I have an old caravan which recently got a bit of rear end damage (pic related). Trying to work out the best/cheapest/simplest way to patch it up.
Repairing hole in aluminium caravan
I have an old caravan which recently got a bit of rear end damage (pic related). Trying to work out the best/cheapest/simplest way to patch it up.
How much longer do you intend to keep it?
And how concerned are you about cosmetics?
Planning to keep it for a while and take it for a few road trips around Australia, not overly concerned with aesthetics, it's an old caravan and a bit battered and bruised
>a while
Why can't you answer a simple fricking question? How many years, which translates to how many seasons?
>take it for a few road trips
So we'll assume three years, I guess
>around Australia
In a desert
>not overly concerned with aesthetics
Fine.
Deal with wood damage by wood gluing up and bits that are splintery. If its really screwed up structurally, bridge breaks with metal strap. Or slip in flat shims and fasten appropriately.
Get a bunch of self tapping screws to zip the aluminum back straight into the wood at roughly where it belongs. You're gonna lose the correlations.
Slather epoxy into and across the gap to seal up aluminum to aluminum and keep out weather.
Paint as necessary.
>correlations
corrugations
>Why can't you answer a simple fricking question? How many years, which translates to how many seasons?
Because I'm not sure, I only just picked it up for almost nothing recently and it got the damage a few days ago. Probably a few years at most but I want to see how I actually like caravanning
>Fine.
Deal with wood damage by wood gluing up and bits that are splintery. If its really screwed up structurally, bridge breaks with metal strap. Or slip in flat shims and fasten appropriately.
Get a bunch of self tapping screws to zip the aluminum back straight into the wood at roughly where it belongs. You're gonna lose the correlations.
Slather epoxy into and across the gap to seal up aluminum to aluminum and keep out weather.
Paint as necessary.
Thank you
just solder some aluminum.
Get some aluminum sheet and pop rivet it over the hole with silicone in between it. Silicon over all cracks and rivet heads. Never leave any windows open when towing because it does not take much air pressure to pop a van.
This. Pop rivets and white silicone. Don't spill silicone on the patch. Etch primer and white metal lacquer over the patch
I would just sand off the sharp edges and tuck tape it, mate
t. povertygay
Right idea. Wrong tape. Use this.
Get a roller, a small one. And a torch. You need a little bit of heat- do not set the roofing repair tape on fire. Warm up the surface keeping your actual flame away from the aluminium. You want 'heat gun 750w (low) heat', not 'incinerate heat'.
Clean the surface first. Then cut to size. Apply. Heat. Roll it in. It is a very permanent bond.
The issue w rivets is they will tend to pull through such thin material. Yes, it could be done, but that's not how I would do it if I was OP for his stated needs.
> t. have repaired exactly the same kind of damage on an office trailer. Local fatherless crackheads had taken an axe to it.
I can't seem to find the bitumen flashing tape anywhere here, but what do you think about using pic related? it uses a butyl rubber instead and isn't heat activated
It sticks much better with heat from e.g. a torch. It doesn't take much - a hot, sunny day will also work. They are all very similar.
Get a lumpy and bash that bastard into as close to shape as you can, get the edges as flat as you can. Flat head screws to hold it down/in place. Grab a grinder and get rid of any sharp bits best you can. Fibreglass, get homosexual if asthetics matter. Paint.
The correct way would be to use a metal bonding adhesive( door skin glue) body shops use. Bare the aluminum on the panel and patch, fit, using aluminum screws. Spread the glue to ensure coverage of all bare material. Then use the screws to hold the panel in place.
Once dry, grind off the screw heads. Sand off any excess glue, feather, epoxy prime. Then if necessary, fill the panel as usual with body filler, careful to not break through the epoxy primer.