'05 25' intl ccd-bottom metal coming off

[Tim_S]

Wondering about how to reattach the sheet metal that wraps the bottom of my 2005 25' intl. The back left corner has pulled loose from about 5 rivets and you can see into the insulation. I went out there earlier today with a drill and some zip screws, thinking that would be an easy fix, but no way. The zip screws wenrt right through the sheet metal, but then your drilling straight into steel, some type of metal framing. It seems like a bad design on the rivets letting loose. Anyone have a fix for this?

Thanks in advance.

Tim

[CanoeStream]

I had part of my belly pan coming loose and repaired it a couple months back. See posts here. I think it was these I had sitting around -- the right thing to use for belly pan. That ... and a pop rivet puller.

Yes, you will have to drill new holes if your belly pan did what mine did -- pretty easy with a new, sharp drill running slow (fast doesn't cut steel & heats the drill enough to lose temper).

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by tsupler

Wondering about how to reattach the sheet metal that wraps the bottom of my 2005 25' intl. The back left corner has pulled loose from about 5 rivets and you can see into the insulation. I went out there earlier today with a drill and some zip screws, thinking that would be an easy fix, but no way. The zip screws wenrt right through the sheet metal, but then your drilling straight into steel, some type of metal framing. It seems like a bad design on the rivets letting loose. Anyone have a fix for this?

Thanks in advance.

Tim

Tim.

Have the running gear balanced, or install some after market balancers, such as Centramatics, and the shearing of rivets will stop.

Andy

[dmac]

The belly pan on the rear of my trailer was only supported at the edges, with a vast expanse of thin metal holding up the insulation. The rivits pulled through the sheet metal. This is a poor design. I repaired it by installing a long piece of angle aluminum across the area, with pop rivits into the frame rails (it would be better to use stronger CherryMax structural pop rivits). Then I re-pop-rivited the edges of the belly skin. The repair has held up for a number of years now.

[silverbacksurfer]

I had the same problem .I have an 05 25' ccd . I drilled out the rivets installed new ones with washers with rubber on them to grab more belly pan . NO further problems with it . Fast repair no big deal .

[Tim_S]

Thanks, appreciate the feedback. Do you recall the drill bit size you used to drill out the existing rivets? I am tryimng to picture if what you describe would work for me. My rivets are still in place, but the sheet metal has torn away, so I'm not sure if I reinstall rivets in same holes with washers if they would support the weight of the belly pan. I would like to reuse the existing holes and am thinking about using a small piece of sheetmetal folded as a bridge to connect the existing holes to the belly pan; which would take two rivets at each juncture. Not sure if that makes sense either.

Again, thanks for thoughts.

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by tsupler

I would like to reuse the existing holes and am thinking about using a small piece of sheetmetal folded as a bridge to connect the existing holes to the belly pan; which would take two rivets at each juncture. Not sure if that makes sense either.

Makes a lot of sense! I did this on my Argosy belly rivets way back when. Aluminum flashing from Home Despot is a little too thin. I had some .032" aluminum (.025" would work too) -- cut it into a 1" strip. And drilled 1/8" holes every inch before cutting off 1" squares -- effectively creating a bunch of 1" square washers that I could rivet through (or whatever size "washer" you feel you need). And then rivet back into the original hole in the frame.

Not sure what you mean by "folded as a bridge to connect.."

[tj_ia]

We had the same problem on our '05 CCD. The sheet metal tore away from the rivets, and it was not possible to use the same holes. Since we were 1,000 miles from nowhere when it happened, I used some rubber washers and sheet metal screws to fasten the belly pan, and it seems to be working well.

[Tim_S]

Tim, Thanks for the reply. I originally tried to reattach the belly pan with sheet metal screws (what I call zip screws) to no success. The screws easily went through the sheet metal belly pan, but would not drive into the steel frame. DId they go into the steel for you?

Thanks, Tim