Damaged end cap 2203 T - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

Trblandy · 07-26-2021, 02:38 PM

I'm looking for ideas to seal cracks on the end cap. The attached picture shows the area when I first purchased the trailer, that long crack was sealed with Masterweld and stabilized with screws last year when we resealed the roof and replaced the broken drain spouts.
That area recently impacted a thick tree branch and there are now has more cracks as shown by blue lines. Wasn’t able to get a picture, sorry.
I doubt I’ll be able to use screws again as I don’t know if there is anything for threads to grab.
Was thinking maybe some type of super strong sealing tape?
All suggestions welcome!
Thanks, Tom

JackandJanet · 07-26-2021, 04:34 PM

You need(ed) to stop drill the end of the crack (or now cracks) to stop the further spread of the cracks. I've used a 3/32" bit for this purpose, but 1/8" would probably work as well. By "rounding" the end of the crack, it stops the propagation.

Then, you can fill the crack and the stop drilled hole with a suitable filler such as Lexel caulk. You could also tape over it with Eternabond tape.

- Jack

midmo · 07-26-2021, 08:02 PM

I used 2 part epoxy and sanded it back smooth. worked great

Trblandy · 07-28-2021, 10:46 AM

Thanks Jack and midmo. Guessing I’ll drill again and either tape with eternabond or try a two part epoxy for a smoother finish. The end caps are made of ABS plastic?
Tom

JackandJanet · 07-28-2021, 10:48 AM

I'm pretty sure they are ABS plastic.

- Jack

Trblandy · 09-18-2021, 02:36 PM

I finally got back to my 2203T and have better pictures showing the crack and missing ABS piece. Its is still dry in the barn and we want to make it water tight for fall camping.
Any fresh ideas now that there is a missing piece to fill?
Thanks, Tom

JackandJanet · 09-18-2021, 03:18 PM

You can use fiberglass and ABS cement to bridge the hole. I'd apply several layers. I don't think you can find white ABS cement, I think it's all black, but it can be sanded and painted.

oldcarguy · 09-18-2021, 05:24 PM

If your end cap is ABS plastic & there's a plastics supply house in your area (we have TAP Plastics here in northern CA) you should be able to get white ABS plastic sheet in thicknesses from 1/16" or less up to at least 1/4" - the thinner stock in particular can be heated with a hair dryer & shaped into a patch that closely follows the contour of your hole (I'd suggest shaping the patch first, then trimming to fit the hole).

TAP also carries several thicknesses of clear solvent cement that will chemically "weld" ABS & styrene plastic - if I were doing this repair, I'd use their "SciGrip"#16 fast set medium bodied cement.

The repair will be strongest if you can make a two layer patch - an inner one that overlaps the hole & an outer one that fits inside the opening. Glue the inner patch to the inside of the end cap (clamp it in place until the cement cures if possible), then glue the outer piece in place.

If you have small gaps that need filling, small pieces can be cut or shaved off scraps of your white ABS & dissolved in acetone or lacquer thinner to make a filler paste - put the pieces of ABS & a small amount of acetone or lacquer thinner in a small glass jar with a tight fitting lid until the ABS completely disolves (depending on the size & thickness of your scraps, it'll take anywhere from 15-20 minutes to a couple of hours). You want a consistency a bit more liquid than toothpaste.

Once the patches & any filler have cured, the ABS can be sanded & polished to a pretty good shine - the same process can be used to repair cracks.

To give you an idea of what can be done with this material, the attached photos are of an access hatch for the back & gray tank drain valves and hose connection fitting on our 2307C that was fabricated from scrap skirting material.

Note - this will NOT work on fiberglass - only ABS plastic

JackandJanet · 09-18-2021, 05:41 PM

Nice, oldcar! Here's a link to TAP's website: https://www.tapplastics.com/?gclid=E...SAAEgLdn_D_BwE I haven't looked closely at it, but you might be able to order directly from them, or find a local dealer.

- Jack

RSTOUTE · 10-29-2021, 10:56 AM

Someone recommend MarineTek white epoxy to fix the end cap cracks but I repaired 2 cracks and they both cracked again. I'm looking for suggestions myself on that very thing.

midmo · 10-29-2021, 11:09 AM

Did you use backing cloth or glass cloth on the back side.

oldcarguy · 10-29-2021, 12:38 PM

Second to midmo's post - if the end caps are fiberglass and the cracks go all the way through, you're not too likely to get a successful repair without including reinforcement on the back side or expanding the repair to the area surrounding the crack(s).

If there's access to the back side, a solid repair can be made with minimal finish work on the outside by overlapping the cracked area with fiberglass cloth and resin; if the back side is NOT accessible, a successful repair is more complex. There are multiple videos on the web that cover both procedures in detail - a couple are below.

Two details the 1st video doesn't cover (beginning of the 2nd video does) - if the cracked material is fairly thick (more than 1/16th of an inch or so), the back side of the crack should be opened into a "v" so the fiberglass cloth and resin can penetrate it - makes a much stronger repair. If the end(s) of the crack(s) are fairly well defined, it doesn't hurt to drill a small hole at the very end of the crack before starting the repair - helps keep the crack from progressing farther if the panel flexes.

With access to the back side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obWbqPXqggE

Without access to back side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XoeGV2KhGc

RSTOUTE · 10-29-2021, 09:53 PM

Thanks for the great information! I'll give the MarineTex another try with some fiberglass material to support it this time as mentioned here.