Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #25 – June 17, 2018, 06:29:24 pm Quote from: Larry W - June 17, 2018, 06:01:36 pmIn past years, when I sealed a lot of LDs, I tried Big Stretch on my own rig and was a big disappointment, not lasting more than a three years before it went bad and needed replacement. When looking at the specifications for Big Stretch and 3M 5200, the 5200 exceeds Big Stretch in all ways, especially the stretch or elongation specs.Clear Big Stretch is a good choice for the colored sections if you are bothered by the thin, black or white line of 5200 sealant, the only colors 5200 is available in. You will need to replace it more often.Larry, After a few videos and reading more up on this topic, I did go to West Marine (it was close to my home) and I bought the 5200 Sealant. I am concern after watching a video about the 5200 sealant being almost impossible to remove. The Big Stretch does have Pine Green for painted areas. But, I do not want to be doing this every year. Your post have really informed me more on this topic and I plan on trying it out. I noticed around the windows the sealant has either come off or is coming off around the edges. I'll check the top out this week. I had no clue these parts were plastic. I thought they were metal. Again Thanks Larry!
Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #26 – June 17, 2018, 06:38:58 pm Quote from: Kent Heckethorn - June 17, 2018, 06:28:30 pmNot too many “Land Yaught” techs nearby? You can always practice on something non-LD. Getting used to applying the 5200 can increase your confidence tremendously. Small tubes of 5200 are available on Amazon for less than $10. Of course a quick run to LD for Vince’s advice is always handy. Like you, the Mothership is a short drive up the road for me. I’ve been up and back twice within the last couple of weeks. Have fun with it. You are a Lazy Daze owner and this is what we do if we want to keep our Special Friends in good running order.KentThanks Kent, YES, I think I will go see Vince first. Maybe he can inform me of the work he did to it in 2016 and WHY? ALSO, I noticed your post for Amazon was RED TUBES and I looked at mine and its BLUE. So, I bought PERMANENT instead of REMOVABLE. I do not remember seeing RED TUBES at the MARINA. I really hate to use something that could damage the panels. I am a good DIY PERSON KENT ThanksKathy
Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #27 – June 17, 2018, 07:13:20 pm Kathy, A closer look at the 5200 I pictured shows it to be “Permanent”. Having never used or had a use for it I am following Larry’s Lead on this 3M product.Crossing my fingers, eyes and whatever necessary to avoid using it too. Good luck with that . Right?Kent
Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #28 – June 17, 2018, 07:21:01 pm Kathy, 3M 5200 Fast Cure is the product that you want; see the link below. The regular 5200 takes a long time to set/cure; the "Fast Cure" dries much more quickly and is easier to work.3M Marine Adhesive/Sealant Fast Cure (White, 10 fl.oz): Polyurethane...Note that the product comes in three sizes: the one-ounce tube is good for little "touch up" jobs, the 3 ounce tube for sealing two-three windows (depending on size), and the 10 ounce cartridge (used with a caulk gun) is used for bigger jobs, e.g., sealing end caps.I suggest that you get a 3 oz. tube and do a test seal on an end cap that isn't too "gappy". Understand that you will have to clean and prepare the surfaces to be sealed very carefully; depending on the size of the gap, some use acetone to scrape/remove any old sealant and dirt/debris. Allow the cleaned area to dry completely, then carefully tape off the area to be sealed (blue tape) so that just the gap to be sealed is accessible; 5200 is messy, sticky stuff, so you will want to wear nitrile (or vinyl) gloves and have plenty of paper shop towels and acetone for clean-ups. Squeeze generous amounts of 5200 into the gap, covering as much of the "unstuck" area as possible; if necessary, work the 5200 into the gap. I use wooden "craft sticks" to work the goop into a gap and to remove excess as it squeezes out when the end cap is pushed into place; craft sticks are available in different sizes at any craft store, e.g., Michael's. Depending on the size of the gap(s) and how "wavy" the edges of the caps are, you may need to figure out how to keep the edges in place until the 5200 can set up enough to hold.Know that 5200 will harden in the tube after opening and be very difficult to squeeze out if it's not used within a few days. (That was my experience, anyway; others may have a different story!) That's one reason why I suggest not starting on a big sealing project with a cartridge of 5200 until you do a test run to see how long the job (in part and all together) may take you, and how long you need to spend to do each section.If you feel that the end caps are in a condition that suggests that a re-seal be done by the factory, talk to Vince; you may be able to get a cancellation appointment. (Worth a shot, anyway.) At the least, I agree with the suggestion to have him look at the end caps and give an opinion. 4 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #29 – June 17, 2018, 07:37:45 pm Kathy, after reading over some 27 responses over the last day, aren't you glad you bought into the LazyDaze cult?Here's a small aside on quality for a little relief break The Wonderous One Hoss Shay 1 Likes
Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #30 – June 18, 2018, 03:44:45 am Hi For Kathy and others. The back end cap strip is the same aluminum strip material used along the entire sides of your rig covering the gap at floor level to the underneath skirts. I bought a little over a one foot piece from Todd, and it came with one hole. First I used blue painter tape, on the rig corner, to mark where I wanted the piece to go. Then cut the strip end off evenly. I filed and sanded the end. Then I wrapped it with painters tape so the vise jaws wouldn't mark it. I used a hand sledge hammer and a pine piece of 1 x 2 to pound on the aluminum piece until it was the right shape. Then mark and drill/countersink for flat head Phillips. Stainless #8 x 3/4". A little white touch up paint on the head and bare ends. I use a small tube of white porcelain repair 'goo' with a small paint brush. (Acetone to clean the brush). It is mostly cosmetic I thought, but a friends 2001 MB did have some wood rot near the street passenger side near the rear bumper, under the end cap and had a (what I would call a large) gap about 1/8". I don't know for sure but I suspect the gap was funneling water down under the cap. A lot of older rigs have separating molding. Many have resorted to adding many stainless round head Phillips head screws that match the ones already there. I've seen some painted white, some left natural. Keep the spacing even, and the rows straight, and the repairs will look good. The recent caravan club meetings are a good place to see these additional screw addition repairs in action. RonB 1 Likes
Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #31 – June 18, 2018, 10:39:51 am Those interested in end cap issues and fixes might want to do a search of this topic in the "Lazy Daze Technical" forum category; there have been many posts on the topic over many years of posts. Granted, one does have to cull out the irrelevant posts (the search feature on the board includes pretty much any post with the word "end" in it! ), but there's a lot of information to be gained by doing the research.One of the basic problems with the end caps is that putting an ABS plastic molded cap over aluminum is not a good "match"; the two materials are not compatible. Over the years, LD has used a variety of adhesives and edge-match methods to improve adherence and to allow for the inevitable expansion and contraction (particularly of dissimilar materials); adhesives, VHB tapes, end cap seams that butted together near the curve of the cap, overlapped seams, and seams covered with a "band" (this started in 2004, I think). With some exceptions (like Kent's 2015), "newer" rigs, e.g., 8-10 years old, seem to have fewer issues with end cap separations; any improvement in "sticking", likely due mostly to improved adhesives, is mitigated by the fact that ABS over aluminum is incompatible and the adhesion is prone to failure over time. IMO, the best solution (other than formed aluminum end caps, which I doubt is ever going to happen) is to catch and repair end cap separations when they first become apparent; waiting until the gaps are larger and the end caps have begun to "deform" will result in a lot more work to correct the issues, and, often, to unsightly and ineffective repairs. Badly warped, gappy, and/or twisted end caps can be replaced, but replacement is costly and best left to the factory. As Ron B. and others have said, using stainless steel screws as "insurance" after a re-seal is pretty common when an owner does his/her own repairs; just be sure to use the correct size screws (if I recall correctly, I used #8s in a 1.25" - or 1.50" - length; please advise if my recollection is wrong), space the screws, drill pilot holes - I use a carbide bit and drilled through blue tape to prevent cracking - and avoid over tightening the screws. A personal opinion; I would avoid buying a used LD with significant end cap separations; not only can "gappies" be difficult to repair, but the fact that an owner has allowed the end caps to part company with the body is a red flag (to me, anyway) that s/he may well have allowed other critical maintenance issues to slide. As ever, YMMV. 1 Likes
Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #32 – June 18, 2018, 11:09:03 am Joan said, “IMO, the best solution (other than formed aluminum end caps, which I doubt is ever going to happen)...”.While at the Mothership this past week, I did ask Todd as to whether or not Aluminum End Caps would solve the breakage issue and if he felt LD would ever consider a redesign using aluminum end caps. He did say that he’d love to use aluminum end caps but that the cost of a new coach would increase by several thousands of dollars. After my repair was completed and I realized that the ABS plastic was used in many more areas than just the rear of the coach, I could see exactly why they have resisted the temptation (if there ever was one) to switch to aluminum.With all the solid build quality of the Lazy Daze included in the equation, the end cap issues some of us experience seems, to me, to be a minor irritation.Kent 2 Likes
Re: End Caps on my 2000 RB Reply #33 – June 21, 2018, 04:39:12 pm Update: I drove out to the Mothership today. Glad I did. I set up appt for Jan 2019 to have End Caps done. I was reassured not to worry to much. I appreciate all inputs. Thanks AgainKathy 4 Likes
Topic: End Caps on my 2000 RB (Read 1056 times)
previous topic - next topic
Topic: End Caps on my 2000 RB (Read 1056 times)
previous topic - next topic