This was a very productive day but not one of the more exciting. As I told you in the last installment, we decided that all of the edging needed to come off. That meant that I had to remove the seam molding on the roof. That's a bit scary, but I've become accustomed to scary. Everything new major task is scary - taking out windows, cutting water lines, opening seams and removing wood, taking off air conditions and opening the roof seam. I can't say that I'm immune to scary, but I can say that it no longer keeps me awake the night before.
I was a bit surprised today to find that the molding along the roof-line didn't go over the edge - didn't cover the edge - but the metal from the roof was folded over the side and was tacked down by this molding. I like our way better. Our new molding will be one unbroken piece that will seal down over the edge where the roof and the side of the trailer meet. I know the trailer purist are probably having hissy fits about now, but I am so happy with our choice of edging even if it was designed for a pole-barn. It will take about 3 times more butyl tape to make a secure seal, but when done there is no gaping and a far superior edge. Yes, the screws will show, but everyone knows that the screws are there. Besides Air Stream made screws and rivets a part of an icon. In any case, besides providing more protection it is also going to be a lot cheaper. The vintage trailer molding we ordered costs $2.47/foot. The molding we are using costs us <0.50/foot. We've saved over $200.
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| Roof edge after old molding was been removed |
I should have know that there had to be a problem removing this molding. Everything else like this has gone flawlessly. There were about six screws that just wouldn't come out. It took me most of an afternoon to get them off. It also took a lot of time to clean off the old adhesive. Fortunately there was only about five feet where they had smeared it with silicone. The first picture is of the roof before cleaning with Goo Gone and a putty knife. The second is after the cleaning. The dark lines are the staples that are currently all that's holding the roof on. The old screw holes are rather obvious. The will be filled. Goo Gone is great stuff.
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| Roof edge after a cleaning with Goo Gone |
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| New wood on back curve |
Perhaps my proudest moment came when I was ready to leave and decide that I didn't really like the idea of putting foam in to a gap where the roof bends. There's no weight or pressure on the area so expandable foam is a good filling, but I really wanted wood to give greater structural integrity. I decided that I'd give it a go. I made a pattern and cut two curved pieces out of 1x6 treated wood. They fit perfectly. I have to admit that I'm exceptionally pleased. Here's a picture of the pretty new wood before I close and screw down the side skin.
This means that the next step is to find any more areas that need to be repaired and start sanding for painting. It would be nice if we could get it painted by the first of next week. Like I said, we're getting accustomed to scary - so we are actually looking forward to doing the painting.
I hope my next installment with have a picture Willy ready to be painted. Then all that will be left will be to put on the molding, seal the roof, and re-install the air conditioner.
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