Predicting that I will need to remove a fender or two to access the shock bolts without having a spider monkey assist from below.
Does anyone have specific step-by-step procedures and/or pictures for removing and replacing the belt line trim strip on a 2001 U320? Do I even need to remove this to remove the fender panel? Haven't seen anything specific about how to do this without damaging the strip or panel.
The trim strip is an extruded aluminum channel with a curved aluminum cover, so no exposed screws. Guessing the channel is screwed into the frame through the fender top and the curved appearance cover is pressed on or slides into the channel to cover the screws? How to get the cover off without damage is the main question. Pic attached. Thanks in advance, Woody.
They took my wheels off and could reach the shocks pretty easy. You are going to have to pull the aluminum strip off and then find all the screws holding the fender in. There are a number of them and in the rear you will have to remove some of them via the engine compartment. It is easier to pull the wheel.
If the wheels are off you can get to the bolts pretty good. I changed one side with the wheels on and the other with the wheels off and should have removed the wheels on both sides. I had to get creative on one side as someone had added a compartment making it very difficult but perseverance paid off.
I replaced all shocks and air bags without removing the fenders. I do not want to mess with that beltline unless it's absolutely necessary.
I'm with Travelin Man. Best to avoid disturbing this strip if possible. Pretty significant re caulking job getting it neat when replacing.
And full body paint makes it worse.
I talked to Biscuit (paint guy at FOT) and he said just go careful and DON'T bend it! I want to pull mine and replace bay door hinges. Will be watching this thread.
see ya
ken
If you use a 1/2" air gun block the coach up with the safety blocks. You then can sit under the coach and reach up with the gun to loosen the upper bolt. It is a little tricky to put the box wrench on the other end of the bolt but I have done it on all 8 shocks.
Our coach has full body paint and I have removed the trim strips many times for fender removal and they go back perfectly. The first time doing it you just use a sharp blade to cut thru the paint and when replacing it run a fine line of clear caulk along it and no one notices. I have seen many caulking jobs that to me are disgusting so am not talking about them. You do not need anything bigger than about a 1/64 " bead then use you small finger nail to clean it out (or a piece of flat plastic spreader shaped to the radius)
To me not taking the fenders off is mistake, getting worried over this issue is strange especially when I see on pictures the condition of the rest of some coach's both in the bays and interior). Like Dave said DWMYH.
JohnH
Thanks Ken and John for addressing my OP. John, got any pictures? Milwaukee M18 2767-22 rattle gun showed up yesterday. Will get to work as soon as it warms up and quits raining. >:( Woody.
p.s. I will not pull wheels off in the desert. Nuff said.
Do not have any pictures of trim etc, but once it is off there are just a few countersunk head screws holding each panel on. There will be a bottom bracket that needs to be realeased and should be done first. There will also be vertical screws holding the side of panel where a door etc meets. Replacing is just the opposite.
Once the trim is back on just run a small bead along top edge to join/seal the cut paint.
It is a very easy job to remove them so do not worry,once you get going you will see.
JohnH
Keep track of the screw length and locationof the short ones when removing trim and panels. I had two different length screws that broke off if I tried to run in the longer screws in the wrong spot!!! It was a couple years back when I did the bags and shocks. Just make mental note which goes where......removing a broken screw can cause much grieve.
David
If I'm not mistaken it's a lot of unnecessary work (at least in my case).
As far as screw length goes what I do is put a piece of painters tape above the hole a short screw came out of. I only had 2 different lengths of screws.
On the comment by TMAN, a few of us do not have the dexterity any more(back issues etc) to slide and swivel to a comfortable position under the coach and working in that small an area is not good, so I remove fenders. It takes about 30 minutes to have one off and this opens a whole new world of space/comfort and other issues that can be looked at and cleaned etc. The first time I had all mine off I was able to fix small issues with items and rust etc that would never have got done without them off. Lying on your back is not the most comfortable/ best way to fix awkward to get to parts in my humble opinion.
I miss my pit we had at house but someone wanted to pay a fortune for our house so I lost it, life goes on I guess.
