Problem - the awning carrier has become detached.

[Wack]

Isopon P40 is fibre reinforced filler , it dries very solid

 

[LostinWales]

As it sounds like you know what you are doing, I would repair the torn fibreglass and bond on a sheet of stainless to take the structural weight, as well as oversized stainless plates inside. Then bond the fibreglass frame back in with a few tubes of Sikaflex rather than mastic. That should keep it watertight and stronger than when it left the factory

Found the extent of the damp inside. Bad, but not disastrous.I will now bond in a whole 3mm plywood panel to this area before the stainless reinforcements.
Dont like using Sika 291 - it is just too damned good, and would never be able to break out the moulding again without serious damage. To be honest, the current mastic used has been very effective, but the top face application was not as good s the bottom face, which stuck like sh1t to the blanket.

Anyone know where I can get some of the decorative inside covering?

 

[LostinWales]

Isopon P40 is fibre reinforced filler , it dries very solid

Thanksn but P40 is only a filler, I need a 2 part resin to soak into the woven mat and then adhere to the van side wall.

 

[Sasbo]

For the internal wallboard, try O'Learys as they stock a lot of Autotrail stuff for the older models.

 

[LostinWales]

For the internal wallboard, try O'Learys as they stock a lot of Autotrail stuff for the older models.

Fantastic, thanks very much, have now emailed them

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[LostinWales]

Gratuitous photo of Mrs LostInWales with the multitool digging out the mastic from the channels. Bless her

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanksn but P40 is only a filler, I need a 2 part resin to soak into the woven mat and then adhere to the van side wall.

The West System works very well and doesn't dissolve the insulation like some polyester resins do.

You are doing a grand job.

 

[LostinWales]

The West System works very well and doesn't dissolve the insulation like some polyester resins do.

You are doing a grand job.

Funnily enough that is what is in the Bodging cupboard.. Left over from yacht ownership. Although there is no insulation in the area so normal Fastglas will do.

I also have a piece if 3mm ply for the infill, and another larger piece of 6mm ply to put in the whole cupboard area. The repair should be unnoticeable when done

 

[LostinWales]

Well, we are temporarily weatherproof again. 6mm infill glued and screwed using weatherproof PVA, and the the 3mm levelling piece on the outside also glued and screwed to the 6mm inner. Microban shower mastic used to run a thick bead around the edges.
Tomorrow morning, I will apply the woven mat fibre glass over the top and seal it further with the epoxy.
The mastic removal on the moulding is taking forever. Mrs LIW has the patience of a saint.

So, off to the pub this evening with a clear conscience and tales of derring-do.

 

[Swifter]

Enjoy the beer . You deserve it ! Fantastic work

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[PP Bear]

Think I need to remove the covers and check the state of play with mine, seeing that it’s also a 2006 and pretty much identical to yours.

Seriously big well done to you and the misses dot the work so far, you’re doing a great job

 

[LostinWales]

Think I need to remove the covers and check the state of play with mine, seeing that it’s also a 2006 and pretty much identical to yours.

Seriously big well done to you and the misses dot the work so far, you’re doing a great job

My mistake was not looking closely to this area when we bought it a couple of months ago. Luckily I have a Masters in Mystical Bodgerama and a garage full of things that might come in useful one day. God knows how much this would cost to get fixed if taken to a repair shop.

 

[Sasbo]

Looking at your repair (which looks really good, I must say) as it's a small area, if you can't get any matching wallboard, maybe you could use a 'speckled' paint spray rattle can to get a close match to the existing wallboard.

 

[LostinWales]

Looking at your repair (which looks really good, I must say) as it's a small area, if you can't get any matching wallboard, maybe you could use a 'speckled' paint spray rattle can to get a close match to the existing wallboard.

Thinking that now it is a whole cupboard we could do it in sticky back carpet or similar

 

[Just smiffy]

Will you be looking at and strengthening the other fixing the other end..?

I bet all autotrail owners now looking in their cupboards a bit closer now…

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[gus-lopez]

Will you be looking at and strengthening the other fixing the other end..?

I was just about to suggest the same?

o be honest, the current mastic used has been very effective, but the top face application was not as good s the bottom face, which stuck like sh1t to the blanket.

Yes as I said earlier in thread ,I reckon the mastic used is what has been holding it on & has only just started to let go. If you imagine that assembly without the mastic the whole lot would have parted company with the body within a few miles. very poor design.

 

[PP Bear]

Will you be looking at and strengthening the other fixing the other end..?

