popupcamper118
New Jersey
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Joined: 04/11/2006
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Well I opened up my popup this morning for the first time this year (I had it covered). Found out I had a few problems my awning fell off the side of the camper, it seems the slot that holds it warped and now it pops out of it? Also my door was completely rotted out (I knew this was coming as it seemed a little shaky last year. I'm rebuilding the door and need to find out what I can use to fasten the aluminum panel to the wood door? Can I use a liquid nails product? Please if you know of anything I can use let me know as I need to get this done before nightfall.
Thanks!
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PattieAM
Maryland
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Joined: 08/03/2005
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As to your door - it is the outside door? You'd need to replace the wood, and probably could use a liquid nails product, caulking/sealing it well. Gorilla glue has been mentioned for numerous applications (but I don't remember where it could be purchased).
As to the awning, can you place another metal screw in the groove to hold it in place, slide the awning in that track and maybe a screw through that? Don't know if that would cause more harm than help - don't think the track is flexible enough to tap it to unwarp it.
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popupcamper118
New Jersey
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yes it's the outside door. I went with the gorilla glue so we'll see what happens. As far as the awning I need to find out if I can replace the hard plastic clip on the trailer before I start screwing through the whole thing. One other thing I need to replace the gasket that runs around the top of the trailer as it's coming loose as well, does anyone know if you can buy a new gasket strip for it? I've tried re-glueing it three times and it never held. I think it's just too dirty to get a good grip.
Any help would be great.
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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I take it we're talking about a Fleetwood/Coleman?
If so the roof gasketing material is EXPENSIVE. It ran 2 years ago at over $7 a foot and the factory glue $20 a tube. The gasket is only available through a Fleetwood dealership. The have a proprietary cross section on both the older triple lip and newer bulb seal and the factory only sells to Fleetwood.
As for the awning rail, again I take it this is a ABS roof with the bonded on awning rail. First thing is to check the gap against a new rail at ant RV dealership. It very unusual for the gap to open. Usually what happens is the cording that provides the diameter to hold the awning in the track degrades and flattens out so the awning pulls out of the rail.
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popupcamper118
New Jersey
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mike4947 wrote:I take it we're talking about a Fleetwood/Coleman?
If so the roof gasketing material is EXPENSIVE. It ran 2 years ago at over $7 a foot and the factory glue $20 a tube. The gasket is only available through a Fleetwood dealership. The have a proprietary cross section on both the older triple lip and newer bulb seal and the factory only sells to Fleetwood.
As for the awning rail, again I take it this is a ABS roof with the bonded on awning rail. First thing is to check the gap against a new rail at ant RV dealership. It very unusual for the gap to open. Usually what happens is the cording that provides the diameter to hold the awning in the track degrades and flattens out so the awning pulls out of the rail.
Yes it's a Coleman Cheyenne. I'll have to see if I can find some of that gasket or pull what I have off and clean it really good then try to get it to glue back on again. I didn't even think about what you said about the cording getting thinner. I'll have to check it out. The door came out good as new after a little screaming and yelling! On a side note I think I screwed up by leaving the cover on my popup as I noticed the top now has many little bumps in it. I was using a cover that was supposed to be breathable, but I think with the heat it may have warped the top of my p/u. Very upsetting! Does anyone else not cover there p/u in the winter?
Thanks for all your help. and keep the suggestions coming.
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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If you do some searching on ABS roofs you'll find they were an engineering disaster for Fleetwood. Redesigned twice and finally farmed out to a separate supplier that went bankrupt doing warranty repairs. The bumps are called delamination and it's fairly common on ABS roofs, covered or not covered.
When they first started making the ABS roofs they actually sold covers as an option.
Fleetwood got really paranoid when the roofs started failing and even went as far as canceling warranties for people that installed "non approved" awnings for a year or so. So covers weren't allowed.
As for the delamination, we just keep track of it; as it's a cosmetic issue unless it gets large enough to create more sag or advances around the lift arms.
More of a problem is cracking a that can lead to water infiltration in the foam core which can add many pounds and cause roof or lift system failure.
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popupcamper118
New Jersey
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Mike do you think keeping it covered it the spring/summer would cause the delamination to happen? Like I said last year I don't recall the roof looking bumpy like it does now. I think this winter I will go back to using a blue tarp and take it off once spring arrives.
Thanks for your help/advice.
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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Well the blue tarp is one thing you don't want to use on any PU. They trap moisture, and generate heat. Beathable is the watch word when using covers on PU's.
As for the delam we've seen it in covered, uncovered, and even in PU stored in garages.
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