better than our wildest dreams.

We had just finished some pretty rough stretch of I-75 and thought it would be a good idea to stop for a bit - fill up the "tanks" ours and the Kia's.

Learning quickly that we have to find spots that are all forward driving (because if we used reverse we would blow the meter fuse - a Kia wiring thing!) We looked for the first available 4 parking spots in a row! and we were set.

Still in our "summer" clothes although finally sunny (no rain!) the temperatures in Ohio were chilly and the wind was raw! Nice and refreshed bellies full and legs stretched we made our way for the final leg home.

"Hun" look I think a few rivets have popped just forward of the wheels underneath? Yep, good thing I packed some emergency screws (need to buy the DH and rivet gun for his birthday )

Pete being the most lucky guy when it comes to mechanical things - NOT Sets himself on the ground armed with screwdriver and screws - gently lifts the panel back in place and begins to screw - not quit enough leverage he lets go to get a better grip and whamp the whole panel gives way from the bottom - YIKES!

This 2 minute job turned into an hour but the emergency screws and bitter cold were just not happening. Peter's hands were blue and I could not find the gloves we had put away once we arrived in Florida.

I could not stand the cold so I jumped in and started the engine - thinking to myself this is the beginning of one big fat headache and what have we got ourselves into - then I looked up! and no word of a lie - and no fancy photoshop work here either - the sign almost called out!

Then I suddenly remembered where the gloves where and remembered I had packed 3-4 bungie cords just in case windows started to fly open.

Never thought they would replace 35 year old rivets

[05ModPod]

.......and here is the frozen mechanic

[Janets Husband]

Cold and Wind, A great combination.

Good thinking on the bungee cords. I'll have to remember to pack a few.
I always keep two sets of gloves and a set of Carharts in the truck for just such an emergency.

"That which does not kill us makes us strong"

[rluhr]

This is actually a pretty common problem among the vintage trailers, but not one which gets discussed a lot. I had a large section of belly pan skin "unzip" during a recent trip down I-95, and so did hhuber. See our descriptions and pics in this thread. (Scroll down a ways.)

Every vintage owner should inspect the rivets and metal of the belly pan. You'll probably find some of these sins:

-- steel rivets (rusted out)
-- rivets which have enlarged the hole in the skin and are therefore holding nothing
-- holes with no rivets at all
-- tears in the skin requiring new rivets

The permanent fix is not hard: get under there with a drill, your 5/32" bit, a box of Olympic rivets, the pop rivet tool, and clippers (to remove the stems). Good luck!