Early Cabover Issues

Rusty

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2010
Messages
931
Location
Port Angeles, Washington
I have an older (73') cabover that Im refurbishing for my son. Yesterday, with the threat of rain in the near future, I undertook the complete replacement of the seals on all the gutters and eyebrows/screws on the exterior. I discovered a few things that I'm sure will start some interesting conversation.

1. I have a heavy aluminum boat, with zinc anodes all over it as sacrificial metal anodes so the salt (or fresh) water won't corrode the aluminum of the boat hull. We have, in these beautiful campers, an upside down boat. Every galvanized screw I removed for replacement yesterday was rusted thoroughly. I've replaced screws before but never thought about the zinc plating as sacrificial until now. Several of the light fixture screws had been replaced with stainless steel and they were fine, but every galvanized screw was rusted through its threads and heads. Something to think about if your undertaking a thorough waterproofing where you're removing gutters and eyebrows. Galvanized screws will last a few years...but if you're serious about doing things right the first time...stainless steel...every screw on my boat is stainless...none are rusted....I'm headed back to the store this am to get some new myself...all these years...duh...BTW..replacing screws on the gutters and eyebrows...because the rust has degraded the threads and weakened the screw holes...upsize to size 10 screws from 8, they'll get a bite where new 8's won't. A small dab of silicon at each and every screw hole will aid in a number of things...help isolate the screws from the aluminum...and seal under the head and along the threads.

2. the curved gutter section transitioning from the main body of the camper to the cab over section. Pay close attention to your sealing of this gutter....I've discovered why so many people have problems with this section.

a. the aluminum siding under the gutter is reverse lapped, that is, the roofing aluminum is tucked behind the lap tab coming up from the bottom aluminum under the cabover. This creates a trap for moisture to penetrate the frame of not only the curve but under the cabover section itself. I've seen several repairs done here which have ended up in entire section rebuilds and one individual here, Rippers, which ended in a total rebuild.

b. The curved gutter of the cabover, passes over a seam in the siding opening up two penetration points for water intrusion...above the seam and below...if you're using glazers tape as a seal...double the tape over the seam...the screw nearest the lap will suck the gutter down to the top of the seam but the void above and below would normally be left open....the nose of the gutter at the front of the cabover stops abruptly leaving no plausible way to transition to the gutter over the top of the cabover at the front....this area is subject to what I call "dew drip"...every night there is dew, it rolls down the gutter and drips off...very slowly....providing a water source for any crack or void to neatly absorb and continue absorbing until the dew is dry....deadly for rot persistence. When all of this is complete....go back and tighten the screws of the gutter one last time...then apply a sealant finish to the top of the gutter after trimming off the glazers tape excess...this will redirect the water away from the gutter lip and seal to the siding. One last thing....the nails which were used to secure the siding to the frame (4d box steel) have rusted and the rusted heads have pushed out the joint under the gutter....if you can remove a bit of that corrosion your seal will be more effective. Don't forget to finish both sides of the gutter...top and bottom....cut the tip of the tube as small as you can and use a wire to break the seal on the tube...the smaller amount of caulking you can use the neater the job will end up.

c. Near the gutter are the bolts for the guides....larger than screw holes...and...left unsealed will take on a significant amount of water...remove them, fill the holes with sealant.and using a wire section of a hanger...move the sealant around in the hole until the sides are thoroughly incorporated in the sealant...apply addition to the bolt and replace the bolt...there's a better way of fixing this with epoxy but this will stop water penetration....make sure the sealant comes out of the hole on both sides when tightened.

d. The pirelli retainer strips under the curve provide another water intrusion point...after the pirelli has been replaced...or if you're just doing the gutter....caulk a line along the trimmed outboard edge of the pirelli against the retainer strip. the retainer strip has screws every 4 inches or so...additional points of water intrusion...a small bead here will stop the water....

More than likely the curved sections of the frame in your camper has experienced some level of rot. I'm working an a fix for this area with a structural injected foam....rather than have everyone disassemble the top section to get to the frame at the curve....a structural foam could be injected into the hole for the guide and then re-drilled after setting. this will save enumerable discouraging days spent disassembling, removing rot and rebuilding this particular section.....there have been a few here with the persistence to take on this particular rebuild....and several who have left in disgust. The aim, as always, is to get you back on the road camping as quickly as possible....not to spend all summer/winter repairing.

If you choose glazers butyl tape for sealant..use the 3/8x1/8" black tape...there is a sufficient amount of butyl to make the seam and produce a flash to cut off......

by the end of this process you'll be an expert at caulking...no mess...no paper towels in the other hand...LOL....at least you'll be able to do the tub in the house without making too much of a mess :D
 
Good and very timely post here. Thanks Rusty. I'll be going through this area very shortly. I'm also replacing all screws with stainless.
 
Thanks for the heads up Rusty. I'm going to have to take a look at mine. I found bugs in the bed area when we arrived at our destination. A sure sign that things aren't sealing properly on the front.
-Bill-
 
Nice write up. I'm not a big fan of silicon sealant anywhere on the camper, it's real tough to get anything to stick to it next time around
 
Ripperj said:
Nice write up. I'm not a big fan of silicon sealant anywhere on the camper, it's real tough to get anything to stick to it next time around
Thanks Ripper...I'm using a newer silicon type which guns like acrylic, drys harder than silicon and remains flexible....with a grip

my favorite of all time was "Mono" a tremendously strong glazing compound which you couldn't get off....hairy fumes for a day...would have been perfect for corners
 
On my house I use a DAP brand 45 year silicone latex? (Blend) that sounds similar, goes on real nice and tools well with a wet finger. I have never used it on the camper tho.
The next time I lower my top I will post some pics of my cabover radius part and how I sealed it. I went a bit unconventional, time will tell if it was a smart move. A pic will be better than ten thousand words of me trying to describe it
 
What phone. If you use iPhone and tapatalk, they resize via the forum, at least on expo
Edit, doesn’t seem to work on wtw, I tried to delete reply, but unable
 
Rusty...I send phone pics to my email address and it allows me to shrink them before sending. Maybe that works with yours as well? Then post from the laptop or PC instead of your phone.

