Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking (Read 817 times) previous topic - next topic

Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Went to shut the one on the drivers side and noticed the fiberglass lip is cracked and failing causing the door to bind when opened. The one on the passenger side is also failing. The pop rivets area. I'm sure this is common on these older coaches. Any fix out there that I can do myself. ?
Thanks

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #1 –
Are the pop rivets loose?  If so there are other threads here talking of what others have done to correct.  My only two doors with these rivets are the chassis battery door, and the air filter area door.  On mine I caught the looseness quick enough that  I was able to complete the repair by drilling out the loose rivets and replacing them with tiny stainless locking nuts, bolts, and flat washers.

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #2 –
No the rivets are tight. The fiberglass lip is breaking. I put new struts on them as prescribed by FT's poundage and it made these worse from the pressure of closing against a new strut. May put the old one back on and use a stick! ha ha

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #4 –
Try a small pair of vise grips on the metal rod,better then a stick.

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #5 –
WOW! My new struts caused big damage. That sucks

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #6 –
Ok. Put old ones back on one side and took the pressure off somewhat. I'll do the aluminum bar repair later with bolts and nuts and hopefully be ok. Lesson learned, don't replace both struts

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #7 –
Quote from: dans96u295ft –
Went to shut the one on the drivers side and noticed the fiberglass lip is cracked and failing causing the door to bind when opened.
Thanks

When was the last time you oiled that piano hinge?

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #8 –
This winter but I'll do it again now! Good idea

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #9 –
Quote from: dans96u295ft –
No the rivets are tight. The fiberglass lip is breaking. I put new struts on them as prescribed by FT's poundage and it made these worse from the pressure of closing against a new strut.

Out of curiosity, where did you purchase the struts?

Many years ago we noticed the SUSPA-branded struts you might get from FOT had a second "poundage" sticker on them that would fall off.  The "re-label" was typically 30 lbs or more lower than the silkscreened number on the strut body.

We have also seen on the cabinet door struts when a now out-of-business RV shop was selling inexpensive clone struts, they were MUCH stiffer than the silkscreened rating.  Folks here were having cabinet doors damaged by them.

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #10 –
I got all mine from Brad at FT. He has a chart on size of door and poundage but I went to one new one old when both new started breaking the door mount

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #11 –
My experience with the lower doors that have the piano hinge is that with age the fiberglass becomes brittle and is subject to cracking at the corners and edges.  FT used either a fiberglass mat or a chopper gun to lay up the doors. Mat is not as strong as fiberglass cloth.  It's possible to grind away the bad areas and re-fiberglass and gel coat, which has to be sanded smooth through all the grits up thru 2000. Easy to sand off too much gel coat.  Maybe cheaper to buy a new door than pay someone to do it.  lt's hard to get the door back like it was when new.  It may take more than one attempt to get it right.  Don't ask how I know this.  The struts put a lot of pressure on the corners.  I reinforced my big doors with some sheet stainless bent almost to a 90 degree angle.  Had a sheet metal shop bend it.  Almost like a thin piece of angle backing up the the part fastened to the hinge. The struts should only be strong enough to hold the door open. 

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #12 –
Thanks. I'll pursue Jerrys idea of bent stainless on a 90 degree angle. Jerry did you pop rivet or use screws on the stainless

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #13 –
Quote from: dans96u295ft –
Thanks. I'll pursue Jerrys idea of bent stainless on a 90 degree angle. Jerry did you pop rivet or use screws on the stainless
I used screws and nuts on the hinge part and pop rivets on the fiberglass.  The inside part of the door edge is not 90 degrees, like about 85, check the angle, I'm guessing as I don't remember the exact angle.  I cut a notch in the angle at the corner so I could bend it 90 degrees for about 2" down the sides.  There is a small piece of sheet steel that FT placed in the fiberglass under the strut fitting for additional support.  The angle is split in the middle of the door to make it easy to get it into the corners with out precision measuring. Since I don't own the coach now, I cannot tell you any more about thickness of the sheet steel or exact angle.

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #14 –
Xtreme fixed ours, overlaid some new fiberglass and riveted it back.  Said it not uncommon repair and much much cheaper than new door, of course.

Re: Large bin doors for storage compartment breaking

Reply #15 –
A can of locktite adhesive 2 clamps and a 2x4 as long as the width of the door is all you need. Apply the locktite adhesive in the areas it is coming loose, put a clamp on each end of the 2x4 the width of the door and let it dry. It's like iron, been a year and still going strong.

Sagre