Maintenance & Restoration

melissab · 05-07-2020, 02:25 PM

Howdy! I'm about to replace the Snap Caps on my 2012 Deluxe 13. I looked everywhere on the inside for the scew tips/washers Scamp said should be visible under brown circle tabs. They said they aren't behind the rat fur but we don't see anything anywhere?? Our stainless steel screws have all rusted and we want to replace them with better quality ones before putting the new snap caps on. Scamp said somebody has to hold the washer inside the trailer while the outside person removes the old screw and puts in the new one. If you cant see/find the washers it would stand to reason they are behind the rat fur so will drop between shell and fur if we remove the outside screws if nobody is holding onto them on the inside of the trailer. For those of you who know how the Deluxe's are constructed please tell me how to replace these screws. Even if I wasn't replacing them I still need to remove them enough to get the rotted retainer rings off and apply the new ones for the new snap caps. I don't want to have to call Scamp again and seem stupid lol.

Thanks!!!

AC0GV · 05-08-2020, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melissab

Howdy! I'm about to replace the Snap Caps on my 2012 Deluxe 13. I looked everywhere on the inside for the scew tips/washers Scamp said should be visible under brown circle tabs. They said they aren't behind the rat fur but we don't see anything anywhere?? Our stainless steel screws have all rusted

Thanks!!!

Two things that may not help you: Scamp uses pop rivets, not screws at the factory and real Stainless-steel screws do not rust. When you buy new screws check them with a magnet, if they are not attracted to a magnet they should not rust. I did not test my stainless license plate bolts and they rusted in one year.

Jon in AZ · 05-08-2020, 02:19 PM

Deluxe models like the OP’s use screws for the cabinet attachments, not rivets.

k corbin · 05-08-2020, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AC0GV

Two things that may not help you: Scamp uses pop rivets, not screws at the factory and real Stainless-steel screws do not rust. When you buy new screws check them with a magnet, if they are not attracted to a magnet they should not rust. I did not test my stainless license plate bolts and they rusted in one year.

Sorry but you are not correct in that "real" stainless steel does not rust. It can and it does, but like many things there is a difference in the quality of the grade of the stainless from different manufacturers. Some companies buy the "cheap stuff" in bulk to save money on production cost and while it looks fine when new it will end up developing rust. In fact on my 1983 Sunrader motorhome many of the stainless fasteners on it were so far gone with rust I ended up replacing all of them. I live in a salt water community with thousands of boats around I have seen a lot of rust on stainless components.

As to it not being magnetic, some of it is and some of it is not. Here is some information on the subject of magnetic stainless steel. https://www.greenwoodmagnetics.com/r...ainless-steel/

But of course I still purchase stainless fasteners as they are a lot more rust resistant than other type of steel and last a lot more years.

AC0GV · 05-08-2020, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k corbin

Sorry but you are not correct in that "real" stainless steel does not rust.
But of course I still purchase stainless fasteners as they are a lot more rust resistant than other type of steel and last a lot more years.

I buy screws that are not attracted to a magnet, they do not rust and they also buff to a mirror finish. No ocean water here but a lot of salt on the roads in the winter and that destroys lots of things including unprotected electrical connections. We could also discuss aluminum not rusting, but while that is true, the salt eats it away. On my mind because I have an aluminum F150. Time will tell.