Repairing the fiberglass siding...

[StephenW]

Dad was repositioning the 5er for the regular month to yuma and clipped the
shop building. I wish he wouldent call with the statement "I wrecked the 5th
wheel" for wrecking the fifth wheel to me means its in several big pieces.
Anyway the damage is minor in the big picture of things, A2 pieces of tin
for the shop, a few pieces of wood and some gutter pieces.
The 5er has a series of cracks and holes high on the rear of it. He;s going
to take it to Yuma and find someone to repair it there, and in the mean
time, we glued fmost of it together to fend off the water.
My question is, How is the siding repaired? The damaged area is about 12" x
12", mostly a big cracks. Can that area be cut out or is it mainly repairing
the damages themselves?
As I putter with body work, and am a auto mech, I just would like to
know....

Steve

[Jenny6833A]

Post by StephenW
The 5er has a series of cracks and holes high on the rear of it.
My question is, How is the siding repaired? The damaged area is about 12" x
12", mostly a big cracks. Can that area be cut out or is it mainly repairing
the damages themselves?

If it's fiberglass, the damaged area can be cut out and a new piece
put in its place. The seams will be stronger than the original
fiberglass.

Be aware, however, that doing it right is a bit tricky.

Make sure that the seams are given plenty of time to cure before the
excess is removed. (It's kinda like welding two pieces of steel
together, then grinding the weld down flush.) If the seams are cured
properly, you'll never know it's been repaired after the repaired area
has been painted.

If the seams aren't fully cured when the excess is removed, they'll
keep shrinking which forms grooves. The grooves will show through the
new paint.

That's the only caution I can think of. It's not a big deal.

:-)

Jenny

[bb]

On Thu, 7 Feb 2008 00:31:59 -0800 (PST), Jenny6833A

Post by Jenny6833A

Post by StephenW
The 5er has a series of cracks and holes high on the rear of it.
My question is, How is the siding repaired? The damaged area is about 12" x
12", mostly a big cracks. Can that area be cut out or is it mainly repairing
the damages themselves?

If it's fiberglass, the damaged area can be cut out and a new piece
put in its place. The seams will be stronger than the original
fiberglass.
Be aware, however, that doing it right is a bit tricky.
Make sure that the seams are given plenty of time to cure before the
excess is removed. (It's kinda like welding two pieces of steel
together, then grinding the weld down flush.) If the seams are cured
properly, you'll never know it's been repaired after the repaired area
has been painted.
If the seams aren't fully cured when the excess is removed, they'll
keep shrinking which forms grooves. The grooves will show through the
new paint.
That's the only caution I can think of. It's not a big deal.

I can think of one more. Make sure you wear clothes when you are
doing the repairs as that fiberglass is really itchy stuff.

bb

[Ralph E Lindberg]

In article

Post by StephenW
Dad was repositioning the 5er for the regular month to yuma and clipped the
shop building. I wish he wouldent call with the statement "I wrecked the 5th
wheel" for wrecking the fifth wheel to me means its in several big pieces.
Anyway the damage is minor in the big picture of things, A2 pieces of tin
for the shop, a few pieces of wood and some gutter pieces.
The 5er has a series of cracks and holes high on the rear of it. He;s going
to take it to Yuma and find someone to repair it there, and in the mean
time, we glued fmost of it together to fend off the water.
My question is, How is the siding repaired? The damaged area is about 12" x
12", mostly a big cracks. Can that area be cut out or is it mainly repairing
the damages themselves?
As I putter with body work, and am a auto mech, I just would like to
know....
Steve

If it's FILON (fiberglass over a ply-core) they will need to cut it out
and replace it

[StephenW]

