Dash/Outer Frame Separation
Our 2000 Georgie Boy has an interesting but vexing problem. On our last long trip, I noticed that the dash was bouncing out of sync with the post at the back of the passenger side windshield. At t...
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Update: Here is what has happened since my last post.
1. I repositioned the angle aluminum bracket that was attached to the heavy steel framework that is the firewall.
2. Working close to the original screw locations in the outer wall, I put in slightly larger diameter and slightly longer screws.
3. I cut out almost all of the foam that had been on the passenger side of the front of the dash and sprayed new foam, increasing the coverage area by about 25%. It took lots of coats of foam to bring it all back together.
4. I re-assembled the dash panels, using slightly larger screws and making sure that they were all anchoring
5. Added a piece of steel to the inside of the house battery box. That is mounted on the front side of the firewall near the edge on the passenger side. I felt that the batteries might be shifting during heavy bumps and giving additional hammering force to the dash area. Now the batteries are tightly mounted to the firewall.
Today, I test drove the results on the road for the first time. While the run was only about 6 miles, it went over some of the lumpiest roads in our Town. The dash and front cap remain tightly connected. Close examination of the foam after the drive confirmed that there were no points were movement occurred.
I'm not happy with the original engineering but am not in a position to do the front cap removal that would be required to make major improvements. As long as everything stays together as I have it now, I'll be satisfied. I did do some fiberglass work to the mounting points for the front battery access door.
We'll camp out around the immediate area over the next couple of months before we head out on a longer trip. There was already a few stress cracks in the outer front cap, just in front of the front door and I'll be keeping a very close eye there. If all goes well by Spring, I'll declare complete victory and we'll schedule longer journeys.
Charlie
1. I repositioned the angle aluminum bracket that was attached to the heavy steel framework that is the firewall.
2. Working close to the original screw locations in the outer wall, I put in slightly larger diameter and slightly longer screws.
3. I cut out almost all of the foam that had been on the passenger side of the front of the dash and sprayed new foam, increasing the coverage area by about 25%. It took lots of coats of foam to bring it all back together.
4. I re-assembled the dash panels, using slightly larger screws and making sure that they were all anchoring
5. Added a piece of steel to the inside of the house battery box. That is mounted on the front side of the firewall near the edge on the passenger side. I felt that the batteries might be shifting during heavy bumps and giving additional hammering force to the dash area. Now the batteries are tightly mounted to the firewall.
Today, I test drove the results on the road for the first time. While the run was only about 6 miles, it went over some of the lumpiest roads in our Town. The dash and front cap remain tightly connected. Close examination of the foam after the drive confirmed that there were no points were movement occurred.
I'm not happy with the original engineering but am not in a position to do the front cap removal that would be required to make major improvements. As long as everything stays together as I have it now, I'll be satisfied. I did do some fiberglass work to the mounting points for the front battery access door.
We'll camp out around the immediate area over the next couple of months before we head out on a longer trip. There was already a few stress cracks in the outer front cap, just in front of the front door and I'll be keeping a very close eye there. If all goes well by Spring, I'll declare complete victory and we'll schedule longer journeys.
Charlie
