I don't recall exact lengths and don't have my supplies in front of me at the moment as we're up in the White Mountains of AZ.
There were two lengths of 3/16" and the curtain rods were 1/8" Rivets are tough to find now and HomeD/Lowes aren't good sources for them. I found all the sizes I needed at ACE with the exception of the long 3/16" which I had to order on Amazon.
I generally would drill out a couple of each size and then take them to ACE and match up.
Hi All: Not to beat a dead horse, but I'm trying to replace snap caps on the outside of our 2007, 16 ft. Scamp, and noticed some of the rivets are loose. It's really about time to replace some of the rivets, especially on the roof. My husband feels it's not necessary unless we can detect leaks on the inside, but I think "being prepared" might be a better way to go. In any case, there are several types of rivets or screws on the outside. Also, there are cracks in the fiberglass behind one rivet (see photo, of rivet end). So, first of all, how do I repair fiberglass cracks around an older rivet? For the other rivets, is it OK to just replace the cap over an older rivet with washer, if the rivet, sealant and washer look OK? Or can I place sealant around an older rivet and washer without removing it, and put a cap over it? I also have no experience with a drill, and am nervous about using it.
The cracks around the rivet holes are technically called crazing. When the gel coat is stressed from the pressure of the rivets it cracks the gel coat. Only way to repair crazing is to dremel or carefully grind out the crack lines and lay in new gel coat. Most crazing around the rivets isn't serious and won't leak unless it expands to the point where it the underlayment is showing and unless it bothers you cosmetically I'd leave it be.
I'd recommend you definitely drill out and replace any loose rivets at a minimum as they will leak down the outside of the barrel if they're loose. The snap cap is to cover the inside of the rivet barrel to prevent leaks there and to provide a washer under the head of the rivet to be tightened down against the shell.
You don't need any sealer on the rivets and snap caps if done properly. I do use butyl tape wrapped around the rivet barrels when replacing them just as an extra measure of sealing with a product that will last a very long time and not create a mess like sealant.
This is such an inexpensive job to redo the snap caps and is mostly labor that I usually redo the entire Scamp. My daughter and I did an entire 13 Scamp in about 4 hours and I've redone my Scamp 19 by breaking it down into sections and spreading it out over weeks. It really is very simple after you get the hang of drilling out the old rivets and then you know its good to go for years to come.
Thank you Greg for this answer! I will show my husband :-). I just need to see if our Ace Hardware will have the rivets and butyl tape. I have been reading through this section on the rivets or screws and there is a lot of information! I just hope I don't "screw up" drilling out the rivets. We live in a small town in California (yes, there are a few of those here), and finding someone who can do trailer maintenance has been a challenge. However, I will try DIY according to some good tips in this section. BTW, if anyone is heading to Oregon this August 21 to see the awesome total solar eclipse, we will be at 2 campsites near the band of totality: Cinder Hill and LaPine campgrounds. Come by and say hi (we might have the only Scamp there).
Get some scrap material and PRACTICE doing rivets and then drilling them out without damaging the scrape material you are using. Similar pieces of fiberglass would be ideal for practice but anything will do. Try to make it a similar thickness.
Hi all, this may be a newbie question, so caveat for you.
When washing the dust off our 2017 16 Scamp, I noticed that one of the caps (not the rivet) on the roof is loose. The rivet itself seems to be fine, but the cap is just sitting there and I can turn it around easily. I just read through the rivet/snap cap thread and don't think I saw the answer for this. I don't have any extra caps, and this one looks like all the others except loose. I do have some butyl tape but wanted to check with others before I do anything. We leave tomorrow on a trip so I hope to fix this today.
A loose cap is not an issue in itself unless it comes right off when pulled. If it snaps off when you pop it off and then snaps back on then it's fine. If it is loose and just lifts off then you'll most likely need to replace the base and cap.
We are looking to install a front cabinet, so I found this thread to tyr an understand how these acorn nuts get installed on the inside of the scamp.
The acorn nuts are explained in this thread, but I found another really good explanation and I wanted to share it with other that may want a few more details.
I don't recall exact lengths and don't have my supplies in front of me at the moment as we're up in the White Mountains of AZ.
There were two lengths of 3/16" and the curtain rods were 1/8" Rivets are tough to find now and HomeD/Lowes aren't good sources for them. I found all the sizes I needed at ACE with the exception of the long 3/16" which I had to order on Amazon.
