Frame repair using 2x1.5'' 1/8'' mild steel angle iron
I noticed in the curb side vertical wardrobe that there was a section of the Luan that had a shear/tear in it just at the height of the bottom of the mattress, this was longitudinal to the trailer.
The frame at this location had a piece of 1/8'' plate steel stitch welded to the bottom of it extending out about 1'' to support the roof and walls. All the horizontal cabinets as well as the wardrobe and some of the front wardrobe slide weight is carried on this poorly conceived framing. I had a really bad feeling about this so I pulled off the skin and removed all of the front cap screws except at the top and pushed the cap away at the bottom to expose the frame. My bad feeling turned out to be correct.
Here's a description of the repair...
I cleaned the area and then used a bottle jack and a 4' section of galvanized pipe to raise the section back into place until the plate surfaces matched. The scary part was welding the crack without lighting the camper on fire. There is a piece of aluminum square tubing with wood inside of it directly above this 1/8'' steel plate. To say I was nervous is an understatement. I kept a garden hose, spray bottle, and a fire extinguisher nearby and I constantly kept the area cooled. I then used the piece of angle iron and drilled it so I could plug weld it into place, side and bottom. Next I welded a 1'' square tubing stringer across from the repair over to the pin box support framing. This was only to support the skin as it was poorly screwed and secured. Prior to reinstalling the skin I filled all of the space below the chip board flooring with 1'' thick board insulation. Once everything was painted I fixed some of the aluminum framing at the battery/brake actuator/electrical compartment that looked like it was beat into place with a hammer and then re installed the skin and reset the cap in place. All seams were re sealed and the roof transition was re sealed as well. This coach probably has 75k miles on it and is 10 yrs old now but by no means is worn out. It is worth the effort to repair due to all the mods it has and the tow manners it has.
