Well I got my plumbing winterized and am almost ready to put the rig to bed for a nice winter's nap... But there is one project I really wanted to get done first. At some point the basement compartment immediately behind the driver's side rear tires sustained severe damage. The sheetmetal was severely bent & buckled - beyond the point of repair. Fortunately, the water pump & plumbing inside was not damaged. However, because of the damage, there was a large hole where the side wall & the floor of the compartment no longer connected, allowing water spray, road dirt and possibly rodents to enter.
After some deliberation, I had a neighbor (who works in automotive metal fabrication) bend up replacement walls & floor out of galvanized. And I spent the afternoon today cutting out the bad areas. I forgot to take "before" photos, but below you'll see some "after" pics. Ran out of temperature today to complete the installation of the new pieces (40 & windy with no sun lying on the ground eventually gets to you), but if next weekend is in the 50's as forecasted I should be home free!
Looks like a great job fabbing the new shroud. My guess is the original damage was sustained by a blow out.
Yeah - I could never have tackled this myself without someone to help with the metal bending. So far I'm into the project about $26. ($4- metal, $20 bending, $2 steel rivets)
I agree - a blowout was probably the culprit.
Now, fingers crossed that all the dimensions are correct for the new install...
Smart move on getting that area closed off and protected. You can always use a can of foam sealer to seal up any joint imperfections (keeps the critters out).
Smart thing to do. I hope the parts fit correctly.
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No I am NOT retired. I work full time.:D
Tracy from Central PA
2010 Jayco 17Z Ex-Port
2004 Ford Explorer V8 with the tow package
2010 Camping Stats
Nights Camping 132 - Nights Camping in My Z 102
2011 Camping Stats
Nights Camping 107
2012 Camping Stats
Nights camping 133 - Nights camping in my Z 128
2013 Camping Stats
Nights Camping 66 Nights
Will report back this weekend, hopefully with pics of the finished product. Warmer weather predicted - my fingers are crossed! This may be my last chance before things stay colder...
Got 'er done today. Not perfect, but should be serviceable. Black silicone's a bit messy due to tight working room, but I wasn't going for pretty anyway. All that & I didn't even maim myself! Only downside to spending quality time with the rig is that I usually see more things to add to my to-do list than I cross off while I'm there. So, you lucky people will be getting more posts with questions in the near future...
So, you lucky people will be getting more posts with questions in the near future...
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