Today - getting the roof-line stapled down - both sides, vent re-installed, metal fatigue tears identified and prepped for epoxy repair.
Curb-side stapled down pretty nicely. But it was another of those ibuprofen days. Stapler in my right hand, my left arm pressing metal down tight against the framing, and against the effect of the insulation and metal itself in slight wavy nature resisting just a bit.
Here's the curb-side tear. Note no stop holes. But it hadn't increased during manipulation. No - this is just about as I found it from the get go.
Even the vertical split, separation of front and back portions on the fold-over, came to me this way.
Not so on the street-side. No vertical tear, just horizontal. This told me the metal was trying to be a good sport, trying to get the job done, in spite of being installed over a piece of floor tile, as opposed to something like an - oh I don't know - maybe a triple stringer or something at from the factory?
Picture this, you're given a new job. You're to stand with one foot on the boat and one foot on the dock. No, you don't get the splits, just the stretch - you see the boat is fastened tight to the dock with a line. But it's your job to stand there, for over fifty years! No chair to rest on, just standing there with no support over your crotch. Fatiguing wouldn't you say? And metal is people too!
I'm telling you, give metal proper support and it'll surprise you. Quite the performer it is! But try and make something do the job it wasn't designed for? You'll have problems I tell you, problems!
I started on street-side here at the lower roof line, where I had ended the first segments over the cedar-board guy many moons ago.
I pressed down tight and stapled forward, toward the lower curve tear.
Then from the higher roof line, I pressed down and formed, and stapled rearward toward the curves.
I forgot to mention, the hammer and a large rubber mallet were incorporated into the forming part, a little at a time, and controlled to get a good round on the fold over, trying to help the poor rounds formed from the factory and/or over the years without good support.
I also cut the vertical with snips to relieve the stress at the tear.
But as I got close to the concave curve, I could tell there was going to be problems, the metal was high, not having enough length to fit good into the support of the framing.
This would not do.
I discovered at least PART of the problem was here.
Had my mind wandered? Had I fired multi-shots when I should have aimed better? Maybe. I removed about four staples to try again.
The fold over close to your eye was damage that I was trying to form into a surface that could receive epoxy repair, so now I tried stretching it out a little to gain just that bit of length. It helped slightly.
But I got a little more length when re-stapling the portion just past there, by getting the raised part a little more formed over the framing.
It was a matter of not just forming and stapling around the multi-tears I discovered, but pressing down fully to the framing at the same time, you know, that whole ibuprofen thing (I just like saying ibuprofen, and sometimes salsa).
Regardless of these token little extra lengths obtained, I concluded part of the problem thus. At the factory, design flaws (no stringer support at the low curve and a hesitancy for the metal to form and bend easily in an opposite fold-over from curve direction nature, and a recognized need for a bridge, offered in the form of a floor tile - both sides BTW) coupled with installation technique inadequacies (failure to have enough metal length to fully reach the framing throughout the curve) caused a weakened metal situation to form almost immediately and especially over 50 plus years of existence.
Here's an additional possibility. At the factory, two/three guys (assembly line? High School boys? Rushed workers?) draped the metal. One/two held it in place tight against the concave curve while the other secured it (with staples) at the ground levels, The other guy(s) up top started stapling down the upper levels. That's a recipe for inadequate forming and contact with framing in the middle. I believe these sorts of installs MUST be done inch by inch at one end and moved along evenly, until reaching the opposite end. Like zipping your pants, or sewing a seam, or building a transcontinental railroad.
Unless I was willing (which I was not) to unzip the entire rear half of the camper, both sides, I would now need to build a bridging structure - enter wood fiber paneling (not floor tile) and Liquid Nails. I never said Liquid Nails wasn't a good substance in SOME applications, and after trying to remove that crud from the other patch, I could see its tenacity and supportive nature. Tough stuff man. And I bet it will even hold a screw thread.
Here's a patch from my scrap pile, a piece of the stuff I used for the wall cabinet ceiling.
Placed between the metal, and the insulation.
Then pressed down as far as I could get it. The gap looks huge, but close-ups do that. I think it's about 3/16", less than 1/2" anyway.
Either way, something had to be done, so I did something. I do stuff with patches, and Liquid Nails. Yes, I pumped Liquid Nails up in here between the paneling patch and the framing member. 17 tubes!
Just kidding, but I pumped it in several pumps and then formed and wiped the small bit of ooze, finishing with a cleansing so the epoxy patch would be adhering to aluminum, not LN.
But that came much later. By this time it was simply a plan.
Before that patch and prep and pump, was more discovery and getting the vent back on.
Again, the vent thing was first the eight screws holding metal to framing...
And then the vent. Since the butyl was new, I didn't fully scrape. I simply leveled (cut level with the scraper) and applied two new layers, then got good ooze.
As to more discovery? I got up close and personal with the entire edge on both sides. I found 11 metal fatigue/stress tears on each side. 11!
Here's an example of how well they can hide, and just ONE more reason to avoid putting goopy over the top of stuff. Why make your job harder by hiding the surface you are trying to keep repaired and maintained? Band-aides I tell you, band-aides! The PO called this awful black stuff on the roof "rubber roof". He actually bragged about multiple containers of it put on!
Now look very close just above the staple.
Upon further inspection.
And so it was on to repair prep in the form of drilling stop holes (counter-intuitive to drill holes in a place you want sealed), and creating a small space for epoxy to live. You'll note also, stainless steel wire brushing as we go.
More spots.
And then the angry weather-gods came back around and tried to thwart my progress. Enter duct tape temporary patches.
That epoxy will just have to wait a little longer.