I bet all autotrail owners now looking in their cupboards a bit closer now…

It’s on the top of my list of things to do when I’m next at the storage yard, it’ll be interesting to see how mine is after 16 years or so

 

[LostinWales]

Busy-ish day to day, got the old mastic off the moulding, took forever, got the last bits out with a brass wire rotary brush in the leccy drill.
Totally cleaned the whole area and componded using T-Cut to remove all the flaky paint edges and the green/black mould growth around the periphery, and degreased with thinners.
Glassed in the woven mat over the affected area
Toolstation supplied 4 tubes of CT-1 which is a construction high quality seal adhesive with good grabbing power and a fast cure.
Tomorrow morning will do a check fit with the moulding. I noticed that the moulding was sitting low in the aperture, which meant that the top face (which is the key waterproofing area) got less suraface area of seal adhesive than the bottom. In engineering terms, this is incorrect, as the awning will cantilever the forces through the top face. So I will chock up the moulding in the recess to get maximum area on the top face.
I also note that if totally sealed on the bottom, any water leaking in through the top seal just stayed in there and sloshed around. There is evidence of this towards the front end where the rot occurred. I am going to leave 3 15mm gaps in the bottom seal face to allow any water to be able to run out. As this will be a very small hole (front,middle,rear) it should not adversely affect anything else. The moulding sits snug against the van side wall, just stood off about 1mm for the thickness of the seal adhesive.

 

[WallaceandGromit]

Christ and a so called engineer designed the abortion.

 

[PP Bear]

It’s on the top of my list of things to do when I’m next at the storage yard, it’ll be interesting to see how mine is after 16 years or so

Just been and checked both mountings and thank goodness they’re fine, no signs of water ingress, cracking or failures.

I can sleep again now

Front:

Rear:

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[Swifter]

Just been and checked both mountings and thank goodness they’re fine, no signs of water ingress, cracking or failures.

I can sleep again now

Front:
View attachment 666113

Rear:
View attachment 666112

One of the washers looks to be newer than the rest and I can see some slight rust marks . I am sure it’s absolutely fine but I would still use a damp meter in that area just to be 100% sure .

 

[Familymarmite]

Found the extent of the damp inside. Bad, but not disastrous.I will now bond in a whole 3mm plywood panel to this area before the stainless reinforcements.
Dont like using Sika 291 - it is just too damned good, and would never be able to break out the moulding again without serious damage. To be honest, the current mastic used has been very effective, but the top face application was not as good s the bottom face, which stuck like sh1t to the blanket.

Anyone know where I can get some of the decorative inside covering?

View attachment 665221

Both wallboard and the covering available here.

caravanwarehouse.co.uk
Search their site for Kenkle wallboard & Kenkle wall paper.
I can't get the link to work, just Google caravan warehouse Swansea and search their site for Kenkle.

 

[LostinWales]

Both wallboard and the covering available here.

caravanwarehouse.co.uk
Search their site for Kenkle wallboard & Kenkle wall paper.
I can't get the link to work, just Google caravan warehouse Swansea and search their site for Kenkle.

it is https://www.thecaravanwarehouse.co.uk/

Thanks for the link, but out of stock of the paper, only the full size board at £50 available.....

 

[LostinWales]

One of the washers looks to be newer than the rest and I can see some slight rust marks . I am sure it’s absolutely fine but I would still use a damp meter in that area just to be 100% sure .

Front top has been replaced, you can see the mastic around the base of the washer.
Please also bear in mind, minbe was not obvious from casual glance. I you carefully remove all 3 nuts you can get a reading from underneath the big bracket. 2 minute job, 2 years of relief.

 

[Nanniemate]

try a caravan breakers they may have some boards

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[Swifter]

Front top has been replaced, you can see the mastic around the base of the washer.
Please also bear in mind, minbe was not obvious from casual glance. I you carefully remove all 3 nuts you can get a reading from underneath the big bracket. 2 minute job, 2 years of relief.

I’ve also just noticed one of the retaining screws is rusty . Get that damp meter out PP Bear .

 

[TheBig1]

Just been and checked both mountings and thank goodness they’re fine, no signs of water ingress, cracking or failures.

I can sleep again now

Front:
View attachment 666113

Rear:
View attachment 666112

Always thought that you had a screw loose, and there is the proof for all to see

 

[Lazyboy]

Why would they not have used stainless steel screws?

 

[Swifter]

Why would they not have used stainless steel screws?

Brit made van like mine . Cost cutting wherever they can . Some of the wiring in my swift is well underrated for the job . It’s all about saving pennies wherever they can .

 

[LostinWales]

Why would they not have used stainless steel screws?

In theory at least this is not a corrosion area, as it is supposed to be dry. Also, note that those nuts and bolts are not corroded through after 16 years, just surface rust. Now consider the cost of using all stainless fixings, and you have a profitability issue when you add up the cost of a model run over 10 years. Every little helps.
During my time in the automotive industry a $0.01 cost save was equal to $10000 per annum on the focus production lines.

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