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Exterior Fiberglass Panels Pulling Apart


Murph

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Hi,

 

My young family and I recently acquired a 1987 Damon Escaper (26K original miles!) that is in great shape overall. Of course, I have my growing list of "to-dos" slowly piling up. At the top of the list is waterproofing it, as we discovered a couple coach leak issues on our maiden voyage. As you can see in the photos, the exterior fiberglass panels are separating in a few places and I think water may be getting in between. I bought some Gorilla Glue Construction Adhesive and tested an area but it was a bit of a pain as I had to push the two pieces together and hold it down with my hands for at least five minutes to get it to bond. They claim a 30 second fast grab hold time, but that wasn't the case for me.

 

Does anyone have suggestions on a better way to approach this? Is there a better adhesive to use for this? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Ryan

Fiberglass Panel 1.jpg

Fiberglass Panel 2.jpg

Fiberglass Panel 3.jpg

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Yep my Escaper did the same thing.

2X4 x8 ft long. 2x4 6 ft long. Take the 6ft and stand it up on edge on the 10ft. A few long screws. When you look from the end it should be a T.

Some cargo straps all the way around the camper. I used a slower glue. Apply the glue the full width of the separation, hold up the 2x4 so it is on the seam and tighten the cargo straps. Wait over night.

The T shape gives more leverage for the straps to pull against.

Maybe you holding just a 2x4 and fast glue would work, but this is what I did,

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Gorilla glue is not my favorite for anything. Looked a a youtube comparison of different glues and it came in last on every test. Locktite did well. The area your gluing together needs to be cleaned thoroughly.  Sanding will help with grab too. Do what WME says. There is no glue made that doesn't bond better with some pressure applied

Linda S

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WME and Linda,

 

Thanks for the insight. I will try this method - it makes sense. I'll also look into other glues. The Gorilla Glue had the longest, most narrow applicator, so I went with it because some of the gaps are small (not nearly as big as in these photos) and a larger applicator tip wouldn't fit in between the panels to inject the glue. I've also had success with it on other small projects, though I want to be sure to use something that will last on this one. I'm all ears if you have any suggestions. The smaller gaps also make cleaning and sanding between them nearly impossible, but I will make sure to clean any old adhesive/junk out as best I can.

 

Thanks again,

Ryan

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