How to fix broken / missing rivets on Casita?

[Stephen_Albers]

Before replacing rivets you should fix the cause of their failure. Otherwise you'll likely pop them again. Each over-stressed popped rivet increases the likelihood you'll damage the fiberglass which is vary hard to fix without leaks.

[Frank R.]

I've replaced several rivets in my Casita. Both ways, with replacement rivets and stainless screws and acorn nut. First thing you will discover is that those things don't go through at 90 degree angles to the inside, so a screw and nut don't align and look crooked and funky. However, the correct rivet bends in the middle to self-align everything. So I use rivets now, not screws.

OK, use a 3/16" drill to drill off the rivet head, then STOP DRILLING. Take a straight punch and hammer to tap the rivet out, to the inside. Go inside and recover the rivet and acorn nut. Use pliers, vice, or whatever, to grab the rivet shank (BTW, notice how it's bent?). Unscrew the nut off the rivet, and re-use the nut.

Place a new snap-cap base on a new rivet, apply sealer, poke it through the hole, and have a helper inside the trailer place the acorn nut over it, and hold it snugly against the fiberglass surface, while you set the rivet at the outside. That pulls everything tightly together.

Hey, Casita used silicone sealant, didn't they? Just sayin'

[Glenn Baglo]

Home Depot etc. sell silicon remover.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by Frank R.

Hey, Casita used silicone sealant, didn't they? Just sayin'

Although I too am strongly against using silicone sealants, for many of the reasons quoted above, it is true that Casita uses lots and lots of silicone sealants. With as much as they use it to "goop the crap" out of everything they install, I swear that they must buy it railroad tank cars!

[redbarron55]

They use it to mount the awnings as the main structural attachment with a few rivets to hold it on while the RTV cures, evidently.