Loose Fender Panel - Adhesive for attachment?

So today I drove the MH to dump the holding tanks and get fuel to get ready for our trip this weekend, and I noticed that the irregular tapping/clicking sound from the left front corner was absent. My repair may have had unintended/unanticipated rewards?

I fixed the loose panel last night. Only the lower 18" of the panel was loose, and the existing adhesive seemed well adhered. I pried the frame and panel apart, cleaned everything with alcohol, applied the Goop Automotive Adhesive, and blocked the frame and panel together with a tapered 2x8 block against a diagonal strut. I also added a 4" long perforated aluminum angle for additional support. All seems well now... thanks for all your suggestions.

Pangaea Ron wrote:
Hikerdogs

That looks great, but at ~$45 it's a bit expensive.

I bought some Goop Automative Adhesive (~$8) that I'll try this weekend.

I agree it isn't cheap. You also have to take into account how much time it's going to take you to remove and replace whatever panels & hardware necessary to get to the piece you want to fix, and whether you're willing to take the chance you may have to do it all over again.

In our case I had remove the entire grille and headlight assemblies. Then clean off all the old adhesive. It took far more time to get things prepared than it did to apply the adhesive and correctly position the part. I wasn't willing to take the chance another adhesive not necessarily meant for this purpose would give satiffactory long lasting results.

Same thing happened to our Voyage on the way to Mo. I went to Lowes and got a 1/2" wide flat aluminum bent it to go around existing bracket, secured it with screws and JB Weld. The right side has had the same problem and prior owner had it fixed with globs of some type of sealant.

Weld bond or 5200 would be my choice, great hold and a bit flexible

jy wrote:
I,ve been using construction adhesive on my mh to repair glued body panels that have come loose.Seems to be working well.

X2--------but I use the best construction adhesive the store (Menards or Fleet Farm) has.

traveylin wrote:
5200 is a Cadillac adhesive that works well in wet environs. It is pricey at 10-12 dollars a tube but once in place a grinder is needed to remove for the life of the object.

Yes, but can you apply 5200 without it getting on your blue jeans, T-shirt, MH door handle, headlights, and behind your ear. That stuff is nasty... but essential in the marine environment.

5200 is a Cadillac adhesive that works well in wet environs. It is pricey at 10-12 dollars a tube but once in place a grinder is needed to remove for the life of the object.

Hikerdogs

That looks great, but at ~$45 it's a bit expensive.

I bought some Goop Automative Adhesive (~$8) that I'll try this weekend.

Here's a product designed to do exactly what you're looking for. It's used by body shops to adhere plastic & fiberglass body panels to steel super structure. I used it in 2005 to secure some headlight brackets to the fiberglass on our 2001 Adventurer. We just traded it off a couple months ago with over 100,000 miles on the odometer and it was still working fine. It isn't cheap, but you'll only have to make the repair 1 time.

Description
SEM 39537 WELD-BOND ADHESIVE is a non-sag, two component methacrylate adhesive system formulated to bond metal surfaces without the use of an external primer. 39537 provides long working times (45-60 minutes) allowing body shops to correctly position parts for proper alignment. This adhesive contains glass beads to insure adequate bond line control. 39537 is an easy to use 1:1 adhesive that forms resilient bonds and maintains its strength over a wide range of temperatures. 39537 is suitable for bonding a variety of substrates especially automotive grade cold rolled steel. Recommended substrates include steel, galvanized steel, e-coat, aluminum and stainless steel.
Features
?? Methacrylate technology
?? Long working time
?? Superior impact and peel strength
?? Excellent environmental resistance
?? Consistent bond line thickness
?? 100% reactive
?? Non-sagging gaps filled up to ½”
?? Minimal surface preparation