Well this reply is a little late, I hope your process went well,you're probably already done with it, but here are some suggestions maybe others will benefit from.
DON'T use stainless fasteners with aluminum. Zinc plated or galvanized actually has less galvanic action with aluminum than stainless.
Latex caulk isn't a particularly good material for trailer waterproofing under the skin. It'll work pretty good for a while, but a trailer gets a lot of twisting and torqueing forces as it goes down the road. You want a caulking material that flexes and never dries out. Butyl caulks come in a strip like tape, or can also be bought in sheets on a roll about 6" wide. The butyl remains flexible, seals around fasteners, is forgiving as things flex. It remains sticky and gooey.
I would not use staples on aluminum - I would use screws, as I think they will seal better against butyl tape underneath. I have also used roofing screws, with the little rubber washers, but I think they are kinda ugly.
Frank Bear's folks at
Vintage Technologies recommend only fastening the aluminum at the edges, letting it float otherwise.
So the edges look like this:
Corners and edges, areas around vent etc use butyl window flashing available from
big box hardware stores. It's not a bad idea to cover the whole trailer in this stuff.
At the very edge, under your edge trim, use
butyl rubber tape 1" wide. Keep it in the fridge (not the freezer) for a day to make it easier to work with.
Set the sides and fasten the bottom - Butyl rubber tape, then siding, then aluminum trim, screws through the aluminum trim and through the tape. You can also clamp the bottom edge in place, rout it to shape, then do all the butyl tape and flashing.
Use a router with a follower bit to get the sides perfectly aligned with the top edge. Apply butyl rubber tape to the roof edge after you run the router (oops)
Set the top at one end, letting both sides hang over. Clamp the end or fasten it Use a couple of ratchet straps to get the top skin in place. Rout the edges with a follower bit against the sides. Butyl tape is already in place under the edges. Use aluminum trim strip with fasteners drilled directly through the trim strip and the tape3 to hold it in place. I'd use a row of screws and tape underneath the aluminum around any penetrations, vents, etc. Doors and windows should have their own sealant or gasket against the skin and so should not require additional screws.
I don't see a need to use adhesives on aluminum skin, and I'm not sure I would recommend it.
Let us know how your project came out!
uberpixel wrote:I'm getting ready to skin my 5x10 teardrop using 5x10x.040 5052 aluminum, and I'm curious how people are attaching their sides. I have a general plan, but my main question is - do people pre-cut their side panels to size? That's where my plan is currently breaking down. I could try to place the full 5x10 sheet on the side of my trailer and mark it, rough trim with a power shears (or jigsaw) and then try and follow the steps below. But with the sides rough cut to within 1/4", I'm not sure if the tape method will work...
The example I cite below looks like the sides have already been cut to their final shape (probably using a production template). If I don't pre-cut the sides I don't see how to apply adequate pressure all around the sides. I can create a ledge to set the sides on so at least the bottom edge will be aligned, but it gets a little wishy-washy after that.
Here's the OregonTrailR youtube video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u93RJZp648A and would like to generally follow their method which I interpret as:
Roof:
1. Apply Flexible latex adhesive/caulk around perimeter and vent opening
2. Place aluminum sheet on roof, staple one end, then use ratchet straps to hold in place/form the curve (I would probably strap first then staple all around)
3. Secure remaining perimeter with stainless staples
4. Router/trim edges as necessary
Sides:
1. Apply flexible latex adhesive/caulk around perimeter and door/window opening
2. Place PRE-TRIMMED aluminum sheet on side using pins in harness holes or ledge to help position (this is where I get into trouble)
3. Use J-Roller to press edges of aluminum into adhesive/caulk
4. Tape edges to hold aluminum flush to edges of sidewall
I'm hoping to start skinning in the next week or so, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!
-uberpixel