Help with attaching woody fenders

[Chuckles]

Hi,

I hope some of you woody builders can let me know if I'm on the right track. I'm getting ready to attach my fenders. They are bare wood now but I plan on coating them with several layers of epoxy. The camper itself is epoxy over glass.



i was planning on attaching them with brass carriage bolts through the flange and under the integrated step. The bolts would be on the inside of the camper and where the wall extends past the frame. I can hide them with trim on the inside.

Should I try to use some butyl tape or calk, or should I mix up some epoxy and wood flour then butter the back of the flange to "glue" it to the trailer?

After the fender is attached I planned on using two layers of glass and epoxy on the underside of the wheel well then using an automotive undercoating or bed liner to make sure they are waterproof.

Your advise would be greatly appreciated'

Also, I noticed that I did not get the wheel well cutout perfectly centered on the axle You can't really see it in the pictures but the axle hub appears to be about two inches behind center, I can't move the axle forward because I'm already on the edge balance wise. With the galley packed I have to put a full adult beverage cooler and battery on the tongue to get enough tongue weight. I hope this does not become a problem for the planned future upgrade to 13" tires

[tony.latham]

I'd epoxy/glass the fenders before you put them on and then bolt them with a layer of RV putty tape in between the cabin and the fender -but make sure you seal your bolt holes with epoxy too. That way, everything will be sealed but you can remove them for maintenance if needed.

Bedliner –in my opinion– is not going to seal the fenders beyond what your epoxy/glass matrix has already done but it might help with the rock chip erosion that you'll get inside the fenders. At least that's my thoughts...



Tony

[Juneaudave]

FWIW...My fenders are fiberglass. To attach them to the wood trailer, I installed threaded inserts into the side of the trailer and bolted the fenders on with some large fender washers. Between the fenders and the sides, I just used vinyl fender welt for a nice clean look. I don't think you want to glue the fenders on...they are too easily damaged.

[aggie79]

I don't have a woody teardrop but I bolted my fiberglass fenders using small carriage bolts. The carriage bolts run through the sidewall and fender flange. I did apply rubber fender welt around the perimeter before bolting in place.

[kayakdlk]

I also used fender welt. I found http://www.speedwaymotors.com/ had the best quality and price. I also used it on my Jeep. It keeps the little rocks out from between the flare and side of trailer or Jeep. It can easily be cut to go around curves and can easily be replaced if needed. I made wood fender extension to widen my fenders and finished them in epoxy and painted with bedliner paint before installing with 1" stainless steel lab bolts with large stainless steel fender washer and RTV into the wood blocks I put in between my wall skins when I made the walls. I didn't want the bolts to show on my inside wood panels. So far they have not vibrated loose or show any indication of falling off.

Dan

[Chuckles]

I'd epoxy/glass the fenders before you put them on and then bolt them with a layer of RV putty tape in between the cabin and the fender -but make sure you seal your bolt holes with epoxy too. That way, everything will be sealed but you can remove them for maintenance if needed.



Tony

I don't think you want to glue the fenders on...they are too easily damaged.

Thanks for the great advise. I was actually leaning towards a permanent bond with epoxy! Hadn't even thought about future maintenance. I can just imagine trying to grind/sand off a damaged fender

I'll go with the epoxy prior to installation then follow up with the epoxy and glass inside the fender after installation. Since the tire is half under the camper and half out I want to seal that joint good against water and dirt sprayed up by the tires. I figure I could cut that joint pretty easily for fender removal if needed. The bed liner or undercoating would be for extra chip protection, not waterproofing.

but make sure you seal your bolt holes with epoxy too.

Do you mean to pre-drill all the holes then paint epoxy into the hole? If so, should I drill the holes slightly oversize so the bolts don't bind after I add the epoxy? Also, should I add something like silicone caulk to the holes with the bolt for extra measure?


Also, also, I measured the axle placement today and I'm only one inch rear of center so I guess I could make that adjustment if needed without making too much trouble for myself balance-wise.

[tony.latham]

The bolt holes need some kind of sealant. A thinned epoxy or even TB2 glue would do the job.

Are you sure you want to glass after the fender is mounted?

[KCStudly]

A buddy of mine has a technique he uses for thru penetrations on his boat (fiberglass over wood). First he marks out his holes, then drills them over size by a fair amount. Then he fills the hole up completely with thickened epoxy (or resin) and fairs it back out. Next he drills the hole to final size, usually a slight clearance hole for the bolt size being used. This leaves no doubt that the hole is completely sealed and it is also reinforced. Finally, at assembly he seals the bolts and fixture with deck sealer.

