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Windshield pillar cracks


RangerSierra

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Welding is easy, the real question is WHY did it crack?

Edited by WME
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I have heard of this problem from a couple of people. Don't know what they did but most likely cause is failure of the shell to floor attachment. The shell is fiber glassed to the floor and its the floor that's attached to the frame of the vehicle. If the shell/ floor connection has failed the weight of the shell will rest on the cab of the truck. Have no idea how to fix something like that. Guess I'm just lucky mine don't have those problems

Linda S

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A real close look seems to show a non factory weld just below the new crack. So this is an ongoing problem. Finding and fixing the cause is the important thing.

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I agree that the pillar is overloaded and as it's a Sunrader with a 31 year old laminate floor, the camper body has sagged into and settled into the mounts. I don't know what's involved in repairing the floor in the Sunrader. Has anyone had success in this?   

As far as the previous welds, the shop that did it last time didn't go all the way around the pillar and get all the cracks because there was glass and plastic in the way. I may be able to buy a few more years of use on my Sunrader if I can fully weld all the cracks and replace the windshield bond every two years. 

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Before you get welding done, look at the floor of your Sunrader it should be flat from side to side.

They were built with a wood/paper honeycomb floor. The floor rests on the truck frame rails all the weight  of the camper rest on the unsupported edges of the floor. Over time the edges sag and place more weight on the cab.

You MIGHT be able to jack up the edges of the shell and weld on some triangle reinforcements from the top of the frame rail, out to the edge and then to the bottom of the frame.

This is a serious job, but if done right its a permeant fix.  GOOD LUCK

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No paper in a Sunrader floor. I don't know how you could fix the floor issue without somehow reattaching the shell to the floor itself. Might be possible to make some kind of support system right behind the cab from the frame to the overhead. Like a roll bar but inside. If you disconnect the overhead from the cab roof you might be able to lift the shell with a bar under the outside lip and some floor jacks. One of those things you can't really plan until you get in there though.

Linda S

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