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Topic: Rust under lip of bay door (Read 3013 times) previous topic - next topic

Rust under lip of bay door

I'm looking at a very nice 1997 U320. The pictures show some rust under the upper lip of the storage bay door. It appears to be surface rust. Is this a common occurrence, and is it of any concern?  It is a west coast bus.

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #1 –
Our 2000, which spent most of its life in Pennsylvania, does not have that (both of these photos were taken not long after we purchased it in 2024, well before it went through full body paint)



Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #2 –
West coast? Close to the ocean?

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #3 –
That looks quite extensive. I have never seen rust that bad under the wall joint. How's the underside, and the rear bulkhead joint. I would air the coach up, and put the leveling pad in manual and raise the coach all the way up, you then could see the underside a lot better.

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #4 –
Quote from: John hobbs –
That looks quite extensive. I have never seen rust that bad under the wall joint.

It's also roughly at interior floor level, which could mean a compromised subfloor if the moisture that caused that rust also was absorbed by the plywood.

Is it just at that bay or is it the length on both sides?

If just that bay, what's above it?  (window, fridge, sink, bathroom)

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #5 –
I would not be worried about that at all. Just some surface rust. I would check the bulkhead area. Look under the coach at the wall just in front of the rear tires. Most of the issues there are caused by leaks in the wet bay. It's not the end of the world if that is showing rust, but should be dealt with in the near future. It really depends on how the rest of the coach looks. Foretravels are very solid, but use steel framing throughout. Rust can compromise the integrity. But I'd bet a rusty Foretravel is still more structurally sound than some of the other brands out there. 

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #6 –
Is this the same coach that the PO removed the AquaHot, some of the Cozy heaters, and only has space heaters and a small residential-type water heater that you posted about previously?

Coach heat - without Aquahot

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Michelle –
Is this the same coach that the PO removed the AquaHot, some of the Cozy heaters, and only has space heaters and a small residential-type water heater that you posted about previously?

Coach heat - without Aquahot

No, this is a different coach.  Very nice and original overall.  This rust is on the starboard pass through storage door frame, under the dining table. The coach has ceramic tile floors in the galley and bath, carpet elsewhere. The owner will be checking the other bays shortly.  He reports the bulkheads are rust free and no fasteners missing, but the torque test has not been done. The engine compartment is clean.  There is some rust on the air horns.  I'm going by pictures; trying to assess as best I can before making a long trip to see it or hiring an inspector. 

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #8 –
I would be concerned about the metal belt that runs under the flap that the bay door hinges attach to .
You should remove the bay doors and look at the steel belt that runs the length of the RV.
When that belt deteriorates the fiberglass wall along with the bay doors will no longer be attached to the RV. The fiberglass wall  will flop around and the lamination will break free.
I went through this last summer on a small section. I had to make a new belt for that area and glue/screw the new belt section into place.

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #9 –
As suggested above I'd definitely remove the beltline trim if possible and see what things look like under there, my coach had some rust in the vicinity of the front Street side corner due to water intrusion from a window leak, it was a small area and easy to fix (gen fan compartment below was more of a mess than anything!) If you're looking at this remotely ask the owner to check the torque of the screws in that white trim - if theres much rust some should spin easily and then you should definitely dig deeper.

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #10 –
Quote from: BobN –
No, this is a different coach.  Very nice and original overall.  This rust is on the starboard pass through storage door frame, under the dining table.

If this turns out to be the only section with rust, could be something like the roof dripline moulding, awning attachment, or dining window leaking and rainwater getting into the sidewall.  (I had to look up starboard - on RVs the passenger side is more commonly referred to as "curbside")

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #11 –
Oh you Land Lubbers!🤪

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #12 –
It's a Viking thing, just like 'thing' come to think about it, any way starboard is derived from steer board. That's why one would dock on the 'port' side so as not to interfere with the steering.