Post by Ralph E Lindberg
In article

Post by StephenW
Dad was repositioning the 5er for the regular month to yuma and clipped the
shop building. I wish he wouldent call with the statement "I wrecked the 5th
wheel" for wrecking the fifth wheel to me means its in several big pieces.
Anyway the damage is minor in the big picture of things, A2 pieces of tin
for the shop, a few pieces of wood and some gutter pieces.
The 5er has a series of cracks and holes high on the rear of it. He;s going
to take it to Yuma and find someone to repair it there, and in the mean
time, we glued fmost of it together to fend off the water.
My question is, How is the siding repaired? The damaged area is about 12" x
12", mostly a big cracks. Can that area be cut out or is it mainly repairing
the damages themselves?
As I putter with body work, and am a auto mech, I just would like to
know....
Steve

If it's FILON (fiberglass over a ply-core) they will need to cut it out
and replace it
--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

It is filon. I have done fiberglass repairs befor, but want a quality
repair, so that leaves me out of it. We found the neighbors pastor does
fiberglass repair, and when the parents return from yuma the repair will be
done. Can Filon be bought in small pieces, for the patch?
Steve

[Neon John]

Post by StephenW
It is filon. I have done fiberglass repairs befor, but want a quality
repair, so that leaves me out of it. We found the neighbors pastor does
fiberglass repair, and when the parents return from yuma the repair will be
done. Can Filon be bought in small pieces, for the patch?
Steve

Been down that road. No matter how good the job, the patch will still be painfully
visible, especially in grazing light, because the texture of the glass fiber under
the gelcoat cannot be duplicated in the patch area.

After Mom's siding delaminated from a leak, I agreed to allow patching. That was a
bad mistake. The very smooth patch job stood out like a sore thumb. Also, since the
repair area has to be painted, you'll then end up with very much less durable paint
that has to be washed, waxed and cared for like a car finish instead of almost
impervious gelcoat. The paint will gradually solarize and change color so you'll
eventually end up with a two tone paint job.

The really correct repair method is to remove the whole side of the rig and replace
it with another. That's what I'd insist on if insurance is footing the tab. A more
budget-oriented repair is to replace the side up to a convenient natural break in the
visual flow of the side. Say, at a window or slide boundary. Some sort of thin trim
is added to hide the seam. Done properly, it looks quite factory.

John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
There are only 10 types of people in this world
Those who understand

[Jenny6833A]

Post by Neon John
No matter how good the job, the patch will still be painfully
visible, especially in grazing light, because the texture of the glass fiber under
the gelcoat cannot be duplicated in the patch area.
I agreed to allow patching.  That was a
bad mistake.  The very smooth patch job stood out like a sore thumb.  Also, since the
repair area has to be painted, you'll then end up with very much less durable paint
that has to be washed, waxed and cared for like a car finish instead of almost
impervious gelcoat.  The paint will gradually solarize and change color so you'll
eventually end up with a two tone paint job.

In our case, six years later, none of the above has occurred. Maybe
it's due to differences in fiberglass, in patching compound, in the
skill of the people doing the work, or something.

:-)

Jenny

[s***@hotmail.com]

Post by StephenW
Anyway the damage is minor in the big picture of things, A2 pieces of tin
for the shop, a few pieces of wood and some gutter pieces.
The 5er has a series of cracks and holes high on the rear of it. He;s going
to take it to Yuma and find someone to repair it there, and in the mean
time, we glued fmost of it together to fend off the water.
My question is, How is the siding repaired? The damaged area is about 12"
12", mostly a big cracks. Can that area be cut out or is it mainly repairing
the damages themselves?
As I putter with body work, and am a auto mech, I just would like to
know....

If all you have, is big 12" cracks, then it sounds as if you are
dealing with a rather simple repair job; especially if you are dealing
with a simple glossy gel-coat scenario:

1. Order the appropriate colour-coded gel-coat;
2. V out the cracks;
3. Fill the Vs with gel-coat;
4. Sand, and then buff the gel-coat to the point the repair is
invisible.

If you are dealing with a painted surface, then the job is a lot
simpler.

The alternative, is to take it to a marine repair facility, familiar
with fibreglass repairs.