Side wall trim removal

[johnnyjoe]

My 378 has the dreaded sheared bolts syndrome. I need help with the trim removal, before it becomes junk. Can you tell me how to remove without destroying it? Thanks in advance, and Merry Christmas!

John

[Iggy]

?
Side wall? What side wall?
Sheared bolt?
What are you talking about?
?

[RVnut]

I would guess he is referring to this post ?? http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ure-77309.html

[Iggy]

Screws instead of using the term bolts is why I asked.
The outer walls are loose and need to be reattached.
Hopefully he found that Slicky Note Thread.

[johnnyjoe]

I read the sticky on sidewall screws breaking off. It says to remove the trim covering the screws, but does not say how to remove it. It is the aluminum strip below the drivers side window.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Iggy

Screws instead of using the term bolts is why I asked.
The outer walls are loose and need to be reattached.
Hopefully he found that Slicky Note Thread.

Fasteners might even be more Proper? Youroo!! Either way his Wall's are seperating from the Floor!

[rvpezzano]

I have a 2008 350s and did mine a year ago. The trim is removed by first pulling out the center molding, it just sits in the channel of the the trim piece. Then there are multiple screws for the trim. Remove them and the trim molding has a foam backing that has a sticky side against the side wall. Carefully peel the trim, don't bend it. A plastic putty knife might help. The screws that break are under the molding, once you remove it, you'll see them. When you try to unscrew them you will find that most of them are broke.
The method I used was not as involved as the posted one. I used 4 inch by 5/16 see tapping countersunk bolts. I drilled a pilot hole then put Lock-Tight on the bolts and tighten them down. I put around 10 bolts on each side and have gone 5,000 mile with no problem. I used a countersunk bit on the sidewall so the bolts sat flush.

[johnnyjoe]

Where did you find the screws for replacement?

[hugospro]

Man oh man. Walls falling??? Seems like you have to be a construction engineer or have large bank account to enjoy all the benefits of RVing. After laying out 75k to 150k+ for a rig, you would think you would get your money's worth from these RV companies. A lot of eye candy to get you to buy. Then you have all your free time fixing the small, everyday plumbing, electrical, and mechanical crap that we go through.
This forum is great and a real eye opener!!

[rvpezzano]

I live in Casa Grande AZ in the winter and there's a place called Fred's Bolts and Nuts, I'll try and get you the part number and his phone. Stay tune I'll find out on Monday.

[johnnyjoe]

Small world, I'm in Eloy. Is Fred's on Pinal?

[rvpezzano]

Yes, Fred's is on Pinal and McMurray. I told him what I wanted to do and he showed me these bolts that guys use to fix horse trailers.
We are at Palm Creek, I have a few left and you could take one with you and show him. Very friendly guy!

[Jim G]

In response to hugospro, he is right. A lot of stuff continually needs repaired on an RV.
If a person is not mechanically inclined, they will be spending a lot of time and money on small repairs. An RV is a house that is vibrating and shaking as it goes down the road. Shake a house for a while and it would have some problems. Most of the components in an RV are not manufactured by the RV company, they are purchased from outside suppliers. Sometimes if there is a problem with things like glue, screws, laminate, seals, upholstery, etc. the manufacturer has no way to know it until the units have been in service for a while. Also, if you ever watch these things being built with 20 people or more installing components at the same time it is amazing that more does not go wrong. Final inspection often has over 100 items that must be repaired before the RV is sent to the dealers.
If it is any comfort, I subscribe to Tiffin and Thor groups as well as Forest River, and RV's of all makes are the same. A friend of mine spent 400k on a high class RV and in the past 4 years has spent over 20k on repairs, and had a catastrophic engine compartment fire caused by a loose exhaust fitting that was covered under warranty after only 4k miles. So more money does not equal fewer repairs. My 2012 Georgetown 337XL with 32k miles on it has never been in a shop, but I have had to tighten, adjust and do minor repairs to may components over the past few years. The Winnebago, Rockwood, and Four Winds motor homes I owned previously were the same. So if you buy an RV you had better have a good set of tools of a lot of money for labor cost

[RVnut]

Originally Posted by Jim G

In response to hugospro, he is right. A lot of stuff continually needs repaired on an RV.
If a person is not mechanically inclined, they will be spending a lot of time and money on small repairs. An RV is a house that is vibrating and shaking as it goes down the road. Shake a house for a while and it would have some problems. Most of the components in an RV are not manufactured by the RV company, they are purchased from outside suppliers. Sometimes if there is a problem with things like glue, screws, laminate, seals, upholstery, etc. the manufacturer has no way to know it until the units have been in service for a while. Also, if you ever watch these things being built with 20 people or more installing components at the same time it is amazing that more does not go wrong. Final inspection often has over 100 items that must be repaired before the RV is sent to the dealers.
If it is any comfort, I subscribe to Tiffin and Thor groups as well as Forest River, and RV's of all makes are the same. A friend of mine spent 400k on a high class RV and in the past 4 years has spent over 20k on repairs, and had a catastrophic engine compartment fire caused by a loose exhaust fitting that was covered under warranty after only 4k miles. So more money does not equal fewer repairs. My 2012 Georgetown 337XL with 32k miles on it has never been in a shop, but I have had to tighten, adjust and do minor repairs to may components over the past few years. The Winnebago, Rockwood, and Four Winds motor homes I owned previously were the same. So if you buy an RV you had better have a good set of tools of a lot of money for labor cost

So very true.. If you are like our neighbors who says there is a guy for that, if you can afford that guy then you are better off than most.. I have come to the conclusion that if you cant do some wood working and light mechanical repairs than you better not buy a motorhome.. They need messaging all the time..