GMC Motorhome: Do your side rails and why………

In looking back at the past several posts I’ve been talking about project progress in house.  That’s all good and actually why this daily pose page was put here for.  Today though many of you come to pick up a few tips and learn some things.  Have no fear….I have some really neat pics on out progress but fist I want to Show and talk about the top side rails project we’re doing.  I will tall you if you do not know if this project has been done to your coach….you need it!

We’re talking about resealing the number 1 leaker on your coach.  Why is it suck a thing?  News Flash>>>>>>>> Your roof does not leak!  The roof of our coach is made of thick aircraft grade aluminum……that will never leak, it’s the perimeter of the panel and each and every penetration in the roof……..roof, plumbing, frig and other vents, rail standoff screws, antenna, clearance lights, etc.

The first leak point I mentioned are the perimeters of the panel.  On the front those are the front and rear cross seams and on the sides it’s the cover rail we’re going to talk about.  This trim rail held up there bay screas front to back is NOT a sealing rail, it is a protective cover for the sealant below it.  Slathering up this rail with silocone or roof paint may seal it short term but because of the flexible nature of the GMC body,  the elastomer rate or how flexible whatever sealant you put up there will not move as much as that rail can in a twisting motion……your sealant will tear and your leak is back.

Taking this rail off is a trick,   Each screw has to be carefully extracted.  It is a torx, steel, machine screw threaded into a hi tensil strendth aluminum extruded hollow rail that runs front to back.  With the rail off, you can see where the roof panel it riveted to this rail    If any of these screws leak or if water enters the cover rail it will find it’s way to this hollow inside frame member and flow into the coach and any inside screw hole in the rail or the front and back of this rail.  Just behind the driver/ passenger seats or in the back just in front of the back corner speakers.  Do you have water damage there?  Are you still getting water there?  Brother then you need to do this project.

Plus, take a good look where the top rear cap, the roof panel, side panel and rear side columns come together.  There is always a gap under the cover rail end cap that’s big enough to stick your thumb into! It was gobbed with a roll of butyl tape 40 years ago…..I mean what could go wrong?  So you trawl out sealant on the top of the rail…..the water flow stops anf you have a steak dinner that night.  Next week you pull into a gas station with a hugw swal you go through to get to the pump….POP, some sealant snaps because of the twist and it starts leaking again…..Maybe it doesn’t leak, in fact it works pretty good.  Great!  But you know where the leak REALLY is and this fix will fail sooner or later.

This flexible seal is sealed with a “seal system” and like any system made by man is needs service.  These rails should have been resealed probably back in 1989…was yours?  Has your rail ever come off and resealed.  If you have the original Torx screw heads it’s probably never been resealed.  I don’t know any shops that would reuse those rusted nasty screws and I also don’t know any shops that carry those exact Torx head screws.  We line in a pan head, phillips screw world today!

So if there’s any possibility that your beloved motorhome has not had this resealing process, you may want to pay attention to more on this project.  There are all kinds of things folks do about water leaks and hey, if the water stops cool….but if you really want to address the root mean of the problem….stay tuned…..

OK guys, how was that?  I covered a project we’re starting up at the same time showed you something you may not have known.  If you don’t want to wear a rain coat in your coach this season, seal your rails,,,

Now, for Friday’s fun.  Texas Tux has it’s first pics of actually looking lake a dash you might recognize  With the repaired and textured side panels and glove box, the front of Texas Tux is taking shape    Today I hope to start the wiring and trim out of the driver sidewall.  ,…….Stay tuned. 

T other dash install finished  the coach now is next up on the lift for it’s FiTech fuel injection install and a mechanical checkover.    Switching up our sequencing on this coach, the lift was occupied to we installed the quad bag system, the 2 wheel Ebrake system, brakes and bearing on the ground in the big house while I putzed with the dash.  Now on the lift we can get a good view and the coach white underbelly.  There are some issues……..  Oh wait, we also installed a meserator dump system on the original holding tank.  You might ask….:Why not the tank too?”.  For sure it’s not really and totally smart to do that but as always the question is NOT what to do but WHERE to stop.  The coach lives nearby wo WHEN the tank “craps out” the system is set up to detach from the old tanks and fit right into a new tank    hey, there’s still a little life left in the anumule!  One of the outer CV boots has left leaving grease slinging everywhere    We’ll deal with both drive shafts..I mean if one finally gave up both spin at the same time……….

OK, Jared is back from his vacation so the 8am meeting is on.  I’ll hit you with page 2 a little later,,,,,,,,,, See ya then

OK, the day is on, one guy out…not bad after such a beautiful weekend.  Hey, before we get back in I wanted to show you something I got working this weekend.  Before I lost my mind getting into GMC’s, I enjoyed fixing electronic components.  Past bench tech at Lafatette Radio (back in the good ole days) then on to working for Zenith and Panasonic even though I’m farrrrr out of working on todays throw away electronics, I still enjoy sniffing solder smoke and burning my fingers.  Here is the latest antique radio I got spruced up and working   This is a 50’s era battery powered “portable” Zenith Transoceanic.  You may have seen one in episode of M.A.S.H.  Couldn’t get any short wave yet just getting AM to go was a struggle.  Old wax caps and corroded tube pins were my nemesis.

Anyway, you have to have passion for things you work on in this business.  I turn on this thing now every morning for 5 minutes….I hope…

More on the coach on the lift……. we’re dropping the tanks to do the modifications for the FiTech system.  While there we have some housekeeping….there is an exhaust adapter flange that pulled away looks like for some time in that the frame has been discolored  ..  You can also see that the aluminum body has dropped onto the steel frame.  His body pads have fallen out!  With everything exposed, we will next degrease the under carriage, paint the steel with POR-15 and rubber undercoat the rest.  Stay tuned for more.

So with the guys on task, men now finished here it’s onn to Texas Tux for me.  The #3 dash will be upholstered with the dash panel overlay installed….I hope…..Texas Tux undergoes it’s final wire deeassing getting rid of the rest of the old wiring and wiring up side panels….it’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood…………. we’ll see ya tomorrow.

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