Or...find a teenager in the neighborhood to figure it out.
 
PackRat said:
Or...find a teenager in the neighborhood to figure it out.
............... ;) ...............

I used to be able to post pics...from imageshack...before they started charging

Ripper....I have a 5c....or maybe just a 5

it works....and I'm even considering a just plain phone....no mas...no data....no worf...no nada
 
When I had my camper apart a few years ago I replaced all the screws with stainless, they are like the day I put them in. Also not a fan of silicone and used polyurethane instead it is also holding up fine and it will stick to itself if I find a problem. You just can't beat these old campers, mine just keeps coming back for more even after many Baja trips.
 
I'm also a big fan of good quality urethanes....and they do nicely under linear polyurethane aircraft paint ;)

but....each and every screw has a tiny dab of clear silicon in the hole before I replace the screw...it seals the threads, the hole and when the screw finishes tight (and they all don't)..there is a thin film under the screw head....SS screws will outlast the camper...if that's possible...it also holds the screws that didn't get the tight fit in place :D

The other part of this process is recovering the gutter to it's original shape, cleaning both sides and the base where it goes.....clean...I mean as close to spotless as you can get...stainless steel brush, nylon scrubber, tooth brush...the real deal....the cleaner the surface the better the bite of the new sealant.....

Nothing worse than leaving a dirty surface to try and get a good seal....just like gaskets in automobile engines...clean, clean, clean

a pair of parallel jaw pliers also helps in getting a good bite on small areas to give them a little tweak to smooth the edge

a medium sized anvil is helpful as well....starting fresh with a straight edge and a flat back will up the chances of a good seal

Remember....they don't make these gutters anymore....they are (along with the round porch lights) like hens teeth...be nice to them...and when they get dinged or bent....straighten them out....
 
I also did something weird for gutters. I made all my roof to front/rear wall trim from aluminum flat stock, cut with various saws and drilled and powder coated. I used butyl tape( two layers). Looks good and seals great(1/16” thick Al)
But... no gutter so all the black crap runs off the roof and down the rear wall/ door
Until.. I put $20 worth of EZ gutter on the roof , right next to (not on!) the butyl tape( clean really really well)

Now , unlike the original design, the only water the seam sees is direct rain on the very narrow 3/8”x7’ seam itself, not every molecule running off the roof ( I usually park pointing up hill a bit if perfectly level is not an option)

Edit. I also sealed the EZ gutter(made from rubbery plastic and held on with 3M tape) with Geocel RV roof stuff
Time will tell I guess
 
After 2 days of cleaning aluminum angles/gutters/surface silicon.....I'm close to my end......and that's just the cab over section on the nose.....

If there is one thing everyone should become......is proficient at running a line of clean caulking...so you don't have to touch it...no spreading it out with your finger all over the siding....or the angle it's protecting....take a little time and some angles of some sort and practice .....and cut the tip of the tube tiny...itsy bitsy tiny.....with a teeny weeny little 90 degree cut at the very tip...it'll smooth off the line of caulking for you.....and .....even gun pressure...throughout......if you have to let up on the gun pressure and come back to the open point where you left off...leave a little bud of caulking...and come back the following morning when it's set up...with a razor blade and trim it off.....

save someone the drudgery of scraping all the finger smear of silicone off the camper with a razor blade....ugh....someone took a lot of time smearing silicone all over the joints and siding on this one.....

rant complete......everyone should attend a caulking class.....oh they don't have them do they..... :oops: ..... ;)

Ripper...I can't visualize that.....maybe a pic?

If you have gutters..and most do....drill a small hole on the horizontal sections on the side of the cab over section as it approaches the front of the camper....an 1/8" or so maybe 4-6" back from the front corner...this will relieve alot of the water which gets to the front corner where there are so many opportunities for water intrusion.

the camper I'm working on is a 73 10' CO....I have never seen so many open uncaulked or unsealed holes...on the undersides...where the pirelli is attached.....from 7/16" staples attaching the siding, additional holes from old pirelli installations ....take a close look at those areas on your campers....some folks like to make new holes for the retainer strips when they install new pirelli...make registration marks where the holes are and mark the retainer strips as you remove them...save yourself some grief

I found a name stamped into the gutter "Elixir U22"...the U22 is a bit obscured but Elixir is clear
 
[emoji4] those areas on mine are new and I know the dude that built it

I should be able to get pics posted tonight or tomorrow, when I get home from this work thingy I still do
 
Pics, the black streaks down the back are from before I put the gutter on
What’s a good way to remove them without risk of paint damage? Mild bleach solution??

IMG_0725.JPGimage2.jpeg
 
stay tuned on the black streaks....I'm working on different automotive cleaners to clean and polish up surfaces....I've got streaks as well on my CO
 
Those black streaks look a bit like they could be rust from the screws, etc. I'd give vinegar a try. Just a shot in the dark. Maybe "Barkeeper's Friend" too.
-Bill-
 

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