Author Topic: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'  (Read 8516 times)

Frank Towle

  • Guest
Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« on: April 20, 2015, 07:13:42 PM »
Surely someone has encountered this problem - didn't find a post on current forum...

The top edge of the utility compartment basement door has become 'unglued' from the c-channel & frame for about two thirds of it's length.  Rain, wash water (snow!) runs down into the resulting 1/8 gap and of course will accelerate any corrosion. 

I did see the post about removing the struts, retainer blocks and electric connector then lifting entire door off the belt-line channel. 

OK, great.  Now what do I use to reseal the gap?

Thinking of something like JB weld and a bunch of clamps to hold it after I take the whole door off.  What was used originally?  How did one prep the gap so JB would stick?

 - or -

Leave it on, fill with silicone sealant and use a dozen pop rivets right thru from the outside to pull the exterior sheet back to the frame.  Rather not do this and spoil the sleek lines, even though there are pop rivets showing all over the slide-outs.

Thanks for advice in advance  ;D

steve zannella

  • Guest
Re: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2015, 10:16:13 PM »
I believe to have a similar problem on a 2004 Marquis. The c-channel has come loose at the rear drivers side above the side radiator. I removed the rivets holding the c-channel cover cap and observed that the c channel, and fiberglass siding are held together with a series of screws about 12 inch on center attached to the frame. It looked like tightening the screws and adding extra ones should fix it.
I removed the rivets but had trouble trying to remove the c-channel cap as it was glued to the c-channel and I didn't want to destroy it.

I have left a message with Beaver Coach Sales to explain how the c channel cap is removed.

Keith Moffett

  • BAC Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1118
  • Thanked: 394 times
  • Every day is a blessing!
Re: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2015, 10:36:34 PM »
Frank
I dont have the answer to your problem but I would suggest that you not go with silicon and rivets.  The silicon is a poor adhesive and will prevent the proper glue from holding in the long run.  There must be a better solution from BCS or another manufacturer that doesnt involve rivets or the like. 
Good luck
2007 Patriot Thunder
45' C-13
2006 Explorer Ltd.
DW is Carol
Safe travels and
May God bless!

Gary Wolfer

  • Guest
Re: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2015, 02:30:31 AM »
I am a little lost because the doors on my 98 are not carpeted however I pulled the basement out of the super slide so i could replace the lower slide gasket and when you do that you have to pull the carpet away from the top of the box. to get to the rivets and bolts. I used upholstery glue in a spray can on the metal box when reinstalling and it stayed up like it was supposed to even on a vertical wall.

Gerald Farris

  • Guest
Re: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2015, 03:56:38 AM »
Frank,
The spot were the upper hinge is "glued" to the basement door is not an uncommon failure point on older coaches. If you can clean the area on both sides, a high strength two part epoxy like JB Weld should hold if given time to properly cure. However, I have seen many coaches that have drilled the top edge of the bay door and either bolted or pop-riveted the two parts together to repair the problem. I have also seen them welded (heli-arcked), but that will require repainting the area.

Gerald     

Frank Towle

  • Guest
Re: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2015, 04:00:32 AM »
Thanks all - Gerald especially. 

Finally discovered the trick to removing the door entirely: after removing the stops at each end, push top of door into where the stops were, door literally fell off!

Put door on picnic table on an old blanket and cleaned up the separation as much as I could.  The weld at the forward end had broken so after opening and closing a few times the glue holding about two thirds let go both inside and outside. 

Didn't feel the separation was clean enough for JB Weld to hold by itself so used bunches of clamps and added pop rivets every 6 inches on the outside and every 9" on the inside sheet.   Also used a sealant on outside seam to keep it water tight before re-installing.  Haven't dobbed the rivet heads yet but still a tremendous improvement over door falling off, plus the latches are now working better.
 
The following users thanked this post: Carol Moffett

Chris_Pany

  • Guest
Re: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2015, 11:35:47 PM »
The idea of riveting the door sounds great. I am not quite sure where top put the rivets. A picture is worth a thousand words, I assume its at the angle going into the hinge. Any help would be welcome.

Chris Pany
« Last Edit: January 28, 2019, 04:47:04 AM by Glenda Farris Co-Admin »

Darrell Terry

  • BAC Member
  • *
  • Posts: 167
  • Thanked: 15 times
Re: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2015, 03:34:38 PM »
I had the same issue on my water bay door. Top right corner came loose and had to be pushed in to close bay door.
Jeff at Bend RV Repair used epoxy and clamps to resecure. It's been 6 months now and it's still holding, he stated that if it did not hold,
 Plan B would be to add pop rivets to exterior side.

Darrell
2004 Monterey
2004 Monterey
350 Cummins ISC

LaMonte Monnell

  • BAC Member
  • *
  • Posts: 563
  • Thanked: 163 times
Re: Basement Door - Top 'unglued'
« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2015, 04:12:27 PM »
I did two of my Contessa bin doors with two part epoxy. I sanded the best I could between the two sides and applied the jb weld with a small putty knife. Then I used strong clamps along the side to secure for a day. Holding like new, and the bins open better and lock easier than before too.
Lamonte & Patti Monnell
2001 Beaver Contessa Naples DP 40' 2 slides
CAT 3126B
2021 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss

Weeki Wachee,Fl