Letter fell off of the front

[Britbat]

Hi All, just went to start spring warm up of Shiny Beast and found the letter M had fallen off of the front Airstream above the window, I think ice swelled it off however we now have two stubs sticking out of the skin with almost flush nubs on the back of the M. I'd like to put the M back on without dismantling the interior skin, any suggestions?
Thanks Vic.

[dznf0g]

VHB tape?

[Britbat]

Is that a special double side tape?

[dznf0g]

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...s/3M-VHB-Tape/

Great stuff...but pricey. You shouldn't need the highest rated one for this application though.

[dznf0g]

HD has 8' rolls of the 35lb per sq. in. but it is about 1mm thick. Office Depot has (online) product 4920 which is 160lb per sq. in. at only .0015" thick in 15 foot rolls....at $75!!

I keep a roll of it around though. 15' will last me for a long time.

[Mixter]

I want to say the factory service manual fix is pop rivet and paint the rivet to match. Those stubs have a nut on the other side. If you push them, they will just fall inside- shouldnt hurt anything.

If it were me, I'd drill for 1 or 2 pop rivets, and just fill the back side with vulkem (or your favorite polyurethane sealant), and pop rivet back in.

I broke the little stud off when I was removing mine. They are super fragile. Right now, my "M" in front only has 1 stud attached, but its got sealant sticking the whole thing on.

[dznf0g]

Yeah, but they didn't have the advantage of modern adhesives then. The letters have been adhered appliques form the factory for over a decade. Why drill when you don't have to.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Got this for the AS tool kit...also have one in my toolbox, (not too thick.)

Bob

[rugjenkins]

I agree with mixter- pop rivet with sealant

[Mixter]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Yeah, but they didn't have the advantage of modern adhesives then. The letters have been adhered appliques form the factory for over a decade. Why drill when you don't have to.

True. I think I've seen some on someone elses trailer where the letters had been pop riveted on, and it wasnt the most attractive looking.

Dont know how I'd feel about 2 sided tape though.. I just dont have great lock with it- plus the extreme heat seems it would just dry up and get loose. These old letters are not flat on the back, so it you'd have to clean well, and find the right thickness so it sits flat. Then watch it for getting loose.

If you can source this stuff locally, my supplier swears this is the best industrial adhesive you can buy. He says once it's attached it aint comin off. I just did a quick search to show you- my local industrial supplier has it for around $5-$6 bucks a tube.

http://www.amazon.com/Chemlink-M-1-S...ds=m1+adhesive

[r carl]

Could you drill a hole into the flush nubs and JB weld pins into the drilled holes making new pins?

[Mixter]

2 issues with that:

1- the "nub's" wouldnt help unless you can get to the back side to put the nut on.
2. I JB welded one of the studs back on, and it creates a big glob of JB weld that wont fit back into the hole, so I had to enlarge the hole to make it sit flush.

I think I'd attach with M1 adhesive if it were me. "Maybe" pop a rivet in to be sure if it doesnt appear to be solid, but I dont think that'd be the case.

[AirstreamPDX]

Considering the building industry is adhering glass and metal panels to high rise facades with 3M VHB tape for some time now (a considerably more demanding environment as far as heat and wind loads), I wouldn't sweat adhere your 'M' to the Airstream. The boat building industry is using it as well.

Why more holes with rivets and touch up paint if not necessary? Nostalgia? For those who don't know or understand the advantages or process, here is a primer.

I get my 3M VHB from Amazon as well. Amazing that adhesive evolution!

[kdickinson]

replace it with a "k" and make your silver beast unique - an Airstreak

[JCWDCW]

How about some 5 min epoxy?
JCW

[Britbat]

Hi All, thanks for all the ideas and using these I have come up with how I'm going to proceed. I have bead blasted the back then drilled through the nubs, I am filling the back with metal filled epoxy. I will then lightly countersink the front for the pop rivet. When I push the remains of the studs into the shell and thoroughly clean the aluminum before pop riveting it back on with a light film of Vulkem behind. To finish I will the hand smooth the pop rivet head and use a little filler if needed and repaint. What do you think?