Repair to outside trim above door - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-12-2019, 02:57 PM   #1
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Name: Stebe
Trailer: Casita
Colorado
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Repair to outside trim above door

The little rain gutter trim piece above the outside door has pulled away on one end and the rivet broke. Any recommendation on how to fix this?
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Old 10-12-2019, 03:16 PM   #2
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I’d rerivet it
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Old 10-12-2019, 07:40 PM   #3
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Yah you're probably right I just need to go get a rivet gone and do it. I don't have the tools so I was trying to think of other ways.
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Old 10-13-2019, 10:22 PM   #4
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Rivit Tool

If you don't have a rivet tool and don't expect to need a cadillac version, this one just might do the job for you:
https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-r...set-38353.html

The one-star reviews aren't exactly overwhelming but for $4.99 (complete with rivets), it just might do the job for you.
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Old 10-14-2019, 07:47 AM   #5
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Thanks. I'm going to get the HF version. Interestingly they also have the correct size rivets 1/8"x5/8" which seem rather uncommon expect ordering online.
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Old 10-14-2019, 07:49 AM   #6
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Also I can't borrow one from friends because I'm the guy with the tools and it would ruin my image.
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Old 10-14-2019, 03:09 PM   #7
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Name: RogerDat
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When you drill out the old rivet have care to not blow through the inside liner. You also probably won't be able to get the inside piece of the rivet out from behind the liner.


It's not a problem. The piece left inside is small and one can just use a small piece of wire like a bent paper clip to reach though the hole from the outside and slide it off to one side or down to make way for a new rivet.

You might be able to get away with just a re-rivet of a couple that are loose, or may have to remove the whole rain guard to replace the butyl tape under it.

Make sure those Harbor Freight rivets are aluminum shaft and body and not steel. Your aluminum rain shield will corrode much more rapidly if you use a steel rivet on it. Also the force needed to "pop" a steel rivet is different than same size aluminum. Thus the tension the fastener applies would be different.
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Old 10-15-2019, 09:00 AM   #8
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You might want to buy "closed end" rivets. They have a built in seal between the pin and the body of the rivet. Or you can put a dab of Butyl and work it into the top of the rivet. Regular rivets can leak through the pin. Either method, you will need to put some Butyl around the head of the rivet before installing it to help prevent leaks. Overkill, I know but worth it to keep the evil H2O out of your trailer.
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Old 10-19-2019, 04:46 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerDat View Post
Make sure those Harbor Freight rivets are aluminum shaft and body and not steel. .....
I'd bet serious money you won't find steel rivets in any Harbor Freight store or online. I live in a town of 100,000 people and couldn't find steel pop rivets anywhere for a something I manufacture that requires them, so I have to order them online (not from Harbor Freight).

The steel rivets I have have steel mandrels, and the aluminum rivets I have from Ace Hardware and Marson have aluminum mandrels. I think it would be unlikely to find an aluminum rivet with a steel mandrel because the breaking force would deform the rivet way too much, and as you said: the different metals interacting invite electrolysis and corrosion.

I have some 3/16-inch steel rivets that take three men and a boy to set. If I ever need to use them again I'm going to buy that Harbor Freight riveter for $4.99 (it does have 418 five star reviews) so that if it breaks the tool I can return it.

There is a glue called Fix-All that is fiberglass compatible and will seal the rivet with just a dab. I have used it for over 40 years on a lot of things, including leaking rivets on my 1975 Scamp, where I had to peel the leaking silicone sealant put there by a previous owner.

As other have said, though, if the other rivets are loose, it would be best to remove them and put butyl tape under the rain gutter and put in new rivets. That's what I did with mine.

Good luck with it.

--Harold
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Old 10-20-2019, 09:49 AM   #10
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Name: Stebe
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Thanks for everyone's replies. I ended up buying the arrow rivet gun, it was under $20 and was significantly more robust than the HF. I felt it was likely I might have some more riveting to do. I bought harbor freight rivets.



One thing I noticed in pulling out the two broken rivets was that they were bent and the holes did not line up. I'm not sure if it came from the factory like this or if it happened bumping down the road. I got everything aligned and the riveting went well. It appears as sturdy as it ever was. Time will tell.



I still need to find the black silicon like substance that they covered the rivets with at the factory... It is ridiculously strong; I'll look at the "Fix-All" that the good Dr. recommended. And also re-seal the edge of the trim piece with caulk.
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Old 10-20-2019, 02:14 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by swhird View Post
I still need to find the black silicon like substance that they covered the rivets with at the factory... It is ridiculously strong; I'll look at the "Fix-All" that the good Dr. recommended. And also re-seal the edge of the trim piece with caulk.
As others will tell you,The black stuff from the factory probably isn't silicone because silicone and fiberglass are not friends. I've seen a black thick tape used to seal joints such as between a heater or AC cowling and the firewall of a car. It's kind of tar like, and very strong and tacky. Try the auto body section of a large auto parts store.

Caulk is kind of a generic term, and a lot of it you buy at the big box stores contains silicone. The preferred stuff for fiberglass fixtures is butyl tape, which can be used like a putty behind fixtures such as trim pieces, window frames, and door hinges. Butyl requires more effort because you can't just stick it on top. People like silicone sealants because they can just dab it on, but the marriage between silicone and fiberglass doesn't last long.

The Fix-All is great to seal that tiny hole in the rivet. Surprisingly, it can be found at Dollar Stores. The first time I used it was in about 1975 to emergency seal a pinhole in a gas tank. You do what you gotta do. On the rivets of your trailer it should last for many years, but if you're like me, a re-application once a year or so is quick and easy, just for insurance.

When I bought my 1975 Scamp a couple of years ago I had a tiny leak at one of the roof rivets. A dab of Fix-All and everything is dry.

Of course, as Alexander said, the closed-end rivets are the best permanent insurance, but I'm not ready to replace mine. I noticed on the Scamp parts website that the photos of the rivets they sell don't appear to be the closed-end kind. Interesting.

I hope this is helpful.

--Harold
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:53 PM   #12
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Name: Kelly
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go to the hardware store and polyurethane caulking. That is the stuff that stays stuck on fiberglass and aluminum trim pieces.
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