On the underside, I would just use a nice flexible exterior grade latex sealer (paintable, not silicon) between the fender and wall, then go back and smear the squeeze out (or apply some of the same) over the seam to eliminate any crevice. That way if you ever have to pull the fender you can cut thru it with a razor knife or a fine wire.

[Chuckles]

Are you sure you want to glass after the fender is mounted?

I will epoxy coat the whole fender prior to installation. The part I was going to glass after mounting is just the underside (inside) of the wheel well and applied fender. If you look closely at the picture you can see there is a built in wheel well under the camper. The fender only extends 4 inches beyond the camper wall.



The existing wheel well is made of 3/4 inch plywood and already has a couple coats of epoxy. Even after the few trips I have taken I noticed there are some stone chips that have penetrated the epoxy, leaving the plywood exposed to moisture. I thought the glass and epoxy would provide much better protection than epoxy alone. Yes it will tie the inner wheel well and fender together, but I thought it would be pretty easy to cut along the seam and free the outer fender from the wheel well if needed. Am I missing something or just overthinking this?

A buddy of mine has a technique he uses for thru penetrations on his boat (fiberglass over wood). First he marks out his holes, then drills them over size by a fair amount. Then he fills the hole up completely with thickened epoxy (or resin) and fairs it back out. Next he drills the hole to final size, usually a slight clearance hole for the bolt size being used. This leaves no doubt that the hole is completely sealed and it is also reinforced. Finally, at assembly he seals the bolts and fixture with deck sealer.


On the underside, I would just use a nice flexible exterior grade latex sealer (paintable, not silicon) between the fender and wall, then go back and smear the squeeze out (or apply some of the same) over the seam to eliminate any crevice. That way if you ever have to pull the fender you can cut thru it with a razor knife or a fine wire.

Neat process for the bolt penetrations. I might give that a try.

Good call on the latex sealant. I used one on the galley hinge for the maiden voyage then removed the galley again for some finish work. I thought I would be able to easily pop the hinge off after the screws were removed but no amount of pulling, banging and twisting on the galley lid would release it. It took driving a putty knife under every square inch of the hinge to release it! I think I could have driven around all summer with just the latex sealant holding the galley lid in place.

[ctstaas]

Hi There, One of those "once in a Lifetime" projects I was fortunate to have worked on was the Big Rock Ranch for George Lucas in Marin, Ca. The stairs and end ballaster posts were made of structural steel clad in particle board and finished in black walnut. The structural strength and durability of steel and the beauty of black walnut. If you built some sheet metal "innerds" to attach to who would know and it could be really strong. Just a thought.
Enjoy, Chris

[Chuckles]

Hi There, One of those "once in a Lifetime" projects I was fortunate to have worked on was the Big Rock Ranch for George Lucas in Marin, Ca. The stairs and end ballaster posts were made of structural steel clad in particle board and finished in black walnut. The structural strength and durability of steel and the beauty of black walnut. If you built some sheet metal "innerds" to attach to who would know and it could be really strong. Just a thought.
Enjoy, Chris

Sounds like a neat project Chris but I gotta say I think particle board is the devils wood product I like building things to last out of real wood... That's why I don't do this professionally. It's hard to find people who will pay for quality in the Ikea world...... I will now dismount my soapbox

I thought of having some sheet metal liners built but I worry about having a space between the liners and the wood camper body. I was afraid this area would be a moisture trap that could cause problems. I think I'll just go with several coats of epoxy followed with some bed liner.

Chuck

[ctstaas]

Hi Chuckles, I too hate particle board. Your fender thing has me thinking, DOOH. What is the life expectancy of a wood fender? Maybe a piece of thin angle iron with screw holes in one leg and bolt holes in the other?
Enjoy, Chris

[Chuckles]

What is the life expectancy of a wood fender? Maybe a piece of thin angle iron with screw holes in one leg and bolt holes in the other?
Enjoy, Chris

I put a lot of work into those thins so I hope the life expectancy is a long long time!

I have a built-in flange around the fender for fastening it to the camper... I was just concerned about sealing against water intrusion between the camper and fender, and beefing up the interior of the fender to guard against stone chips.

My plan is to bot it one with putty tape between the camper body and fender then put a layer of glass and epoxy on the fender interior. If I have to remove it I figure I can cut the fiberglass at the joint and remove it.

Chuck