Great site. Encouraged me to repair rather than scrap my van. Also had screaming fit from my daughter when I suggested it was only good for the great camp site in the sky, so I now have the kit version of a caravan in the drive.
It's a small 'Slimtrekker' tows well, but is quite rotten. Also had to weld the chassis under the gas bottles, as when I took off the fibreglass bottle cover I could put my hand through the chassis rails!
Am now repairing the damp. All the wood from just above the front window to the floor, and for a foot down the sides is rotten. Lots of it literaly fell out when I pulled off the rotten wallboard. Haven't tackled the soft ceiling by the skylight yet. Wife's asking the important questions, like what colour should the carpet be.
Anyway.. THE QUESTION IS... all of the alluminium rails are nailed onto the outside of the van. How do I get them off without damaging the van skin or the rail? Looks impossible. There is NO sealant between the ally and the van. Looks like it relied on the seal between the nails and the aluminium as they were driven in. Very poor construction, I'm surprised the whole thing hasn't rotted out.
Look forward to hearing from you!!!
Best regards,
Dale.
------------- 1980 GX Slimtrekker in bits with lots of rot.
Hi Dale , best i can come up with is , you'll have to cut / grind all the nail heads off before trying to remove the rail , i'd use a small tool like a dremel . Apart from that you'll have to try levering the rail off , but there's a good chance you'll bend it , with the nails still in place .
Thanks. Hadn't thought of leaving the nail shafts in the wood. But hey, they can't do any more harm if I seal the outside, so sounds good to me. Wonder if I can drill the heads off, it might be quieter and quicker - there are lots of them! Will have a go later in the week.
Best regards,
Dale.
------------- 1980 GX Slimtrekker in bits with lots of rot.
Hi Dale , yep you could have a go at drilling them off , you'll jest have to be careful you don't slip and drill through the rail or the caravan skin , i'd try to remove the nail shafts with a pair of molegrips , but you could always hammer them in out the way .
Depends on the profile of your rails, but I've been using a dremmel on the screws in mine. It's ok for cutting a slot in to try with a flat blade screwdriver but not much good for cutting heads off as you cant get the angle required. So if you haven't got one already I wouldn't rush out ant buy one just for that - have a think first. Are they too tight to lever out with a small screwdriver & get pincers to them?
Thanks for the suggestions. I tried the lever approach. Worked ok where the wood behind it was rotten and the nails came out easily. Where the wood was good, they are rusted into it and will not let go. Bent the ally, so stopped. Made a steel wedge from an old scredriver with a slot in the middle for the nail. That got a few more off, but then stopped working with the really tight one's. Then tried drilling them off. Worked with some, but slipped off others and threatened to go through the ally and the van, so stopped that game. (Dead right there Wizard) Am now going to try the Dremel approach. Afraid that the great camp site in the sky is beckoning more and more with each failed attempt as my spare time gets less and less! However, the kids just quoted back to me that 'perseverance pays' so here goes...
Found that the sealant behind the ally strip was there after all. It was stuck to the ally, but not the van. Will post some pics of the mess as soon as I can.
Just been offered a 1968 one owner 61k miles Triumph herald... VERY tempting... oh the projects you can take on!! Please can someone give me 8 more hours a day.
Regards,
Dale.
------------- 1980 GX Slimtrekker in bits with lots of rot.
Are you drilling a small pilot hole first? It may be worth re-trying drilling the heads, but first make an impression in the nail head with as small a drill as you can get away with. This should stop the bigger drill slipping. I know we're talking small anyway, but it may be worth a shot.
Also, what about trying to punch the heads right through the rail on the ones that wont shift? Yes, they'll leave a hole in the rail, but that can be sealed.
Desperate times call for desperate measures (preferably large ones...of whiskey!)
What did you use to cut halfway across a panel when only half was rotten. did a stanley knife do ok. I don't want to go putting a row of dings down the van using a jigsaw on the inside.
Ta,
Dale.
------------- 1980 GX Slimtrekker in bits with lots of rot.
Grind the nail head off with a Dremel fitted with a cutting disc and then knock the rest of the nail through the aluminium rail into the wood. Then the ally rail comes off. Just grinding the head off doesn't work, as the nail has a very firm grip on the ally.
Has to grind quite a way into the rail as the nails seem to have a large head on them.
Next job to remove the ally on both sides and finish remaking the front of the van. I'll post some pics as soon as I can get them off the camera.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Best regards,
Dale.
------------- 1980 GX Slimtrekker in bits with lots of rot.