I generally would drill out a couple of each size and then take them to ACE and match up.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
Hi All: Not to beat a dead horse, but I'm trying to replace snap caps on the outside of our 2007, 16 ft. Scamp, and noticed some of the rivets are loose. It's really about time to replace some of the rivets, especially on the roof. My husband feels it's not necessary unless we can detect leaks on the inside, but I think "being prepared" might be a better way to go. In any case, there are several types of rivets or screws on the outside. Also, there are cracks in the fiberglass behind one rivet (see photo, of rivet end). So, first of all, how do I repair fiberglass cracks around an older rivet? For the other rivets, is it OK to just replace the cap over an older rivet with washer, if the rivet, sealant and washer look OK? Or can I place sealant around an older rivet and washer without removing it, and put a cap over it? I also have no experience with a drill, and am nervous about using it.
<p>Lupine</p>
The cracks around the rivet holes are technically called crazing. When the gel coat is stressed from the pressure of the rivets it cracks the gel coat. Only way to repair crazing is to dremel or carefully grind out the crack lines and lay in new gel coat. Most crazing around the rivets isn't serious and won't leak unless it expands to the point where it the underlayment is showing and unless it bothers you cosmetically I'd leave it be.
If you haven't already, make sure you read through the rivet/snap cap topics in the maintenance table of contents.
I'd recommend you definitely drill out and replace any loose rivets at a minimum as they will leak down the outside of the barrel if they're loose. The snap cap is to cover the inside of the rivet barrel to prevent leaks there and to provide a washer under the head of the rivet to be tightened down against the shell.
You don't need any sealer on the rivets and snap caps if done properly. I do use butyl tape wrapped around the rivet barrels when replacing them just as an extra measure of sealing with a product that will last a very long time and not create a mess like sealant.
This is such an inexpensive job to redo the snap caps and is mostly labor that I usually redo the entire Scamp. My daughter and I did an entire 13 Scamp in about 4 hours and I've redone my Scamp 19 by breaking it down into sections and spreading it out over weeks. It really is very simple after you get the hang of drilling out the old rivets and then you know its good to go for years to come.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
Thank you Greg for this answer! I will show my husband :-). I just need to see if our Ace Hardware will have the rivets and butyl tape. I have been reading through this section on the rivets or screws and there is a lot of information! I just hope I don't "screw up" drilling out the rivets. We live in a small town in California (yes, there are a few of those here), and finding someone who can do trailer maintenance has been a challenge. However, I will try DIY according to some good tips in this section. BTW, if anyone is heading to Oregon this August 21 to see the awesome total solar eclipse, we will be at 2 campsites near the band of totality: Cinder Hill and LaPine campgrounds. Come by and say hi (we might have the only Scamp there).
<p>Lupine</p>
Get some scrap material and PRACTICE doing rivets and then drilling them out without damaging the scrape material you are using. Similar pieces of fiberglass would be ideal for practice but anything will do. Try to make it a similar thickness.
Don't use steel rivets (correct me if that is wrong Greg). I would probably buy my rivets from Scamp or from https://store.casitatraveltrailers.com/collections/snap-caps-rivets. I would get my snap caps from http://www.pro-dec.com/snap-caps.
PS, I'll be in the totality also.. but in South Carolina.
If you are worried about hairline cracks get some Capt. Tolley's.
Eddie
http://www.captaintolley.com/
These are some very good tips, thanks again. Have ordered some Captain Tolley's! Will try to find scrap fiberglass. Have fun viewing the eclipse!
<p>Lupine</p>
Hi all, this may be a newbie question, so caveat for you.
When washing the dust off our 2017 16 Scamp, I noticed that one of the caps (not the rivet) on the roof is loose. The rivet itself seems to be fine, but the cap is just sitting there and I can turn it around easily. I just read through the rivet/snap cap thread and don't think I saw the answer for this. I don't have any extra caps, and this one looks like all the others except loose. I do have some butyl tape but wanted to check with others before I do anything. We leave tomorrow on a trip so I hope to fix this today.
Many thanks,
Catherine
Campingwithdogs
A loose cap is not an issue in itself unless it comes right off when pulled. If it snaps off when you pop it off and then snaps back on then it's fine. If it is loose and just lifts off then you'll most likely need to replace the base and cap.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
We are looking to install a front cabinet, so I found this thread to tyr an understand how these acorn nuts get installed on the inside of the scamp.
The acorn nuts are explained in this thread, but I found another really good explanation and I wanted to share it with other that may want a few more details.
http://www.interstellarorchard.com/2012/08/01/pop-riveting-on-a-rv/
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