I was up on the roof installing the final 3 new clearance lights today. While cleaning the area around the lights I noticed a couple of rivets that appeared to have come loose or that were not tight. I could press down on the rivet and turn it with my finger. Before I was about to drill it out and replace it, I took the paint scraper and put it under the rim to see if it would come out. The picture below shows what came out with NO trouble at all. I continued to check other rivets and found 14 that were broken off about 3/8 inch below the surface. These are the rivets that attach the top edge of the fiberglass cap to the top of the coach. If you have a fiberglass cap you might want to check yours. Needless to say, I drilled out and replaced all of the rivets attaching the top of the cap.

Picture of some of the broken rivets. Notice that they are all broken at about the same length.


Nick

Elsewhere in these discussion boards, the phrase "galvanic corrosion" shows up. The aluminum rivets are connecting to square steel tubing. The nature of the rivit process induces stresses on the rivit which allows enhanced corrosion after a couple decades. I've seen rivets that look like that on my compartments below. I should go topside and investigate too.

On the bright side of things, all the rivets in to the aluminum framing of the body are good still.

Another bright point is that this also means that the Barth has lasted decades beyond which an SOB has been removed from service.

Matt

I would think stainless steel rivets would be more appropriate and will not be subject to the galvanic action.

I believe eloctrolosis would still take place if stainless were used and even though your rivet would last, perhaps the new sacraficial point would be the steel (or aluminum) cross member underneath. I suppose I would prefer the rivet be the sacraficial point if there is a choice. Any thoughts?

quote:

Originally posted by BarthBluesmobile:
The aluminum rivets are connecting to square steel tubing.

It's been a while since I did mine, but I don't think my front rivets went through the steel. I know for sure the rear ones didn't, as I replaced a bunch just a few years back. Plus, there is no steel back there.

I have at least one to replace and I have not checked on the roof yet.

Is this why they're call pop rivets?

Over the years I had my Barth I replaced at least 50 rivets that suffered galvanic corrosion, & I'm sure more were on their way out when I sold it. Every one of the bad rivets fastened aluminum to steel. None of them fastened aluminum-to-aluminum. I got to making a loose-rivet inspection every time I went to the coach.

Barth Bluesmobile makes a good point. There aren't many SOB's on the road today as old as the newest Barth. Add to this, pop rivets are cheap, & easy to replace. Just pull 'em out & pop in a new one. Odds are they'll outlast your ownership of the coach.

The rivets are failing because of two issues: the stress induced in the hollow aluminum shaft of the rivet and the galvanic corrosion caused by two dissimilar metals in the presence of an electrolyte. In this case the Pop Rivets that Barth used are open ended, or hollow and that lets in water (the electrolyte!) and degrades the rivet. As I posted a few weeks ago I followed loose rivets in the engine rear area and found the underlying 2 x 2 steel completely rusted away. I have made new steel tube members and had them powder coated and then applied cold galvanizing as a sacrificial intermediary substance between the steel and aluminum skin. The last fix is to use closed end rivets which are solid and are waterproof. This keeps the water (electrolyte)out of the mating surfaces and they are somewhat thicker so the are stronger. What started as a few rivets became a replacement of the rear bottom structure of the engine compartment of my Regency. It is true that Barth is still better after this but using new materials like powder coating, cold galvanizing and sold end rivets is better than duct tape as an insulator (But I still believe as Red Green does - "Duct tape fixes everything!")

AT any time I work on the coach I find a loose rivet or 2 I have a bunch of them and have been using them.also when i can I remove any caulk and put in new.Most of them have been around the cap.
lenny

quote:

after a couple decades.

"after a couple decades."
Love it!
Jim

Hi Nick,

I found the same thing on our Breakaway and realized that it was because the aluminum rivets had steel mandrels which corroded the rivets at that 3/8" depth due to the electrolytic action of dissimilar metals. I replaced all of them with aluminum rivets with aluminum mandrels and then stuffed them with butyl rubber to make them weatherproof. I also put an additional rivet in between each of the existing rivets as they were 8" - 10" apart. So far it is working like a champ!
Carl Feren

quote:

Originally posted by Carl Feren:
I also put an additional rivet in between each of the existing rivets as they were 8" - 10" apart.

That is particularly good, as the additional rivets not only add extra strength, but are in virgin territory.