JohnH
I hadn't considered back issues John. You have my deepest sympathy.
Yes spine surgery in 76 because of fractured vertebrae and removal of 2 discs. Last few years have been fairly good but still cannot get under coach to fix those sort of issues, that is why I put in the pit.
I am back in the pool and gym every day as it definitely helps to build some muscle and it is nice to have a private pool , hot tub and gym. No crowds or noise for sure.
Actually even if my back was good I definitely would still remove fenders as you can prep and paint the chassis etc at the same time as fixing the problem they were removed for in the first place.
JohnH
Status update. Fenders...been there and done that. Piece of cake.
The Milwaukee 2767 is an awesome tool! It's compact enough that I could put it onto all the front shock nuts with an deep 1 1/8" socket, and with a combo wrench on the bolt side, it whacked those nuts off like butter. What a brute of a tool. Finished all 4 front shocks in a couple hours. Used the Mil on setting 3 to torque nuts back on. Turning the wheels made it easier to access sitting upright.
But...couldn't get the bolt out or back in on the passenger side front/front shock due to all the insulation and wiring looms running up in the corner by the steps. So, had to partially pull that fender. It was not difficult, just like John Haygarth had indicated, and being a gelcoat/painted graphics finish, scribing the paint lines, I didn't have an issue with pulling paint off. Took about 20 minutes to pull it. Pried the curved cover strip off with a screwdriver in rags. The screws all came out without breaking, except for the bottom torx screw holding the bottom fender brace to the frame...that sheared off. Will drill that out and put a bolt in there. Once reinstalled the trim screws, tapped the cover back in place with the butt end of a screwdriver. No damage.
Moving to the rears, had to pull the fender(s) there to access the rear/front shock top and bottom bolts....Milwaukee too big to fit between the rails with a deep socket on it. So used Mil with a 12" extension to spin the bolt from the outside, with combo wrench on the inner nut. Zap...off...zap...on. That was the passenger side. On the driver side, the fender is glued to the frame with a flexible black sealant that just won't let go. After struggling for a couple hours to bust it loose, and rather than break the fender, I reassembled and will drop back and punt. Will probably pull the rear wheels when I get to pavement soon to give that a whirl, but I think I see a planetary torque multiplier in my future. But at least I have 7/8 shocks done, and yes, the old, original shocks were toast. Can't wait for a test drive. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and advice. Woody.
Final shock/fender update: Finally was able to remove the RTV glued on left rear fender with 3 flexible putty knives and a lot of finesse. All shocks now replaced and the ride improvement is noticeable and worth every penny and pint of blood.
Conclusion: there is no way for a 64 year old man to replace the front/drive shocks on a 2001 U320 without removing the rear fenders. Even with the rear wheels off, there is so little arc available to apply torque to the top nuts. Attached a photo of the front drive shock looking up and the upper shock bolt viewed from outside with the fender removed. Between the frame rails and bulkhead there's only about 3" to swing a breaker bar.
Finally, to all the naysayers, who said that fender removal was the lesser option, I couldn't disagree more. Removing fenders was not a complex or time consuming task, resulted in no visible finish damage (gelcoat with painted graphics on a 2001), and is a million times safer than jacking up a 17 ton bus. It didn't require special tools (other than a #2 clutch and T30 bit for the lower support braces) and could be done with prudent care by anyone. When it comes time to r/r air bags, I will be removing all 4 fenders in advance of the task as it gives ample access to every one of the air bag nuts and air fittings. I do not intend to ever remove a wheel again in the field....I will happily pay others to do that in the future.
Safe foretravels all. Woody.
So glad you found it is a good idea to have fenders off and I have been trying to get others to understand that. Glad it worked out for you, and you can get to do other things while they are off.
John H
Thanks so much for your write up. I was under my U270 this afternoon and thought fender removal was the way to go for airbag replacement. Short arms, weak back and neck.
Realm coy, I did that for changing the rear bags and had them out and new in in record time, plus I cleaned and painted all the framing etc while fender was off.
JohnH