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #13 –
The only thing in that location that could rust is the belt. I would follow the rust along the side belt line. As long as you see the rust marking I would assume the steel belt underneath has been  rusted/compromised.
That belt is the attachment point for all the bay doors and has to support there weight and the pressure from the struts that attach to them. I'm not sure, but it could also support the floor in the coach. This is a very similar problem to the rusted bulk head problem. Replacing the belt could be a more complex fix than fixing the bulkhead. I would immediately also check the front and rear bulk heads for a rust problem.
If you are shopping for a coach I would ask the owner to remove the trim and try to see the condition of the belt on both sides, I doubt the owner will want to do this, but it does not mean they won't.
If they refuse, I would definitely keep looking for another coach to buy.

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #14 –
More photos. It appears more than one bay is affected. Second photo looks like the Aquahot bay?  I'm not knowledgeable about the construction, but those are substantial bolts that go up through the rusted piece.  Is that a trim piece or structural member? Looks to me like it was originally painted white. How would one inspect behind that?

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #15 –
Quote from: BobN –
More photos. It appears more than one bay is affected. Second photo looks like the Aquahot bay?  I'm not knowledgeable about the construction, but those are substantial bolts that go up through the rusted piece.  Is that a trim piece or structural member? Looks to me like it was originally painted white. How would one inspect behind that?

Steve pointed me to some old factory tour photos we have

2019 Factory Tour Photos

Scroll down to 1996 and look at the guy in the red shirt holding the sidewall in place while the guy with the backwards cap and navy shirt drives those bolts in to hold the sidewall to the chassis.

If that's the same piece of steel, based on that photo I'd say it's structural.



Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #16 –
Quote from: BobN –
More photos. It appears more than one bay is affected. Second photo looks like the Aquahot bay?  I'm not knowledgeable about the construction, but those are substantial bolts that go up through the rusted piece.  Is that a trim piece or structural member? Looks to me like it was originally painted white. How would one inspect behind that?
Why would anyone want to inspect behind that? I'd close the bay doors and run after seeing that.
I asked if this was kept close to the coast (ocean). Years ago I moved from MN to an area on the beach in FL. I had a Chevy Suburban that had lower rust from road salt in MN. Within 6 months of living on the beach, it had rust around the windows and everywhere else.

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #17 –
Quote from: Michelle –
If that's the same piece of steel, based on that photo I'd say it's structural.
Michelle is right.  It is structural.  Here's a sketch I did of the cross section on my '91.  I think it's the same construction up to and some years beyond '97.

Personally I don't see that rust as an issue.  It's just surface rust.  I probably have that much on mine as well except mine is painted black and much harder to notice.  It is technically on the outside of the coach so some rust would be expected after some 29 years.
I don't think I've heard of rust in this area ever being a problem.

I would be more suspicious of the bulkhead area.  I just about expect it to be there to some extent on unicoach/unihomes and as I and many, many others have demonstrated it's a very doable repair and worth it on these otherwise excellent built motorhomes.

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #18 –
That piece holds the side walls in place along with the basement trim. So you can say structure even though it is so thin.

This is just an FYI for you
A lot of coaches that age have that surface rust. As light as that rust is you can spray it with a product like OSPHO repaint and it would be just fine. Our coach was like that when we got it and the coach was like 8 years old and not seen salt. Poor painting back then remember all those Ford and Chevy trucks back then that had paint fail this was the same paint. Addressed this and no more trouble. If I was looking this wouldn't cause me to cull this one.

Mike

Re: Rust under lip of bay door

Reply #19 –
Quote from: JohnFitz –
Michelle is right.  It is structural.  Here's a sketch I did of the cross section on my '91.  I think it's the same construction up to and some years beyond '97...

John, your drawing is very helpful.  The rusted piece appears to be 1-1/2" x 1/8" thick mild steel angle iron. The way it is set into the wall and floor frame, I agree it seems more likely that it is rusting from the outside surface than the inside.