Front Wall Skin Replacement--Any Experiences?

[Central Toast]

Preparing to replace the front wall skin on my Hawk with a new skin that I bought from FWC (VERY reasonable price, I'm glad to say). Anyone out there with advice on installation methods? After welding the broken frame welds that I expect to find underneath the existing, torn skin, my plan is to screw on the new skin and then cut out the window hole with tin snips/aircraft shears. Anyone experienced with this or other methods or tools for the job? It might be tough to work around the framing with snips but I want to make sure I cut the hole accurately. Maybe template off the old one? Thanks for the input.

 

[ntsqd]

I've seen the window cut-out done with a router that has a guide roller on it. If you're going to make a cut-out guide could just as easily make it such that the edge of the platen guides the tool around the opening.

 

[Central Toast]

After having a welder stitch together just about every weld on the front wall frame ($40 labor, not bad), I got the new wall skin on. The window cut-out was a yatch. Wish I'd had a router to cut out the window as ntsqd suggested. I got it done this weekend with some tin snips and expletives. The cut-out wasn't pretty, but fortunately I was able to cover up the ugly edges with the window trim.

I hung the new aluminum skin with a couple of temporary screws along the top, then put on the side trim and jack brackets, then trimmed along the bottom and finished those with trim. Then I put a new piece of 1/8" x 2" aluminum ell along the top to replace the small stock trim piece. That covered up the area where the vinyl was pulling away from the wood under the cabover part. I also replaced the bottom trim strip with a small aluminum ell because the stock painted steel trim was rusted out.


I have much more confidence in the front wall now, and don't have to worry about water getting through the skin when driving in the rain. Pretty cheap fix, although lots of time invested. My options are 1)fix and maintain an older, cheap camper, or 2) not have a camper. Option 1 is good with me.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

CT,

How much did FWC nick you for that piece of fore skin?? I had "that funny sound" on my last trip to Baja (running from Odile).
When I got home I took the front of the camper apart to have two pieces of the frame fall out. A few new "rips" in the skin as well.Talked to the factory about fixing the frame and a reskin. wasn't crazy about the price and leaving it there for at least a week. Back to DIY repair

Did you have the welds done as per factory? One side only.. Or more? I know they have been doing one side only for a long time, but seems like two might be better? Anybody have any feedback on that?

TT

 

[billharr]

Nice job.

 

[takesiteasy]

Looks good! Really professional results.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

(( I know they have been doing one side only for a long time, but seems like two might be better? ))

We have totally changed the the front wall framing over the past 10 years.

More framing, beefier, and we do weld on both sides of the aluminum frame tubing these days throughout the camper.

We are not doing the same ol' thing.

We are slow to change sometimes, but many things have & are changing on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.