Marker light hole repair on aluminum, How?

[Cruiseomatic]

When resealing the marker lights, I re-secured the lights in the same holes. Problem is, The screws just spin in the old holes. Tried to re-drill new ones. Didn't work. So, How can I secure them to the body and repair the holes to the point that its like they were never drilled?

[MrWizard]

harbor freight has a low price 'nut sert' tool
they are designed for use in sheet metal



http://www.harborfreight.com/45-piece-threaded-insert-riveter-kit-1210.html

plastic drywall inserts don't work very well unless the hole is in wood, where they can expand and lock in place
if anchoring in stripped out wood behind the sheet metal, there are several ways that provide excellent results

[gon2dadawgs]

goop it up with any DEPENDABLE goop....and go camping...

[WILDEBILL308]

Best guess if the JB weld didn't get hard it was old or hadn’t ben stored properly. For quick fixes that you don't need a long work life use the quick set version of JB.
Bill

[Cruiseomatic]

Tried different mixing ratios on jb, same results. Cured hard as a rock in the wall but still soft on the outside. Aircraft aluminum is out of budget for now so what I'll do is get some beverage cans and cut to double the size I need for added thickness then rivet them inside the wall so when the screw pulls it pulls from the inside out. Even tried oatey fix it stick and it wouldn't stick to the siding. And I cleaned with acetone. OR, Would I get the same results riveting the new metal outside and running foil tape over the patch to prevent water intrusion? They will be painted over. Riveting on the outside side would be easier but I'm looking for structural integrity and shear strength. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[the_armadillo]

Just an FYI, as opposed to RivNuts the PlusNuts (actually a variant of RivNuts) that I mentioned above are specifically made for thin skinned materials. The pre-bulbed versions can be field installed with a hardened bolt, washer and nut if installation tools are not in hand. Locating PlusNuts are another issue. Our hardware supplier at the time kept us fully supplied along with all of our other hardware.

[camperpaul]

mlts22 wrote:
I wonder if the OP would be well served by Rivnuts. The only issue is that they can end up loosening in the socket, so can spin. I think someone answered that by painting Loctite Red (high strength) around the hole, then using the Rivnut tool to install it.

The biggest problem with Rivnuts® is availability and prices of the required tools.

The second biggest problem is availability of the Rivnuts®.

The third problem is they don't work well in material as thin as the skin on a travel trailer.

[mlts22]

I wonder if the OP would be well served by Rivnuts. The only issue is that they can end up loosening in the socket, so can spin. I think someone answered that by painting Loctite Red (high strength) around the hole, then using the Rivnut tool to install it.

[the_armadillo]

We used to repair mounting holes two ways on our aluminum skinned doghouses (equipment shacks).

1) For lighter weight items like your marker lights, get some aluminum pop rivets that have aluminum studs smaller diameter than your mounting screws. Secure the pop rivet in the hole. After it is tight, try to knock out the stud head by tapping with a small punch thru the hole in the rivet. If it is too tight, you usually can drill thru the head quite easily with a small drill if you have used aluminum studded rivets. Carefully screw in new sheet metal screws. We often sprayed the screws with a little WD40 before screwing into the rivet.

2) For heavier items, antenna mounts, etc. We would use PlusNuts.

[camperpaul]

Make an adapter plate out of 1/8" aircraft grade aluminum:

Drill and de-burr a 3/4" hole for the wires.

Drill holes for mounting the marker light; tap these holes for #8-32 machine screws.

Drill a set of four mounting holes in the adapter plate.

Wet sand the adapter plate with 600 grit waterproof paper.

Screw the #8-32 screws halfway into the tapped holes.

Paint the adapter plate to match your trailer. Remove the screws after the paint dries.

Assemble the light to the adapter plate with the machine screws.

Mount the assembly to the trailer with #10 sheet metal screws.

Done.

[Cruiseomatic]

Tried JB weld. Kept curing like rubber. Local shop told me to try rivets but something tells me those wouldn't pull the lights in enough to compress the butyl tape. I mixed the jb 1:1 and it would not cure right and come right off the siding. Buddy told me to mix the ratio 2:1. Two parts hardener to one part steel. I was using the jb kwik. I need something to reattach everything to the body without replacing the entire side panels. Some are 29ft long.

[Cruiseomatic]

Both JB weld and drywall clamps sound really good. Think I'll do both. Where I have excess holes, fill them with weld and on the original use the clamps. Even for a Fema trailer this is sad. One re-drill and its done. But, The build quality is showing better than anything Fleetwood could do. I know, I used to have one. Thanks guys.

[Locky]

Theres numerous ways to do this. A couple already said above or try using the next size up screw and if that doesn't work then fill the holes with your caulk then install the lights with your screws even though they are stripped. Now caulk around the light like you would normally have. Once the caulk drys you will be fine.

[mydazeoff]

Fill the hole with JB Weld and re-drill. Another option is to use a plastic dry wall insert, the type used for hanging stuff on a wall. Just make sure to use plenty of sealant.